HTC Evo 4G - black (Sprint)
Manufacturer: HTC Part number: APA9292KT
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- Bottom Line:
- The HTC Evo 4G is easily Sprint's best smartphone and one of today's top Android devices. It also shows the promise of 4G, which will grow as Sprint's WiMax network expands, but until there's broader 4G coverage, it's hard to agree with the mandatory premium data add-on fee.
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CNET editors' review
HTC Evo 4G - black (Sprint) price range: $99.99
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 05/19/2010
- Released on: 06/04/2010
The good: The HTC Evo 4G delivered respectable 4G speeds, and the mobile hot-spot feature lets you connect up to eight devices. The smartphone has a front-facing camera for video chats and also comes with an 8-megapixel camera with HD-video-recording capabilities. The Evo ships with YouTube's HQ video player, Android 2.1 with HTC Sense, and an HDMI port. Other highlights include an extra-large 4.3-inch touch screen and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor.
The bad: Sprint's 4G network is limited at this time, making the mandatory $10 premium data add-on tough to swallow for anyone outside of the coverage area. The Evo lacks support for Bluetooth voice-activated dialing. The battery drains quickly with 4G.
The bottom line: The HTC Evo 4G is easily Sprint's best smartphone and one of today's top Android devices. It also shows the promise of 4G, which will grow as Sprint's WiMax network expands, but until there's broader 4G coverage, it's hard to agree with the mandatory premium data add-on fee.
Editors' note: The ratings for this product have been updated since the review's original publish date due to new products that have entered the market.
Ever since it was first introduced at CTIA 2010, the anticipation and hype surrounding the HTC Evo 4G has taken on a life of its own. Come June 4, we will finally see America's first 4G smartphone become a reality. Of course, this type of device comes with a whole set of expectations, which can either be met with joy or disappointment. Fortunately, for Sprint and HTC, it's more of the former than the latter, but we certainly have our gripes about the handset, too. Overall, the HTC Evo 4G is, hands-down, the best smartphone that Sprint has to offer and certainly ranks as one of the best Android phones on the market today. It's feature packed and powerful, and shows the promise of 4G. Admittedly, we had higher hopes for 4G speeds, but it made good on Sprint's claims and is definitely a step up from 3G.
That said, it's a shame that only a limited group will be able to really enjoy the full potential of the Evo 4G at launch, given the limited reach of Sprint's 4G network, but what's worse is the mandatory $10 premium data add-on. It's not the $10 charge for WiMax that upsets us; that is a completely fair price in our opinion. However, making it mandatory for everyone, regardless of whether you live in a 4G market or not, seems unfair. Yes, in the grand scheme of things, Sprint's data plans are much less than its competitors' plans, and there is no data cap with the premium add-on, but still, it's a bit maddening to have to pay for something you're not getting. Why not just make it a requirement for those in a 4G coverage area and offer it as an a-la-carte option for those who live in 3G markets and might travel to a 4G market?
Again, the Evo 4G is Sprint's premier smartphone and you'll get a great device regardless of our quibbles. We just hope Sprint starts to light up those 4G markets faster, so everyone can take advantage of the 4G capabilities and get their money's worth. The HTC Evo 4G will be available June 4 for $199.99 with a two-year contract and the aforementioned data plans. Though Sprint requires a $100 mail-in rebate, Best Buy and Radio Shack do not, so you get the $200 price tag instantly.
Design
Cut from the same cloth as the HTC HD2, the HTC Evo 4G isn't what you'd call a dainty phone. It measures 4.8 inches tall by 2.6 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick and weighs 6 ounces, so you're dealing with a good chunk of hardware. It's right on the cusp of being too big, but HTC was able to keep the Evo relatively thin, making it more manageable.
Plus, you might be willing to overlook the large size once you get a glimpse of the smartphone's massive display. Like the HD2, the Evo 4G rocks a 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen that's downright mesmerizing. The extra screen real estate makes a huge difference when viewing Web pages and reading text, and the Evo supports the pinch-to-zoom gesture in a number of apps. The display shows vibrant colors and the sharp WVGA 800x480-pixel resolution makes everything look crisp. There is a built-in light sensor that will automatically adjust the backlight based on the ambient light; we were able to read the screen in most environments, but it did wash out a bit in bright sunlight.
Another benefit of the large display is a spacious keyboard that rivals the iPhone's in ease of use. Even in portrait mode, we were able to quickly punch out a message with both thumbs (none of that pecking at the keys with one finger) with minimal mistakes. As you can imagine, the landscape keyboard is even roomier, but most times we found we could get away with just typing in portrait mode.
Below the screen, you get four touch-sensitive navigation controls: home, menu, back, and search. A long press of the home key will bring up a list of your most recently used apps. There's a volume rocker on the right side, and the top of the device features a power button and 3.5mm headphone jack. On the bottom, you'll find a Micro-USB port and an HDMI port. Be aware that the latter is a Type D connector, so you'll have to get a compatible cable to hook the phone up to your TV. Of course, you can watch video and view photos right from the phone, and there's a handy kickstand on back so you can prop the phone up on a desk.
Sprint ships the HTC Evo 4G in an environmentally friendly package, but the included accessories are pretty sparse. You get an AC adapter, a USB cable, an 8GB microSD card, and reference material. For more add-ons, please check our cell phone accessories, ringtones, and help page.
User interface
Though there will be purists who prefer the standard Android skin, in most cases, we'd choose a device running HTC Sense. Out of all our custom skins for Android (Motoblur, TouchWiz, etc.), Sense is our absolute favorite, as it gives Android a more user-friendly interface. In many cases, it improves on the core functions by better integrating the features, which is why we're glad to see that Sprint had the sense (sorry) to go with Sense on the Evo 4G.
