Sprint wants to help you decide which 4G gadget is right for you, and they’ve posted a video at YouTube to point out some of the major differences between Samsung’s Epic 4G (A Galaxy S phone) and the EVO 4G by HTC. Both are hotspot capable and have dual cams. The Epic features the first AMOLED screen provided by Sprint, packs a hardware keyboard, and uses DLNA for sharing, as opposed to the EVO’s HDMI. (EVO can use DLNA as well.)
We will try to get you a video comparison between the devices here at DroidDog. Stay tuned.
Preface: This post is full of multimedia content (and WIN). I tried to organize it the best I could. Also, Minneapolis doesn’t currently have 4G/WiMax coverage. I couldn’t even find any test towers. I won’t be able to answer any questions about 4G reception. I can tell you there’s a sweet 4G toggle widget. Lastly, like most of my reviews, I focused on what makes this device unique. The EVO 4G runs Android 2.1 and the Sense experience is identical to the Incredible, Desire, and Legend. There are plenty of reviews that cover these phones and Android 2.1 in general.
UPDATE: I lied. There is some Sprint 4G testing going on. I was able to see the network and even connect for a second, but it wasn’t usable. Also, for many of the day-to-day functions (calls, speakerphone, battery, etc) the EVO are acceptable. I wasn’t blown away by any of the basic features, but they work well.
I have to, have to, HAVE TO thank Robert Green, from Battery Powered Games for loaning me his EVO 4G. He was able to snag one, while he was at Google I/O. Battery Powered Games has several (very addictive) 2D and 3D games in the Android Market. You should check them out! They are also the makers of the Multitouch Visible Test app, which is very helpful when reviewing a device. I know they have big things planned for this summer, so keep an eye out.
Let’s start by talking about the hardware. What makes this phone so special? How about a 4.3″ touchscreen? This thing is massive. It’s easy to show off pictures and videos to friends and family, and the large screen makes reading tweets, texts or emails more bearable. While the size is great if you’re flicking through photos or email, if you’re using it one-handed, or two-handed for thumb-typing, it can be a little difficult to stretch your thumb across the diagonal length of the screen. It’s also hard to get to the Home button, as it’s way down in the corner. If you’re using it two-handed, a la “iPhone Commercial” style (hold in one hand, peck at the screen with your index finger), then it’s not so bad. But that’s not my style. One thumbed typing, while walking the dog, is rough. There’s just a lot of real estate to cover. I’ll talk about the keyboard later. I’ve whipped up a screen size comparison chart. Click it to view full size. I actually measured the Incredible, EVO and Hero. The others are approximate, based on specs.
Bigger doesn’t always mean better. If you follow me on twitter (@breon), then you’ve probably seen me complain about the screen quality. In my opinion, the screen on the Incredible (and Nexus One) is FAR superior than the screen on the EVO. It should be, right? It’s an AMOLED screen, as compared to the TFT LCD screen on the EVO. To be honest, I think that the TFT LCD on my Hero is better than the EVO. If you’ve never seen the Incredible or Nexus in real life, you probably won’t miss it. But if you have, you’ll notice that the color and contrast are much better. Please turn your attention to Exhibit A:
EVO, Incredible, Hero (click to enlarge)
One of the features that I like best is the front-facing cam. Sure it’s only 1.3MP and doesn’t have auto-focus, but when you want to stream yourself live, across the ‘tubes, there’s no better way to do it. “But I can already stream myself live, across said ‘tubes.”, you say. Well, I’ve always found it hard to frame up a shot, unless I was using a system of pulleys and mirrors. Front cam + kickstand = the Colt 45 of streaming (Works Every Timeâ„¢). The front camera is supported by the native Camera/Camcorder app, as well as QIK and Fring. QIK will allow you to video chat, one-on-one, at some point. The pre-installed app appeared to be the standard Market version. Fring already allows you to video chat and they support Skype, Google Talk, AIM, MSN, Yahoo, SIP and some others. Also, to clarify, one-on-one QIK video chatting will be FREE. The $5 charge that you may have read about is for other “premium services” (I’m betting on HD). If you have 15 minutes to kill, and you want to watch me eat, then feel free to view this video that I recorded/streamed with the QIK app and the front-facing camera.
