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HTC Evo 4g

I need a new phone. Badly, mine is literally falling apart. I'm a Sprint customer so I have to stick with them. I've been looking at Evo 4g. But with any real purchase, I like to check in here first. :thumbup1: Any thoughts on this phone?

Thanks all!
 
Both my wife and I got a new phones this past weekend. I switched from a WebOS Palm Pre and am still getting used to Android. The EVO is a nice phone with a nice big screen (one of the reasons I wanted a new phone...my eyes not being what they were...). For my tastes it seemed a bit large but I'm certain I could get used to it. I also wanted a physical keyboard and went with the Epic 4G to get that and a big screen. In actuality, I think both of these are petty close height and width wise. The Evo is thinner though and the actual screen on the Epic is a bit smaller than the Evo.

If both if these is too large, I also look at the Shift 4G. Smaller and with a keyboard.

So far we both like the Epic. Signal strength seems to be OK in our area. My only complaint so far is that the Wifi performance in our house seems a bit weak.
 
I have the EVO and it's the best phone I've ever used. I have had probably 20 cellphones over the years, working for Sprint and for Best Buy, and the EVO is the best hands down. Battery life sucks, but I am able to be plugged in for most of the day. If I couldn't, I'd buy the extended battery and still love the phone.
 
Ok, so this is an interesting topic for me... my wife currently has an Evo 4G, and I had one. While I REALLY like the phone, and I quite enjoyed it, after having one for 9 months (I got it the day they came out), I can't recommend it.

Issues:
1.) Reliability. I had my phone replaced once, and my wife had hers replaced 2X due to hardware issues. Her current third phone now has an issue with the built in earpiece (speaker) rattling, so you can't discern what folks are saying when they call, unless you use a bluetooth, or put it in speakerphone mode. Totally unacceptable.
2.) You simply cannot drop the phone, even with a silicone case. Since it's all plastic, and has no re-enforced rigid frame, when you drop the phone, it flexes, causing the glass face to shatter. How do I know? I have a shattered Evo 4G sitting in my closet.
3.) The battery life is atrocious, even with wifi and 4G disabled. I am VERY technical, and have tried numerous ways of improving the battery life of my former Evo 4G and my wifes 4G, including app task killers, rooting the phone, installing hacked OS', etc. Turning 4G on results in 1/2 day battery life with reasonable use, and even at best, with 4G off (which you're still paying an extra $10 a month for) and wifi off, you can get at most one days light use out of it, and towards the end of the day (7pm) you'd better be in close proximity of a charger, or you're hosed, as once the low battery warning comes on, you've got about 30 minutes.
4.) There are a lot of annoying features. Chiefly, when your battery runs low, is the most shockingly stupid of responses, it turns on a flashing LED, continually beeps (killing the battery faster) and turns on the screen when it beeps to further alert you of impending phone death.
5.) Sprint sucks. No, not the service, I actually was quite pleased with Sprint coverage (and I travel extensively across the nation) but Sprint as a company sucks. I cannot tell you how much of a hassle it is dealing with them, and how unreasonable and challenging they make even the most menial events. For instance, every hardware issue my wife and I experienced caused multiple visits to fix (in one case 4) and they continually tried to charge us and/or make things difficult, not listen to our problems, and at absurdly - saying issues would just "go away in time." This isn't confined to a local sprint store either, i've experienced this at sprint locations in 4 states (when i've had issues) and their worst offenders are corporate, when you have account issues.

Ultimately, when my Evo 4G was dropped and shattered (my fault) this week, when I went into sprint I mentioned I was only 3 months from my upgrade eligibility, and that i'd happily pay the upgrade price for a new phone, as it was my fault I dropped it. They gave me two options, 1.) Buy a new phone at full retail ($670 with CA tax), or cancel my line ($200 cancellation fee) and buy a new phone as a new account ($360 with CA tax as I wasn't eligible for the mail in rebate since I already had done it).

I chose option #3 - I told them to pound sand, and that I was going across the street to Verizon, and would buy a phone through them, thus getting better coverage through Verizon, and being out the door $400 ($200 cancellation fee and $200 phone through Verizon) - not to mention my broken evo still probably being worth at least $100 on ebay, bringing the out of pocket to $300. They encouraged me to do so, so I did. Even when I called sprint to cancel and have my number ported over while at Verizon, the gentleman at corporate had no interest in trying to help me get a sprint phone at the upgrade rate - much to the horror and relief of the Verizon folks who were desperately trying to close me, and take business from Sprint.

