HTC Evo 4g February 14, 2013

Reviewer:  Ice Nine  (Greensboro, North Carolina United States) -

Purchased this phone and had to get it repaired multiple times. The Sprint techs couldn't fix whatever was wrong with the phone so I got a replacement phone- 3 times. Not only that but they refused to work on it anymore and suggested I buy a new phone. I will never buy an HTC or Sprint product again.

Worst Htc phone I have owned January 10, 2013

Reviewer:  Tomas Nevarez 

I bought this phone to replace my HTC EVO 4g and it was the biggest mistake ever. I never had a complaint with my previous phone and figured this newer one should be even better. I've had it for over 6 months and hate it every day. In short....why the network is unbearably aweful. 3g sucks on this phone and 4glte is non existant. It has many glitches when trying to send out a text or even place a call through your contacts.

Not happy at all December 12, 2012

Reviewer:  Mike 

I have had this device for several months now and have had nothing but problems with the device and with sprint's customer service. Sprint technical support has been no use, and I am basically left with a phone without data service in most areas. I honestly believe its part the phone's fault and part that sprint's network is so bad. But I live in CHICAGO, and there is no acceptable reason for having a network this bad in such a populated area.

I allowed my phone's battery to die completely once and it never recovered...I had to do a hard reset and I lost everything. It is working now, but still full of reception issues.

I don't see the point in having 4G and paying $10/a month more for the "premium data device" if the device can't even stay linked to the 4g network for more than a few seconds before losing the connection somehow.

I have spent lots of time on the phone with sprint and they refuse to just allow me out of my contract without paying the early termination fee, which is several hundred dollars. They insist upon further wasting my time and retaining a VERY unhappy customer.

THIS PHONE BRICKS EASY December 7, 2012

Reviewer:  French Bulldog Lover  (Long Beach, CA) -

So the new EVO has this fancy high power long lasting internal battery. It is also tempermental e.g. if you use any other charger than the specific HTC one for this model the incompatible charger error message will flash and your phone will start cycling on and off by itself. Then,it will not come back on. Solid Brick, does not recognize USB cable, will not turn on, does not recognize correct charger. Be very very careful. Google "HTC EVO 4G LTE brick" and look at all the issues. Horrible only had the phone 6 weeks.

Excellent Phone June 17, 2012

Reviewer:  gdc5414@hotmail.com  (Swanton, Vermont) -

This phone feels great in the hand, is super fast and does everything I need it too....and more. The Camera is excellent and takes great video as well. I have been using it non-stop.

The BEST feature is the battery life. I use my phone ALOT at work. I was using an HTC EVO Shift. And basically it would be dead (like shut off dead) within 3-4 hours of use. This EVO LTE 4G, under the same use, will get me through my entire work shift and all day. The other day I used it from 8am-10pm and still had 70% battery left.

I love this phone and this it is the best thing HTC has produced.

Great phone June 9, 2012

Reviewer:  T. Clark 

Pro: I agree with all the positive from the reviews above; screen, battery life. I did have the 4G EVO. Like the folder feature better then 4G.
Con: Volume control is very sensitive to touch. When I pick up the phone I end up adjusting the volume completely up or down. I, also, miss the search button. Interface with transferring old files is aweful, either dupes (because of multiple email accounts) or doesn't work at all. Speaker phone volume, not loud enough. Phone does run very hot when down loading from internet. Very slow 3G, hope 4G happens faster than next year. I don't have access to WIFI always. Auto correct feature messy. Inserts double words or cuts and paste when I'm trying to correct or insert characters. Still small compared to the great features that the phone has.

Good phone April 27, 2013

Reviewer:  MrBiggz 

I can't 100% give a review on this phone as I bought it for my step-daughter and she's in FL. Although she's really happy with it. I did play with the phone a bit before I sent it to her, putting apps on it and such. This was the first HTC phone I've ever interacted with and I was impressed. The phone was really responsive and the display very clear. The camera took descent photos as well. It was very comparable to my Galaxy S2.

Buying an HTC is like THROWING AWAY YOUR MONEY -- warranty is utterly useless April 21, 2013

Reviewer:  S. E. Hebert "social scientist, social worker, scorpio" 

Needing warranty service and "repaired" after only 2 months of use, this $300 phone is unusable on my cell phone provider's network!

