HTC EVO Shift 4G
Phone Scoop Review
Jan 14, 2011 by Eric M. Zeman
HTC's EVO Shift marries Android, Sense, WiMax and a physical keyboard in one, chubby little smartphone. In Phone Scoop's full review, we tell you want works, and what doesn't. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Not for me
when I first got this phone it was great, but then only 2 months later I began having problems with it, first, it keeps saying I have low memory when clearly I do not, it will not update any of my apps, the GPS quit working altogether, I type in where I want to go, it searches and finds, then shuts off! The phone is constantly resetting itself, constantly re-loading also. At times I will be talking on the phone, then suddenly the person can no longer hear me, and the phone is dead frozen, wont quit the call, wont shut down or turn off, nothing! a hard reset has to be done. I have had nothing but problems with this phone, I took it in for repair, only for them to tell me nothing is wrong with it, yet the GPS refuses to work no matter what app I use. Even youtube and my email refuses to load, sorry I am switching to the Iphone.
unexpected
I am blown away and impressed by the Evo Shift. I was just going to use it for hotspot and google voice purposes but I use it for everything else now.
Value: Excellent.
I only paid 40 dollars for the shift. Local retail store said to trade in two phones for 110 dollars.
Performance: Unexpected.
Beat the original Evo in benchmarks and came pretty close to my friend's rooted and overclocked droidx using stock settings.
Software: Bloatware minimal.
Comes with great Sprint applications and htc sense is actually useful. I was all about the iphone interface and software but my mind is changed now. I'd go over a rooted evo ANYDAY than a piece of garbage jailbroken proximity sensor not working iphone 4.
Battery life: Great.
Charge it once a night with moderate to heavy usage throughout the day. Granted the good 'ol 4 would last me 3 days without charge I'm not complaining about it one bit.
Capabilities: Open source... 'nuff said. Ability to copy and paste exact my original settings, apps, messages, options, features to my memory card? AND recover select 'stuff' from it? I smell a winner here.
I could keep going on how great this phone is but I figure that everyone gets the point now.
And for all you palm pre fanboys out there with kernels, open source devs, etc, hop on the android band wagon. It's even better.
All in all, I can't wait for the new stuffs coming out on the platform for this phone. Best phone so far that I have owned on Sprint.
Awesome phone!
Pro's
Very good quality of phone. Less software issues than the Samsung Androids. Very solid design, and lighter than most querty androids.
Pro's
Battery life is pretty good for an android device, and better than the original EVO. The phone actually does seem to run faster and better than the original EVO although it is a minimal difference. The keyboard feels nice and takes very little pressure to push keys.
Con's
Only a 4 row keyboard which requires use of function key to type numbers. Also a wierd issue using this phone with a magnetic closing holster. If the magnet rubs the front of the screen while inserting it into the holster, it immediately unlocks the screen. Wierd. Opposite of blackberries, where the screens shut off when magnet goes accross them.
Lovin' My First Android
This is my very first Android phone. I heard all the hype about them so I had to try one out. I'm used to using Blackberry. I've the both the Curve and the Pearl and I loved them both so I was very skeptical about the Android software. I did not think anything could be better than a crackberry. Well....I was wrong! The first day I had the EVO Shift I got mad because I did not know how to use it, but once I learned I was hooked! I love the fact that it has a physical keyboard that I can use because I text a lot. The screen resolution is just fine for me, apps are easy to find, etc. I have been really getting a kick out of using the different applications such as "start talking", "voice changer", and "mr. number". Lol, it's a wonderful toy. The only issues that I have had with it are its size and its battery life but that is to be expected with a phone that does so much. I give this bad boy five stars or whatever. Everything is great about the phone. Camera is awesome, the phone sound and reception is good, it's sturdy, it's fun. I really like it. Probably won't be changing my phone out any time soon!
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Oh, HTC how you have failed me . . .
I have had this phone since Jan 2011. At first I loved it and rightfully so, as it did well for the first few months.
