EVO Owner Reviews

[robertpetry]

CB,

I am just giving my opinion. It is not stupid, ridiculous or wrong. It is an opinion just like yours. If you don't like it, that is fine. Others might find my critique of the phone helpful. 90+% of Pre buyers LOVED their Pre during the first 3 days too so a little honest criticism shouldn't hurt this thread.

No need for you to take it personally.

 

[JrD#AC]

All in all, I am VERY happy & satisfied with my EVO.

Got mine at The Shack at 6am on opening day, and it was pretty much good to go out the door. I was provisioned before I made it to the door, and the patch they provided for the SD Card issue was on it and good before I made it to my car.

Its ridiculously fast in all aspects. As an o/s, Android 2.1 smokes any previous o/s' I've had (my Touch Pro now feels like a snail in molasses). For hardware, well, thats just obvious. For network/data speeds, it might sound funny to some, but even my 3G data transfer speeds are faster than any previous phone or data card I've had. My Data speeds on 3G are coming down at over 2mb/s and uploading at its best around 900kb/s. 4G is obviously significantly faster.

My one and only issue is battery life. I actually expected this, and its even better than I expected, but it still likes its juice. I'm working on different things to help this out. TasKiller is definitely a huge help, and having the right settings for the circumstances assists as well. Just to be on the safe side though, I picked up the battery powered battery charger from The Shack after I had the EVO for 2 days.

Great phone though!

 

[tekguy]

I upgraded from a Pre on release day and I've been extremely happy with it. I have several friends running the Moto Droid and I thought it was really sluggish. My Pre almost felt a tad faster. But the Evo flies! This thing is quick and I've hardly put it down since I got it.

What I like:
Everything is so fast on this
4:3 display
Great camera!
I actually like the keyboard. I was worried about the lack of hardware keyboard.
Android OS is very very nice.
Visual Voicemail!
Tons of useful apps
No trackball! yay!
Build quality. The phone feels solid.

What I don't like:
the camera protrudes to much that the phone sits on it.
The all smooth texture makes the phone a little hard to handle sometimes. It's slipped out of my hand a few times but onto something soft. The gel case seems to help with this.

I can't really complain about battery life. The Pre had some pretty bad battery life. I do have to charge my phone at work but that is because my desk is a bit of a dead zone for cell coverage and my phone is constantly on and off the network. At home, my phone can stay off the charger all day and not die.

 

[Evolution]

I did the same. Can a mod delete his fake vote? Stinking haters are everywhere. I love this phone its continually impressing me. I also have a ton of juice left in my battery. It's bedtime and I have over half a battery remaining. It pays not to have so many apps and accounts pushing info to the phone. Hope the rest of you enjoy yours as much as I am mine!

I am growing more and more enthusiastic about this phone with each passing day. The total experience is just superlative.
I held the pre during launch week and while interesting, it never grabbed the imagination the way the evo did.

 

[MacBook]

best phone I ever owned..

 

[MacBook]

 

[acstewart82]

I absolutely love everything about this phone. No real complaints that I can think of as everything seems run rather smoothly for me. Now I realize I may not put my Evo through the same paces as others but, for me I find the phone to be more than adequate in every way possible. This being my first Android phone I must say I am very pleased, coming from winmo and bb phones I wasn't sure how easy the transition would be but much to my surprise it was incredibly easy. All in all its been a great experience thus far and I must say thank you all at Android central, I have found this site to be most informative and its members most helpful as well. Evo/Google FTW! Gone Google and I'm never going back.

 

[nimrod19]

This is my first Android phone after using the iPhone for several years and I can say that the biggest draw for me is the potential and it is speedy. I've grown so much to using the iPhone that the Evo UI seems a bit quirky right now but I am sure I would get used to it and will develop my own way of navigating the phone very soon.

 

[Yourdogsdead]

This is my first Android phone after using the iPhone for several years and I can say that the biggest draw for me is the potential and it is speedy. I've grown so much to using the iPhone that the Evo UI seems a bit quirky right now but I am sure I would get used to it and will develop my own way of navigating the phone very soon.