Just like the Droid Incredible and the HTC Legend, the Evo 4G runs the newer version of HTC Sense, which was announced at Mobile World Congress 2010. This includes a revamped mail widget that can take you to a list view of all your e-mail instead of just one message at a time. (This view, however, is only one of several choices.) Once in the mail app, there's a handy tabbed interface at the bottom that lets you view unread messages, attachments, meeting invites, and more with a simple touch. The Agenda widget also now displays your whole agenda on the screen, and, like the latest HTC devices, you get an animated weather widget right on the home screen that automatically displays the current conditions based on your location.
You also get a new Group Contacts widget, which lets you organize your contacts by groups. For example, you can set up one for work colleagues, another for friends, and another for just family--whatever you please. The UI looks good, and it's simple to add contacts to a group, though removing them requires a few extra steps.
Sense also makes it easy to access as much information as possible within the contact management system. If any of your contacts have Facebook updates, it will display them right next to their pictures in the contact database. You can also see all your exchanges (text messages, call logs, etc.) with a single person from his or her contact card, and all your contacts are accessible within the phone app. However, we still had multiple instances of duplicate contacts and had to go back and manually link them together.
Another feature, called Friend Stream, provides a single place for all your social-networking needs, piping in updates from Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. Unlike Motoblur, it's not server-based; the phone connects to the sites and pulls information directly from there.
By far our favorite new feature, however, is the Leap screen. Pinching the home screen (or pressing the home button if you're on the center panel) brings up a thumbnail view of all your home screen panels, so if you have your favorite apps and widgets on those screens, you easily "leap" to the screen you want. The Evo 4G offers seven home screen panels, and there are different "Scenes," which presents a whole new set of seven home screen panels that you can customize by the theme of the Scene (Social, Work, Travel, Play, and so forth). Admittedly, it can be overwhelming, but the best part is that you can use as many or as few of the features as you want; the device is completely customizable to your needs.
Features
Sitting underneath HTC Sense is Android 2.1. This is the latest version of Android currently available, so aside from the standard Google services and Android apps, you're also getting such features as Google Maps with Navigation, voice-to-text entry, and live wallpapers. However, if you follow Android developments at all, then you know that Android 2.2, aka Froyo, is on the way, bringing support for Flash 10.1, among other things. We asked Sprint whether the Evo would get an Android 2.2 update and a representative said the company was not announcing anything at this time, but any news would be communicated closer to availability. We can only hope that Sprint will be a bit more swift this time around than it was with bringing Android 2.1 to the Samsung Moment and the HTC Hero.
That aside, you are still getting an action-packed device that's focused around the 4G and multimedia experience. The Evo 4G is the first phone to take advantage of Sprint's WiMax network, and the smartphone ships with a handful of features that really take advantage of 4G. For one, the Evo will be the first handset to ship with YouTube's high-quality player, and also includes the aforementioned HDMI port so you can stream videos and photos in HD quality from your phone to your home theater system.
The Evo also has a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera, in addition to an 8-megagpixel camera that can shoot HD-quality video, and will come with a Qik video chat application, so you can make video calls. Now, video calling and Qik isn't new. Video conferencing has long been available in international markets and front-facing cameras are the norm on Nokia's higher-end smartphones, but the Evo 4G is the first handset with a U.S. carrier that really makes video chatting a viable option. Unlike AT&T's Video Share service, the recipient isn't required to have a compatible phone. Qik has a PC client so you could video chat with someone via PC and Webcam. Unfortunately, we weren't able to test the video-chatting capabilities, since our review unit didn't come preloaded with Qik Chat, though Sprint says it will provide us with access next week. The Qik video chat service is free, but if you can also upgrade to a premium service for $4.99 per month, which gives you higher resolution video calls, video archiving, and more.
Other voice features include a speakerphone, speed dial, smart dialing, voice commands, conference calling, visual voice mail, and text and multimedia messaging with threaded chat view. Bluetooth, 3G, GPS, and integrated Wi-Fi are also onboard, and you can use voice and data simultaneously, provided you're in a 4G market.
As a Sprint phone, the Evo supports a number of the carrier's services, such as Sprint TV, Sprint Football Live, Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile, and Sprint Navigation. HTC also throws in a few of its proprietary apps, including the Peep Twitter client and Footprints, which uses the phone's GPS to capture favorite locations and lets you chronicle trips with geotagged photos and notes. Of course, additional apps are available in the Android Market. As with all Android phones, you can only save apps to the phone's main memory. The Evo 4G offers 1GB of internal memory but the microSD expansion slot can accept up to 32GB cards.
4G and Mobile Hotspot
It's clear that the HTC Evo 4G is one of the most powerful Android smartphones on the market, but what makes it different from the rest--and we're talking all smartphones, not just Android--is the 4G capabilities.
Our 4G wireless resource guide provides a more in-depth explanation of the technology, but in short, what this means for you is faster data speeds for Web browsing, downloads, streaming media, and uploading photos--all from your smartphone. In addition, the Evo lets you share these speeds with up to eight devices using the mobile hot-spot feature. What kind of speeds are we talking? Well, Sprint says its 4G WiMax network can provide wireless speeds up to 10 times faster than today's 3G, with average download speeds ranging from 3Mbps to 6Mbps and peak download speeds of up to 10Mbps and upload speeds of 1Mbps. Compare that with 3G's average download speeds of 600kbps to 1.4Mbps and peak download speeds of 1.3Mbps.
