Introduction
The Apple iPhone jolted the collective cellphone world three years ago, bursting consumer expectations of what a cellphone could and should be able to do. While the HTC EVO 4G, available on Sprint isn’t quite the breakthrough the iPhone was, it does represent the future of cellphones. Just as the iPhone made multi-touch touchscreens, accelerometers, proximity sensors and visual voicemail de rigueur for advanced cellphones, EVO’s 4G connectivity, front-facing camera for video chatting, HD camcorder, and especially its multiuser mobile hotspot capabilities, are all features future high-end cellphones will emulate. But don’t expect imitations any time soon; Sprint is currently the only network with 4G coverage.
Features and Design
EVO’s drool-ilicious pool of future tech is sure to make even Steve Jobs jealous – and maybe a bit mad that AT&T’s network can’t even enable iPhone tethering, much less include a mobile hotspot. It’s tough to imagine what tasty morsels HTC and Sprint have failed to toss into this cell salad.
EVO’s hot spot capability essentially works the same as a MiFi – it takes the 3G or 4G cell signal and creates a WiFi connection which can fuel up to eight different devices.
EVO’s other impressive soon-to-be-copied primary attributes include:
- 4G connectivity, which Sprint says will cover 44 markets by the end of this year;
- 4.3-inch LCD
- 1.3 MP front-facing camera for video chatting, sharing and virtual game play using Qik software (the service isn’t available yet, and you’ll likely need another EVO user to play)
- 8 MP camera with dual LED flash
- 720p HD video recorder
- Mini HDMI output jack (cable not included)
There’s dozens of other fascinating and state-of-the-art functions and features, all powered by a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor under the Android 2.1 operating system.
On the rear is a handy kickstand for hands-free video watching in landscape mode; EVO topples over if you try and use the kickstand for portrait.
Physically, the phone is a doppelganger to HTC’s Incredible phone from Verizon, a flat black slab that’s heavy – 6 ounces, yet not as heavy as it looks. There are only four touch-sensitive buttons on the front – Home, Menu, Back and Search. On the right perimeter is a volume toggle, up top is an on/off switch and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and on the bottom is a microUSB jack next to the mini HDMI jack.
The EVO comes pre-loaded with an 8 GB microSD card buried under the large battery. But considering how much memory HD video footage, 8 MP photos and music sops up, you’ll likely need/want a bigger card.
Can a phone serve as a workable PMP?
With its big, beautiful screen, the EVO makes a great little movie viewer, but you’ll have to sideload your video for the time being. The EVO includes Sprint TV, but shows do not always display in full screen and don’t take full advantage of the copious display real estate. Sprint is likely to add some sort of movie download service to compliment its 4G networks, but there’s nothing yet.
In 4G territory, YouTube videos automatically load HQ/HD versions.
Since the EVO is an Android phone, it handles music as well as any other Android phone.
Sound Quality
For calls, conversation quality is above average; not exactly landline-like, with only a hint of cell tininess.
For movie watching, the earpiece and rear speaker are only loud enough for quiet environments.
Still learning all of the features….My only disappointment is how quickly the battery drains, I feel like I need to carry the charger everywhere with me.
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EIGER and
EIGER INDONESIA
pl. tell me why all people says that evo 4g's battery is ends so quickly? can i find more bigger battery? and where?
Go to eBay and look for evo oem extended battery its like 10$ better than paying 50$ in store
The HTC EVO with Sprint is the best phone yet! I have had mine for two weeks and abosolutely LOVE IT! I have been with Sprint for 13 years and, have tried Verizon, But SPRINT is by far better, I think everyone should switch to Sprint and puchase the HTC EVO or any phone for that matter. And for the comments on here that Sprint does not care, that is a shock because any phone issue or problem I EVER had they overnight me a new one right away, and acc issues they take care of them right away! There is no phone company better!