At least you are able to adjust. Some Iphone users refuse to give Android a chance.

 

[Darthstorm528]

I like the EVO, it is an amazing device. Although I ran into an issue where my Awake time equaled to my UpTime, although I could not find the source and don't know how to but SpareParts had Calendar on top on the Partial Awake section so I'll start off by not messing with the Calendar and eliminate the Widget from my homescreen to start.

Pros:
-More memory and don't lose any until additional apps gets downloaded (Coming from a Blackberry device, you often lose memory)
-Wifi (No wifi on the Blackberry, it becomes useful at home because I have crappy coverage)
- Camera (With 8mp it can take good shots although not everything comes out crystal clear but it's a phone, not a digital camera)
- The screen (Well I cannot say more about the screen, big, easy to read)
- The Apps (Well better than what Blackberry can offer)
- HDTV Connection (Yep, Maybe one day I will buy the cable)
- Front facing camera (Although reversed, hopefully a fix will come to correct this, but meanwhile I can video chat with Skype users
- Instant uploads to SocialNetwork sites, all with one touch of a button but uploads to YouTube will require Wifi due to size, coming from the BB Tour, I could not have the option to send it to youtube via email.

Cons:
- Watch you're awake time (If it keeps going and you're phone never sleeps, an app is causing you're phone not to sleep and battery life will decrease rapidly even if you follow the tips on saving you're battery. Have SpareParts and/or ATK installed to pinpoint the cause of you're phone not sleeping. A Battery pull will fix it but keep watching.)
- Video (Yes they come out good but the audio is compressed so you won't have the greatest audio but again it's a phone not a camcorder)
-Screen Brightness when outdoors (Pretty much forces you to make it to 100% or you won't see the screen)
-Using the phone on calls (After two minutes my ears start to hurt so I avoid phone calls at all costs or limit them. One day I will get a headset)

Battery life is neither my pro or con, it depends on how you make intervals, awake time, web browsing, etc. If you have it set right and follow the tips on battery saving and yes include watching you're awake time to make sure you're EVO sleeps, you're battery will last for the day. My longest was 15 hours, could had made it to 16 but surprisingly the awake time equaled to UpTime so it could been 20 hours or so if it slept.

 

[Robbie317]

I love my EVO... It's a pretty solid device.. Battery life hasn't really been an issue.. It makes it from 7:30 in the morning and then well into the night on moderate to heavy use. On light use I have even gone 30 hours on a single charge. It all depends... It's super fast but compared to the Nexus One I gave up for this I thought the 5MP camera on the Nexus One took better still photo's than the 8MP on the EVO. Not a major difference but they seemed a little better. Maybe need to adjust some settings some. Also the EVO for the most part feels pretty good in the hand but not as good as the Nexus One. You can feel the back of the EVO flex ever so slightly between the back and the battery underneath. Don't really care for how the back has to be POPPED off.. Seems that over time some thing will break or wear out with the way the back comes off. Also don't fully care for how the memory card is hidden underneath the battery.. I will probably never switch out memory cards but that is an awkward design (IMO) Love Sprints network after 3+ months with T-Mobile and the Nexus One. A great phone is only as good as the network it operates on. The large screen is awesome for surfing, texting or reading. It did take me a few days to get use to the large size and weight compared to the N1. but I have adjusted after a week with the EVO. It now feels a lot better and easy to hold. Call quality is great, Look forward to Froyo on this device....

 

[nimrod19]

At least you are able to adjust. Some Iphone users refuse to give Android a chance.

Yeah, Apple inspires a cult following on some people. I tend to gravitate towards software that is more "open" which inspires more creative apps. Apple is slowly going in the other direction.

 

[flipdippy]

I converted from being a loyal BB user since 2007 to the EVO this past weekend, here's my quick thoughts.

