HTC EVO 4G
Phone Scoop Review
May 25, 2010 by Philip Berne
The HTC Evo 4G is the first WiMAX phone on the U.S. market. With high speed features like high quality YouTube streaming and mobile HotSpot capabilities, is the HTC Evo 4G the standard bearer for things to come? Find out in our full review. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
5 Stars
Everyone wants to compare this to the iPhone. I am going to step around that debate and just review the EVO for what it is and what it does.
With that being said, I am coming from 6 months on the HTC Hero and 1 month on the Samsung Moment. Flat out, the EVO blows them out of the water. It finally does the Android system justice and is able to run the way it should have run from the very beginning.
Side note... If this is your first Android device, please take at least a week to get comfortable with it. There is definitely a learning curve.
[The screen]
What else is there to say, other than WOW? I am always upgrading phones and no matter what type of phone, I am always excited because it is something new. But this is the first time I pulled a phone out of the box and said, "WOW" within the first 30 seconds of turning it on.
[The look and feel]
There's that wow factor again. A great, sleek design. Perfect weight. Perfect size.
[Performance]
Holy blazing, Batman! Any of you coming from a Hero or Moment, you will know exactly what I am talking about. so fast, so smooth...
[The battery]
Get over it, and buy a car charger already. Sorry, just tired of hearing people complain about battery life on phones that do everything except your taxes. Except wait, there's an app for that.
[The camera]
I don't buy phones for the camera, but video conference?! Two cameras? 8 megapixel?
[4G]
Patiently waiting...
[The extra $10 charge]
Go to Verizon and pay $30 on top of that.
[Cons]
Potential screen separation issue (go to AndroidForums.com and read for more info). The extra $10 charge for 4G even if you don't have it (I can live with it because i know any other carrier is $30 more, but it is kind of annoying...). I miss the power/end button being on the button right of the phone, but I'll get over it.
Overall, what a phone. 5 Stars, hands down. For Android fans out there, this is your device.
The Best Android Phone w/ The Worst Battery.
I bought the EVO on Sept 6, 2010, so now I'm able to give a more educated response of what I think about this phone. I came from a BB Tour 9630, which is the BEST phone I've ever owned. So my expectations are high, of course. The first EVO I bought came defective, so after 10 days I exchanged it for another EVO. I was close to get the EPIC, but I can't get past the plasticky, cheap, lightweight feeling of the EPIC. I like phones that have reasonable weight and heft. The screen of the EVO is amazing! I live in north central FL, so I've tested 4G in Orlando and Jacksonville, and yes it is fast. Where I live I only get 3G. The EVO is a solid, high quality phone. Make sure you get the screen protector and a rubber cover because it will get scratched easily.
Pros:
-Android 2.2
-Amazing camera's
-Screen quality & size
-Sound & speaker quality
-Very responsive UI
-Micro USB port for charging is compatible with most phones now, I'm still using my BB Tour wall and car chargers, very good.
-3mm headset is universal, so any regular ear piece will fit.
-Kickstand, WiFi, 4G, Sprint NAVI, Dual flash, Sprint Hot Spot, APPS.
-Very good Sprint coverage & service has improved A LOT. Awesome $69.99 rate plan.
Cons: (Only 2)
-Battery life. With Advance Task Killer and all, still unexeptional, compared to my BB.
-No physical keyboard, that kills me! NOTHING compares to a Blackberry QWERTY keyboard. This is my worst pet peeve with this phone. I am slowly trying to get used to it. Impossible to text w/o seeing they virtual keyboard. Lot's of mistakes while typing.
Conclusion:
Htc EVO is an amazing device. I recomend this phone.
Best Phone I've Ever Seen/Owned/Touched
Let me start off this review by first saying that this is my first Android Phone. Previously, I've owned Mogul, Instinct, Touch Pro, Touch Pro 2.
I loved the features on my Touch Pro 2, but with a flawed OS and sub par processing power it slowed down and would after crash (especially after upgrade to WM 6.5)
Owning an Android phone of this capacity has eliminated any doubts I once had about the power of Android. I will sum this up with Pros and Cons.
Pros
Processor: This is easily the fastest phone I have ever owned. I cannot possibly emphasize this enough. Every app, every function, even the ones I had on other phones just do not work as well on this phone.
Apps/Customization: What can I say? Android offers pretty much unlimited options here. Don't like the home screen? Change it to your liking. Add shortcuts to your favorite apps, or better yet add a widget to actually control the app from the homescreen. Without even opening it.
Screen: Just beautiful.
Camera/Camcorder: Already recording some vids/pics and uploaded to Facebook. Need I say more. Records in 720p resolution.
Multimedia: Just easy to use and well intergrated into the overall OS.
Youtube: This is the best youtube app on any phone. Can log into youtube with your account, post comments, view favorites, upload your own videos, and much more.
4G: I live in Philly.
Cons
Task Manager: The default task manager on the phone is a bit clunky to use and a novice user/non-tech person may potentially struggle with using this feature. This is also a key feature because it contributes to battery life.
Neutral
Battery Life: I do not agree with the poor battery life statements made by some sources. I charged mine from 1-2 pm the first day I got out. Through moderate use from 3-11, and heavy use (Pandora, youtube, facebook, 4G) from 11-2 (yes I stayed up until 2 using my phone lol). Then letting the phone sit idle from 2-10 a.m. I still had enough juice to make calls the next morning.
Totally Awesome Phone!
I have had the Evo for about 3 weeks and I love it! The phone does feel large in my hand but the beautiful screen makes up for it.
