My Evo First Impressions

[ParishyM]

let me start by saying i am coming from an iPhone4,
in fact i'm still using it while i evaluate the Evo. i chose
not to port my numbers for a while.

1. lrg screen is nice but no where near as bright,
vivid, or clear as the iP4

2. 8MP camera pics are about the same as the 5MP
iP4 pics and the 720p Evo video is definitely not
as clear or fluid as the iP4 720p video.

3. very disappointed so far with the data speeds, i'm
getting no higher than 400kbps download.
i average 1-3Mbps on the iP4 in the same area.
sprint is looking into this with a trouble ticket.

i'm in a totally covered area (ft lauderdale) and
don't know it it's a phone issue or cell issue.

4. the Evo definitely has way more bells and whistles
than the iP4 and i do like the Froyo 2.2 OS
it's nice to have so much control over your phone.

5. Evo battery life is definitely no where near as good
as the iP4 but i keep them both plugged in most of
the time so it's not a big deal.


hopefully i can resolve the data issue as i would like
to keep the Evo !

 

[Thefoodman52]

Well, the screen is nothing to compare to the iPhone 4, the Evo has a plain jane, low color tft LCD.

The camera on the Evo, though 8mp, is still, a low quality camera. The reason why 720p video is so choppy is HTC's fault, for using a horrible codec for video recording. If you try recording at 800x480, with .H264, it's smooth like it should be. Better codec, better recording.

With the data speeds.... were you expecting 4g speeds? You have to realize that sprint's wimax network is still under construction. Cdma 3g speeds aren't as fast as 3g GSM speeds, which is not. what you may have been expecting.

As far as battery life goes, I can't sugar coat that one, or suggest much. It just sucks. You can try setting stuff to sync less, turning off the 4g radio when you don't need it, etc., but that's about it. Also, it should go without saying, hit up wifi when available. On top of faster speeds, you'll use less power as well.

They both have their quirks, but they're not the same phones, you have to realize that.
The iPhone is more centered around being easy to use, easy to learn, and just being as simple as humanly without giving giving too much away.
The Evo isn't totally centered around simplicity, but neither is android. You have to poke around, figure it out, and learn how it works for yourself. The thing with android, though, is it dares to go and do things that iOs doesn't (openly) allow. It's not as conservative, but with reward, comes risk. Risk vs. reward. I'll take being able to totally change how my phone operates based on my day to day mood, and being able to do quite literally whatever my mind can conjure up, over locked down, and only strictly approved applications any day. (Not factoring in jailbreaking there, strictly stock on both)

 

[SMARTPHONEPC]

Well, the screen is nothing to compare to the iPhone 4, the Evo has a plain jane, low color tft LCD.

The camera on the Evo, though 8mp, is still, a low quality camera. The reason why 720p video is so choppy is HTC's fault, for using a horrible codec for video recording. If you try recording at 800x480, with .H264, it's smooth like it should be. Better codec, better recording.

With the data speeds.... were you expecting 4g speeds? You have to realize that sprint's wimax network is still under construction. Cdma 3g speeds aren't as fast as 3g GSM speeds, which is not. what you may have been expecting.

As far as battery life goes, I can't sugar coat that one, or suggest much. It just sucks. You can try setting stuff to sync less, turning off the 4g radio when you don't need it, etc., but that's about it. Also, it should go without saying, hit up wifi when available. On top of faster speeds, you'll use less power as well.

I think I found the secret to good battery life... - xda-developers Anyone here confirm battery improvement with it (or other methods)?

Can't the 720p codec issue be overcome (as its quality can be downright depressing)?

 

[SMARTPHONEPC]

let me start by saying i am coming from an iPhone4,
in fact i'm still using it while i evaluate the Evo. i chose
not to port my numbers for a while.

1. lrg screen is nice but no where near as bright,
vivid, or clear as the iP4

2. 8MP camera pics are about the same as the 5MP
iP4 pics and the 720p Evo video is definitely not
as clear or fluid as the iP4 720p video.