I bought my first HTC phone in August and by the end of September, it was frozen on the home screen and would not turn off. Calling for support, I was told to remove the battery and that it would need repair. When I received the phone back in the mail, there were no details about the repair and no instructions. Now, the phone had to be reactivated, but that process failed even though I tried numerous times. Unbeknownst to me, the motherboard was replaced in the phone and the device now had a new MEID/serial number, which was not in the . Six months later, the company still has not gotten around to putting that new number in their network database so that I can activate it.

I wasted $300 on HTC for a phone that has no possibility of ever working again because of a technicality in their limited warranty repair service. HTC handed off this disaster to me with the claim that they took care of their responsibility to the buyer under warranty -- though, obviously their policy of repair with new MEID is responsible.

This is not a one-time thing or a rant from me, one unsatisfied customer. Numerous of their CSRs have told me this is a very common problem they get phone calls about every day. They refuse to send me a phone which can be activated right away.

Thus, I will never, ever buy another HTC phone (for instance, I had to buy yet another phone to be able to have service again and though an HTC phone was at a lower sales price, I chose to get a Samsung instead of throwing my money away with HTC). I would never and will never recommend an HTC phone simply based on my experience with their customer service, which was of no service whatsoever.

Sleek and Intuitive April 17, 2013

Reviewer:  Amber Strickler "earthtemple"  (Portland, OR) -

I finally upgraded yesterday from a first generation EVO to the EVO LTE. I absolutely love the ease and streamlined feel of the operating system and the phone itself. I'm giving the phone 5 stars because it is great, however Sprint got a little ahead of themselves with this phone, as the LTE netwpork isn't even up and running yet in most areas, including mine...so my phone can't connect or it gets cut off from internet connection often because it doesn't run on the sweet 4G network, like the old EVO. As long as I am connected to my home wi-fi or at a cafe or establishment with wi-fi, I don't have to worry about it but it is an annoyance. Sprint expects to have their LTE network up in my area (Portland, OR) by the end of the year. When it is up, the LTE network is supposed to be a hunderd times faster than 4G and super reliable. In the meantime, calls and texts work perfectly so this issue won't bother me much except maybe when I'm using GPS and get cut off. I've yet to experience that but I anticipate that being really frustrating so I'm going to plan ahead and map my route while I have wi-fi as much as possible so I don't get stuck in a pickle.

I'm really glad I got this phone and much like my last EVO, I expect to have it for several years. Once the LTE network is up and running, this will be my dream phone!

Excellent Device! April 2, 2013

Reviewer:  Dewed  (Ohio) -

I love mine! But I'm not using it as a phone. So, I can't vouch for that part. I'm on it all day long, using wifi. The battery lasts all day. It takes great pictures. That was one of the reasons I got it. I checked around and found some photo samples first. Some phones, regardless of how many megapixels it has, still take bad pictures. Screen size is perfect. Fits in a pocket, and is lightweight.

Great phone terrible service provider March 25, 2013

Reviewer:  baptiste89 

The HTC Evo LTE is an absolutely incredible phone that you will never be able to fully take advantage of. I have now owned the phone for a few days short of one year. Not once has LTE lit up on my phone and I live in Seattle. So feel free to get locked in with Sprint for the cheaper price but just know you will only enjoy the slowest 3G network on one of the industries best phones. Many similar phones from HTC on different networks. I recommend you check those out before making this mistake of a purchase.

Good smart phone choice...better if you can find the deep discounts! March 10, 2013

Reviewer:  35-year Technology Consumer "8-tracks to 802.11"  (Mid Atlantic, USA) -

Before addressing the hardware and functionality of this phone, some reminders about the major factors that will contribute to your smart phone user experience:
(1) the hardware...the phone itself
(2) operating system software
(3) installed applications
(4) the network (overall, and where you happen to be using the phone at a particular time)
(5) the service provider.

Serial dependencies come from these factors, as many phones are tied to specific operating systems or service providers.Just remember that even if you make a great phone choice, deficiencies in the other areas can still diminish your overall user experience.

