EVO 4G LTE and S3 (Sell me on the EVO 4G)

[dishe]

I'm looking for something on ebay to replace a dying older model LG Gingerbread phone. I've been eyeing the Galaxy S3 because it seems to be the gold standard in used phones at the moment, but the EVO LTE caught my attention as well.

The EVO goes for nearly half what the S3 does, likely because the S3 is still popular enough to garner attention in the used market. But with everyone and their grandma sporting an S3 and only saying glowing things about it, I'm ultimately afraid of buyer's remorse. Since I'm buying this outright and not going through a store, I can't return it and try another one if I change my mind!

So, help me- what are the pros and cons of this device?

The things I'm concerned about off the top of my head:
1)No user replaceable battery- since I'm buying a used device, who knows what kind of shape that battery is in! I usually buy a fresh one when buying a used phone, and keep a spare on tap. Is the battery life that good that no one minds?
2)Button layout- why no menu button? How are you supposed to access the menu in applications that need it? Coming from Gingerbread, perhaps I'm missing some of the UI functionality of ICS+, but I'm used to having (and needing) 4 buttons to get around the UI.
3)Dev community- The S3 clearly has a larger user base, but the EVO line is no slouch last time I checked. But is it my imagination, or is this device less popular than previous HTC phones? Is there a healthy community around this device supporting it?

Please chime in with anything you think I should know before making this decision- no one better to ask than the people who have it! I know its hard when you own and use the device, but hoping people can give me objective and unbiased answers. Since this *IS* the EVO LTE section, I'm expecting at least SOME fanboyism.

 

[Rukbat]

1)No user replaceable battery- since I'm buying a used device, who knows what kind of shape that battery is in! I usually buy a fresh one when buying a used phone, and keep a spare on tap. Is the battery life that good that no one minds?

So assuming that the user conditioned the battery properly, never let it die, charged it at about the 50% point almost all the time - when the phone is about 2 years old, instead of a $15 or $20 battery and 30 seconds of work, it's off to the shop for a week and $100.

If the battery shorts, with an S3 you rip off the cover and toss the battery out. And you're out $15. (Ask Sony about how hot the fire is when a Lithium battery burns.) With the HTC you toss the phone somewhere far from you and go out and buy another phone.

2)Button layout- why no menu button? How are you supposed to access the menu in applications that need it? Coming from Gingerbread, perhaps I'm missing some of the UI functionality of ICS+, but I'm used to having (and needing) 4 buttons to get around the UI.

You'll get used to 3 buttons. The missing one is the one on the right - Search. And a lot of apps now have the menu as part of the app - 3 horizontal lines is "menu".

Please chime in with anything you think I should know before making this decision

I've been in the business since "cllphone" meant "Motorola Brick", and most people didn't have pockets large enough to carry one in. (I still have a couple of the "smaller" ones, if a museum is interested in a display showing how our ancestores, back when we lived in caves, communicated. And there's still one thing that removes a phone from my consideration - that the battery isn't consumer-replaceable. Sure I don't mind charging someone $75 for 2 minutes of work - but not when I'm ripping him off because the manufacturer made a bad decision.

As the lion in the food commercial (local supermarket chain) says, "that's just my 2 cents worth".

 

[dishe]

Thanks for the response Rukbat- do you actually have first hand experience with the device? I'm not clear from your responses if you are responding based on specs alone.

So assuming that the user conditioned the battery properly, never let it die, charged it at about the 50% point almost all the time - when the phone is about 2 years old, instead of a $15 or $20 battery and 30 seconds of work, it's off to the shop for a week and $100.

I'm not opposed to replacing the battery myself. If I can swap a macbook air's motherboard, I'm sure this is possible with a few tiny screws. I don't like that it isn't easy to do, but I wouldn't send it in for service if it doesn't hold a charge. I want to hear if this has ever been an issue for those that own it?

You'll get used to 3 buttons. The missing one is the one on the right - Search. And a lot of apps now have the menu as part of the app - 3 horizontal lines is "menu".

Yes, I know what the menu button looks like. The EVO LTE doesn't have it. It has a task switching button instead (again, why I'm asking if you have first hand experience or speculating), which is odd. The S3 also has only 3 buttons, but its missing the magnifying glass and still has the menu. This has neither menu nor search.

I've been in the business since "cllphone" meant "Motorola Brick", and most people didn't have pockets large enough to carry one in. (I still have a couple of the "smaller" ones, if a museum is interested in a display showing how our ancestores, back when we lived in caves, communicated. And there's still one thing that removes a phone from my consideration - that the battery isn't consumer-replaceable. Sure I don't mind charging someone $75 for 2 minutes of work - but not when I'm ripping him off because the manufacturer made a bad decision.

Agreed that it is a stupid limitation. But not necessarily a deal breaker- plenty of Apple users who don't seem to mind, and you *can* fix it yourself, if properly motivated.

..and for the record, if we are trading back stories, I had an honest-to-goodness bag phone. And for a while I picked up a recycled 90's era Zac-Morris-style Motorola phone as a desk ornament. Not at all relevant, but a fun anecdote and I appreciate you chiming in. Any EVO users want to share their opinion though?