3. very disappointed so far with the data speeds, i'm
getting no higher than 400kbps download.
i average 1-3Mbps on the iP4 in the same area.
sprint is looking into this with a trouble ticket.

i'm in a totally covered area (ft lauderdale) and
don't know it it's a phone issue or cell issue.

4. the Evo definitely has way more bells and whistles
than the iP4 and i do like the Froyo 2.2 OS
it's nice to have so much control over your phone.

5. Evo battery life is definitely no where near as good
as the iP4 but i keep them both plugged in most of
the time so it's not a big deal.


hopefully i can resolve the data issue as i would like
to keep the Evo !

Hopefully these issues can be overcome & #4 outweighs any remaining issues.

I've got a gifted 3GS & looked at the iPhone4, while the screen is gorgeous it's just too small IMO, speaker is weak & worst of all you are forced to put up with Apple's short leash unless you JB.

Alternatively if you can wait until likely a February arrival, you could check out the Incredible HD/4G Verizon EVO refresh.

Personally I don't think I want to wait any longer so I'll likely get the EVO by CyberMonday.

 

[ParishyM]

agreed

sprint says i should average 600-1500 3G speeds in my area
and the max i get is 400 and as low as 20. something isn't
right ! i can't imagine paying $29 for tethering at less than
400 speeds.

the smaller size actually fits my hand better and i can text
using one hand easily.

the speaker in the iPhone works better for me as it's on
the bottom and not the rear. if i set the Evo down on it's
back i can hardly hear it ring.

all i can say is i guess it's just not for me at this time.

 

[SMARTPHONEPC]

agreed

sprint says i should average 600-1500 3G speeds in my area
and the max i get is 400 and as low as 20. something isn't
right ! i can't imagine paying $29 for tethering at less than
400 speeds.

the smaller size actually fits my hand better and i can text
using one hand easily.

the speaker in the iPhone works better for me as it's on
the bottom and not the rear. if i set the Evo down on it's
back i can hardly hear it ring.

all i can say is i guess it's just not for me at this time.

Great size for me when I did the comparisons, you sure you have the EVO speaker volume up because it is really loud despite being in back?

Planning on returning it within 30 days?

 

[james4513]

I bought the EVO and found the very same things. Returned after a couple weeks and am keeping my iPhone 3GS until Android 3.0 and EVO 2 (or whatever is best at that time) shows up. I really liked the EVO, but too many downsides now. A big deal to me was the absence of several applications I use regularly all of which will end up on Android.

 

[SMARTPHONEPC]

I bought the EVO and found the very same things. Returned after a couple weeks and am keeping my iPhone 3GS until Android 3.0 and EVO 2 (or whatever is best at that time) shows up. I really liked the EVO, but too many downsides now. A big deal to me was the absence of several applications I use regularly all of which will end up on Android.

May I ask which apps?

I played with the EVO on launch day with 2.1 & wasn't sold quite then but with 2.2 it is more enterprise friendly & I feel it offers a much more versatile experience than iOS..

 

[ParishyM]

were you expecting 4g speeds? Cdma 3g speeds aren't as fast as 3g GSM speeds, which is not. what you may have been expecting.

i knew 4G isn't officially in my area
yet, but the corp store less than 3 miles
down the street has 4G so i hoped i
would get it a bit. they must have
some kind of 4G antenna or booster
to get customers all hyped up about
the speeds. the demo Evo in the store
was getting 5-6 Mbps speeds every time
on 4G.

as for 3G CDMA speeds being slower
than 3G GSM speeds i didn't know that !

 

[BenChase7]

3miles is a long way for cell phone towers.

 

[alextop30]

Just to add to the dicussion I usually have 3 or 4 bars in my house on the top floor. My download speed on 3g is 500 kbs - upload 700kbs. On 4g I get 2.82 mbs download and 1mbs upload. I think this is pretty good for both 3g and 4g.

Personally I have absolutely no problem with the speeds the network is way faster than when I had my iphosdfull on bars and when you decide to actually do some data pull you sit there with a thumb in your mouth for 5 minutes waiting for the home page.

