HTC EVO 4G (Sprint) Preview

DSC_3049In about a week or so, the latest flagship Android phone will be launching on the Now Network™.  Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you undoubtedly know that I’m talking about the HTC EVO 4G for Sprint.  It just so happens that I have one in my possession.  I’ve also scrounged up an HTC DROID Incredible from Verizon.  My time is limited with both.  The most frequently tweet I’ve received, in the past month, is “EVO or Incredible. Which should I buy”?  I will have a full written review for the EVO and I will try to compare and contrast it against the Incredible as best as I can.

If you have questions, drop me a line in the comments or on twitter (@breon).  I’ll do my best to get to all of them, in the limited time that I have with the device.

I want to thank Robert Green, from Battery Powered Games, for loaning me this device.  You may remember my review of one of their games: Antigen.  Keep an eye on this developer, as they’ll be releasing a pretty sweet 3D game in the near future.

To tide you over…

  1. It’s big.  Dare I say that it’s HUGE?
  2. I’m not sold on the keyboard.  I love the Sense keyboard, but this one has a weird layout.
  3. The screen seems washed out, as compared to the Incredible (or even my Hero).
  4. QIK + Front-Facing Cam = Win
  5. It’s huge.

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Agreed, when the Evo and the Incredible receive Froyo, the N1-Being Google's flagship Device-will already be getting 3.0,(according to Google). so we'll always be one step ahead of the rest... until the N2 arrives next year.

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Agreed, when the Evo and the Incredible receive Froyo, the N1-Being Google's flagship Device-will already be getting 3.0,(according to Google). so we'll always be one step ahead of the rest... until the N2 arrives next year.

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Agreed, when the Evo and the Incredible receive Froyo, the N1-Being Google's flagship Device-will already be getting 3.0,(according to Google). so we'll always be one step ahead of the rest... until the N2 arrives next year.

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Jason those reviews are great there is always hype with new phones. HTC is a giving surely feeding the drug addicts with a new fix each month basically the same thing few cosmetic changes same chip. I now hear they have a 1.2 dual core coming out. I guess that makes the evo now yesterday's news. The present the evo looks great better than the hd2 with those silly soft keys. I was only stating that froyo pushes the N1 above phones that don't have it yet. I checked out the incredible honestly it feels like a nice car wrapped in fiberglass it just feels cheap. I think the N1 is just nicer to hold in hand and looks better. The addition of froyo has the N1 on roids.

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Jason those reviews are great there is always hype with new phones. HTC is a giving surely feeding the drug addicts with a new fix each month basically the same thing few cosmetic changes same chip. I now hear they have a 1.2 dual core coming out. I guess that makes the evo now yesterday's news. The present the evo looks great better than the hd2 with those silly soft keys. I was only stating that froyo pushes the N1 above phones that don't have it yet. I checked out the incredible honestly it feels like a nice car wrapped in fiberglass it just feels cheap. I think the N1 is just nicer to hold in hand and looks better. The addition of froyo has the N1 on roids.

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No no not that I don't like sense its just that the updates will be longer that stock android that's why I prefer the N1 over them all.

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people can say what they want to but everybody that has used the incredible says its the best phone they've used n1 is not in the same stage as the incredible read all of the reviews that says incredible is the best way to go

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when this phone gets 10.1 flash the cam should work on stickam. or maybe stickam will have to make a app to work with cam. but it should work built in cams on laptops work on stickam.

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I'll post a pic in my review.

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"3. The screen seems washed out, as compared to the Incredible (or even my Hero)."What do you mean by this? in videos that I have seen, the reviewer or person showing the phone off has said that the screen is big and beautiful, so I dont understand what you're saying in regards to the clarity of the screen. In other words can you be more specific in regards to this comment?

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Don't have to run Sense UI or Android 2.1 if you don't have to. Just root and install the Froyo port. This is nuts. http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/30/htc-evo-4g-g...

