Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
There's no HD/720/1080 claims on the box here, with the HTC Salsa managing to record its video clips at a maximum resolution of 720 x 480. Results are good and a clear step up from the chunky output of HTC's entry level Wildfire S.
The camcorder section of the camera app is the same as that found on the Wildfire S and HTC Desire S, offering a few novelty filters, white balance settings, a selection of lower video resolutions for creating smaller, more manageable clips, plus an audio on/off toggle.
Clips at full resolution emerge colourful and without much in the way of blockiness or distortion. Everything's sharp and bright, and while the video camera's interface can get a little laggy and glitchy, the sensor itself is always smooth, switching between light and dark areas with ease while recording.
The digital zoom works while filming clips, although it can become laughably jerky and bogged down. You zoom in and out with the volume rocker, and occasionally it gets so behind itself it starts buffering your presses and zooming in and out at about one frame per second.
There's no autofocus while recording clips, with the Salsa using the same tap-to-focus system as seen in the company's HTC Sensation. It works quickly and well, reducing the amount of needless autofocus that can ruin some mobile phone video output.
It struggles to focus on close-up shots, but in general the Salsa produces video clips you won't be ashamed of or feel overly disappointed by when sticking them on your computer.
There's also a second front-facing VGA resolution camera on here, just in case Android or HTC ever conjures up a reason to actually use one that isn't a play on Apple's 'enchanting' ideology for video chatting.