I do not currently have a smart phone. With all the choices available, their is much to learn. But as a phone insurance claim rep handling Sprint claims, I am very wary of the HTC A9292 EVO. Despite glowing reviews and comments from owners, this device has some major defects. With 45 to 50 percent of every call I take involving an EVO, here are the major defects I have noted and the ones every current owner or potential owner should know:
The screen is very suseptable to cracking in minor incidents. Be sure to purchase a protective case and have it strapped to your body.
Numerous calls where the screen went blank or became foggy. Rather than repair, Sprint prefers to call it "moisture damage", thus bypassing having to repair it. This is a very common claim and very upsetting to the customers who have not been around any water or significant moisture. Can you blame them?
Charging port is prone to have problems. Again, here is a repairable problem that gets identified by Sprint as "moisture damage" or "misuse".
Prone to being lost. While not the fault of the phone, it is amazing how many owners are so irresponsible in keeping their phone safe and then wildly complain about having to pay the $100 deductible. And while that deductible may sound a bit high, it is far better than paying the full price, around $500 to $600, to get a new one. And if you truly believe you can replace it for less than $100, you might be able. Just be prepared to sell your soul by having to sign up for another 2 year binding contract.
Phone is prone to being stolen. Likely the same type of individual who loses their phone. It has become obvious to me that the persons who steal the EVO are not aware of the first 3 issues above. But hey, if you steal it and have problems, no big deal since you paid nothing for it. Just go out and steal another and sell it to another unsuspecting soul.
Would I, as a claims rep, recommend this phone? Only if the cost to purchase or replace is no big deal. Otherwise, stay away and look at some other choices on the market. That will save you a lot of heartache (and money), especially if you depend on it a great deal.
AJSG if you love the EVO then the Shift will disappoint. 5 mega pixel camera instead of the 8MP. It doesn't have the front facing camera. It has half the processor of the EVO, no mini HDMI port and last but not least the screen is small. It is a waste if you are used to the EVO.
As for my experience with Sprint….it was okay. I walked in to a local store and waited on a very busy staff. Once one of the reps was free I was helped. I wanted to buy a new EVO because I had gotten mine soaked at Daytona Beach, Luckily I had the LG Optimus S as a back up phone, well the guy asked why I wanted the HTC and I told him mine was drown in the beach while I fell asleep and the tide started to rise. he said "Bummer, let's see what we can do to get it fixed." Keep in mind the visit was on a Sunday afternoon. He walked me through the insurance process and was told I had to wait 7-10 business days before it would ship due to high demand. Three days later on Wednesday, the phone arrived at my front doorstep. The whole time I was patient, courteous and polite. I gave them the time they needed without being agitated or upset about my phone and the next thing I know I had my replacement phone.
I have had friends tell me to "root" my phone. I don't think I will. What reason do I have to crack my phone. I pay $125 a month and everything is already accessible and does everything you would want it to do after it was rooted. It isn't an unreasonable price to ask for the worlds best phone. It takes money to make money and you can do everything with this phone. I use it to help run my online store, track sales, email clients, read pdf files and so much more.
don't be scared……thunderbolt
For those people whose batt are draining, dowload advanced task killer and system info from market, it will kill all programs not in use that drean your batt. Those two work very well together, their widgets are nice too, one click removes it! I have an aquarium tank with little swimming fishies all the time as my live wallpaper [double tapping the screen feeds the fishies (eat THAT iPhone)] and i've yet to have much batt issues. ATK and Sys Info, trust me.
I've had my EVO for roughly 6 months now and i simply LOVE this little machine!! Everyday i am amazed at the capability and performance of it. No other phone compares to it, iphone is a close second but iphones lack of flash player, widgets, low mp cam, and unable to mount micro sd is sad. EVO can do so much more than that other phone. Yes, there are a lot more apps for the iphone but talk to google about that. Google will blow apple away in the short future, you just wait. Evo is an amazing phone. My wife is getting the Shift, lets see how that is.
u can get a bigger battery, it will make it chunky, but i guess it will help!
