Home › Reviews ›

Review: HTC Evo 4G

Form Basics Extras Video Tour Wrap-Up Comments 100+

Multimedia Camera Image Quality Browse / Customize Extras

Photos

Photos from the eight megapixel camera on the HTC Evo 4G looked pretty good. They looked better than most other cameraphones, including other eight megapixel phones I've seen recently (I'm looking at you, Kin Two), but the quality still wasn't close to what you'll get from a dedicated point-and-shoot camera. Under good, outdoor light, pictures looked sharp and colors were accurate. At full crop, though, details tend to fall apart and an oversharpening effect makes images look decidedly digital. I also saw plenty of noise in shady areas, even shots that were not so bright elsewhere. Inside, noise was much more prevalent, dominating every part of an image that wasn't blown out by the excessively bright dual-LED flash. Using two bright, low quality LED flash lamps does not replace a higher quality Xenon flash, and though the Evo 4G could light up a dark room like a supernova, that didn't make pictures looked balanced or well lit.

Photos will look great posted to your favorite social site or used as wallpapers for a desktop monitor. Some of the best pics might be print quality, but the sharpening issues and unbalanced light will keep you from wasting paper on most shots.

Video

Video quality didn't hold up as well as photos. I was especially disappointed with the so-called high definition, 720p recording. Sure, the Evo 4G packs in all the pixels of an HD video, but the quality was very low. Details were blurry, filled with compression artifacts and noise. In my video of the pool, for instance, it's impossible to discern individual ripples in the water. The camera can't hold up under the brightest outdoor lighting conditions, and it was even worse indoors. The Evo 4G's camcorder doesn't come close to replacing a real camcorder, and it can hardly compete with a mini video recorder like a Flip HD.

Here's a sample from the HTC Evo 4G's front-facing camera:

3GPP / MPEG-4 format (viewable with QuickTime)

And here is a high definition movie shot in 720p on the Evo 4G's camcorder:

Next page: Browse / Customize

Related

Samsung Refreshes Galaxy S Series with S Pen, New Cameras

Feb 9, 2022
Samsung today announced its lineup of flagship phones for 2022: the Galaxy S22 series. The top-end S22 Ultra sees the biggest changes as it essentially absorbs Samsung's Note series with an integrated S Pen stylus and a more Note-like shape and design, instead of the Contour Cut design of the other models.

iPhone 14 Plus Offers a Big Screen For Less

Sep 7, 2022
Apple has revealed the iPhone 14 series, with new features, improved specs, and new size options. In place of a Mini option, the iPhone 14 will come in the same 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screen size options as the Pro models.

iPhone 15 Series Goes All-In on USB-C and Dynamic Island

Sep 12, 2023
Apple has revealed the iPhone 15 series, which moves to a USB-C connector and brings several key features from last year's Pro models to the more-affordable standard models. These include the pill-shaped sensor cutout in the display that Apple calls Dynamic Island, a brighter display that can reach 2000 nits, a 48 megapixel main camera, and the A16 Bionic processor chip.

Skype Expands Video Chat Feature to More Androids

Aug 4, 2011
Skype has provided an update to its Android application that adds the video chatting feature to a large number of new Android handsets. Skype notes that Gingerbread is required to use the video chat feature, so owners of the following phones are encouraged to make sure their system is up to date.

Sprint Offering WiMax 4G On a Wholesale Basis

Aug 2, 2011
Sprint today announced that it has added its WiMax 4G network service and device portfolio to the list of wholesale products it offers. Sprint already allows other companies to resell its 3G wireless services and handsets.

HTC EVO 4G

4.3" display 480 x 800 pixels
Snapdragon S1 QSD8650 processor
1,500 mAh battery
Memory Card Slot, Headphone Jack (3.5mm)

more news about: