EVO LTE reviews (latest: GSM Arena 5/20)

[PookiePrancer]

I don't read Gizmodo, and I am certainly not defending their iPhone review. I'm saying that it is legitimate for reviews to discuss the slow data speeds users will have with the Evo LTE.

This, I agree with, as long as we throw in "the iPhone, the S III, Nokia 900" at the end. These reviews aren't always doing that.

 

[Duffin]

Re: EVO LTE reviews (latest: Computer World 5/14)

Then they should review the network, not the phone. This phone isnt slower than most phones on Sprint's network. The only ones with any faster data speeds are Wimax phones which are A) is not in many markets and B) not expanding.

Exactly. I really think this all comes down to the name. Reviewers are getting all bent out of shape because it has LTE in the name. If it was just called the EVO Prime or something, I really don't think the speeds would be as highly complained about as they are. But, people are feeling that because it has LTE in the name and LTE isn't on yet, that it's false advertising or something.

 

[mp35789]

Re: EVO LTE reviews (latest: Computer World 5/14)

I've looked through most of these reviews but not all of them and none I've seen so far have done a test of the 4 pic per second camera function on actual fairly fast moving objects. Just curious as to how the focus quality differs and if anyone's done this yet.

 

[Insp_Gadget]

A phone is designed to work on a network. This particular phone can only achieve 3g speeds. The fact that it could do better in an alternative universe where Sprint had an LTE network is meaningless.

Think of it this way. If the EVO LTE did not have an LTE radio in it, it would still function exactly the same. For the user, it is a 3g phone in a LTE market. Reviews are for users. Users care about data speeds.

Would you buy a phone that could not make calls due to incompatibility with the network? Would you buy a phone that could not be charged due to incompatibility with the grid? These things matter.

You say "this particular phone can only achieve 3g speeds"... That is a false statement. The phone itself can do LTE. It has the necessary technology. It is simply being released before the network is ready for it. If you can't understand that concept, then any other discussion with you is a waste of time.

The reviews are knocking the phone for something that isn't the phone's fault. The real question isn't whether the phone is a worthy upgrade for most people; the question that people need to ask themselves is whether they want to spend the money now or wait for LTE on Sprint. The phone has its own merits that many people will appreciate, despite having to wait for the LTE network to become available.

The point is, it is irresponsible reporting to knock a phone, which is capable of LTE speeds, just because the network isn't yet available. Judge the phone based on its capabilities and overall value. Mention the current state of the Sprint network, so that buyers will be aware of what to expect on that network, but judge the phone itself based on its own merits.

The reviewers didn't seem to have a problem separating the network's shortcomings from the phone when they were reviewing the iPhone. Hmmm.

 

[BigPuddin]

Re: EVO LTE reviews (latest: Computer World 5/14)

I bet reviewers would knock the iphone if it was called the iphone LTE and there was no LTE network for it to work on. They're just letting people know that you're not getting LTE speeds yet. It would be irresponsible of them to not talk about it.

 

[Sapient]

Re: EVO LTE reviews (latest: Computer World 5/14)

You say "this particular phone can only achieve 3g speeds"... That is a false statement. The phone itself can do LTE. It has the necessary technology. It is simply being released before the network is ready for it. If you can't understand that concept, then any other discussion with you is a waste of time.

I'm sorry for participating in a conversation that has clearly gone over your head. I agree completely that in a hypothetical universe where Sprint had a LTE network, this phone would not be limited to 3g speeds. But if you are rejecting reviews simply because they discuss the phone's capabilities in the REAL world, your opinion doesn't really matter.

The reviews are knocking the phone for something that isn't the phone's fault.

See, the phone is not a person. Reviews are not judging the content of its character. They discuss the real world performance.

If you build a car that gets great gas mileage, but only on roads made of gold, reviews are going to talk about the mileage it gets on the real roads that people actually drive on. It doesn't matter if you don't think the car's performance is the "fault" of pavement, if you buy the car, you still will have to deal with the real world issues.

It is perfectly fine if you care more about the bits and pieces inside the phone more than what the phone can actually do. Reviews are not intended for people with such narrow interests.

 

[DougB541#CB]

Re: EVO LTE reviews (latest: Computer World 5/14)

But all phones moving forward will essentially be 3G phones on sprint until the LTE towers light up...so they might as well just have the caveat and review the phone for what it is.

 

[Insp_Gadget]

I'm sorry for participating in a conversation that has clearly gone over your head. I agree completely that in a hypothetical universe where Sprint had a LTE network, this phone would not be limited to 3g speeds. But if you are rejecting reviews simply because they discuss the phone's capabilities in the REAL world, your opinion doesn't really matter.



See, the phone is not a person. Reviews are not judging the content of its character. They discuss the real world performance.

If you build a car that gets great gas mileage, but only on roads made of gold, reviews are going to talk about the mileage it gets on the real roads that people actually drive on. It doesn't matter if you don't think the car's performance is the "fault" of pavement, if you buy the car, you still will have to deal with the real world issues.

It is perfectly fine if you care more about the bits and pieces inside the phone more than what the phone can actually do. Reviews are not intended for people with such narrow interests.

I understand what you've been saying. What I don't agree with is the reviewers' attitudes which downgrade the phone based on the availability of its network. I'm thinking about future potential and they're fixated on the here and now.

We are obviously not going to agree on what is most important, so there's no point in continuing this line of discussion.

 

[Rdubya87]

Re: EVO LTE reviews (latest: Computer World 5/14)

Sapient-

Being condescending never helps, especially when there is a perfectly legitimate counterargument to the points you are making. I understand your perspective but I actually agree with some of the others.