Sounds great on paper, but what about real-world results? Since 4G isn't yet available in New York, we ventured down to Philadelphia to get a taste of what Sprint's WiMax network really has to offer. We were able to get consistent 4G coverage throughout the city, though signal strength varied. CNET's full site loaded in 19 seconds, whereas CNN and ESPN's mobile sites came up in 5 seconds and 4 seconds, respectively. Downloading apps from the Android Market took just a few seconds, and downloading individual tracks from the Amazon MP3 averaged around 15 seconds or less; an entire album took 7 minutes to download.
We also streamed shows from Sprint TV, but the experience was disappointing. Despite having a 4G connection, there were some breaks in the clips and audio and videos weren't always synced up. On a brighter note, we had better luck with YouTube videos; playback was continuous and there was only one instance when we noticed a slight gap between audio and video.
To get a better measure of speeds, however, we tried out the mobile hot-spot feature and used the Evo 4G as our only source for getting online during our time in Philadelphia. Setup was a breeze with the preloaded Sprint Hotspot app, allowing us to connect the Evo to our Lenovo T61 laptop and iPod Touch with no problem. We used Speedtest.net to measure the Evo's download and upload speeds throughout the day, and the Evo averaged download speeds of 3.42Mbps and upload speeds of 0.93Mpbs and reached a peak speed of 4.76Mpbs. Using a 4G connection, we were able to upload a 2MB picture in 18 seconds, and a 93.9MB zipped music file took 5 minutes and 20 seconds to download. We also watched a couple of Hulu videos, which required a few seconds to load, but played back without interruption; it was the same with YouTube videos, and the difference between YouTube HQ and standard definition videos is noticeable and much appreciated.
If you're in a 4G market, you can use simultaneous voice and data, so the mobile hot-spot function should keep its connection even if a call comes through. Though this scenario never presented itself during our testing period, we were able to make a call on the Evo while still surfing the Net on our laptop. That said, during peak hours, the Internet connection dropped several times in an hour and though it would reconnect within a minute or two, it was nonetheless frustrating.
For comparison, we switched to 3G, ran the same test, and averaged download speeds of 0.77Mbps and upload speeds of 0.35Mbps. The same 2MB picture we used for our 4G test took 56 seconds to upload over a 3G connection, so you're definitely getting a nice bump in speed. If there's no 4G available, the Evo will automatically revert to Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A network, which might happen more often than not, since Sprint's 4G is currently live in only 32 cities, covering around 41 million people. Sprint said it will expand the service with partner Clearwire to Miami, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, New York City, Houston, Boston, Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Denver, Minneapolis, and the San Francisco Bay Area by the end of this year, at which point Sprint says its 4G network will cover 120 million people (44 markets in total).
Returning to the hot-spot feature briefly, it does come at a cost of $29.99 per month, which hurts when you add that to the $80 you're already paying for the data plan and Premium Add-on, but at least there is no data cap. Still, don't think of this as your only choice. We'd recommend doing a little online research and checking out the Android Market for some free tethering utilities, such as PDANet from June Fabrics Technology.
Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO Rev. A) Evo 4G in New York and Philadelphia using Sprint service and call quality was great. Our friends' voices came through loud and clear, with little to no background noise. On one occasion, we made a call using the AT&T BlackBerry Curve and were met with static and patchy audio, so we called back using the Evo 4G and it was like night and day. Our callers also reported great results, noting in particular that there was no kind of voice distortion and plenty of volume. Speakerphone calls were decent. Though there was plenty of volume to hear our buddies even in louder environments, there was a bit of tinny audio quality.
HTC Evo 4G call quality sample
Listen now:
We had no problems pairing the device with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones. We also plugged in our Bose On-Ear Headphones and enjoyed rich-sounding tracks with a nice balance of treble and bass.
CNET's Jeff Bakalar took a closer look at the Evo 4G's HDMI-out capabilities, and you can read his full hands-on report here. And what about video recording? After all, the Evo's 8-megapixel camera can capture video at 720p HD quality. We wouldn't go ditching your camcorder just yet, though. The Evo certainly did a better job than most camera phones, capturing action with minimal blurriness or pixelation. That said, there's still a slight grainy quality to the videos. Picture quality, on the other hand, was great, whether we were shooting indoors or outdoors. Images were sharp and color tones were pretty true to life.
Equipped with a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8650 processor and 512MB RAM, the Evo 4G was able to keep up with our demands for the most part. It wasn't nearly as zippy as the Droid Incredible, but we were still able to launch and work in apps with minimal delay. That's not to say that it was all roses and peaches. The phone did have to be reset twice during our testing period. Actually, the first instance wasn't even our doing; we went to launch the Sprint Hotspot app and it just decided to power down. The other time was when we were downloading a song from the Amazon MP3 Store. The backlight had timed out during the download process, so when we went to go unlock the screen to check on the status, the display froze and we had to remove the battery to reboot the phone. We haven't had any mishaps since, so hopefully, they were just isolated incidents.
| Performance tests from CNET Labs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Test | HTC Evo 4G | iPhone 4 |
| Phone boot time test | 47.1 seconds | 29.4 seconds |
| Talk time battery life 3G | 5.5 hours | 7.76 hours |
| Audio playback time | 18.2 hours | 59 hours |
| Video playback time | 5.9 hours | 6.9 hours |
| Browser load speed on Wi-Fi (Giantbomb.com) | 20 seconds | 15 seconds |
| Camera app load time | 2 seconds | 2 seconds |
| Camera reshoot time | 3 seconds | 1 second |
The HTC Evo 4G ships with a 1,500mAh lithium ion battery, but Sprint did not release its estimates for talk time or standby time. But with moderate use and a 4G connection, we were able to get the smartphone to last about 12 hours before needing a recharge. With heavy usage, we were running for an outlet within about 4 to 4.5 hours, and the mobile hot-spot feature definitely drains the battery quickly, so keep your charger or extra battery handy. In our battery drain tests, the Evo 4G provided 5.5 hours of continuous talk time over 3G. According to FCC radiation tests, the smartphone has a digital SAR rating of 1.03 watts per kilogram.