Make your move to your next (or first) smart phone only after researching these choices. Which provider? Which mobile operating system? Who offers the best service, or the best combination of value and service? The rest of this review assumes you've already figured out why a phone with the Android operating system might be a better choice for you than an iPhone, a Blackberry or a Windows-based smart phone solution.

Every provider --including Sprint-- has a variety of pricing options. If you're a Sprint customer with two years on your current hardware and are ready to re-up: many phones are available at a deep discount (and Amazon's pricing for this model was better than Sprints by about ninety nine dollars...so comparison shop).

The HTC EVO LTE 4G phone is thinner and lighter (a full ounce lighter) than its EVO 4G predecessor. The user interface has changed slightly: three soft keys now populate the bottom of the display (down from four on the earlier model). The current Android "Ice Cream Sandwich" interface has slightly changed the method for placing/removing apps from the scrolling home pages. If you are new to smart phones, you'll have one learning curve, but even if you're upgrading from an earlier model/operating system version, you can still expect to learn some new phone-human interface tricks. Otherwise, most of the interface features will be familiar.

This phone accommodates a microSD storage device (up to 32GB capacity). The install slot for this us under the top rear cover, which --unlike the EVO 4G-- does not have an obvious "pry point" for removing the cover. Work around the USB/charging port with a thin, flat tool and the cover will snap right off. The separate HDMI port present on the EVO 4G has left the 4G LTE, leaving this phone with just two ports: the USB/charging port (on the side) and a standard aux output. In addition to an on/off button (top), volume controls (right side), there is now a physical camera button on the lower right side of the phone.

Video capture is in the .mp4 format, and was crisp and clear even in dim lighting. The 4G LTE has two cameras: one full 1080p HD, the other a front facing 1.3 MP camera. Still images..which can be captured even as the HD is recording are also crisp and clear.

In addition to the OS interface changes, the "kickstand" for this 'Droid has been repositioned more towards the center of the phone's back.

Finally, even though Sprint has an activation web site for phones you purchase outside of a Sprint store, you will have to call a toll free number to complete activation if you have more than one phone on a shared data plan. While the call center's hours are long, they are NOT 24/7, so re-think activating the new phone as a project for a sleepless night:-)

Probably best path available for a rootable LTE Sprint handset March 4, 2013

Reviewer:  Ron Baakkonen  (Chicago, IL USA) -

I recently upgraded my aging EVO 4G to LTE now that i) I became upgrade eligible and ii) Sprint tells me that my Chicago neighboorhood and commute path are covered by LTE. So far I've been impressed. I was mostly satisfied with my 4G with a couple of exceptions. The 4G coverage provided by Sprint's WIMAX network was abysmal and the battery life was even worse. I needed to keep my phone plugged in all the time - and trying to tether my iPad to it quickly drained any charge in minutes.

Both of these shortcomings appear to be better in the new LTE. I immediately got onto the 4G LTE network when walking around - although it still downgrades to 3G inside buildings. When LTE is on, which it is for my commuter train ride, it is absolutely blazing. However, the biggest difference is the battery. The phone is easily lasting all day, even with occasional tethering duty. Unfortunately I don't like the lack of a removeable battery, however, I'll live with it given how much more battery life I'm getting.

I'm also excited about the unlocked bootloader available from HTCDev. For instance, it's crucial that I can deploy Titanium Backup on my device, hence the need for root (and an unlocked bootloader). I understand that the LG Optimus G is supposedly a better phone. However, lack of an explicit unlock path from LG definitely convinced me to go with the HTC. FWIW - the folks in the Sprint store were extremely cool when I mention my plans to unlock. Kudos to Sprint for getting it - some folks just want to control their own device.

Other noticeable improvements over the EVO 4G include:
* The camera - much better picture quality and deployment time (used to wait up to 10 seconds to take a picture, now it is nearly instantaneous)
* The screen - gorgeous screen quality, although the EVO 4G wasn't bad.
* The CPU - everything feels much snappier, especially bringing up apps and general browsing.
* Weight - the phone is much lighter although the screen is slightly bigger (maybe even too big, many screen operations now require two hands to complete).

