I’ll spare you a bunch of long-winded paragraphs and get right to the point. The HTC EVO 4G is the best phone you can buy for your money right now. Coupled with Sprint’s rate plans, there’s really not much to debate. From the gorgeous, massive screen to the speedy 1GHz processor, it easily bests my previous Android experiences. I’m not going to bore you with head-to-head matchups or synthetic benchmarks. There’s plenty of that to be found online. I’ll simply tell you about the things that stick out.
It’s a Beast
Start with the size. At 4.3 inches, it’s not exactly a tiny device. I throw it in my front pocket the same way I did with my long-forgotten G1. It may not be the Super AMOLED of the Samsung Galaxy S, but the screen is the first thing anyone notices. It’s almost laughable when I hold my CLIQ XT next to it. And yet the EVO 4G is every bit as thin and doesn’t feel much different in the pocket.
Buttons and Display
The screen and four buttons are accurate and responsive. I’ve had no issues with unrecognized touches, and the cursor always lands exactly where I want it. Thanks to the screen size, typing is nearly effortless in both portrait and landscape. Pounding out an email feels almost natural.
The 3.5mm headphone jack sits on top; the micro-USB and micro-HDMI port are on the bottom. Unfortunately, Sprint and HTC left out a micro-HDMI cable, so personal HDMI testing wasn’t possible. What I did see at CTIA — a Prince of Persia trailer on a big screen — looked stunning. Not a stutter to be found.
Camera
The 8-megapixel camera has replaced the Nikon my wife and I used to carry around. It’s a joy to have a camera app that opens quickly and snaps immediately. As for the front-facing camera, it’s more than adequate for Facebook photos. If you’re into video calling, you’ll be pleased. NOTE: The pictures in the original post were untouched, taken in real-world conditions — meaning, “Hey, let me get a picture of that really quick!”
Battery
Let’s talk battery. It’s a sticky point. No hard tests here, but the short version: keep a charger nearby. If your Twitter and Facebook apps are pulling updates every five minutes, they’ll tax the 1500mAh battery. The 4.3-inch screen makes it awfully hard not to watch YouTube or play games, which compounds the drain. Longer web sessions, GPS, and games will wear you down if you’re not careful. For former BlackBerry or iPhone users, the adjustment may be noticeable. My take: given the screen size and multimedia capabilities, I don’t expect more out of it. Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you don’t need them and you’ll be fine.
HTC Sense UI
This phone, like the Droid Incredible before it, gives HTC’s custom interface the power it needs. The 1GHz processor keeps seven screens full of widgets running smoothly. FriendStream, Calendar, and other HTC widgets look great and get a real chance to shine. After a few weeks of real-world use — past the initial “Wow, it’s so fast!” phase — I loaded it with more apps than my CLIQ XT and G1 combined. It shows no signs of struggle.
4G and Mobile Hotspot
I can’t speak to 4G personally — my area wasn’t covered at the time. Check other reviews from people with live 4G access. As for the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot feature, it works great and is easy to set up. My first experience came in San Francisco watching LOST over a netbook on the 3G network. After a brief buffer, it played the full episode without interruption.
Anything Else?
One minor gripe: accessing the microSD card requires powering off the phone and removing the battery. Trivial if you’re using a 16GB or 32GB card, but annoying if you’re swapping smaller cards frequently.
Call quality was unremarkable in the best way — I never thought about it. Clear, loud, no dropped calls.
In terms of Android, nothing else at the time had an edge over the EVO 4G. Combined with Sprint’s rate plans, it was not only the best Android phone available, but arguably the best overall smartphone package in the industry.