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Stephen, I get the whole not wanting to pay more. However, I was just saying back in December 2009 that I wish Sprint would offer a truly unlimited data option. I remember telling my brother that I would be willing to pay about $10/phone for it since I already have wi-fi tethering working on my Hero. (My friends with AT&T and T-mo are always asking to use it at work...non-CDMA devices get crappy service in my building.) So I was actually happy to see this premium plan. I do think it would be more fair to make it optional, but would rather be told the extra $10/month is mandatory than be surprised with hundreds in overage charges.

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how smooth is the reaction to touch, any lag?

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Would like to know how the battery life is using just the 3G. I have no 4G in my area would like to have it last at for a day. Thanks

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Technically, the $10 premium data fee is not for 4G/WiMax. This is the first superphone for Sprint. They anticipate that with the larger screen, faster processor, AND 4G you'll be consuming data at a much higher rate. Even with this up-charge, it is still $10 cheaper than a comparable Verizon plan.Sprint - 450min, unlimited text, data and mobile to mobile = $70 + $10 (premium data) = $80Verizon - 450min, unlimited text = $60 + $30 (data plan) = $90BTW, I don't condone the $10 fee. I'd rather pay less for my plan too :)

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You can shut Sense off on the EVO, but not on the incredible. You can use home replacements on both.What's the beef with Sense? I like the seven screens and the awesome widgets.

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I'll try to snap a picture of the three phones next to each other. The Incredible, by far, has the best screen, in terms of color and contrast.I tested a Pre and Pixi for awhile. I really liked the Pixi. It was small and you could barely notice it in your pocket. The Pre wasn't bad either. I like the size of Incredible. It's slim and trim. There's no doubt that you're carrying the EVO in your pocket.The QIK fee is only for two-way video calling. You can use Fring for free. It supports video chatting for Skype and others. The front facing cam works too. I'll put a screenshot in the review.

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In that order? :PI've only had the phone for about a day. So far the battery is good. I've used it to watch HQ YouTube videos, check Twidroid (running in the background), surf the web, take pictures and video.

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It doesn't look like it. I tried ChatRoulette and Stickam. You can watch Stickam cams just fine, but you can't select either cam. I was also able to join a live room and chat just fine. No cam though.

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Can flash lite access the forward facing camera, for access on websites, like ChatRoulette? Maybe test that out? Or make a guess as to if FroYo will enable that access via flash 10.1?Thanks!

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I have a question, how does the battery life fair with moderate use of the device? Like say if I check my twitter, reply to a couple of people, post some links a friend DM'd me and what not, then proceed to check facebook, check my bank account, etc... While texting and calling people over a variety of hours. How does it fair off of a full charge?

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Breon,Thanks for the update. The HTC EVO 4G's screen probably looks washed out compared to the Droid Incredible because them having different display types. As you know, the EVO 4G has a LCD TFT display and the Droid Incredible has a AMOLED display. The AMOLED will look crisper and more brilliant than LCD. BUT... I am surprised that it would looked washed out compared to the HTC Hero being the same display type LCD TFT. I have big hands and I like that size of the HTC HD2. So, I think the EVO would be a good fit for me; but I am little concerned that it may become burdensome to carry in my pocket or otherwise. I have a Sprint Palm Pre, which I am keeping as my work and back up phone, is so easy to carry because of its size and shape.Regarding Qik, I was excited about it until I found about the $5 charge for the service. Since I am already a Sprint customer, I don't mind paying the extra $10 bucks for the "data premium". Sprints prices are a lot less than the other carriers. But, I am a un-nerved by the announcement of the Qik charge too.

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I would buy neither considering they both use sense ui. The N1 running on froyo kills them both

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I went and got a pre-order for this phone, one for myself and one for my wife also since we are both due for new phones. Mine is 5 years old and hers is 3. The only thing I am having second thoughts on is that 10 dollar extra charge, which I think is a bunch of baloney. Yes I know that Sprint still has some of the better data plans out there but still an extra 20 bucks a month for 4g when I live in an area that has no 4g. In fact I would have to go to the other side of the state, 3 hours away to find coverage.

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