All things being equal, I'd rather have a Nokia 920. Unfortunately I'm locked into a Sprint family plan and until Sprint decides to carry a quality Windows 8 device I'm stuck. For now, I'm generally pleased with this snappy little guy - great phone for what it does.

Love This Phone, Best Phone I've Had Yet!!! February 4, 2013

Reviewer:  Nonprophet  (Portland, Oregon) -

First off, I think Sprint pretty much sucks--so this review is mostly for those people who are thinking about buying the HTC Evo 4G LTE and flashing it to another carrier.....

I've had 8 smartphones in the past 6 years: 2 Blackberrys, Samsung Prevail, ZTE Warp, LG Marquee, Samsung Galaxy S2 & S3, and now the HTC Evo 4G LTE.

Hands down, the HTC is the best of them all! Here's why:

Pros

1.Build quality. This phone feels like it's built like a tank with lots of aluminum/metal and very little plastic. Think iPhone build quality but with a larger screen and a thinner body.

2. Amazing screen! While the screens on the Samsung Galaxies are nice, they seem too saturated to me, whereas the LTE is bright, crisp, clean, and natural-looking.

3. HTC Sense is better than Samsung's OS. There's just so many things that HTC sense just seems to do intuitively that I really like. While with many of my other smartphones I found myself always in search of after-market launchers, keyboards, etc, the stock HTC Sense just works without fooling with it.

4. Excellent battery life! Let's face it, the newer smartphones are so capable that we're doing more and more stuff with them. But, the tradeoff is never wandering too far from an outlet lest we run out of juice and need to recharge. I've only had my LTE for 5 days now, but taking it off the charger at 7 am I still have at least 25-35% battery left by the end of the day and that's without using any battery-saving apps like Juice Defender, etc. My typical day consists of some phone calls, some texting, some navigation, some games, and some downloading/streaming, and so far I've been VERY impressed with the battery life. In terms of battery usage, it blows the Samsung Galaxy S2 and S3 out of the water.

5. Call quality is excellent. Whether using the phone up to my ear or as a speakerphone, the call quality is really, really good! I like that this phone has an extra mic up by the earpiece that is used to listen to background noise and make automatic adjustments to the volume based on the level of background noise.

6. Fast! The dual-core processor in this phone rocks! I'm all stock (not rooted) so even with the standard settings the speed of this phone is impressive.

Cons

1. Difficult to remove/replace the battery. In order to cram a 2000MH battery into the LTE's slim and sleek frame, HTC says they had to make the battery "non-user replaceable" like the iPhones are. Of course they can be replaced relatively easily (just look on Youtube for how-to's) but still, all things being equal I would rather have a phone that you could pop the battery in and out of easily. Not a deal-breaker at all for me--this phone is just too awesome to let something minor like that really bother me.

2. Sprint. IMHO, Sprint sucks. Boost is better, but they're using the same towers and here in the PNW they just don't have good coverage, especially in the rural areas. Verizon or Page Plus are the way to go with their prepaid plans....

At this point, I am loving this phone and I'd HIGHLY recommend it others. I will promise to come back in a few weeks and update this review accordingly.

One out of three is not good enough. January 8, 2013

Reviewer:  Dennis Eggers 

First. I purchased three phones two months ago. I really like the Android operating system. And this phone uses the features well. Especially since HTC offered an upgrade to Jelly Bean. But there are problems. Two of the phones have already failed. After two months. The first had a bad battery. Since this phone does not have a replaceable battery, the phone had to be replaced. This was after one month. Now after two months, the GPS chip has failed on another phone.

Sprint's answer is to offer "Remanufactured" phones. In other words a "used" phone. After just two months, with two phones failing, I don't think used phones are the answer for this situation.

I have had to take these phones to two different Sprint stores to even get service. The only Sprint repair facility in our town said there was no problem with the phone. Had to go 40 miles to another store to get acknowledement that there really is a problem. Now the offer of a "Remanufactured" phone.

To sum up I don't have warm, fuzzy feelinig for HTC or Sprint.

I will need to do another review about the problems i have had with Sprint. i am considering just paying the "early termination" fee so I can move to another carrier.

