Screen resolution was incredible (no pun intended), but the phone would get really washed out fast if viewed at an angle. My Hero's display is sharp at any angle, the Evo's screen must not have an IPS display, straight on is the only way to see well. I did the multitouch test on the screen (the one that the Nexus One and other HTC devices didn't do so well on). It worked very well and didn't lose track of my fingers like the N1/Hero would. 4G in the city I'm in, except, driving around, it was almost not worth it. It's hilly and the signal would go in and out like mad, eating up battery and making applications stop while the phone figured itself out. At a stand-still the phone did fine, driving around, leave it on 3G, I would say. I literally felt like I had an original iPhone 3G on AT&T all of the sudden. I was just staring at the bars waiting for the signal to drop and my phone sit there like I had no signal. And btw, Clear's site shows my house to have FULL 4G, and I do not have a usable signal in my house and barely outside... Not enough of a gain in bandwidth to warrant even trying 4G at home. I'll just stick to 3G. They've REALLY got to work on that network. 6mbps? I am one of the only Evo's out there and I only got around 2.5mbps with a full 4G signal (yes, I know, Clear is used for other things than phones). That's 3G speed, not 4G. Can't wait to see how much switching between 3G and 4G eats up battery life... Speedtest.net gave up to 2.5mbps download, and around 1mbps upload (capped). This is so-so fast, not really what I would call "4G" as my friend's Verizon Droid consistently gets 2mbps download, and he has a signal everywhere, unlike 2500mhz Sprint/Clear 4G. Also, 4G seemed to just turn off every now and then. I'd have to hit the 4G Widget off/on to get it to reconnect. Didn't happen but once, but still... The User Interface is very nice, and that large screen makes browsing easy. The keyboard is FABULOUS. Used stock and Smart Keyboard Pro and I could type like the freaking wind. Love it. The phone doesn't feel slim like the N1 or Incredible. It's a big manly phone. I wouldn't say the proportions are bad. It's all black and thinner than my Hero (pictures to come), but I certainly don't think 'oh my god how thin' when I look at it, like I do with the N1 or Incredible. It is very handsome. All black, very nice front area and very simple, nice back. Innards are red as all get out, of course. 2.1 Update 1 is running on the phone. No 2.2 here. The camera seems really decent, from my minor use. Flash is BRIGHT for LED, and the sensitivity is impressive with low-light video. Reception (3G) seems stellar. You won't have any issues here compared to other phones. It has great 3G reception. As for 4G, as mentioned above, we'll see....
Someone else on the Android Central forum said that the 3G reception bested the performance he had in comparison to his Pre on Wi-fi. I thought for the most part, most 3G antenna technology/efficiency was largely the same. Is it possible the EVO either has a superior 3G antenna, or Sprint is somehow giving EVO's priority with 3G usage over the network? Sorry, I'm not very technical when it comes to this, but from what I read, it seems like the 3G on the phone performs differently from most other phones out right now. River, or Eieio, if you read this, care to share any insights?
this is because the screen (multitouch tracking) were upgraded on both the Incredible and Evo. in new multitouch tests, they will perform the same. these two devices also have the same camera and 1Ghz processor, which are other upgrades over the N1
Reception is very much based on the quality of the hardware in a phone. Some phones, like the Moto RAZR, have legendary reception quality. Others, like Samsung phones in general, do not. The Evo, from what I saw, had EXCELLENT reception. It doesn't hurt that the phone is so damn big. All that space, you can probably put a good antenna in it. Now, as for 4G reception... Clear really needs to up their game. 2500mhz spectrum is pretty much line-of-sight. You really have to cover areas good to get it usable. I really will not be leaving 4G on on my phone when I get it, because it would trip up while going in and out of 4G coverage, causing my phone to have no data whatsoever. And this was going 30mph, btw.
It says: 375mb of available internal space. That's way better than the 35mb I have available on my Hero.
so I know you say the phone doesn't feel as slim as the nexus one and increadible but doesn't still feel like a slim phone or just like a regular big phone
Well, Smart Keyboard Pro did when I downloaded it (which is the best keyboard ever). The stock one, I didn't spend enough time with it to know... I will say this, I was typing as fast as I've ever typed before on a phone and it never missed a beat.
Obviously not all of that is available to the end user. Gotta put the operating system files somewhere.
I guess Total. Minus the OS and apps, I guess that's what is left? I had to ask my special friend to give me that # as I didn't check last night. Maybe he looked at the wrong thing?
It's a hefty, I want to say manly, phone. I won't lie. But the proportions for it are great, really. It's not small, and the screen size makes it quite wide. It fits in the pocket large, but not thick, if that makes sense. It's great proportions, could be slimmer, but hey... it's barely thicker than the Nexus. It's just so tall and wide for that screen it feels really big.
google for comparison between nexus one's camera vs incredible's and nexus one's was reviewed as being noticably better. that kinda sucks to hear about the 4g. hopefully sprint works it out.
Have you ever held a HD2, if yes does it feel any biger then the HD2 casue I know its sligtly thicker and I have held the HD2.
I think once sprint gets the first 4G build out done they will go back and build more towers around the cities that currently have 4G to make the signal better then 3G. I think its more of a matter of time thing now.
Yeah, I'm in Dallas and I'm expecting the 4g service to be spotty until towards the end of this year.
Thank you very much for all the useful info! BTW, how does the actual build quality(materials that compose the phone) feel? Several reviewers of the incredible, which is somewhat similar, mentioned that the phone itself felt kinda plasticy and not really indicative of a high end phone. Some complaints were the flimsy back cover when taken off, and the front portion of the device was surrounded by a glossy cheap feeling plastic.
For what it's worth, I have Clear 4G here and my laptop has a built-in Wimax radio. I've used it while riding around on the bus and with the exception of a few flaky blocks, coverage has been pretty darn good. I think it will all depend on your city and how well it is built out, what kind of buildings and other obstructions there are, etc. Essentially your mileage may vary. Thankfully, 3G has been serving me well for a while so I don't mind if I have to bump down to that. My only annoyance is that we are getting charged extra despite hit or miss coverage like this. Not gonna start another thread or rant about that as I'm resigned to the fact. Just seems like it would have been better to leave prices the same while things are in development, if only so people won't complain when it doesn't work sometimes. Who can argue with sometimes getting more for the same price versus paying for an unreliable service?
at least they did something right in baltimore for a change(cell phone wise). i can't wait to see how the EVO does here in charm city lol. ive been looking around to see if any store have any demos, but i havent found any yet. neodorian, lmk if you find any store that have one.. i will jet over there quick
I am also curious about what city this was tested in. Im near Philly...which in some cases would have the same layout as Baltimore. Considering where I live is at a lower height than where Philly is, I would expect the 4G reception to be decent. As far as 3G goes, I normally have 4 bars minimum on my PRE, which has been known to not have the best reception at times compared to other phones.
That's so disappointing to hear. I was hoping that it would at least have the same amount of internal storage as the Incredible. This really does put me on the fence.
I have always had Sprint here so I can't vouch for any other carriers but I have always had excellent Sprint service in B-more. No demos that I know of but honestly I never go into electronics retail stores except for things like this pre-order. All they had at the Inner Harbor Best Buy and the Boston Street Radio Shack were HD2 dummies that I picked up for a size comparison. Haven't checked the Sprint store yet.