Overall - it's not quite the phone I was hoping for, but given the platform isn't fully mature and Google is pushing out new releases fairly often and has a seamless upgrade process OTA, it's a very minor gripe. Getting used to Android, like it so far.

Pros:

-Apps. I have an iPod Touch and had a BB Tour prior to the EVO 4G, and I really enjoy the apps from Android better. They just seem more creative, and generally speaking, less expensive than the iTunes App store. The BB app world is a joke at this point.
-Like the specs, like the OS.
-Screen is beautiful
-Using gestures, so cool
-Browser, nice
-Google Navigation
-4G in DC area, very nice
-hotspot function, this is going to save my life on long family car rides this summer
-openness of android

Meh:
-Sense UI isn't blowing me away.
-Many of the stock widgets and apps are useless to me, but that's easily corrected through the Android market
-Camera. Yes it's 8 MP, but quality is so so. Nice to have the extra pixels but I won't stop carrying around my point and shoot for those family picnics or trips to the playground anytime soon.

Cons:
-I do miss the push email from BB, but learning to check my email more proactively.
-I agree with a previous poster about some UI elements, be it from HTC or part of stock Android being somewhat inconsistent or unfinished. To make a comparison, on a BB or iPod/iPhone, I always know what to do or where to look to find things within an app or just within a feature of the OS. That's not the same here.
-Stock mail app, I hate having to do multiple actions to delete a message
-This may be my hand size, but I have problems using the EVO in landscape mode because my fingers naturally sit where the camera protrudes. I'm waiting on my case, hopefully that makes the camera flush with the case and eliminates this niggle.
-The power button on the top. As far as I'm aware, the only way to wake the phone is to click this button, and with 1 hand use it's difficult to press.
-Don't like having to keep some of the useless apps from HTC and Sprint on the phone without rooting. At least let me hide them like I can on a BB.
-My battery life has been absolutely abysmal. I don't like to have to manage my phone all day. I understand the nature of the device and what it does is taxing, but I had it charged and before I installed a single app or tinkered with it, it ran the battery down from charged to dead in 4.5 hours. Lately, following some of the advice I've seen, and after installing about 30 apps, with moderate usage, I'm getting around 5-6 hours of life. I don't like having to think about where I can charge everywhere I go. Again, I'll forgive some of this as I expect it to improve with 2.2 and future android releases.

 

[jdefalco]

I been with Sprint for well over 10 years and have been through my share of phones. From the assortment of flip phones to the Moto Q to the Instink to the Pre and Now the EVO.

Coming from the Pre, I was a little concerned about getting adjusted to a new platform. I absolutely loved WebOS and feel it has the potential to be something awesome.

With that being said, the EVO is my first Android phone. It took some getting used to, but after a week, I am beginning to wonder what took me so long. The Sense UI, in my experience, has been very smooth and responsive. The customization is great and the widgets make daily settings and info reference a breeze without having to fumble through menus and screens to locate what you want.

I have heard and read SEVERAL complaints about battery life. I, myself, was worried about this very issue the first couple days of having the phone. Of course I played with every app installed, hit practically every button in the UI, downloaded a ton of apps and played with all of the multimedia functions. Once the initial amazement was over and I went to normal daily use that I have been doing with all my previous phones (tons of texting, lots of phone calls, some pictures, a few games, agenda, etc..), the battery life was surprisingly good. A hell of a lot better than what I was getting from my Pre. I work out in the boonies and am in a sort of a "black hole" for sprint coverage. Sitting in my office, with the signal constantly in and out and doing some texting and receiving a few calls, I was able to get 8.5 hours before the battery went from a full charge to around 30%. I feel that is awesome. At home, where I get a great 3G signal, battery isn't even a concern.

Camera quality, both video and stills, have exceeded my expectations. They are no camcorder or digital camera replacement (I wasn't EXPECTING them to be), but for a cell phone, they are great to catch some candid shots on the run or at places I do not want to lug my regular camera.