User reviews
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Worth the Hype/Wait, Absolutely Love It!
by MarionMobileCrazy on February 23, 2011
Pros: + Gorgeous, gigantic, super bright, crystal clear screen.
+ Call quality is excellent
+ WiFi works very well
+ 8 Megapixel camera AND HD video camcorder
+ Touch screen is VERY sensitive and fast
+ Everything about this thing is just fast.Cons: - Battery Life. This makes sense as the gigantic screen by itself likes to eat up juice when in use. WiFi, Bluetooth and certain auto-updating apps also drain the battery.
Summary: I've been on Sprint since 2005 and have experience using many of their smartphones: from the Mogul and Touch Pro to the Pre/Hero and Moment, and now the ...
Summary: I've been on Sprint since 2005 and have experience using many of their smartphones: from the Mogul and Touch Pro to the Pre/Hero and Moment, and now the one that makes all those look like toys: the HTC Evo.
Let's start off with the battery life myth: Since the FroYo update, I am easily making it 30-40 hours without charging. I can drain a full battery in 5 hours if I'm trying to, but never with typical use. The negative reviews on battery are typically from not so savvy smartphone users and you will find these types of reviews on all smartphones.
Android is easy to use and you will love all the Marketplace apps to customize it as your own. The Evo has HTC's Sense UI, which looks decent and is user-friendly. A great thing about Android is that if you aren't happy with Sense UI, you can go to the marketplace for ADW.Launcher (my strong preference), or Launcher Pro. With these other launchers, you can add more rows and columns for apps and tweak everything to the way you want it.
Navigation works so well that I sold my Garmin Nuvi 265WT. It loads directions almost instantly, which is great because my biggest pet peeve with Garmin was waiting for the satellites.
Let's talk about media: For music there are several well designed apps but my favorites are PowerAmp (gorgeous and has an equalizer), Doubletwist (wireless air-sync), and TuneWiki (scrolls lyrics). For streaming, of course there's Pandora, Last.FM and Slacker. For viewing you loaded video files, I've only used Rock Player, which views AVI files. I like it a lot, so I haven't felt the need to search for any others.
Voice quality: I make a lot of calls, and usually 3-4 a day to people I've never talked to before. Calls are very clear and they need to be. I get 4-6 out of 6 bars from Los Angeles, all over Orange County, down to Chula Vista. I would be beyond frustrated with anything else. This obviously depends on your region, but in Southern California, I get excellent reception everywhere I go.
Camera: At 8MP and with 2 LED lights, it's better than most phone cameras but if you are expecting a phone to be on par with your point-and click shooter, that's a little unrealistic. I still use my Canon and however far these smartphones advance, if you take your picture quality seriously, you will always want a camera. As for the video recording, it gets the job done. I was considering a Flip type camera, but the Evo has 720p recording and makes that obsolete.
vs. iPhone 4: since many will make the comparison, it's fair to touch upon and since I've used it for several hours (I resell used ones), I'm qualified. If you already have an iPhone, it doesn't matter how glowing my review of the EVO is, you're most likely getting the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 is a sleek piece of hardware but you already know that. If you want things really simple, that's an area iOS, to it's credit, excels in. If you like to customize all the little details to your liking, chances are, you'll prefer Android. The display on the iPhone 4 does look nice but it's not really something you think of when you are using it, despite Apple embellishing this feature. I get why people love their iPhones, but I don't get why those in bad coverage areas (like Southern CA), would sacrifice the main feature of a device because they think it's a fashion statement. If you are a texter and rarely make phone calls, then I can understand somewhat, but it's a matter or principle for me. For AT&T to charge as much as they do, have subpar customer service, lie to you about rebates as standard protocol, and still have extremely spotty data and voice coverage in my region, no thanks.
For Sprint users, the Epic 4G is one many will compare the Evo to: I've used it for a week as my main phone. It has much more vibrant colors with the Super AMOLED screen. Physical keyboard comes down to your personal preference, but I prefer software keyboards now (something I didn't think would happen). If you plan on playing a lot of games with your phone, Samsung's Hummingbird CPU will leave the Evo in the dust. The Epic is a great phone and the SAMOLED screen is impressive. I would gladly pay the $50 premium to get that screen on the Evo, but I'll get over it. The Evo has the edge in everything else I prefer.
BOTTOM LINE: Shop for carrier coverage in your area, BEFORE the phone, unless you don't make that many calls. A great phone with poor coverage is not so great anymore. If Sprint sucks in your area, don't get the Evo. If Sprint is awesome, like it is in Orange County, CA, you are going to love the EVO.
*** P.S. If you are looking for this phone I suggest at: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003N9B3CY?ie=UTF8&tag=***************&********=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&************=B003N9B3CY36 out of 36 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Palm Pre to EVO 4G -- for those considering the switch
by Gadgetarms on June 8, 2010
Pros: My pros would have to be screen size, speed, cameras, kickstand, overall hardware, the internet experience, virtual keyboard,call quality, apps, expandable storage, voice commands work Very.. etc.. I can go on and on..