If you’re looking for something a little more substantial than 1.3MP, then flip the EVO over to find its 8MP, auto-focus, dual LED flash main camera. Like the Incredible, it hosts a veritable boat-load of setting and filters. Favorite feature: the ability set the ISO from 100-1250 (or AUTO). The quality of the pictures is top notch, for a camera phone…or even a cheap point-and-shoot camera. Low-light shots could have been better. I didn’t use the flash much. I’d be willing to bet that it’s on par with the Incredible, as they share hardware. I’ve included a comparison test below. Hero (5MP) vs. Incredible (8MP) vs. EVO (8MP). I’ve also uploaded many sample shots from around town. In some, I was trying to really take a nice pic. Others were just casual shots. In most all cases, they were shot in full AUTO. You’ll notice this in some of the side-by-side shots. The color may be a little different because the auto white balance decided to change itself. For the record, I left the blurry macro shots in the album, so you can see the quality (or lack thereof). The Ally takes top billing for macro shots. Please note, for some reason, when pictures are uploaded via the Share method, occasionally there will be a gray bar at the bottom. This is not an error with the photo. It’s an error with uploading. I’ve seen this on the Incredible and the EVO, uploading to Picasa or TwitPic.
While the EVO does record HD video up to 720p resolution, let’s not kid ourselves. It probably won’t replace your Sony HD camcorder. But if you decided to ditch your point-and-shoot camera, with video recording capabilities, this will make a great on-the-go camcorder. The videos do seem to be compressed a fair amount and the focus is locked once you start recording. Although, many flash memory recorders (i.e. Flip) don’t even have auto-focus. I tried to upload my sample videos via the YouTube app. I got an error saying “You cannot upload videos larger than 1GB”. I thought “Hmmm. Ok. It IS in HD. Maybe it’s actially THAT big”. Later, I found out that the video was only 166MB or so. I tried again on WiFi with no luck. This must be a bug with the YouTube app. I had to do it the old fashioned way. Here is said video:
The loaner phone that I have does have the Spring Mobile Hotspot activated. This is a $29.99/month additional fee. It works well, over 3G. I obviously didn’t get to test it on 4G. You can password protect your hotspot or set it to only allow certain devices (I assume with MAC filtering). Hotspot ≠tethering. That’s something altogether different. I did find an option for “Internet sharing”. When I ticked the checkbox, my Mac recognized the device as a modem and wanted some credentials. I didn’t have those credentials, so I was not able to try this out. Regardless, there are other ways of to tether your device to your laptop. Heck, after you achieve tetherage (new word), you could share your laptop’s internet connection and BAM you’re a hotspot; No additional fees.
Not to be a Debbie Downer, but there are a couple of things that I don’t like about the phone. They’re not deal breakers, but they can be annoying. For starters, there is a significant delay with finger tracking. Using the Multitouch Visible Test, you can swipe your finger around the screen and watch as the blue dot tries to keep up, and fails. You probably won’t notice this with casual swiping, but it could affect your multitouch gaming. The Incredible doesn’t seem to suffer the same issue. It’s touch responsiveness is pretty dead on. Even the Hero has better responsiveness. Another irritant that will affect your gaming sessions is the fact that the device is locked to 30 frames per second. The next game from Battery Powered Games will support 40 FPS, which the Incredible can do without issue. The EVO maxes out at 30. Not too bad, since my Hero clips along at about 10 FPS. Robert believes that both of these can be corrected with a firmware update. He, and others, are pushing Google to correct this issue.
Another disappointment is the Sense Touch Input keyboard. Initially I was in love. Bigger screen = bigger keyboard. What did HTC decide to do with that extra space? They jammed a set of directional arrows along the bottom in portrait, and along the right side in landscape. In theory, this is a good idea. Since there isn’t a trackball or optical joystick, the arrows can be used to navigate within the text, so you can fine tune your wording. Honestly, they just get in the way. In landscape, the ‘move left’ arrow is right next backspace arrow and you’ll inevitability hit the wrong arrow at the wrong time. I would have much rather have seen a row of numbers in portrait and just wider keys in landscape. I don’t need directional arrows, especially since they can only be used during typing. I also don’t need a “hide keyboard” button. The BACK button on the phone works just fine. The rest of the Text Input keyboard works as you’d expect…pretty darn good. They also included a speech-to-text button, which was missing from the Hero 2.1 update.