Then all the issues started. I have had this phone replaced at least 6 times for the following:
-Keyboard wont work
- Screen going black
-Touch Screen going crazy and moving on its own
- charging port broken
- phone stopped making or receiving calls
and today -the phone broke again. I will never purchase another HTC phone. The amount of time I have had to spend in the Sprint store is lame and annoying. I can't wait to get my upgrade.
I have nothing nice to say about this device
But it deserves a high rating for giving you exactly what it promises you...sadly.
The 5 mp camera gives you a clean shot, provided you've got the flash on. As you should expect.
The 800 MHz processor is sluggish and frustrating. As you should expect one to be. Live wallpaper? Forget about it.
The "370 MB available to user" means you can have maybe 10 apps installed to your phone tops (all the good stuff won't move to your SD card, so choose wisely!). Less if you facebook or messaging or update your navigator. Ever. You'll get the super popular "low on storage space" message at least once a day. Which sort of explains why I could never get my gmail to sync.
But hey, it's all in the specs. You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.
If you're introducing someone to a smartphone or android (like a kid or your grandma), this is perfect. It's just barely a step above a feature phone. Except your feature phone will probably run faster and hold more in its internal memory.
ROBUST USERS: Do not fall into the "I need a physical keyboard" trap! This is not the device you want! Trust and believe when I say you would rather go without the physical QWERTY than go without the speed...or space...or functionality.
The Shift in my Evo
First off I have been a huge phone junkie forever so when I was looking phone I knew that I needed something sturdy, touchscreen & keyboard. Along came the Shift ^_^
Now I have had this phone since April. The original phone was found defective after a month. But with this second phone, it is awesome.
Excellent keyboard & touchscreen. I do wish that I had thee HTC Hub like the newer HTC phones but I can deal. My phone has endured so much abuse and still looks great. I have dropped the phone face down in my apt parking lot numerous times and still no scratches or chippings.
The touchscreen is very responsive and efficient. I love my HTC phone and I seriously recommend everyone get a HTC since it is a great brand and they make quality products.
......
Phone is great. But not sure why everyone is comparing the phone to the Evo. The Evo set the new bar and accomplished something no other phone could do. That was to stand toe to toe with the iPhone. The Shift is the second sweep of all the people that wanted the Evo but also wanted a keyboard and a size reduction. The only real con to this phone is the same with the Evo. I shouldn't have to have gps/bt/3g/4g and lower the brightness to have decent battery life. These phones are constantly keeping us updated with rss feeds and social networks so why should 3g/4g be turned off? Bluetooth headsets are a must. Should I tell people to call back in 2 minutes after I turn on the bluetooth and pair up everytime I need to talk?
But that is the only real con that I have. Both are great and I like them both. My third line will be for the Evo 2 with the new dual 1ghz processors already made by Qualcomm.
A Welcome Change
This phone is a major improvement over my old iPhone 3GS. Better camera, better interface, more control over phone content and function, and the option of either a physical OR virtual keyboard.
Overall, the feeling of Android has me comepletely hooked and the HTC Sense overlay has made the switch from iPhone that much easier.
Pros: 5mp camera, intuitive feel, excellent call quality, effective voice search feature.
Cons: Slightly short battery life, Android OS may be confusing to those not computer saavy.
Awesome phone!
I upgraded from the HTC Hero and I couldn't be more pleased. My girlfriend has the original Evo and the Shift has beaten it in every benchmark test I've tried! The Shift isn't even overclocked (no perma root available yet). I have the Evo overclocked to 1.2ghz and the Shift still outperforms at its 800mhz. I get over 1700 Quadrant and 34 Linpack scores. Original Evo gets 1500 Quadrant and 32 Linpack.
Voice quality is good and the keyboard feels solid. All in all this is an awesome phone.
Pros: Sturdy construction, high performance, good quality video and pics, good battery life (on 3G), screen looks great.
Cons: When closing the keyboard its sometimes easy to hit the volume rocker by accident.
