Released in Asia, Europe, and the USA, the HTC Salsa is an Android smartphone running version 2.3 of the software a.k.a. Gingerbread. It weighs only 120 grams with its 3.4-inch capacitive touchscreen display, dual camera setup, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities. As you might expect, music and video playback is available as standard, and games and other apps can be downloaded with ease for entertainment. Available in black and silver, this phone offers an average battery life of about 20 days on standby with a single charge.
Predictive text input simplifies texting for users while a dedicated voicemail key makes it easy as pie to check voicemail whenever necessary. Inside the phone lies hardware niceties which include a gyroscope and sensors for ambient light and proximity, while a voice-activated dialing feature makes things a lot easier for users when making phone calls. Emails and instant messaging services are both supported so those who need to keep in touch with loved ones will find this phone incredibly useful. Speaking of which, there’s a built-in 5MP auto-focus camera with zoom feature and LED flash that can capture still images and record video. As you can see, this phone can take care of most anyone’s entertainment needs quite masterfully. Unfortunately, it does not come with a pre-loaded document viewer, though it does have a notepad application that can then be used as a quick alternative.
Since this phone was primarily marketed as a choice for those on a budget, many were surprised to find out that it actually offers solid build quality, the type which you normally might expect from HTC. While it was built with Facebook at its core, it definitely doesn’t come across as just a phone you can use to check your Facebook account with. It’s smartly stylish and all grown up, and yet it’s got users covered quite nicely for everything that has to do with social and the Web in general. If you’re the type of person who needs to stay on top of the social game, you’ll be glad to know that the HTC Salsa has got your back. And it still has a number of other things to offer.
The HTC Salsa might be a Facebook phone, as most people would refer to it, but it’s still a highly-capable Android smartphone at heart. It also doesn’t hurt that it is available at a pretty sweet price point that will make a lot of buyers happy.
Need to Know: HTC Salsa
1. Tight integration with Facebook and other social networking services. (The Good)
2. Compact yet robust and offers plenty of features for the advanced smartphone user. (The Good)
3. Native resolution of touchscreen display is quite low at HVGA —320x480 pixels. (The Bad)
4. Default operating system is an older version of the Android software that is not likely to get an update in the future. (The Bad)
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Edward Chester, TrustedReviewsThe HTC Salsa may be a smaller, budget device, with Facebook at its core but it's actually a surprisingly grown up smartphone. It's smartly styled, speedy in operation, packed full of features, and can get you to Facebook nirvana quicker than you can say toasted Tortilla. Whether your desire for Fac...
- Russell Jefferies, MobileBurnIf I'm honest, I struggled to like the HTC Salsa as much as other recent HTC smartphones. Admittedly, that's probably because I'm not a massive fan of Facebook, and the Salsa feels like a step backward in comparison to the recent slew of top-end devices that I've had from HTC, but I just didn't gel...
- Stuff Team, StuffThe Salsa is a neat phone with all the features you’d expect from a high-ender, only in a smaller package. The Facebook stuff is gimmicky and you could do much the same thing with an onscreen shortcut and a few free apps, but the convenience of it is still a big plus for serial socialisers.
- Chris Hall, Pocket-lintSo let’s get to the nitty-gritty. What is the HTC Salsa - is it a Facebook phone? It is if you want it to be, but then Facebook isn’t exactly alien to the Android world. There isn’t anything here that you can’t do elsewhere. Putting it against the INQ Cloud Touch, the other c...
- Chris Burns, Android CommunityThis device is what Chris Davies and certainly a majority of the rest of our staff have agreed to as an “odd little phone.” That said, the Facebook button is more of a bit of candy on top of a device with excellent construction, two-day battery life, and a bunch of the more appealing det...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the HTC Salsa user manual here.
HTC backs up the Salsa with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Salsa has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact HTC support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find HTC's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- HTC Salsa Manual (PDF)
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