The HTC EVO 4G will be available on June 4th at all of the major Sprint resellers. You can pre-order it at any Best Buy store. I talked to my local store and they will only guarantee that the first 40 pre-orders will get one on launch day. I asked if they had more than 40 pre-orders and he said “OH YEAH!”. Let’s hope that this doesn’t turn out like the Incredible. The subsidized price is $199.99 (new contracts, after rebate, etc). If you buy it at Best Buy, you don’t have to worry about the rebate. They take care of that for you. Rumor has it that the off-contract price is going to be $449.99. Although, if you buy it outright from HTC, it’ll set you back $549.99.
Plans start at $69.99/month for 450 minutes, unlimited text/data/any mobile-to-any mobile calls. There is an additional $10 “premium data” charge for the device. They anticipate that you’ll be consuming more data with the faster processor and larger screen. I believe them. I find myself turning to the phone first, instead of getting up and walking over to the laptop. The phone is always on me, and it’s quick to search for something. Even with the $10 up-charge, the Sprint plan is still cheaper than a comparable Verizon plan, which costs $59.99 for 450 minutes, unlimited texts plus $29.99 for unlimited data (and you don’t get unlimited mobile-to-mobile).
The Verdict…
Like I said before, the most frequently asked question I’ve received is “EVO or Incredible?”, so I’ll quickly recap my preferences:
Do you qualify for an upgrade on Sprint? Get the EVO.
Are you going to ditch your point-and-shoot camera and/or HD flash memory camcorder? Get the EVO.
Do you use Skype to video chat with co-workers, clients, or family around the globe? Get the EVO.
Are you going to watch movies and TV shows on the go? Get the EVO.
Will you want to show off your HD videos to friends and family on a TV? Get the EVO.
Are you out of contract and don’t care if you’re on Sprint or Verizon? Get the Incredible.
Do you want the best possible quality screen? Get the Incredible.
Are you worried that the EVO is too big? (surprise! it is) Get the Incredible.
Do you want one of these sweet superphones, but don’t want Sense? Get the EVO (you can turn off Sense).
I’m completely torn on which one I would get, in a perfect world. I like the size and screen quality of the Incredible. I like the front-facing cam and HD video recording of the EVO. Since this isn’t a perfect world, and I’m still in my contract with Sprint, I’m probably going to pick up the EVO. I honestly think that the front cam is the deciding factor.
I have to give the phone up today (sad panda). If you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. If it’s something specific like “can you check out the WiFI settings blah blah blah…” I probably won’t be able to help you out.
Let’s start by saying, this is not officially official. I wouldn’t consider any ROM to be official unless I saw it on the Sprint support site. Regardless, that didn’t stop me from giving it a go. Keep in mind that this is one of those “use at your own risk” scenarios. DroidDog is not responsible for anything that happens to your phone. Now that I have that out of the way…
The update is fairly simple. The hardest part was finding a Windows PC that was in working order. The update will delete EVERYTHING on your phone. I recommend syncing everything to Google, or backing it up to your microSD card. There are plenty of apps in the Market to help with this. You won’t be able to backup some apps, as they are copy protected. Don’t worry too much. All apps should be available in the Market, once you’re back up and running. Someone mentioned that the ROM has not been signed by Google yet, so some apps may not show up in the Market right away.
I’ve uploaded a video documenting my installation. The process does take about 10 minutes, so I chopped out the boring parts. It’s my first video for DroidDog; Please be gentle.
Now that the dust has settled, here are a few things that you might like to know about the HTC EVO 4G on Sprint.
Pricing
The device itself is $199.99 (with new contract, after rebate). There are rumors that it will be $450 without a contract. I would expect it to be closer to the Nexus One/Incredible price of $529.99. Nothing is confirmed though. Don’t forget, the EVO 4G comes with an 8GB microSD card. That’s about a $20 value.
Plans
There’s been a lot of controversy around the plans; Specifically around the $10 “Premium Data” charge. Let’s talk about the base plan first. The Sprint “Everything Data – with Any Mobile, Anytime” plan is available for $69.99 for 450 anytime minutes or $89.99 for 900 anytime minutes. Both plans include unlimited SMS, MMS, any mobile to mobile calling, and data. As mentioned above, there is a $10 Premium Data charge for the EVO 4G. This is not specifically related to the 4G service. They figure that folks would be uploading and consuming more data since you can shoot HD video, take 8MP pictures, and watch streaming videos on the massive 4.3″ screen. $70+$10 is still less than the $90 you might spend, per month, for an HTC Incredible on Verizon. John Taylor (PR Rep, Sprint) post this blurb on his blog.