Cons: Weight (noticeable difference from Pre), $10 monthly fee even in 3G only areas, Multitasking
Summary: Let me start off by saying this is mainly for people who are considering the switch from the Pre to the EVO. It's just some of my thoughts.
IMO ...Summary: Let me start off by saying this is mainly for people who are considering the switch from the Pre to the EVO. It's just some of my thoughts.
IMO WebOS is GREAT!!! It's simple to use and extremely user friendly. If you're emotionally attached to cards, gestures, your touchstone and the homebrew community, I'd think twice about getting the EVO. After thinking twice I'd probably still get the EVO. If you're hesitant because there's no physical keyboard, don't be. After my last 2 phones (the BB 8330 and the Pre) I was unsure myself. To my surprise the virtual keyboard on the EVO is good. With the options of portrait, landscape, and even voice to text I find it rather easy to use. The large screen definitely helps with that.
The multitasking on the EVO (or any phone I've ever used/seen) doesn't compare to WebOS. IMO WebOS does this perfectly. Multitasking on the EVO is simple but WebOS is king here. I miss the cards and gestures but not nearly as much as I anticipated. With the EVO my pages and apps load so fast it's a trade off I'm willing to keep.
My gf loves her Pre even more than I do. We still have them lying around.. lol.. One of her biggest concerns switching to the EVO was size. For those of you (especially with smaller hands) who share this concern, I wouldn't let that be the deciding factor either. The phone is not as big as people make it out to be. When the keyboard is exposed on the Pre it is longer than the EVO. The EVO is wider but still thinner than the Pre. My gf is 5' tall with small hands and hasn't complained about the size much at all. It is obviously larger but with that size you'll find it amazing to use for media, internet, email, messaging, etc... I enjoy the screen size so much I'm holding off on a netbook because I'm satisfied browsing on it.
I haven't experienced the "TERRIBLE" battery life that others have. The EVO has lasted both my gf and I longer than our Pre's. This is not to say the Battery life is great however, for us it just hasn't been a con based on our past phone. Maybe this is due to the fact that I'm in a 3G only area. I've read that 4G drains the battery at a pretty high rate. I don't know.
The hardware on this phone is great. It is a lil heavy but a huge difference in quality from the feel of the Pre. The EVO feels like a phone that's worth what it cost. The Pre's hardware as always been an issue.
WebOS to Android and Sense is definitely a transition that will take some getting used to. You'll have to control your thumb from wanting to swipe everything. It's a fun change though and one I can honestly say I'm happy I made. The ability to customize the layout of the home screens, widgets, and app shortcuts are great. The market with access to thousands of apps is great. Google maps as well as other applications just run better on the EVO. It's newer hardware so that is to be expected. I'll always have a soft spot for WebOS and if HP PALM come out with a device I feel is better then I'll consider getting it. I miss my touchstone as well.
With that said I won't be returning the EVO. Our thoughts were we'd buy the EVO and try it out and if we weren't completely satisfied we'd return them and go back to the Pre. Well we're completely satisfied. All the things I miss about WebOS this phone makes up for any many other ways. Both are great devices but this phone is close to perfect. If this thing had gestures and cards it would be perfect.47 out of 74 users found this user opinion helpful.
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An iPad mini (only better)
by richardlawler on May 22, 2010
Pros: Gorgeous screen. Super-fast. Plays most Flash media in browser. HTC Sense UI.
Cons: Kind of big. Sprint may not be your first choice for carrier (although I'm finding it works very well in San Francisco - Sprint EVDO 3G is easily twice as fast as AT&T 3G on Nexus One). $10 surcharge. The device's name.
Summary: I received a Sprint EVO 4G the other day. It's a super-fast Android phone with a gorgeous 4.3" screen. It has a cute little kick-stand. It plays most ...
Summary: I received a Sprint EVO 4G the other day. It's a super-fast Android phone with a gorgeous 4.3" screen. It has a cute little kick-stand. It plays most Flash. You can read eBooks. It's got a huge, rich browser. It's got me very seriously wondering if the dominance of the iPad (particularly the form-factor) is a fait accompli.
I don't think the EVO device will take over the world. (It's big. So it won't fit in your pocket if you wear skinny jeans. It's on Sprint and they charge an extra $10/mo more than other smartphones because it can use their new 4G network.) But playing with the EVO 4G for two days has made me realize this phone, in many ways, has more in common with the iPad than with the inch-smaller iPhone. And it leads me to think that perhaps there's more than one way to skin this cat (ie what defines a viable tablet computer and what are the limits of smartphones).
The Sprint HTC EVO 4G is a pockeable iPad mini (only better) and without the "curated" experience.29 out of 48 users found this user opinion helpful.
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My Cell Phone is now my Cell Phone and my Home Internet
by kentdshaw on June 16, 2010
Pros: Mobile Hot Spot, 4G for my area, full Google integration, personalized home screen, Android O/S, 30-Day Money Back Guarantee with Sprint, unlimited data, Android voicemail, Android notification
Cons: Battery life, if it switches to 3G while running as a hot spot, you have to reset to get it back to 4G
Summary: I second most of the positive reviews here. I actually decided to write this review to clarify a couple things I read in one of the previous reviews.
First, I ...Summary: I second most of the positive reviews here. I actually decided to write this review to clarify a couple things I read in one of the previous reviews.