Basically the phone had some major software problems but when it called my ex-girl friend with out me touching it I returned it. infact it called allot of people and i couldn't get it to stop calling.
I have had my EGO for about 3 months now and let me say it works flawlessly. Several of my friends have iPhones and are all looking to switch. As for the battery thing download adv task killer app and it solves your problem by shutting down the stuff your no longer using.
I was waiting to hear someone comment on the sound quality during conversation. I returned my EVO in three days because the sound was so distorted. It made a squeaking noise which was so distracting. My primary use of a phone is to have a conversation and the sound must be comfortably audible. I tried my friends EVO before returning mine and it was the same. Is this a malfunction of the phone or could it be the Sprint Network.
I love the phone, but it must fulfill it's primary function.
Yrs I agree awesome phone but battery life dies in less then five hours the only down fall
Cathy. Calm down.
Iphone sux
EVO 2.3.3
can anyone tell me is htc evo 4g is released in india and can it work with 2g sim …because i study in dehradun so i want to know ..plj reply me on email id ..gauravsharma531@gmail.com
I think I would give up my 1st blackberry, which is a curve 8530, for one of these.
I am a heavy 3 month EVO user. Your review is distorted.
The primary reason for the poor power performance is Android itself, which does not allow background tasks to shut down and wait for an event to awaken them. Iphones allow this capability, called a "callback" scheme. Presumably, future versions of android will allow it.
The Evo has great performance. I found especially useful the hotspot feature – which turns the phone into a 2 device access point that creates an instant wifi network everywhere. Rather than paying $10 or more per day in hotels, you can just set it up and have a network that delivers IP through the Sprint 3G or 4G network. I tested the download and upload speeds on both 3G and 4G. They are quite respectable at 400K to 1M on download and roughly half that for uploads. I have watched youtube video and similar material, and the performance was no worse than on my comcast internet.
Critiques:
1. the hotspot DHCP service is provided from deep inside the network. The 4G DHCP is often spotty and takes a couple of attempts and timeouts to get an IP address. the 3G DHCP service is worse. This can be frustrating.
2. the micro USB connector for the phone performs poorly – after 3 months it is loose and the contacts are intermittent. I think the thin circuit board in the middle of the connector is just too thin and allows too much play in the plug. I have tried multiple plugs and they all show the same behavior. My previous Sanyo phone had the same micro usb and worked flawlessly for over a year.
3. upgrades to the software are confusing – they have 3 categories – firmware, HTC software and PRL. The PRL has to do with the sprint phone service. However, the difference between the firmware and HTC software is not clear.
Awwwwwwzzzzzz! I guess the Apple fanboys just aren't happy to have something that runs circles around the phone they sold their first-born for! So sad!
I Hated the EVO phone I had it for a two weeks and i returned the phone. when using the phone it would call people without me touching the screen.
The was to wide to use it like the I phone by using one hand and the screens moved vertically instead of horizontally then it would move from one screen to next with even touching it.
Basically the phone had some major software problems but when it called my ex-girl friend with out me touching it I returned it. infact it called allot of people and i couldn't get it to stop calling.
I want to say I am no dummy even if i'm sounding like it but this phone does have some major bugs
Larry from Portland Ore.
Her number should have been deleted anyway… Phone lock is what you needed!!! LMAO
Watch video review of HTC EVO 4G at: http://www.etechplanet.com/videos/Review-of-HTC-E…
i love it!!!
any phone from htc is good,no matter verizon,sprint or t-mobile.but verizon is the best.
afuckingreed
It's hard to take anyone's review of a phone seriously when they seem to mention an iPhone in every single touch screen-phone review. How about you review a phone without bias, thus providing us with a review that everyone can utilize, rather than only those who owns the now-stagnant iPhone. To those seeking a useful EVO review, seek it elsewhere.
Finally Sprint puts out a decent phone to take advantage of their outstanding network which is only getting better. I am wondering whether another player in the market will gobble them up to get their towers since sprint has been struggling financially lately.