If you buy the Sprint 4G EVO, you have to pay this $10 charge each month. This is specific to the device. It’s not related to whether you are using 3G or 4G. It is required if you have the phone.
Because the phone has a faster processor, a huge 4.3 inch screen and an 8 megapixel camcorder/camera, we expect you will be using a lot more data than you would with our other devices. These features will give you capabilities that have previously never been available on a wireless device and we think they provide a premium experience. (Remember, this is the world’s first 3G/4G Android phone.)
Also, you can add the mobile hotspot feature for $29.99. This allows you to connect up to 8 devices to your 3G or 4G data connection. I’ve used a similar service with the Palm Pre Plus on Verizon. It was very helpful at an event where we lost our WiFi connection.
Availability
The phone will be available on June 4th. I expect that it will be available through all of the normal channels. As a matter of fact, you can stop into a Best Buy store and pre-order the device today.
Here it is folks; The HTC EVO 4G will be available June 4th for $199.99. That puts it on par with many of the other Android superphones on the market. What sets this apart from the rest of the pack is the 4.3″ screen and the ability to become a 3G/4G hotspot for up to 8 devices.
Is this the droid you’re looking for?
America’s First 4G Phone, HTC EVOTM 4G, Debuts on June 4 Packed with Industry-Leading Features Including Access to Mobile Video Chat, Simultaneous Voice and Data and HD Video Capture
Sprint leads the 4G revolution with the highly anticipated, award-winning HTC EVO 4G priced at just $199.99; add mobile hotspot capability for up to eight devices for just $29.99
NEW YORK, May 12, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) –If you were creating your dream wireless device what would it look like? Two cameras and video chat so you can say goodnight to your children when you are away on a business trip? Simultaneous voice and data, so you can call in your take-out order while you look at their menu on the Internet? The ability to plug your phone into your HDTV, so you can let your children finish the movie they started watching in the car’s backseat when you get home? And a huge screen for watching the videos you download in seconds – not minutes – with the fastest wireless data speeds available in America today? Stop daydreaming and get ready for Sprint (NYSE: S) to make your dreams come true on June 4 when the highly anticipated HTC EVO 4G debuts.
The critics agree that HTC EVO 4G is this summer’s must-have wireless experience as it continues to win their accolades and endorsements. CNET, LAPTOP and eWeek gave HTC EVO 4G awards for Best of Show when it was announced at CTIA this spring. Engadget said, “It’s easily the best specced phone we’ve ever witnessed.” The Financial Times cooed, “The first 4G phone in the U.S., the HTC EVO … ticks just about all the boxes for my ideal phone.”
“HTC EVO 4G is a fantastic 3G device, but when you use it in our growing 4G coverage area, it becomes a multimedia powerhouse,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “The EVO 4G experience is much like going from TV to HDTV. But EVO has more than just an impressive list of features – it is also fun to use with remarkable gaming, video and web-browsing capabilities.”
With the launch of HTC EVO 4G, Sprint customers will be able to enjoy capabilities they have never experienced before with a new video chat service from Qik. The two-way voice and video capability will be available as an upgrade to the preloaded Qik app on HTC EVO 4G to enable conversational, interactive, real-time sharing between mobile devices or from mobile-to-desktop.
Amazing Features, Beautiful Design
HTC EVO 4G features the latest version of the increasingly popular Android platform, Android 2.1, offering more than 35,000 apps, as well as a mind-blowing list of features, including:
Simultaneous voice and data capability in 4G and Wi-Fi coverage areas, enabling Web surfing and more while the conversation continues.
Offering a new way to search with pictures instead of words, Google Goggles(TM) works with everything from books, DVDs and barcodes to landmarks, logos, artwork and wine labels.
Superfast 1GHz Qualcomm(R) Snapdragon(TM) processor, ensuring a smooth and quick movement within phone menus.
Two cameras – an 8.0 megapixel auto-focus camera with HD-capable video camcorder and a forward-facing 1.3 megapixel camera.
Built-in mobile hotspot functionality allowing up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices to share the 3G or 4G experience on the go with a laptop, camera, music player, game unit, video player, or any other Wi-Fi enabled device.
Integrated HD video capture with the ability to capture and share live video via the Qik Web site, Facebook, YouTube or Twitter(TM).
