HTC Snap vs Samsung Jack – FIGHT!

Being a big fan of the Messenger style Windows Mobile devices, I was pretty excited to see HTC return to this market with the Snap (T-Mobile Dash 3g, Verizon Ozone, etc…). While they were away, Samsung really stepped up their game and released a number of devices. HTC typically does a great job on the hardware, so let’s compare it to the latest and greatest device from Samsung and see how it fairs.

Processor

Both the HTC Snap (also known as the T-Mobile Dash 3G) and the Samsung Jack sport a 528MHz processor which provides a wealth of power for general tasks. Despite the fast processor, I have noticed some lag on the HTC Snap. Especially on opening the start menu after a fresh reboot. It’s a good 4-5 seconds waiting for the start menu to populate. It draws the windows almost instantly, but it takes a while to show the available programs. Advantage – Jack

Battery Life

According to the T-Mobile website, the Dash 3G should get up to 5 hours of talk time and up to 9 days on standby. Comparing that to Samsung’s website for the Jack, which says you can expect up to 7 hours of talk time and up to 12 days on standby. The difference in these 2 times is pretty interesting when the Dash 3G actually has a larger 1500mAh battery compared to a 1480mAh battery on the Jack. With a smaller battery, the Jack can last up to 3 days longer on standby and talk for 2 hours more. Advantage – Jack

Memory

Overall, I’m pretty disappointed that the memory on Windows Mobile Standard devices is still so limited compared to what is available on Professional devices. The Samsung Jack has 256MB RAM and 256MB ROM, while the HTC Snap has 192MB RAM and 256MB ROM. Personally, these devices should be coming with a gig or two of memory. Both of these devices are well short of the memory they should be loaded with given today’s memory prices and availability. The difference here is only 64MB, but when you have a quarter of what you should have, every little byte counts. Advantage – Jack

External Memory

Given that these devices are so limited in regards to the amount of storage they have onboard, external memory capacity becomes very important. In this regards, the HTC device is listed as supporting up to 32GB MicroSD cards. The Samsung Jack can only handle 16GB MicroSD cards. The largest MicroSD card I have is 16GB, so I’m not able to test these claims. We’ll have to go forward based on the information provided from the manufacturer. Advantage – Snap

Size

When it comes to size, the difference between these two devices is almost nothing. The Snap is 0.19 inches longer, 0.02 inches wider, and 0.03 inches less in depth than the Jack. The Jack may be a thicker phone, but the Snap is a longer device. (Jack – 4.4 x 2.4 x 0.5 / Snap – 4.59 x 2.42 x 0.47) The differences here are minimal. Advantage – Tie – Jack / Snap

Weight

Weight is important on any mobile device. Nobody wants to feel like they’re carrying a lead weight in their pocket. In much the same fashion as size, the weight is very similar between these devices. The Snap comes in at 4.23 ounces, while the Jack comes in at 3.5 Smart. That’s a difference of 0.27 between these popular devices. It’s not something that most people would notice. In fact, because of the shape and feel of each device, many people have misjudged the weight of each unit and guessed that the Snap was a lighter device. Advantage – Tie – Jack / Snap

Camera

Samsung has been working really hard to pack a nice camera into their smartphones, and the Jack is no exception – It sports a 3.2 megapixel camera. Compare that to the 2.0 megapixel camera found on the Snap. I’m sure there’s a cost savings and space savings associated with a 2.0 megapixel camera versus a 3.2 camera, but you can’t ignore what the competition is doing. The Snap should have at least a 3 megapixel camera in my opinion. Advantage – Jack

Charge / Sync Port

Proprietary ports are nothing short of a pain. Who really wants to buy all new accessories every time they switch phones? Samsung has talked about changing their use of proprietary ports in the future, but right now, the Jack is sporting Samsung’s proprietary connector. HTC, on the other hand, is using a standard miniUSB port for charging and synchronizing the device. If you have an existing USB car charger, or a spare wall charger, you won’t have to buy anything extra if you were to switch to the Snap. Advantage – Snap

Navigation

Trackball versus a d-pad. This really comes down to personal preference and how you use the device. The thing I like about a d-pad is that you can press and hold the up direction and the device will continue to scroll up through the list of items. With a trackball it’s a lot more thumb action to keep things scrolling. The trackball is difficult to use when you are trying to make a small movement or selection. Advantage – Jack

The winner of the showdown is the Samsung Jack with a score of 7 to 4. Now, to be clear, I don’t think you can go wrong with either of these devices. It’s best to make an informed decision about which device best suits your needs.

I think that HTC has done a pretty good job on the Snap, but they really need to place the bar higher and try to do more than the competition. It’s great to see them back making messenger style devices, but they should be pushing the limits and coming up with new devices that out spec the competition. Let’s see some Windows Mobile Standard devices with 4Gig of memory, larger resolution screens, faster processors, and better cameras. You’ve proven that you can lead the market on the Windows Mobile Professional side. Now let’s see you do that on Standard.

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