A phone you cant put Down. January 4, 2013

Reviewer:  Grace Giampietro "Geo"  (NY) -

First of all let me say that I am from New York and have not been able to fully use this phone in full 4g mode. Why Sprint did not begin there 4GE installation in a mass market like this state is beyond me. But I have to say that even on 3g this phone is remakable. I was one of the first to get the original evo 4g and was very happy with its performance until I dropped it too many times and had to get a new phone. My carrier offered the Iphone but I am not a Mac supporter because of there greed. So I tried this new phone the HTC EVO 4 G Lite and let me tell you it is fanstic.From the beauty of its screen to the power under its hood, the lightning quickness of its operation will astound u. It is a welcome upgrade to the original HTC evo 4g. Once Sprint gets there act togeather and realizes New York should have been the first to upgrade there system than the Mac Users will begin to worry about there tiny phone. The larger 4G lite is like a miny computer that is easy to read especially for us older people who cant see a little screen like the IPHONE. Trust me do not listen to the negative reviews on this phone. It is so very thin and will be a phone that u will marvel at the first time u get it in your hands.

Jellybean Update Made It Better! December 18, 2012

Reviewer:  chazzmatic 

Was a decent phone but not all that spectacular. Snapdragon processor is pretty good. The just released Jellybean update made the browsing experience smoother, the phone just seems to roll quickly and seamlessly now. Just iwish Sprint would quit spoiling it and roll out 4G in Denver! Phone is billed as 4G but no 4G service in D town yet :( Call quality is average, battery life is about a full day or 12 hours for me on a full charge. If I use it sparingly, I can get up to 15 hours. Screen and camera is above average, can compete with the iphone 4 or 5. Many built in filters and settings to take optimal pics, has the standard 1080p HD video playback included in most new phones, overall great quality. The Beats Audio is terrific when a good set of headphones or speakers are hooked up. I use Nakamichi headsets. Overall the original Evo was better, but with the latest update this phone is in the top 4 ( Galaxy S3, Ipone 5, HTC Evo 4G LTE/ One X, Droid Razor Maxx, in my opinion, just my opinion but not official as I have not tested other phones....

Great phone all around. November 28, 2012

Reviewer:  Matt 

I love this phone. Big, powerful smooth and good looking both physically and electronically. This phone is everything I was hoping it would be. Battery life is very solid especially for such a big screen. The phone is very thin and is not noticeably overweight.

The one thing that does bug me with this phone that others do not mention as much is that since it is specific carrier phone it will be very slow to upgrade software. I want jelly bean but the reality is it will not be pushed to this phone for some time because the larger market phones will get it first.

released before ready October 20, 2012

Reviewer:  Callan Baird "midnightrider"  (midnightrider) -

Big disappointment after being very happy with the original Evo4G. PLEASE READ UPDATE AT BOTTOM.

The battery life is MUCH better and the camera and big screen are nice, but otherwise it is a very disappointing phone.

Unstable operating system, very poor 3G speed, 3G frequently loses connection requiring reboot, no 4G networks available, the only way to access Soundhound is by going through the HTC music application, generally frustrating phone. I wish I bought the S3 instead and lost any favor for HTC and have lost respect for Sprint for releasing an product before their network is ready and the bugs are worked out of the product, consequently offering inferior performance, but still think they provide the best customer service.

UPDATE

I actually got the Samsung S3 and I must admit, I think the HTC Evo 4G LTE was a better phone. I think most of the issues were due to Sprints network being upgraded and some software issues the HTC had regarding that. HTC has a much better interface though, the camera was amazing and, overall, if I could have just had a more consistent connection with it, it would have been the better phone. I really don't like my S3. I guess it is just a rough time to have Sprint.

Best Evo Ever October 14, 2012

Reviewer:  Joanne Durann "Joanne"  (Newtown, Pa) -

We have had every, I mean every, HTC smart phone from the beginning and this is by far the best one they have made. It doesn't get stupid, it handles a load of functions, the picture quality is awesome, and the os is top notch. I use it for business and personal and it has run like a dream. It has enough ram to keep it from slugging out and allows you to personalize to screens to keep your business and personal stuff separate. You can't go wrong with this phone, my teenagers have iphones and they want my phone.