Ability to easily watch video with the device on an HDTV via an HDMI cable (sold separately).
Custom Web browser optimized for the 4.3 inch display and Sprint 4G speeds to deliver a full, no-compromise Internet experience.
A handy kickstand built into the back, making it easy to watch videos on-the-go.
Adobe Flash technology ensures that rich Internet content, such as embedded video and animation, are displayed the way they are meant to be seen.
Pinch-to-zoom and automatic text reflowing provide easy Web page views.
HTC EVO 4G boasts the newest version of the highly acclaimed HTC Sense user experience. With HTC Sense, HTC EVO 4G users can use Friend Stream to aggregate multiple social communication channels, including Facebook and Twitter into one organized flow of updates; a “Leap” thumbnail view to easily switch between home screen “panels;” the ability to download new, interactive widgets; and a “polite” ringer, which quiets the ringing phone once lifted up.
While the performance of currently available Android applications will be enhanced by access to 4G data speeds, a Sprint 4G developer guide is available today from the Sprint ADP Web site at http://developer.sprint.com. The Sprint 4G developer guide provides details on developing for an Android 2.1 handset and how to take advantage of HTC EVO 4G’s unique hardware and software capabilities and the Sprint 4G network. The Sprint Application Developer Program has been providing tools for third-party developers since Sprint first launched the Wireless Web on its phones in 2001.
Worry-Free Pricing
HTC EVO 4G will be available in all Sprint retail channels, including Sprint.com and national retail partners, RadioShack, Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Sprint will price the award-winning device at $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate (taxes excluded) with a new line activation or eligible upgrade. Pre-registration is available now at www.sprint.com/evo.
In order to provide the best experience, HTC EVO 4G will use Sprint’s industry-leading Everything Data or Business Advantage Messaging and Data plans that include unlimited Web, texting and calling on the Sprint Network to every mobile in America with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM. Everything Data plans start at $69.99 per month. A $10 per month Premium Data add-on will apply allowing customers to take advantage of a richer data experience than ever before.
Additionally, an optional pricing add-on will turn HTC EVO 4G into a mobile hotspot connecting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, gaming devices and digital cameras, simultaneously at 4G speeds where available and at 3G speeds anywhere on the Sprint 3G network for just $29.99 per month – half the monthly cost of the current Mobile Broadband plan (pricing excludes surcharges and taxes).
With the Sprint Free Guarantee, customers can take advantage of HTC EVO 4G for 30 days and if not completely satisfied, may return the device within 30 days to get reimbursed for the device purchase and activation fee, get both the early termination and restocking fees waived, and receive a full refund for the monthly service plan charges.1
Blazing trails with Sprint 4G
Sprint 4G offers a faster wireless experience than any other U.S. national wireless carrier, and Sprint is the only national carrier offering wireless 4G service today in 32 markets. Sprint 4G delivers download speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G2,giving HTC EVO 4G the fastest data speeds of any U.S. wireless device available today.
As the first national wireless carrier to test, launch and market 4G technology, Sprint made history by launching 4G in Baltimore in September 2008. Today, Sprint 4G covers 41 million people and expects to have up to 120 million people covered by the end of 2010.
Sprint currently offers 4G service in 32 markets: Georgia – Atlanta, Milledgeville; Hawaii – Honolulu, Maui; Idaho – Boise; Illinois – Chicago; Maryland – Baltimore; Nevada – Las Vegas; North Carolina – Charlotte, Greensboro, (along with High Point and Winston-Salem), Raleigh (along with Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham); Oregon – Portland, Salem; Pennsylvania – Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Reading, York; Texas – Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Killeen/Temple, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, Waco, Wichita Falls; Washington – Bellingham, Seattle. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.
In 2010, Sprint expects to launch 4G service in multiple markets, including but not limited to, Boston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.
Preface: This post is full of multimedia content (and WIN). I tried to organize it the best I could. Also, Minneapolis doesn’t currently have 4G/WiMax coverage. I couldn’t even find any test towers. I won’t be able to answer any questions about 4G reception. I can tell you there’s a sweet 4G toggle widget. Lastly, like most of my reviews, I focused on what makes this device unique. The EVO 4G runs Android 2.1 and the Sense experience is identical to the 
Now that the dust has settled, here are a few things that you might like to know about the HTC EVO 4G on Sprint.
