The forgotten smartphone: HTC Snap

January 11, 2021 Luisa Rey

In the years that BlackBerry launched its recognizable smartphones on the market, HTC released the HTC Snap. A Windows Mobile device with a full QWERTY keyboard. We discuss this phone in this edition of ‘The Forgotten Smartphone’.

HTC Snap

If you are asked about a smartphone from 12 years ago, the HTC Snap probably does not come to mind first. The device appeared in 2009 when HTC still managed to score well with its devices. Meanwhile, the brand is still hanging by a more silk thread and its presence in the Netherlands is negligible. In 2009, the manufacturer released the HTC Snap. According to the manufacturer, this device should simplify your life. In addition, it had to make your life easier while staying in touch with others.

The smartphone from the Taiwanese manufacturer was equipped with a striking button; the ‘Inner Circle’. With one touch you could have direct contact with the people who are important to you. In the e-mail app, for example, you could directly filter the messages of those from this circle. The phone was equipped with Windows Mobile 6.1 and you found a slightly more adapted version of HTC over it. Operating the telephone was mainly done with the track ball.

The HTC Snap offered a 2.4 inch screen with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. The full QWERTY keyboard consisted of four rows. Above the keyboard were several shortcut keys with which you could also perform certain actions. HTC provided the device with 3G and WiFi, although several users encountered problems with switching from the WiFi network to the mobile network very quickly.

A few other details of the HTC Snap at a glance; there was a single-core processor with a computing power of 528MHz. The specification list also mentions 192MB of working memory and a storage space of 256MB. You could expand this with a memory card. HTC placed a 2 megapixel camera on the Snap and provided it with a 1500 mAh battery. The price of the phone was around 300 euros.