First Thoughts
This phone kind of snuck up on me, wasn’t sure it was even coming til I saw a press release on it, that is pretty behind for me, I usually know months in advance, or at least hear tons of info. This was a different story, but let’s say I am glad I have seen it, it is a great device and it helped me make a decision for phone carriers recently.
The Looks
There is a lot to look at here, this phone has a semi grippy rubber feel on top of the plastic back, the front is clean and it bares similar buttons to the Evo 4G which is a nice touch. The cameras are surely the point of focus on the device and what I get many comments about. There aren’t one or two, but three camera, two on the back and one on the front.
The Hardware/Screen
This is another dual core phone, I have had many lately. It carries a 1.2 ghz snapdragon and that makes it fast, quite a bit faster considering its dual core. You notice little things here and there. There is also 1024 MB of RAM, which means 1ghz of ram, that increases the speed as well and makes HTC sense a little less sluggish at times. On top of all that there is also a graphics processor to handle the gaming, and oh there is gaming. There is an SD card in the device which can be upgraded to 32 gigs, you just don’t run out of space here.
The screen is an S-LCD screen which is the equivalent of QHD as it contains 540 x 960 pixels. All of this is within a 4.3 inch screen, the colors are bright and clear, words are crisp, the pictures look good, even in 3D.
The Battery
The batter is pretty nice, it is amped up to 1730 mAh and it is needed, it seems that with all the power in this one that it drains a bit faster. A big bright screen, dual cores that run really well and all the graphics etc needed for gaming and 3D picture-taking really take a lot out of this one, I still got the usual 6 – 8 hours of really tough usage. Again, disclaimer time, I am a huge power user, most people do not do what I do in a day. I have so many updates in a day from all services.
The Operating System/Software
2.3 is loaded on this device which is Gingerbread, it also has sense built around the gingerbread and it is one of the best iterations of sense. This one is fully animated and adds nice touches. It is the same as the Sense of the Sensation. Things like the weather live wallpaper that our editor adores and the lock screen weather or social features are great. They really add a good touch to a phone. Another feature they added was the ability to unlock one of four apps from the lock screen, that means instant camera, when you need it.
The Browsing, Camera and Video
Browsing is nice, the HTC “Internet” as the app calls it, is quite nice, the speeds are good of course and it does all you need it to.
The rears cameras are 5mp, that does not equate to a 10 mp camera, that means one image takes 5, the other takes 5 and the pictures merge to make a 3D image. Pictures can be taken in 2D if you want to, I preferred it for most images. Also, a note, when taking in 3D, the quality does go down to 2mp. Beware
Video is nice on this one as well, It is 720 while in 2D, also 720 in 3D, so that is great either way. The front camera is also nicer which seems to be a theme of this device, it comes in at 1.3 for even more clear photos and most for video. Google Talk it up!
The Call/Data Quality
Calls were nice on Sprint’s network, they really have stepped their game up on all fields, this is one. Calls are great, I left Sprint years ago because of call quality and now I am pleased to say I am liking it a lot. Data is nice too, I get both 3G and 4G in my area and both are fast.
Summary
Pros:
- The screen is QHD (S-LCD)
- Both Rear cameras are 5mp
- HD Video is nice
- Dual core 1.2ghz processor
Cons:
- Dedicated camera button is gone
- The camera drops in resolution in 3D mode
- HTC sense is better, but it’s still there
Conclusions & Final Thoughts
Final thoughts, this is a BUY! I made the decision to switch to Sprint because of this phone, without it I would still be on Verizon with tiered data. I didn’t get an Evo 3D but I did get an Evo 4G. The combo of the great network and how they are treating customers did it for me in my area. Really it was the phones over all. Sprint has some great devices out and coming out, this is only the beginning. 3G is nice and the 4G is expanding, it may not be expanding like Verizon, but it is unlimited.
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