Hero or EVO? Trying to decide

[k2ldc10]

I'm currently on a feature phone and grandfathered on an old plan. I've been anxiously waiting for the EVO to come out and was prepared to spring for the new plan to jump into the smartphone market. The $10/month extra caused me to hesitate, and now I'm reading about screen separation issues and Wifi issues on the EVO. So, I'm having second thoughts on springing for the EVO.

I'm wondering if the Hero with 2.1 on it is worthwhile. At $80, the Hero is a great price, and it would save me $120/year by not needing the premium data plan. I'm looking for some input. Those running the Hero with 2.1, are you happy with the performance? Are there any new nagging issues with 2.1, or ones that should have been fixed that still aren't?

Thank you for your help.

 

[beezy]

Are you into rooting or are you sticking with stock? I have both,they are great phones. As with every phone there is a glitch/bug with both.

 

[Machael]

I got to play with a friend's EVO over the weekend.....to be honest, it's just too big for my preference. It's pretty and all, but the Hero does everything I want a smartphone to do...

Just my .02

 

[k2ldc10]

@beezy420 - I'm not sure about whether I'll root or not. I've never had a smartphone before. I've read about the pros/cons of rooting so I have an understanding, but for now I'm just trying to figure out what phone to get! What are the glitches / bugs with the Hero, especially with 2.1? I haven't kept up.

@Machael - I checked out the EVO at the store a few times. It seems big, but figured I would see how bad it was getting it in and out of my pocket before making the final decision. Since I have a Sanyo Katana II flip phone, everything out there (except the Pre) is a lot bigger than what I'm using, so they'll all be an adjustment.

 

[qdigga]

I have a 2.1 Hero. Unfortunately, I cannot compare it to an Evo (which I plan on getting in the near future).

I've noticed that after the 2.1 update, the phone dialing system is pretty laggy. Granted I put an app on that forces you to click a prompt to actually go through with a call (I was touchscreen butt dialing people at like 3 in the morning when I went to work, lol), but it was still quicker on 1.6. There are some really nice additions to the overall interface (android functions, marketplace, pinch to see all 7 screens, etc).

All in all, aside from the laggy phone dialing, I don't and never really had complaints with my Hero. I actually love it. Best phone I've had to date...

 

[deadeye99]

I got to play with my friends evo this weekend. It is BIG. It also drains the battery quickly. I didn't get to see all his settings so I don't know if thats fixable. I love my hero. We don't have 4g yet so that takes away alot of the specialness of the evo. I'm hoping when we get 4g there will be a phone right between the 2 in size.

 

[canterrain]

I've played with both extensively.

The hero is by far cheaper. If you watch for it, it can be as little as 50 bucks at third party retailers.

It also comes on a cheaper plan.

The evo however is more powerful, and that fact comes through at times. It more easily runs complicated games (3d games, which are slowly coming to the market are the most noticeable), and it takes gorgeous pictures with the 8 megapixel camera. At least for a phone.

So I'd ask myself the following:
Will you want to do videoconfercing?
Will you want to watch videos alot?*
Are games important to you?
Do you want a phone that will officially be supported in software for the next year or two (possibly more)?**

If you said yes to any or all of that, an evo might be right for you.
If not, you could do well to save money and get the hero.

* The hero does play videos, such as youtube, well enough. But you'd be surprised what a difference the larger screen and kickstand make. Add in coming support for flash and you have a winner.

** It's unlikely the hero will be officially taken to 2.2 and beyond. But that doesn't mean devs won't do it.

 

[techsamaritan]

For me, the hero, now with 2.1, works SO much better and faster than 1.6. Looks great, much better battery life. The keyboard is better but not great. Phone dialer does lag occasionally. Overall, I do love this phone. The EVO is just too big, in my opinion. BUT if the hero doesn't update to 2.2, I guess I'll have to get one since i do love the HTC sense.

 

[Spectre130]

Can you voice dial via bluetooth on the evo? That is my biggest gripe on the HERO, the fact that it isn't much of a phone, but it is a hell of a hand held computer. I am itching to give my hero to my wife (an upgrade from her crappy Samsung s30) and I want to move onto the EVO. I had moved from Blackberry to android and I do not want to look back but there are some very basic things that these powerful things can't do that even a stupid pay-as-you-go phone can do... like call via bluetooth.

 

[voghan]

I'm holding out for the Samsung Galaxy S. I sure hope it comes out on Sprint. One way or the other I'll find out at their press event at the end of the month.

 

[k2ldc10]

Thanks for your help everyone. Some good suggestions to consider. I was in a Sprint store yesterday and played around with the Hero and the Evo side by side. There was a definite speed difference in my opinion. The EVO was much more fluid scrolling through web pages, and the Hero seemed to have some delay going from one task to another. I did not check to see if it had a task killer loaded to determine if a bunch of apps were running. The jury is still out for me.

 

[Fazulka]

I've played with both extensively.

The hero is by far cheaper. If you watch for it, it can be as little as 50 bucks at third party retailers.

New? Where? I would buy one to replace my wife's samsung instict.

 

[mmhhc]

EVO is tempting. My only hesitation was the lack of a trackball. It's a nice way to navigate web pages, apps, etc. Also not sure how Slimeball Speedway and Armored Strike will be without the ball. Anyone have comments on that? I am eligible for full upgrade on july 4th and wondering if I should make the jump.

Marc

 

[techsamaritan]

Good point, I will miss the trackball. How do you get to precise places on the EVO?

 

[The Mac]

it has a trackball, its just a touch-ball rather than gum-ball...lol

 

[k2ldc10]

I've been playing around with the EVO in the store and have never had an issue selecting links. Having never had a phone with a trackball, I guess its something I won't miss.

 

[canterrain]

New? Where? I would buy one to replace my wife's samsung instict.

I've seen it for 50 bucks new at radioshack. But their price does seem to fluctuate as I've also seen it for 80. Watch them and similar to see if it hits that price again.

 

[r3draid3r04]

I just got two heros at best buy online for 29.99 each.

 

[JayCudi]

I've gotten the opportunity to experience both phones

The Evo would be great if you're wanting the extra features attached to it

Unless you root the Hero, it will not have 3D gallery, Friendstream, FM Radio and Live Wallpaper

The Hero has 5MP camera with auto-focus while the Evo has a 8MP camera with auto-focus, LED Flash and can record in 720P HD

Of course the Evo has a front facing camera that's nice.

It can tether up to 8 devices as well.
A nice bonus would be if you live in a 4G area (I tested it out in a 4G area and the speed is noticeable)

Overall, unless you really want or would like the nice extra feature, the Hero is a great android phone at a affordable price

 

[canterrain]

It can tether up to 8 devices as well.

8 device tethering happens if you pay an extra 30 a month on your plan. This does allow tethering on 4G network though.

You can root and do wireless tethering that way, but I believe the limit is 5 there (I could be wrong on this, might be the hardware that allows 8, and then it might be possible with the evo), and it won't be on 4G. (At least for now, it might get changed to enable 4G tethering too)

I have tested sprint mobile hotspot access, and it's very intuitive and straight forward. It also has more polish than root wifi tether. I'm not sure the cost justifies that for the average person however.