First, I have been able to receive phone calls even while I have my phone on Hotspot. Because I'm trying to get rid of my home internet (so I can save money), I was a bit concerned about it. I don't get that many phone calls, so I didn't think it was going to be a big deal. One day, though, I was surfing the internet on my computer, using the phone as a hotspot, and the phone rang. Someone mentioned this wasn't possible, and I just wanted to offer another experience.
Second, the speeds on 4G aren't 9MPS where I am. I am constantly speed testing it (using an Android app from speedtest.net), and I consistently get 2MPS and 2.5MPS down. .7-1MPS up. Which is fine. My suspicion is that these speeds are going to get better as time goes on. Yeah, yeah, I know that people say WIMAX is going to clog up its network, and LTE is going to be the more advanced technology. But these are the same things people said about Cable internet, when it was competing against DSL. And, from what I can see, Cable is still fastest.
Third, if you use Google for things (I use it religiously for calendar, gmail, picasa, and maps), you are immediately signed in to your whole internet world. I had all my contacts and phone numbers entered in Google contacts, and I had to enter no phone numbers into my phone. The experience is amazing. It took one sign in, and I was done. I have an iPod touch, and I had to enter my signin for whatever I was using.
Last thing, the battery situation. Yeah, it's kind of annoying. The main plus is that Android lets you customize so much on the phone, and the home screens. I have the switch widgets for all the services on this phone (GPS, 4G, WiFi, 3G, Hot Spot) on my home screen, and when I'm not using them, I make a point of switching them off. One thing to keep in mind, though, when the battery on this phone goes dead, I can buy a new one and replace the old one myself. You have to send an iPhone back to Apple for the same thing. Really, that's not good design.
In the end, this phone can do so many more things than an iPhone (like 4G, customization, multi-notification, etc.), but all the iPhone people can hit it on is the battery life.26 out of 45 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Bonnie, how is this not an Editors Choice?!?
by randyoaks187 on May 23, 2010
Pros: It is just as good as Verizon's HTC Droid Incredible in every way, with the following additions:
4.3" screen, front facing camera, 720p video recording, HDMI out, 4G, kickstandCons: Well, since CNET doesn't rate phones based on carrier, the only thing that one could say is that the size would be a problem. I went to Best Buy to check out the HD2 and I didn't have a problem with it, and neither did my wife.
Summary: I think that it is a real disservice to CNET that they haven't given this phone the editors choice over the HTC Droid Incredible. As I mentioned above, other ...
Summary: I think that it is a real disservice to CNET that they haven't given this phone the editors choice over the HTC Droid Incredible. As I mentioned above, other than being slightly larger, and on a potentially inferior network (but also potentially superior, depending if you are in a 4G area) there is no reason that this phone doesn't meet or beat the Droid Incredible in every way.
I think CNET ought to revise it's Editors Choice selection process. My idea is to combine it with the Prize Fights, where the Editors Choice award would go to the Prize Fight champ. The latest and greatest phone should go up agains the Prize Fight/Editors Choice phone (which seem to be in categories, so for these, we are obviously talking smartphones). To start off now, the HTC Droid Incredible should go up against the HTC EVO 4G, and for arguments sake, when the EVO wins, it should take the Editors Choice crown, untill the next hot smart phone comes along, say the iPhone 4G, and then it would go agains the reigning Prize Fight champ, the HTC EVO 4G for the rights to the Editors Choice award. And again for arguments sake, the EVO 4G wins again, it would retain it's Prize Fight champ status, as well as it's Editors Choice award, untill the next smart phone came along to challenge it again, like say some new phone like a Windows Phone 7 phone or a webOS from Palm or even a newer android phone, to repeat the process over again (althogh even if they don't decide to fold this in to the Editors Choice process, I still think this is the way that the Prize Fights ought to be done).18 out of 28 users found this user opinion helpful.
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$10 is NOT hard to swallow?Worth every penny!BUY phone!
by Dork2017 on June 6, 2010
Pros: I did multiple speed tests and achieved a stunning 9mbps down and 1mbps upload in town, and only 3mbps down, 1mbps up when I was leaving town using 4g in Wichita falls, TX. Fast, innovative, fits in pocket well, kickstand rocks, and highly recommend.
Cons: When using 4G the battery does go down fairly quickly, but I did manage to play with it 3 hours straight on 4G. A simple toggle turns it off, then the battery easily lasted all day. Very Good Battery Life, Dont listen to CNET
Summary: The writer of this review failed to mention that this plan even with the additional $10 is still $30 cheaper than the cheapest Iphone plan and cheaper than any other ...
Summary: The writer of this review failed to mention that this plan even with the additional $10 is still $30 cheaper than the cheapest Iphone plan and cheaper than any other comparable plan with any other carrier. Also Sprint is not capping the data usage like Verizon and At&t, so think of the extra ten as a bargain. Horrible review, because that is not a con. And was not mentioned in the Iphone review provided by CNET. CNET is biased. Just like PCW and Consumer Reports. There So-Called Experts, never provide a fair review. How bout mentioning how great the Android OS is compared to the Iphone OS??
24 out of 44 users found this user opinion helpful.
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To me, this is an UPGRADE from iPhone 4
by wvcachi on July 20, 2010
Pros: Blazing speed. ANDROID!! You can "root" the phone to get free wifi hotspot and bypass Sprint's costly $30/mo. hotspot feature. Big, gorgeous display (different from iPhone's "retina" display, but just as nice IMO). I have 4G, which is FAST.
Cons: Battery drains pretty quickly, but, unlike the iPhone's battery, it's removable, so at worst, you can buy a spare OEM battery for $30 on amazon (not ideal, but the perks of this amazing phone make it worth it). The HD video could look better.
