HTC P4350 Complete Guide to Specs Pricing Pros & Cons

Overview

The HTC P4350, also known as the HTC Herald, was announced in November 2006 and quickly gained attention due to its innovative design and functionality. This smartphone was part of the expanding cohort of mobile devices that defined the shift towards more sophisticated capabilities, integrating the Windows Mobile 5.0 PocketPC operating system. Although now discontinued, the HTC P4350 remains a noteworthy example of early smartphone evolution.

Design and Build

The HTC P4350 featured a compact design with dimensions of 109 x 59 x 17 mm and a weight of 168 grams. Its physical attributes include a sleek black body and a sliding QWERTY keyboard, allowing for enhanced typing convenience, especially when drafting emails or texts. The inclusion of a Mini-SIM slot situated this device within the realm of earlier mobile telephony technology.

Display

Equipped with a 2.8-inch TFT resistive touchscreen offering 65K colors, the HTC P4350 provided a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. This screen size and pixel density of approximately 143 PPI might seem marginal by today’s standards but was adequate at the time for viewing emails, checking messages, and browsing the web.

Performance and Operating System

The P4350 was powered by the TI OMAP 850 chipset with a 200 MHz ARM926EJ-S processor, paired with 64MB of RAM. While these specs might appear underwhelming by modern benchmarks, they were typical for smartphones at the time, offering enough processing power for basic multitasking and application use. The device operated on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 PocketPC, a platform known for its productivity-focused features and robustness in office applications.

Camera

A single 2 MP rear camera catered to basic photography needs, supporting video recording at QCIF resolution. The camera capabilities were rudimentary, suitable for capturing simple shots and occasional video, though far from the high-resolution outputs we expect today.

Storage and Memory

The HTC P4350 included 128MB of internal ROM in addition to the 64MB RAM, with storage expandability offered via a dedicated microSD slot. This allowed users to store additional media and applications, providing a flexible approach to managing storage needs.

Connectivity

Supporting GSM technology across 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 bands, the HTC P4350 featured GPRS and EDGE class 10 for data connectivity, alongside Wi-Fi 802.11b/g for local wireless networks. Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support facilitated wireless audio streaming, although the absence of a 3.5mm audio jack necessitated workarounds for audio output. The lack of integrated GPS and radio reflected the technological limitations and different priority features of the time.

Battery Life

The device was powered by a removable Li-Ion 1130 mAh battery, providing up to 200 hours of standby time and around 5 hours of talk time. Such battery life was sufficient given the processing and connectivity capabilities, though users were mindful of the need for regular charging with prolonged use.

User Interface and Applications

Running the Windows Mobile 5.0 PocketPC OS, the HTC P4350 offered core applications for productivity including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, alongside a WAP 2.0/xHTML and HTML PocketIE browser for internet access. This software suite positioned the device as a productivity tool in both personal and professional settings. However, the resistive touchscreen required a stylus for precise navigation, contrasting with the capacitive touch interfaces that dominate today's smartphones.

Pricing and Market Position

At launch, the HTC P4350 was priced around 350 EUR, positioning it as a mid-range device targeting professionals in need of mobile office capabilities rather than casual users or gaming enthusiasts. The pricing reflected its feature set and market competition during 2006-2007.

Legacy and Impact

Although the HTC P4350 has long since been discontinued, it remains a significant part of smartphone evolution, reflecting a time when mobile devices began to incorporate more advanced computing features and connectivity options. Its design and functionality paved the way for future devices, showing the path towards integrating compact hardware with productivity software.