HTC EVO 4G Rated 4 out 5 by Wireless and Mobile News' Review of Reviews
HTC EVO 4G reviewers call the Android super phone, "everything a geek could dream of," "a beautiful and powerful window to the world," and the touchscreen "mesmerizing." The major new features of the HTC EVO 4G include a huge 4.3 touchscreen, 4G (WiMAX faster data access), data and voice at the same time at 4G, and ability to work as a Wi-Fi hotspot. The 4G access does not cover the entire United States, however, Sprint still charges an additional mandatory $10 a month for access. If you want to use the HTC EVO 4G as Wi-Fi hotspot it costs an additional $29.99 a month.
Other features of the HTC EVO 4G include an 8 megapixel video-capture-capable camera and a front facing 1.3 megapixel camera for video chat in the future. Reviews showed the camera photo quality great and sharp. Video quality was better than most camera phones.
You can view YouTube Videos with a special HQ YouTube player and connect the HTC EVO 4Gto your TV with a special HDMI Cable. The speed of the HTC EVO 4G combined with super fast 4G made all functions seem instant. Media playing and music streaming worked well.
Another great feature is the HTC Sense interface with Friend Stream, email widgets and all kinds of software that make your life easier. Typical Android smartphone features include speed dial, voice commands, Bluetooth, 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi and 1 GHz snapdragon processor. Call quality was found to be good and not so good by some reviewers.
The HTC EVO 4G costs $199 after rebates from Sprint.
Update 01/16/11 - - You are now able to find the HTC EVO 4G discounted with a contract through online retailers. Amazon Wireless has offered the HTC EVO 4G for as low a $99.99 with a contract.
Wirefly as of this update was offering free Sprint Activation.
Bonnie Cha at CNET rated the HTC EVO 4G 4 out of 5 or excellent. She called the HTC EVO 4G, “Sprint’s Best Smartphone.” Althought 4G delivered respectable 4G speeds, 4G coverage is limited and costs $10 more a month even if there is not a lot of 4G coverage in your area. She did like that the HTC EVO 4G can work as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to eight devices, the 8 megapixel camera(with video recording) HTC Sense, the YouTube HQ video player and the fact you can connect with HDMI cable. Over all size is almost too big, but it is not bulky while the 4.3 inch touchscreenis mesmerizing. The large on-screen touchscreen keyboard rivals the iPhone was easy to use. HTC Sense makes Android more user-friendly with a mail widget, contact widget, Friend Stream and Leap to move quickly through the home screen. The front facing 1.3 megapixel allows for Qik video chart. Qik has a PC client so you could video chat with someone via PC and
Webcam. Features include speed dial, voice commands, Bluetooth, 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi, and voice and data can be used simultaneously in 4G markets. Sprint claims 4G speeds for 10 times faster 3G, with average download speeds ranging
from 3Mbps to 6Mbps and peak download speeds of up to 10Mbps and upload
speeds of 1Mbps. CNET’s tesst in Philadelphia were not that fast, but they were able to use it as Wi-Fi hotspot and use voice and data at the same time. Video capture quality was better than most camera phones, and photo quality was great.
Sascha Segan at PCMag rated the HTC EVO 4G 4 out of 5. He notes if you live online, the HTC EVO 4G offers a big beautiful and powerful window to the world, but you will need to recharge when using 4G. The 4.3 inch touchscreen indoors is gorgeous but is reflective outdoors. The keyboard was not as accurate as the iPhone. He liked the kickstand that works like a picture frame. Call quality was not good. He also liked the HTC Sense interface and Qik for streaming video or video calls. He found the 4G network to be 40 to 250 per cent faster than 3G, for web, video, streaming music and as mobile hotspot with a latptop. 4G access cause the the battery to drain greatly. Sprint TV looked clean and clear. Photos were soft and blurry with video a bit jerky. The HTC EVO 4G is in the super phone class of the HTC Incredible, Nexus One and iPhone 3G S. He warns that 4G coverage is limited.
Mark Spoonauer at Laptop named HTC EVO 4G Editors’ Choice, because it packs “everything a geek could dream of in one device,” including super fast 4G speeds, video and big web surfing screen. He didn’t like the extra charges for 4G and mobile hotspot sharing’ the onscreen keyboard and battery life. The screen was bright and crisp. The widgets were easy to navigate, Performance was great with everything everything happening “instantly.” When used as a tethered modem speeds were not as great on a laptop. Photos were sharp. Call quality was good but not great. The battery needed to recharged with one day of 3G use, and 4G use really drained the battery. He found the extra $10 was not out of line when compared to other carrier plans. The HTC EVO 4G is undoubtedly Sprints’ best phone to date and the best Android phone, yet, giving Apple a run for its money.