Summary: My wife and I traded in our iPhone 4's for Evo's and WE HAVEN'T LOOKED BACK.
Once we started using the Evo, we realized that so much ...Summary: My wife and I traded in our iPhone 4's for Evo's and WE HAVEN'T LOOKED BACK.
Update: turning off roaming might make your battery life much better. To do this, go to Menu> Settings> Wireless & Networks> Mobile Networks> Roaming> and change the setting to Sprint only. Seems to have helped mine quite a bit! ...and if you're in an area with good Sprint coverage, it shouldn't cause any problems (you can always switch it back on when traveling)
Once we started using the Evo, we realized that so much of the iPhone's appeal is asthetic. This phone is a workhorse, and it outperforms the i4 in nearly every category. ...and while it may not be as sexy as Apple's baby, it looks great in its own right (and you can hold it any way you please).
If you haven't used Android yet, you're missing out. In my opinion, it offers all the perks of iPhone's iOS, but with soooo much more (Android's much more open, whereas Apple has their "walled garden" method of only allowing what's most convenient for them. It offers more possibility out of the box, and you get the sense that it's infinitely more upgradeable than iPhone. Android is here to stay, and the Evo announces that with the voice of a giant.
I'm much more tech-friendly and I love this phone; yet my wife is only casually familiar with tech, and she loves it as well. I HIGHLY recommend the Evo. Spring $30 for an extra OEM battery and the only drawback will be null and void.
Updated on Jul 23, 2010
Updated on Jul 28, 2010If you're tech-savvy enough to 'Root' your phone, you can install Android 2.2 (Froyo), which will speed the phone up dramatically, uninstall all the Sprint and HTC junk (leaving you with pure Android awesomeness), provide free wireless and USB tethering, and improve battery life significantly.
Though they all require some know-how (or at least being really good at following instructions), SimpleRoot is probably the most straight-forward way to fully root your Evo, then the best ROM (custom firmware) to flash (install) is Cyanogen's, which can be found on xda-developers site. Instructions can be found via Google, just make sure you know what you're doing beforehand!!!
This will unlock much more of this amazing phone's potential.
Warning: not for beginners! It could void your warranty if you don't know how to 'unroot' it.9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Love it!!! Beats iPhone 4 easily!!!
by cablecop4 on July 17, 2010
Pros: It does everthing well; Sprint $69 all inclusive package is the best deal period. EVO vs. iPhone 4: Its bigger, has a better network, fast built-in hot-spot, more features, 8 gig HDcam, has 4G, cheaper & better plan. etc. iPhone 4 users r switching!
Cons: Ear piece area gets hot. Battery life is not that great when using wi-fi and other apps but there are ways and programs to work around or fix that issue.
Summary: It is ahead of the curve period!!! Even if you dont live in a 4G area it will smoke any other 3G phone. It's simply at the head of ...
Summary: It is ahead of the curve period!!! Even if you dont live in a 4G area it will smoke any other 3G phone. It's simply at the head of the class in smart phones. I left Verizon and I could not be happier; Sprint is competive; give you more for your money and is will to absorb/credit up to $150.00 of your early temination fee. It was too easy to switch. I now have the best smart phone on earth on one of the best networks, and with 4G capability. There is a $10 premium on the EVO 4G due to it 4G and faster 3Gccapability (worth it) you will more than make it up with the $69.00 unlimited all inclusive plan. The only thing that is limited is 450 anytime "land-line minutes" but even that is free from 7PM to &AM. Verizon cost more (with an employee discount) and anytime starts at 9PM (irked me). For $69.00 Sprint gives you: Unlimited cel to cell; unlimited texting & picture mail; free unlimited data plan, free GPS. I had the $69 plan with Verizon and got way less and more restrictions; I also had a separate $60 per month data plan for my netbook. Well I only pay $30 for my Built-in Hotspot that will host up to 8 wireless divices. That alone is saving me $30 per month. I could go on & on but I am still learning what all my HTC EVO 4G "CAN DO!!!" And I lived happily ever after!!!
Forgot to mention the front & back cameras do video; the fron does web-cam!!!
Updated on Jul 17, 20108 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I do have this phone in fact and may I say WOW!!!!!
by Seriouslywhat on May 23, 2010
Pros: Beautiful Beautiful screen. So vibrant, so vivid.
Speed is Instant, so fast that you don't have enough time to think of what to do next:]
Battery seems to do very good.
Size seems to be perfect, very flat and fits very well in pocket.
nice weight toCons: Don't like Shapewriter as much as Swype. maybe i'm just used to Swype.
But no biggie can dl swype when it comes out or get used to shapewriter
Really no cons like i said it has everything.Summary: Bottom line is stunning, amazing, and absolutely brilliant
Summary: Bottom line is stunning, amazing, and absolutely brilliant
10 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best phone I've ever used.
by jdhuiz2 on June 16, 2010
Pros: Onscreen Keyboard
Video Display
Outlook Synchronization
Haptic Feedback
Call Quality
Very Fast
Screen SizeCons: Must tweak settings in order to achieve reasonable battery life.
Summary: Simply put, the EVO is the best phone I've ever used. It has great call quality, excellent Outlook synchronization (an absolute must for me), a great onscreen keyboard, excellent ...