Next is the camera on the evo let me just say I am a bit disappointed with that I am hoping HTC would decide that it is worth the fix and gets on it in the next update. Screen I actually like - compared to iphone probably huge difference but guess what Fruit products are no longer in season due to their overwhelming control from the tree called Steve Jobs.

 

[BenChase7]

Just to add to the dicussion I usually have 3 or 4 bars in my house on the top floor. My download speed on 3g is 500 kbs - upload 700kbs. On 4g I get 2.82 mbs download and 1mbs upload. I think this is pretty good for both 3g and 4g.

Personally I have absolutely no problem with the speeds the network is way faster than when I had my iphosdfull on bars and when you decide to actually do some data pull you sit there with a thumb in your mouth for 5 minutes waiting for the home page.

Next is the camera on the evo let me just say I am a bit disappointed with that I am hoping HTC would decide that it is worth the fix and gets on it in the next update. Screen I actually like - compared to iphone probably huge difference but guess what Fruit products are no longer in season due to their overwhelming control from the tree called Steve Jobs.

I agree with this man. actually, if you look at the threads there is one dedicated to EVO photos and they are quite amazing. I was just at the Phoenix Auto Show and took several, I was quite impressed. Also, you cannot forget about the price factor. I have replaced my home cable modem with my EVO and Sprints HotSpot. I average 2.2 down according to Speakeasy.net/speedtest (most speed tests apps are inaccurate) on Sprints 3G. I have been more that satisfied with my internet speeds. If I were to take my business elsewhere, I would be paying over 50 bucks a month more in overages alone.
That being said, the EVO and any Android device is not for everyone... its so in depth that many cannot comprehend its ability and will fail. For me, I would never go back to anything else.. My experience with Sprint and the EVO has saved me a tremendous amount of money and gives me an amazing phone that has more options and power than anything on the market.

 

[Palmetto Fellow]

Cdma 3g speeds aren't as fast as 3g GSM speeds,

I think GSM 3G is UMTS which at it's core is W-CDMA...I find this quite ironic...

This is why you can talk on your phone and use 3G at the same time with AT&T...it's a different radio. CDMA2000 used by Sprint is different, and combines both voice and data...whcih is why you can only use one at a time.

If you are using WiFi or 4G, then you can talk and use data at the same time...the point is, you have to use a different radio to talk from the radio that you use for data.

 

[toomuchgame441]

In my home location I get pretty spontaneous speeds, I get anywhere from .20 down to .80 down, sometimes being lucky enough to pull a MB. At work though I'm usually getting 1.5 to 2.2 on 3G, in certain spots in my work building I can hit 4G, hitting 5 to 8 MBs down. But 4G is useless and loss down my Evo unfortunately, hopefully this is addressed in a future update. I'd love to constantly be on 4G at work though because I'm constantly next to a charger at my desk so battery drainage wouldnt be an issue. I wish it could penetrate through buildings better.

All in all the Evo is a great device, screen is gorgeous even tho not amoled. Device is plenty speedy and I do everything from browsing, to downloading music even to making beats. It does everything I need it to do and then some.

 

[jamesdean]

let me start by saying i am coming from an iPhone4,
in fact i'm still using it while i evaluate the Evo. i chose
not to port my numbers for a while.

1. lrg screen is nice but no where near as bright,
vivid, or clear as the iP4

2. 8MP camera pics are about the same as the 5MP
iP4 pics and the 720p Evo video is definitely not
as clear or fluid as the iP4 720p video.

3. very disappointed so far with the data speeds, i'm
getting no higher than 400kbps download.
i average 1-3Mbps on the iP4 in the same area.
sprint is looking into this with a trouble ticket.

i'm in a totally covered area (ft lauderdale) and
don't know it it's a phone issue or cell issue.

4. the Evo definitely has way more bells and whistles
than the iP4 and i do like the Froyo 2.2 OS
it's nice to have so much control over your phone.

5. Evo battery life is definitely no where near as good
as the iP4 but i keep them both plugged in most of
the time so it's not a big deal.


hopefully i can resolve the data issue as i would like
to keep the Evo !

I think you should just remain a fanboy and feel lucky you at least had the opportunity to experience a phone that is not dumbed down to the least common denominator.