Call quality has been outstanding, I have no complaints what-so-ever. Same with build quality. I have no issues that I have seen thrown around the various forums.

I cureently have a Platinum case from BB and an Invisible Shield from Zag on the phone and I couldn't be happier with either one.

I was amazed by the market. The amount of apps blew me away. Even with so many free apps, the quality is second to none. There are some great app designers out there. I like the idea of when I search for an app for a particular need or want, I get SEVERAL choices. This allows me the ability to try them all and see what app suits me. I feel the rating system on the apps is skewed quite a bit. If the app happens not to load for someone, does not offer a particular feature of need or want, do not have a widget to suit them; they give it 1 star and say it sux, without giving it an honest rating.

I guess when it comes down to it, I like everyone else couldn't wait for this phone to release. While reading about all the phone COULD and COULDN'T do, I campared this to my needs and wants and what I WANTED out of the phone. In every case it has met or exceeded my needs. I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

IMHO, I feel all of the complaints about the phone, build issues excluded, are just based on the fact that a lot of people just wanted this phone for the specs and really didn't do the homework to determine if this was the phone to meet their needs. Every other thread is: This is a deal breaker, that is a deal breaker, the phone can't do this, it can't do that, I am cancelling Sprint, I am getting an Iphone. In almost all of them cases, the feature they are complaining about was well published before the phone was released. If you knew you couldn't do a particular thing that you needed, DON'T get the phone. Simple as that. If you got the phone thinking it could do something that wasn't published and now you find out that it can't, simply exercise your 30 day return and choose one that will do what you want. Don't post that the phone is a POS or that Sprint sucks.

Ok, enough of my rant and how I feel about the phone. I love the phone, I love the community and for being a first time Android user, I can't thank all of you enough. I have learned so much from this community and you helped make my purchase so much more easier. I will no go back to lurking and learning... Thanks to those of you who chose to prop their eyes open long enough to read this,,,,,

 

[Robbie317]

Coming from the Pre, I was a little concerned about getting adjusted to a new platform. I absolutely loved WebOS and feel it has the potential to be something awesome.

WebOS is a great OS.. The problem was they didn't put it on great hardware. Really wished HTC would have bought Palm instead of HP. Could you imagine WebOS on some HTC hardware? Would have been interesting... I looked at breaking my iPhone contract last year for a Pre, the phone was just too small and the keyboard was WAY too cramped for my fingers... Plus I didn't like the slide action... Would rather my phone be one solid piece.. My brother who did make the jump to the Pre has been through a few of them both from the slide action breaking and other hardware based problems.... WebOS was much better than iPhone OS last year but the hardware wasn't nearly as good as the iPhone...

 

[willy900wonka]

I'm happy with it. Got it 24 hours ago. Now got to decipher the linux sh for rooting to see if it'll (unlikely) run from a ppc ibook. All that aside. I got the hero htc battery widget running, though a little off scale. I don't care to have to save scenes, cause iirc i lost my first widget add changes on reboot.
One the superfluous side the kids at the farm with iphones were all comparing their screen size to it and commenting on "NICE".

Oh - i walked into a sprint store and asked for one. The guy said they had just received a shipment. Twenty minutes later I walked out with one. Earlier I had gone to best buys and was told I could preorder and they are slowing getting them in. Right then I called sprint they indicated that shipments to BB would actually be increased on 6/14, so I left. (top of paragraph)
A recursive story lol

 

[JoshK]

Love it!

I waited a week to make my decision and I love it. It isn't perfect, but it is the best phone I've ever seen or touched.

 

[maduhbee#AC]

I am coming from a Pre, because my old Pre got hit with salt water in the ocean on accident

So i've been on a Palm Centro for about 3 weeks, before I got the EVO phone. I was an early adopter of the Palm Pre and still have the Original Device. No Oreo, nothing wrong with the phone itself.

WebOS is definitely a subjectively better OS in my humble opinion.