In fact, the Verizon folks sold me an iPhone 4, as the 4G Andriod I wanted wasn't out yet, and will honor me purchasing the 4G Andriod at the new customer rate when it comes out, and with Verizon iPhone 4's without a contract going for $500+ on ebay, the net-net will likely be the Verizon 4G phone being free, and/or me making $100 after selling the broken Evo and iPhone. Most importantly though, the Verizon service is outstanding, and I have the utmost confidence in their service/support. In fact, based on the issue my wife is having with her Evo right now, I might just give her the iPhone when the Thunderbolt comes out, and dump Sprint entirely.

Long rant short - my advice? Pass on the Evo 4G, dump sprint and pick up the Thunderbolt 4G with Verizon when it comes out in a week or two - which from my research appears to be merely the Evo 4G built better, and with all the kinks worked out of it, on the Verizon network (which has MUCH faster 4G service, and way more coverage.)

With the court rulings on ETF's, they no longer really tie you down to a network/provider.
 
I have the Evo. It has high points and low points. Overall, I like it more than any other phone I have had and will likely keep it for the duration. I normally upgrade several times during the “normal” two-year period between subsidized upgrade periods. To determine if the Evo is the best option for you, first consider what you want to do with it. If you are only going to use it for making calls, sending text messages and email, and the occasional web browsing, there are better options. If you are going to use it for more than that, the Evo is a good choice.

First, the negative impressions:
  1. As noted, the battery life is absolutely horrible. With minimal usage, I get no more than 10-12 hours from a full charge with 4G and Wi-Fi disabled. (I leave the Bluetooth radio on because I will forget to enable it when I start the car, rendering the handsfree system useless.) The battery will die much more quickly if I use any application that requires processing power and screen time. I compensate for the poor battery life with a charger at home, in my car, and at the office. There is no other option if I want to ensure the phone will not die.
  2. As Joel noted, the plastic case is not as durable as it could be. I have not dropped mine from any substantial height, but I do see how one could break the screen easily.
  3. The sheer size of this phone makes carrying it a bit cumbersome. When in uniform I have a small pocket that seems to have been designed for this phone. When I’m not in uniform, the phone either resides in the breast pocket of my jacket or it goes in my back pants pocket. I always remove it before sitting if using the latter option. This eventually became habitual but was annoying at first. Other than a belt holster – something I avoid – there is no easy way to carry the device.

Now for the positive:
  1. The large screen is crystal-clear. Combined with the Snapdragon processor, this thing is capable of running any application available in the Android Market. Because of its size, watching videos and surfing the web is very friendly. The downside is that the large screen contributes to the poor battery performance, but I expected that going in.
  2. While the phone does not have a physical keyboard, the autocorrect feature built into the on-screen keyboard is one of the best I have seen. I transitioned from a phone with a physical keyboard and was a little skeptical, but with minimal use, I came to prefer the HTC virtual keyboard. The latest update includes the SWYPE keyboard. It takes a bit of getting used to; however, once you use it for a while it becomes very easy.
  3. Although not exclusive to the Evo, the Android operating system is very flexible and allows for extensive user customization. The Evo runs HTC Sense UI as an overlay to the core OS. Of all the manufacturer created overlays (MotoBlur, Sense, Samsung’s TouchWiz), Sense is the most friendly one I have used. If you are one who uses what the manufacturer loads and never plans to load a custom rom, Sense is a good choice.
  4. The GPS is very well integrated into the OS. It is sometimes easier to use than the navigation system in my Lexus. Sprint’s service includes Sprint Navigation, powered by TeleNav. I alternate between that and using the turn-by-turn navigation native to the Google Maps application. Both are very good and can replace a portable GPS unit, provided that there is a charger in the car.
  5. The speaker issue Joel had was very problematic in the first batch of phones shipped at launch time. I had the same issue with my first Evo. Later builds seem to have corrected that problem. Several coworkers also have Evos; none has the rattling problem that the early releases did. I have experienced no reliability issues with my phone. It makes calls just like I expect it to.

Overall, I recommend the Evo to anyone who wants a smartphone that does more than just make calls and send texts. The key to the Evo for me is the customization options. I rooted the phone as soon as the option became available for the 2.2 OS. I run a custom rom based on the factory build that includes the Sense UI. Even before rooting, I was satisfied with the Evo once I installed a couple of applications that make the phone do things that I think it should have done out of the box. Is it the best option for you? That is not a question I can answer; only you can make that decision. I am happy with Sprint coverage, even with the limited 4G in Denver. I live on the fringe of the 4G coverage, so I rarely enable the antenna. When I am in an area with full 4G, the speeds are outstanding. I consistently clock download speeds of over 9mbps.
 