Pros: -Huge beautiful screen
-Awesome camera
-****Flash on the camera****
-TONS of apps
-No lag at all when typing or switching screens
Cons: I only have one beef with this phone and it is the battery life. I have to charge it about 2 times in 24 hours. But keep in mind I am a very heavy user. 200 + texts a day, numerous phone calls, and lots of app usage. I think the short battery life is a small price to pay for this awesome phone. This phone does everything and the battery suffers for it.
All in all this phone is the best on the market. YES IT IS BETTER THAN THE IPHONE ON EVERY ASPECT! (except the battery life).
HTC EVO 4G 1 Year Later.....
So The EVO 4G has been out for about a year now, a little less but eh close enough. This will be a reflective review after owning this bad boy for that length of time.
PROS
Highly Customizable (even more so /w rooting)
1000 Mhz SnapDragon Processor (1 year later is still plenty quick enough for just about anything)
Big Screen 4.3"
8 mega pixel camera /w HD recoding
Dual LED Flash
Front Mount Camera
Kick Stand
HDMI Mini out
Above Avg. sound & video playback
Above Avg. call quality
Plenty of accessories out there!!
CONS
Battery life was a major issue but after some software updates it has improved, much more so if you use CM7, but it's still the weak point of this otherwise fabulous phone. Actually all smartphones share this common problem of battery life from my experience. (G1, G2, Vibrant, Galaxy S 4G, Epic 4G and MyTouch 4G)
OVERALL
Still using it to this day after just about a year and have no regrets at all. No phone is perfect, so don't kid yourself but all in all this has been a huge favorite. I've retired the G1, G2, Vibrant, Epic 4G, & MyTouch 4G, but CHOOSE to keep using the Evo 4G. Looking forward to buying the Evo 3D it has some pretty big shoes to fill.
Evo is the way to go!
This is an amazing phone. I was just reading through some of the negative feedback and did what everyone was complaining about. It is now 1:16 in the afternoon and I have had my phone off of the charger since 7 this morning. I still have full battery with the back screen lit on brightest it can, 4g, gps, bluetooth is all running as well. GREAT PHONE! :) It has taken Verizon five months to get the same exact phone (thunderbolt) so it must be good!
really great phone
I've used windows mobile with other HTC phones in the past, and although I was aggressively optimistic, there were just too many drawbacks and flaws, and although HTC phones were always great computers, I found them to be lacking in the actually phone department.
Enter Android! This is it - cell phone heaven. I was dying to get the HTC desire and waited patiently, getting one the first day out at US Cellular. But I could just not make it work for me, largely due to the 2.1 platform - no voice dialing through bluetooth, and other small but annoying issues. Syncing was very clumsy and provided a couple of lost contacts nightmares. Many calls to tech support.
I then tried the Evo through Sprint, and was a little skeptical after the Desire, and also thought it seemed kind of big at first glance. But it is not, and it is PERFECT. Everything works really well, including bluetooth voice dialing which supposedly is only available with the advent of 2.2.
I do not have the battery issues that others have mentioned, but do have a car charger on hand in case. A bonus for me is that the plug is the same as my previously used LG Tritan (a good phone, but there's certainly no going back now), so any plug-in accessories work with the Evo.
I cannot think of anything to complain about with this phone. I really like the Android system, with almost unlimited availability of interesting apps, and at free or affordable prices (I nearly went broke with Windows Mobile apps).
I have installed many apps, synced with MS Outlook contacts and calendar, downloaded, backed up, added ringtones and wallpapers, browsed, and done all the usual things like texting and making actual phone calls, all without a single problem, and no calls to tech support. Now that's a cell phone!
So I can recommend the Evo with hesitation. You will have fun.
PROS: All
CONS: None
This is a great phone ...much better than iphone 4 g...
I have had all of the I phones. The EVO 4g has way more features .They don't hold back on the features they give all of the total package from the start... Iphone give you some features and leave some out some so they can sell you another iPhone the following year thats bull it's a money thing. Guess I fell for it not anymore with the HTC EVO you have to settle for less. The battery issue has been fixed so bigger is better in this case THE EVO IS THE BEST PHONE OUT RIGHT NOW PLUS SPRINT THE BEST PLANS FOR NOW YOU SAVE A EXTRA 30 DOLLARS A MONTH PLUS NO DROPPED CALLS COME ON PEOPLE OPEN YOUR EYES.
from iPhone to EVO
HTC is definitely on to something here. I am sure there are a million other reviews out there but here goes:
1. I am not affiliated with or employed by any cell phone carrier out there
2. Phone review is based on my actual usage of the phone, not other reviews
Pros:
Big screen
Easy to navigate
Good selection of ringtones (you can actually make your music a ringtone once uploaded to phone)
Plenty of apps (if they don't have one, there is one in the works, I'm sure)
Call quality is fantastic (Everyone I have spoken to says it sounds great.
Camera is awesome (there is a great app that ties in well with facebook and twitter called Qik--check it out)
Cons:
Battery life: (I have to be real. You will be lucky if you get 4 good hours out of this thing. Tomorrow I am doing a standby test (not using any emails or apps, or texting just going to let it run its course) keep a power source nearby.
Lag: The OS has a bit of lag. It has been hanging up when going into the address book to look up names. I have done several resets and turned the unit off to no avail.
This isn't the best and certainly not the worst phone out there. I think android is showing great potential and EA like myself will have to wait until the OS is finely tuned. I think this OS will give others out there a run for their money like Apple and Microsoft, they just need to work the power management a little better.
In all I give kudos to Sprint and HTC for this phone. If you are not a data hog and love to customize your experience, this is a great phone.
Until next time...