Summary: Simply put, the EVO is the best phone I've ever used. It has great call quality, excellent Outlook synchronization (an absolute must for me), a great onscreen keyboard, excellent multimedia capabilities, and looks beautiful. For the first week and a half I had the phone there was only one drawback and that was the battery life. After 4 hours of moderate use the battery would be at least down to half, sometimes almost dead. So, I did a little research and realized that the phone was checking for updates on news, stocks, weather, email, etc. very frequently. I didn't even use most of these features so I disable sync for them. Second, I didn't realize that on Android once you start an app it doesn't stop until you kill it so I began manually killing the apps under applications in settings. That kind of helped but what really did the trick was downloading "Advanced Task Killer" and setting it to "Aggressive" for killing apps. Finally, I got really good battery life. The last time I had the EVO unplugged it was off the charger for 11.5 hours and was still at 50% battery with moderate use.
So, be prepared to have to tweak a number of settings and download a free application in order to get reasonable battery life out of this phone. If you're willing to do that I don't believe there's a better phone on the market right now.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: HTC
- Part number: APA9292KT
- Description: HTC EVO 4G delivers a robust list of features, including a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor ensuring a smooth and quick user experience. With dual cameras - an 8.0 megapixel auto-focus camera with HD-capable video camcorder and a forward-facing 1.3 megapixel camera - HTC EVO 4G unleashes the ability to create, stream and watch video that far surpasses expectations of what is possible on a phone today. With built-in mobile hotspot functionality, HTC EVO 4G allows up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices to share the 4G experience. Users can easily share an Internet connection on the go with a laptop, camera, music player, game unit, video player, or any other Wi-Fi enabled device. With integrated HD video capture and 4G speeds, HTC EVO 4G makes slow uploads and grainy video a thing of the past. Now, it is possible to post high-quality video to YouTube or Facebook, or share moments in real time over the Internet live, via Qik. After these videos have been captured, it is easy to share them on an HDTV via an HDMI cable. The custom Web browser is optimized for HTC EVO 4G's large display. Adobe Flash technology ensures that rich Internet content, such as embedded video and animation, are displayed the way they are meant to be seen. Pinch-to-zoom and automatic text reflowing provide easy Web page views. HTC EVO 4G features the highly acclaimed HTC Sense user experience. Along with all of the HTC Sense features first introduced on HTC Hero, HTC EVO 4G adds a number of features, including friend stream, which aggregates multiple social communication channels including Facebook and Twitter into one organized flow of updates; a "Leap" thumbnail view to easily switch between home screen "panels; " the ability to download new, interactive widgets; and a "polite" ringer, which quiets the ringing phone once lifted up. HTC EVO 4G, the world's first 3G/4G Android handset, features the iteration of the increasingly popular Android platform. Leveraging the Android 2.1 platform, HTC EVO 4G can deliver a wide array of useful features. In addition to today's Android apps, the performance of which will be enhanced by 4G speed, application developers will be introducing apps that take advantage of 4G power in new ways - games and communications tools and other apps that bring together video, presence and location simultaneously, and capabilities that haven't yet been imagined. For example, an application developer might create an app that allows a customer to simultaneously watch a streaming sporting event while pulling down stats and conducting a video chat with a friend.
General
- Form Factor Touch
- Phone Design PDA
- Integrated Components Voice recorder,
GPS receiver - Antenna Internal
- Width 2.6 in
- Depth 0.5 in
- Height 4.8 in
- Weight 6.2 oz
- Body Color Black
Cellular
- Technology WiMAX,
CDMA2000 1X - Mobile Broadband Generation 4G
- Service Provider Sprint Nextel
- Operating System Google Android 2.1
- Input Device(s) Touch sensitive screen
Messaging & Internet
- Cellular Messaging Services SMS,
MMS - Messaging & Data Features Text messages,
Instant messages,
E-Mail,
Voice mail - Mobile Services YouTube
Communications
- Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11 ,
Bluetooth - Bluetooth Profiles Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
- Communication Features Internet browser,
Mobile Email client Phone Features
- Phone Functions Call timer,
Conference call,
Speakerphone - Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Sensors Proximity sensor,
Accelerometer - Additional Features Integrated digital compass
Organizer
- Personal Information Management Calendar,
Calculator,
Reminder
Media Player
- Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3,
WMA,
AAC,
AAC +,
WAV Processor
- Type Snapdragon
Memory
- Supported Flash Memory Cards microSDHC
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT
- Diagonal Size 4.3 in
Connections
- Connector Type Micro-USB,
Headset jack
Product series
-
Manufacturer: HTC
Specs: Sprint Nextel,
WiMAX,
CDMA2000 1X,
With digital camera,
6.2 oz,
4.3 in -
HTC Evo 4G - black (Sprint) - Refurbished
Manufacturer: HTC
Specs: Sprint Nextel,
CDMA2000 1X,
WiMAX,
With digital camera,
6 oz,
8 megapixels,
4.3 nm -
Manufacturer: HTC
Specs: Sprint Nextel,
WiMAX,
CDMA2000 1X,
With digital camera / digital player,
6.2 oz,
8 megapixels,
4.3 in
Accessories
- A-Data Turbo series flash memory card - 8 GB - microSDHC (33796783)9.99
- A-Data flash memory card - 16 GB (34642617)14.99
- A-Data flash memory card - 16 GB - microSDHC (34580093)12.99
- A-Data flash memory card - 16 GB - microSDHC (34641832)14.99
- OtterBox Commuter Series case for cellular phone (34646577)16.39 - 34.99
- OtterBox Defender Series case for cellular phone (34857430)26.99
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse HTC products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:HTC
- Address:
13920 SE Eastgate Way, Bellevue, WA 98005 - Phone: (425) 861-9174
- Email: info@htcamerica.net
- Fax: (425) 861-1715
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