Mine had an ear speaker issue which Sprint fixed in under an hour for free. I've dropped mine several times in its Case Mate 'Barely There' case with zero functional issues. 4G does drain the battery rather quickly, but it will do so on any phone currently; I used the Evo's 3G to tether my laptop for about a month during a move with no complaints regarding speed or latency. The $10 charge is for unlimited data usage, not for 4G. I haven't had any problems with Sprint service, but maybe I'm just lucky.

Concerning the battery, I'm can manage ~36 hours to a full charge if needed, though I usually just plug in the charger before bed each night. Daily, I send ~50 text messages, make ~10 sub-5 minute phone calls, schedule all my tasks & meetings for school and work (full-time on both), track packages, send the occasional instant message via a GTalk front-end, keep tabs on my finances via bank apps, check news via google reader, as well as perform random google searches (quick questions I might have, addresses/directions, restaurant reviews, etc) and other various functions.

Admittedly, I'm a bit of an Evo geek and have invested an inordinate amount of research and tweaking time to squeeze out this level of performance, though everything I learned and applied can be found in the stickies and search boxes at evo4gforum.net, androidforums.com, and xda-developers.com. At the time of this post, my Evo has been unplugged for 10 hours 4 minutes and is sitting at ~70% battery life. However, I should add that I don't often use the phone to listen to music, watch videos, web-browse (excluding quick searches), or play games with the exception of the (very light) chess.com app; regular use of those applications will consume a charge much, much faster.

Specific individual experiences can vary, but I'll say that it's the best smartphone ever made and currently available. The Evo won't likely be at the top for much longer, however, recent price drops ($200 after rebate versus $100 flat cost, and $100 versus $35 replacement fee with insurance) still make it highly attractive in my opinion. Battery life and 4G performance (both speeds and power consumption) aren't what I would consider excellent, but until rechargeable battery and mobile network technologies mature, I doubt any single device can be blamed. Good luck with your decision!
 
I have the EVO and it's the best phone I've ever used. I have had probably 20 cellphones over the years, working for Sprint and for Best Buy, and the EVO is the best hands down. Battery life sucks, but I am able to be plugged in for most of the day. If I couldn't, I'd buy the extended battery and still love the phone.

I bought an extended battery from amazon(seidoo) and couldn't be happier. I have dropped my phone numerous times(indoors and out while walking the dog) and have had no issues-invisible shield on the glass. even with the extended battery, size is perfect. if you like larger brushes, you will like this phone and its form factor.

I have not experienced any of the issues Joel or others have and absolutely love this phone. I could happily live with this phone as after apping up, it does everything i want a phone to do. BTW, I left AT&T to move to Sprint.

Granted, I have only owned the phone since July 2010, but definitely nothing to complain over besides the original battery.

marty
 
I've had the Evo 4g since September and love it. I had a Palm Pre which had hi hopes, but they didn't get behind it enough. I too had a speaker problem and it was fixed in 30 minutes for free. I don't know why one of the posters lives with a bad speaker. It's an easy fix. I don't know if the same poster has never had a smart phone before, but they are all fragile and can break by dropping them. What would happen if you dropped your laptop? Put a case on it and for the most part you will be fine.

I don't have the battery problem everyone else has, but I don't have everything (GPS, Bluetooth, 4g) on unless I'm using it. Plus if you have Twitter, Facebook, stocks, news, email, weather, etc always syncing it will drain your battery faster. I just let my email and weather auto-sync all day. Everything else syncs when I go to that app. I charge it before I go to bed ( I was told it will wear out your battery down by leaving your charger plugged in after it is fully charged) and I get 24 hours out of it with the battery it came with.

Once you go to the bigger screen you will never go back. It reminds me of when I bought a wide screen monitor for my computer. I don't know how I got by on the older smaller screen. My friend has the iPhone 4 and I would never go that small of a screen after this. Plus the problems with the iPhone antenna problem has been magnified on the Verizon network. The phone is not to big to put in my jeans front pocket comfortably. It's actually thinner than my Pre.

I love the phone and Droid system.
 
( I was told it will wear out your battery down by leaving your charger plugged in after it is fully charged)

Modern lithium-ion battery chargers cut the charge current once maximum capacity is achieved. There is no danger except in the case of prolonged exposure to higher voltages at high temperatures, which won't occur with the Evo's supplied charger.
 
Anything Android, FTW. I just got an HTC G2 and :001_wub: it.
I think the EVO is a great phone and you can't go wrong with it.

Sadly, the Samsung Captivate I had turned out to be a be a big steaming pile, so I'd probably avoid some android phones. Like the Samsung Captivate, for starters.

However, switching to an iPhone solved all my problems. (ducks for cover) :lol:
 
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