Do not buy HTC products, get an i-phone instead, the 4g isn't that great and the EVO will break after a week, JUNK-JUNK-JUNK-JUNK
please reply me regarding to the question above on my email at stevephung@hotmail.com
Thank you so much
Hi to all of you,
could anyone tell me if HTC evo 4g compatible with bell mobility network in Canada or not?
thanks
I love this phone it's awesome. Sprint's HTC EVO 4G.. def worth the money, the only downfall is the battery life, but ooh well!
i have the htc evo and it rocks…love it it is really are the future phone
You're dillisional, the EVO sucks B@@ls
You should stop sticking foreign objects were they do not belong!!
The EVO sux your mom’s balls!
BEFORE GETTING NEW EVO PHONE FROM SPRINTThe phone will cost $10 more per month and another $30 per month for hotspot! That's $40 more each month and not worth it. When ask about 4G in Tenn they said it is not slated for TN 12 months or more. What are we paying for. They say… the best camera and it is very fast. Every phone out today has a camera and I for one do not need a 8meg photo on my phone.
any HTC phone is good.verizon,sprint,t-moble dont matter htc rocks.iphone cant compete
Eager to get a droid and bypass the iphone , however availability in Canada is so limited . We are always behind the U.S. market . Looking to replace my Blackberry which has javascript always jamming up .
The unleashing of the EVO 4G is sure to be beyond belief. I cannot wait to get in line and wait this phone out. My local Sprint store is going to be open at 8am. I hope this phone is not a failure like the Palm Pre. Such a horrible phone. I got a lot of good info from HTC EVO Review
The $10 fee gets you unlimited 3G in addition to Unlimited 4G, even when using the Hotspot.. see this: Sprint's WiMax Plans Have No Data Cap (Phone Scoop) http://bit.ly/cLj8yB
We we're referring to the Droid Incredible from Verizon, it's now corrected, sorry for the confusion.
Wow, it is really great phone. I had read whole review and it seems really very impressive. I am really very exited about this phone. Today mobile technology is growing day by day and more and more superb phones are produced.
Considering that the iPhone is the leader in the market that the EVO is trying to compete in, why wouldn't you want to know how the EVO stacks up to it? I would think it would be a disservice if it wasn't included.
Come on Sprint, explain the fee already. explainthefee dot com
This statement here: “HTC’s Incredible phone from T-Mobile,” do you mean The HTC Incredible on Verizon, or the HTC HD2 on T-Mobile? the HD2 has a 4.3 inch screen like the EVO, but hte incredible does not… please correct!
I'm very excited about the upcoming release of the Evo 4G here in Minnesota, someone has compiled a list of hands-on reviews of the HTC Evo 4G,http://www.evo4gforum.net/htc-evo-4g-reviews-an…hope you enjoy it.
I just bought a HTC EVO 4G, had it for 5 days and it quit charging, so I called customer service, got an authorization number and sent it in for repair. A week later, I got a call from an HTC rep. telling me the phone is not covered under warranty, and would be 240$ to fix it. The rep. named Brian, accused me of putting a foreign object into the mini usb port causing the damage. I would not recoment any HTC product.
That's hardly believable. True Sprint's customer service is not the greatest, but if your plan doesn't include insurance on your device and you don't get the warranty when you sign up to receive the phone, then you have taken it upon yourself to pay in FULL for any repairs that the phone may need. Sometimes phones pass inspection when they shouldn't and Sprint should have given you a replacement phone, especially since YOU claim you did nothing to make the phone quit charging. The usb port can only be damaged if a foreign object is stuck in it. It doesn't just decided not to work.
Yo Kevin you probably did stick the wrong thing in the wrong hole. I don't get problems with mine. as a matter a fact I'm writing this off of my Evo right now. You're a sissy and you don't deserve a kool phone like thisif you're gona write bad shtuff about it
The HTC EVO4G has set the bar! If you don’t know how to use the device,well,it may break,smart guy..Sometimes we just Have to invest a few extra dollars a month for insurance.