Check out our HTC EVO 4G review inside. Is Sprint's bad boy still the Optimus Prime of smartphones?
HTC EVO 4G Overview
You probably already know that Sprint's first 4G phone is equipped with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and sports an 8-megapixel camera capable of 720p HD video. You've also heard about the EVO 4G's 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, Android 2.2 browsing experience, and video chat courtesy of the 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The HTC EVO 4G is being hoisted as one of the premiere models on the market. The closest contender out of all the smartphones we've reviewed this year appeared to be the Motorola Droid X, though the iPhone 4 put up a veritable fight as well. Check out how the HTC EVO 4G stacks up against the competition in our video below!
HTC EVO 4G Design
Even with all of the new phones that hit the market after the HTC EVO 4G, this phone still has one of the best designs, if not the best. It's one of the few phones to feature a kickstand in back in order to prop it up horizontally for video screenings. The HTC EVO 4G also has a mini HDMI terminal located on the bottom of the phone next to the USB jack. In back, the HTC EVO 4G features an 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash to its left and playback speaker to its right. But the digital imaging doesn't stop there, for the EVO 4G has a 1.3-megapixel camera embedded in the top right corner of the 4.3-inch touch screen LCD, just waiting for video chat action.
Yes, the HTC EVO 4G has one of the largest displays on the market, and it features an 800 x 480-pixel resolution with 65,000 colors. When we talk about displays, the big question is "Does this beat the iPhone 4's Retina display?" The HTC EVO 4G comes pretty damn close, but it receives tough competition from Apple's pixel-packing Retina and the Samsung Galaxy S Super AMOLED screens. We favored the EVO 4G's screen over the Motorola Droid X's though, as it seemed slightly more polished and refined.
Structurally, the HTC EVO 4G is more ergonomically sound than the Droid X because its back side features rounded edges while the Droid X feels like a large rectangular brick in the pocket. The EVO 4G has HTC's signature fiery red interior when the back panel is removed, exposing a large rechargeable battery that must be removed in order to get at the MicroSD card. This is where we'd expect a little more quality from one of the most powerful phones on the market. The back panel is constructed of a flimsy plastic and removing the MicroSD card is like trying to fish an amoeba out of a cell. Aside from that, the HTC EVO 4G is one of the most solidly constructed phones in existence. Plus, with an Otterbox case, the EVO has an intimidating bodyguard.
HTC EVO 4G Interface and Navigation
The HTC EVO 4G was the first carrier smartphone to receive Android 2.2 earlier this year. Android 2.2 brightened our overall experience with the ability to watch embedded videos directly within the browser, voice calling over Bluetooth, improved Gallery, and an overall faster performance. The HTC EVO 4G is fast as hell. When it comes down to speed, the EVO 4G and Droid X are probably tied as long as both have the Android 2.2 upgrade. Applications fired right up, swiping from home screen to home screen was a breeze, and we could pinch and zoom in a split second during Internet browsing courtesy of the Now Network. The EVO 4G also has tap to zoom, and all 7 home screens can be accessed in one pane by pinching and zooming on any home panel.
Everything we did on the EVO 4G was effortless, thanks to the 1GHz Snapdragon processor and Android 2.2 platform. But the HTC EVO 4G also offers HTC Sense, which is one of the most intuitive and sleek interfaces out there. With Friend Stream we got a live feed of all of our Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter contacts, including Status Updates, Photos, and Links. There was also full Exchange support and a widget that allowed us to check our mail on the fly. Of course, the HTC EVO 4G offers a fully customizable home screen experience, allowing us to arrange icons, widgets, applications, and folders any way we wanted. This included a Google calendar that synched our events, full power panel that enabled us to toggle Bluetooth/Wireless, etc. connections, and a specialized Car Panel with Footprints, Navigation, Voice Search, Maps, and the ability to make a hands-free call.
The HTC EVO 4G also takes advantage of its dual LED flash by incorporating a Flashlight application—we could go on forever. Perhaps one of the most alluring features about the EVO 4G is its Video Chat that can be performed over Sprint's Now Network or Wi-Fi networks. The EVO 4G comes preloaded with Qik for chatting via video, but you'll have to pay for the Premium version. The good news is that the Standard membership is free.
As projected from the incipience of the EVO 4G's existence, the phone truly is a multimedia powerhouse.
HTC EVO 4G Voice Quality/Battery Life
And it just keeps getting better, for the HTC EVO 4G's voice quality was excellent. We called many different phones, one of which was an LG Envy, and sound was crisp and completely audible. There was no cracking or static to speak of, and the EVO 4G's microphone did the trick.
Unfortunately, the EVO 4G does not have a second microphone, so the phone picked up some background noise due to its lack of noise cancellation. Wind noise, construction, loud music, etc., were potential threats to the HTC EVO 4G's lonely microphone, so this was one minor flaw. The iPhone 4's superb noise cancellation system gave us the best noise cancellation so far.
Battery life is a claimed 6 hours of 3G talk time, and we can tell you that the EVO 4G's battery life is reasonable, given its high-powered activity. It lasted us an entire day using the camera, browsing the Internet, and playing games, so that's acceptable enough.
HTC EVO 4G Still Image/Video Quality
All good things must come to an end, and it stops right here for the HTC EVO 4G. The 8-megapixel camera gave us a mediocre performance for still images and 720p videos. We'd compare it to the mediocrity cranked out by the Motorola Droid X. Both cameras are equally lackluster. Heightened noise, lack of fine detail, and the inability to focus on close-up subjects really yanked the magic carpet out from under us.
The HTC EVO 4G has a decent selection of image controls that let us alter the saturation, sharpness, contrast, exposure, white balance, image aspect, face detection, and geotagging. We also loved the touch-to-focus ability on the EVO 4G, but it couldn't be applied in video mode, like the iPhone 4. The dual LED flash gave a strange, pale beam, but we got to use it as a light in video mode.
One of the best parts about the HTC EVO 4G was its digital filters, allowing us to apply effects to our images. Hopefully the upgrade to the EVO 4G will feature a boost in the image quality department, for no phone has surpassed the iPhone 4 when it comes to snapping the shutter.
The Jolly Green Giant of smartphones has been reviewed, and we'd say that the HTC EVO 4G is one of the best models out there, even after spending quality time with its many competitors. No other phone provided such a power-packed arsenal of tricks in such a fast, sleek body. The EVO 4G excelled in the speed department, gave us plenty of applications and widgets, offered optimal Internet browsing, and proved itself a multimedia powerhouse.
With the ability to video chat via Qik, keep up with our contacts on Friend Stream, and watch HD videos while our EVO 4G is propped up on its little kickstand, our experience is well-rounded and fun. However, the HTC EVO 4G's Achilles Heel is its imaging performance. We hope HTC will fix this problem on the next version of the HTC EVO 4G.
If you're a Sprint loyalist, 2010 is a good year for you. Not only can you go for the Optimus Prime of smartphones, but the Samsung Epic 4G offers a full QWERTY keyboard. If you are not tied to a carrier, it's open season.
Price and Availability
The HTC EVO 4G is available now for $200 with a new two-year contract and a monthly data plan.
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