Evo getting bad reviews so far?

[jamor]

"Data speeds i got in my tests weren’t spectacular, or anywhere close to the typical maximum sprint claims, even in baltimore, where the company’s 4g network is mature. And, when using 4g, the evo’s battery runs down alarmingly fast. In my tests, it didn’t last through a full day with 4g turned on. The carrier, in fact, is thinking of advising users to turn off the 4g network access when they don’t think they need it, to save battery life. This undercuts the whole idea of faster cellular speeds."

Article:
sprint 4g phone hits new speeds, but battery lags | walt mossberg | personal technology | allthingsd

CNET:
"Sprint's 4G network is limited at this time, making the mandatory $10 premium data add-on tough to swallow for anyone outside of the coverage area. The Evo lacks support for Bluetooth voice-activated dialing. Battery drains quickly with 4G."

"It wasn't nearly as zippy as the Droid Incredible"


With early negative reviews, will this stop you from buying the Evo?

 

[some.devil]

Maybe you should sample more reviews before coming to a conclusion.

 

[GeneralPatton]

I'm not buying the phone for 4G anyways (Since there isn't 4G in my area, and isn't listed to be in my area this year).

I'm buying the phone for everything else!

 

[TheBiles]

Engadget said the battery life was incredible, so I don't know what this guy is smoking.

 

[mcbtrain929]

narrow ass screen that reminds me of a king size snickers bar, pointless optical joystick, no thanks.

and it'll be at least as fast as the incredible, and faster on 4G. take that to the bank.

 

[apollooff320]

Looks at thread starter's device and read that is says Incredible. Go away troll.

 

[cesjr02]

I believe only one reviewer claimed the Evo seemed slower than the Incredible. (Cnet maybe?)

All other reviews I watched said the Evo was just as fast. Which is to be expected since the phones share a lot of the same internals and software. Also you need to only watch the demos to see the Evo is snappy.

Am I missing something?

 

[neodorian]

So I guess the hype is over - are you guys switching to Verizon now that the luster is gone and the phone isn't living up to it's name?

No, because Verizon doesn't even offer 4g service, optimized or otherwise and their 3G is no faster. It is quite a bit more expensive though. I use 4G all over town and it's quite good. Evo performance may not be as good since the radio may not be as powerful but it will still come in handy.
As far as battery, I have no problem turning off 4G when not in use. I do the same with Wifi and Bluetooth as well. I've done this on every smart phone I've ever used. Basically if I don't need it always on in order to get calls or texts, I turn it off when not in use. Seems like common sense until battery tech improves.

 

[clambert1273]

"Data speeds i got in my tests weren

 

[Rigmaster]

I can see it already. There are some very defensive, upset, and irate VZW/Incredible owners. Defensive about how the Incredible compares, upset that they still have to live with less phone for the $, and irate that they're going to be paying a lot more for data on their network and device.

I'm all for people liking and speaking about the merits of what they have, but I don't see why there's any logical argument behind what clearly is a better phone.

Only way to actually settle this would be to ask Peter Chou which phone and which phone + network is better. He can't reply publicly for business reasons, but I bet if he had to own one we all know which one it would be!

 

[aaronscool]

Not that the OP is biased at all but what did Walt have to say about the Incredible? Not sure he's every really given a glowing review to an Android device just yet.

 

[NSXLA]

Most reviews have suggested the phone isn't stellar - call quality - crashes -

I might not be purchasing one on launch day.

 

[RickyRudy]

What Mr. Incredible fail to understand or accept is you must consider the reviewers commenting about battery life did so after using the device as a hotspot. If you are going to use it as a hotspot then I would think you would want to plug it into a wall. Even still, 5+ hours of intensive use from an already partially used battery with 3.5 of those being used as a hotspot is pretty good. This was what was stated in the Engadget article. And people who only use 3G will see significantly better battery performance. I cant' wait to get my hands on this device.

 

[aaronscool]

Most reviews have suggested the phone isn't stellar - call quality - crashes -

I might not be purchasing one on launch day.

I've seen two reviews and one initial thoughts post none of them have mentioned anything regarding either call quality or crashing of any kind including mediocre-ish take that Walt Mossberg had on the WSJ.

Please do link to a review that has this kind of feedback.

 

[NSXLA]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2363943,00.asp

The EVO is a 4G phone, but it can't (yet) make phone calls over 4G. Call quality on this phone with Sprint's 3G CDMA network isn't that great, either. The sharp top edge of the phone wasn't very comfortable against my ear, and calls sounded rough and harsh as well. It's loud, but not clear. The speakerphone is loud but sound is somewhat thready and hollow.

Pcmag reviews mentions call quality.

 

[NiCK Crush]

maybe we should all listen to jamor and cancel our pre-orders... this guy seems like a smart dude.

 

[Rigmaster]

HTC EVO 4G (Sprint) - Full Review - Reviews by PC Magazine




Pcmag reviews mentions call quality.

4G is data-only. Probably will stay that way. He should have known that before reviewing and never even expected. Again, picking out something that makes no sense.

As far as call quality, could it be location based?

This phone is really bringing out the biases.

 

[acp]

I can't say one reviewer is better than the next, but I do think Engadget has done the most detailed review out of everyone and they seem to love the phone, so I'm going to ignore WSJ and MSNBC for now.

 

[mrvirginia]

I believe only one reviewer claimed the Evo seemed slower than the Incredible. (Cnet maybe?)

All other reviews I watched said the Evo was just as fast. Which is to be expected since the phones share a lot of the same internals and software. Also you need to only watch the demos to see the Evo is snappy.

Am I missing something?

these are also review units and are not necessarily indicative of retail units.

 

[ekt8750]

 

[aaronscool]

HTC EVO 4G (Sprint) - Full Review - Reviews by PC Magazine




Pcmag reviews mentions call quality.

Interesting comments from this reviewer. His comments seem to say it doesn't have a volume issue but that he didn't really care for the overall sound calling it "harsh" and he had some complaints about the placement of the earpiece. This hasn't been mentioned in any other review so far.

Obviously I like to make my own opinions on things like this as how it sounds is one of the most objective things around. As an example, my current Iphone 3G's call quality on the recieving side is frequently hit or miss for me and I certainly have issues with it's earpiece placement from time to time where if you don't get it exactly placed will sound like your listening through a pillow.

 

[sikclown]

HTC Evo 4G - black (Sprint) Smartphone reviews - CNET Reviews

Cnet review of call quality

"We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO Rev. A) in New York and Philadelphia using Sprint service and call quality was great. Our friends' voices came through loud and clear, with little to no background noise. On one occasion, we made a call using the AT&T BlackBerry Curve and were met with static and patchy audio, so we called back using the Evo 4G and it was like night and day. Our callers also reported great results, noting in particular that there was no kind of voice distortion and plenty of volume. Speakerphone calls were decent. Though there was plenty of volume to hear our buddies even in louder environments, there was a bit of tinny audio quality.

We had no problems pairing the device with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones. We also plugged in our Bose On-Ear Headphones and enjoyed rich-sounding tracks with a nice balance of treble and bass."

 

[travisr528]

I don't care about the review's. I am buying the phone regardless.

 

[kellte2]

The PC Mag review also complained about the keyboard, which has gotten nothing but universal praise up to this point. I'd take that one with a grain of salt considering the two unique complaints apparently not shared by the other numerous reviews.

 

[sikclown]

I don't care about the review's. I am buying the phone regardless.

Amen to that.. And you get 4g in Austin. I am buying it in 3G New Orleans that will likely still be 3g until 2012 when the world ends haha