Pro's of WebOS are:

*Easy to navigate
*Incredible Multitasking Implementation
*Easy to Configure settings (wifi, bluetooth, etc.)
*Easy to Launch a new App
*By far the easiest "everything search"
*Deleting things are incredibly easy (swipe to get rid of something, or just hit the orange button and click on the app to delete the app)
*24 Bit Color
*Accelerometer orients the screen no matter which way you have the device!
*Somewhat animated a la iOS
*My Tether, when it worked flawlessly
*Palm Touchstone -- Why haven't anybody else done this???
*SCUMMVM!!!!
*I got pretty quick with the Keyboard

Con's
*Slow (Though 800MHz helped quite a bit)
*Plastic Hardware (as opposed to glass) - EASY to scratch
*Somewhat cheap feeling
*Though easy to configure/personalize the phone, there's not very many customizations

Now having the EVO 4G, here are the my pro's and cons!

Pros:
*HUGE screen
*Incredible Resolution (didn't think I would notice, but I did!)
*FLASH works! Hello Helicopter game!
*Faster than Palm Pre!
*Pretty Quick Auto Focusing Camera
*Predictive texting is pretty amazing
*TONS of apps, MUCH BETTER FREE game selection than Pre!
*I love the Live Backgrounds!
*The screen feels awesome on my fingers! So smooth... so so "glide-y" feeling!
*a TON of navigation apps!
*Customization options! You can customize your home screens to look almost EXACTLY like an iPhone!!! (except the bottom butons)

Cons: (Just my Opinion -- Coming from Palm Pre)

*A ton more steps to get rid of apps
*A ton more steps to delete apps
*Navigating through the touch menus seem somewhat laggy (Hoping Froyo will fix this along with the stupid 30FPS cap! -- Compared with the iPhone and the ZuneHD, and the Hero -- I think -- the 30FPS cap sucks -- And I'm not talking about games, just general UI!)
*The touch also lags behind fast fingers, not so on the iphone or ZuneHD. -- This also was apparent especially in the Palm Pre!
*Not very Animated with the open close animations -- opinion based, of course. Some people just want the app to open, and some want the animations
*Light leak under the home button, sucks
*I always hit the capacitive buttons on the bottom when I'm playing a game
*No Ringer Switch, just volume up and down until it goes completely off
*Can only change the orientation 2 ways for the accelerometer to work in the UI. In games, it works no matter how you have it.
*Camera protrudes the rear. When you set it down on it's back, you're on the camera.
*Rear camera glass quality can be easily scratched!
*16 Bit coloring - though you don't really notice it that much. You see a little more dithering than normal. The color reproduction is very negligible.


Anyways, those are my thoughts... Hoping that Froyo will fix a bunch of these!!

 

[Ny88RiCaN]

I agree on Pre to Evo comments, loved WebOS but horrible hardware. I feel solid and stable with the Evo. Such an awesome phone. Not really worried about some of the bugs and glitches because of:

1) Updates, everyone is working hard to push out a newer version for better performance and battery life. Froyo will come and we will be please and then another version will come and so on.

2) Hardware is sexy. The HD2 Hardware was known to be the best there is, it was just missing the OS.

3) Hello Android and HTC Sense. Awesome combination and smooth for me so far. Still tough navigating because it's my first week but I am getting it quick. My brother is jealous with his Hero.

4) Using google voice is the most easy thing ever. Probably going to make me use Android for the rest of my life.

Proud HTC // Android user right here.

 

[Gigity]

Yeah, Apple inspires a cult following on some people. I tend to gravitate towards software that is more "open" which inspires more creative apps. Apple is slowly going in the other direction.

So does Google, apparently. It's getting hard to read most forums now with all the Mac fanboys fighting with the Fandroids. Having used both now, I can see why Android and Webos users would be turned off by the closed, limited environment the iPhone resides in, and conversely I can now see why Google has a long way to go if it ever wants to appeal to people that buy iPhones for their ease of use.