It seems like this phone is consistently being slammed in reviews just because it offers a feature that very few phones on Sprint offer, LTE. The fact that the phone is LTE-ready is a benefit over all but 2 other Sprint phones. The user can toggle off 4g so it is in no way a detriment to the battery life in the meantime.

Sprint as a carrier? There is no LTE. So yes, this phone will have the same speeds as a iPhone 4S or any other phone on the network (ignoring WiMax and its battery sucking ways). That is a drawback to Sprint. Many people won't have 4g this year in the near future. Its completely fair to note in a review that Sprint has no LTE currently. I just don't believe listing it as a "con" is fair seeing as it will have LTE whenever Sprint rolls it out. As others have pointed out, the iPhone is rarely dinged for its 3g-only capabilities (which is not a carrier limitation). So if reviewers were consistent, this wouldn't be a discussion.

 

[Mikey47]

Re: EVO LTE reviews (latest: Computer World 5/14)

ComputerWorld's review is a crock. There are only two downsides that the reviewer noted:

1) "but I found myself wishing HTC had just gone with aluminum for the entire rear casing". We all know that would be impossible for NFC to work. Had he taken any time to research this he would have realized this.

2) The non-existent LTE network -- again, we all know that. If you are a hardcore wimax person, I would agree, but the 95% of us that don't have wimax this is simply the best phone on Sprint right now (he even states this in the comments).

 

[PookiePrancer]

It is perfectly fine if you care more aibout the bits and pieces inside the phone more than what the phone can actually do. Reviews are not intended for people with such narrow interests.

Good points, but I think you're also missing the point that when some reviewers overlook a "flaw" in one device, but not another, it shows a bias which makes their reviews worthless. We're smart enough to understand what's going on, but I don't give as much credit to the average buyer. They're going to go to Gizmodo, for example, and buy the 4.5-star iphone versus the 3-star Evo LTE on Sprint simply based on their rating. Biased reviews are worthless.

 

[shadowhawk2020]

I'm sorry for participating in a conversation that has clearly gone over your head. I agree completely that in a hypothetical universe where Sprint had a LTE network, this phone would not be limited to 3g speeds. But if you are rejecting reviews simply because they discuss the phone's capabilities in the REAL world, your opinion doesn't really matter.



See, the phone is not a person. Reviews are not judging the content of its character. They discuss the real world performance.

If you build a car that gets great gas mileage, but only on roads made of gold, reviews are going to talk about the mileage it gets on the real roads that people actually drive on. It doesn't matter if you don't think the car's performance is the "fault" of pavement, if you buy the car, you still will have to deal with the real world issues.

It is perfectly fine if you care more about the bits and pieces inside the phone more than what the phone can actually do. Reviews are not intended for people with such narrow interests.

The point that you continue to miss is that other phones in the SAME situation didn't get dinged for the SAME issue.

The only reason this one takes a hit is because it is capable of LTE and has it in the name.

No one is saying.to ignore it, but they didn't do this with the OG EVO when Wimax wasn't available to 90+% of their customers.

Which would you consider more egregious for a phone that is reviewed(not a network review): 1. Having a phone with the capability to use LTE but no
network (will be turned on soon) or 2: A phone with no 4g capabilities on a network that has LTE available?

Point being if you give a pass for #2, how can you not do the.same for #1?

 

[aldrydd]

Re: EVO LTE reviews (latest: Computer World 5/14)

I largely agree with what others have been posting (both sides), but let's just remember that there's room for a difference of opinion.

For those who are comparing the reviews to reviews for the iPhone: I think would be more interesting/useful to compare reviews of the Sprint Galaxy Nexus, as that is a recently-released, well-reviewed and LTE-capable phone on the same network.

Just my two cents.

 

[Duffin]

Re: EVO LTE reviews (latest: Computer World 5/14)

I largely agree with what others have been posting (both sides), but let's just remember that there's room for a difference of opinion.

For those who are comparing the reviews to reviews for the iPhone: I think would be more interesting/useful to compare reviews of the Sprint Galaxy Nexus, as that is a recently-released, well-reviewed and LTE-capable phone on the same network.

Just my two cents.

Agreed. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Gizmodo has done a review on the Sprint version of the Galaxy Nexus, so we can't compare their reviews. They did give 4 stars to the Verizon and T-Mobile versions, though.

 

[Love Divine]

Re: EVO LTE reviews (latest: Mobile Burn 5/15)

The consistent theme in these reviews is getting pretty damn annoying.

"Derp... Where's da LTE??? herp derp"

For crying out loud... I have Sprint. I know they're slow. I know that there's no LTE yet. I really don't think that needs to be the main point of contention in every single review. It should be an asterisk at the top, a caveat at the beginning; that's it. It's as if none of these guys have had Sprint lately and are experiencing it for the first time.

Other than that, it looks to be a fantastic phone, and definitely the best Android phone out there today for my needs, at least as far as hardware is concerned.

 

[KerkedAgain]

I'm rather enjoying both sides of this discussion! My attempt at a concise 2 cents is as follows:

To under rate the EVO LTE because of Sprints data speeds, is to under rate my high end 60" HDTV because I showed you how a vhs movie looked on it while waiting for my digital cable service and blu ray player to arrive.

 

[PookiePrancer]

I'm rather enjoying both sides of this discussion! My attempt at a concise 2 cents is as follows:
I
To under rate the EVO LTE because of Sprints data speeds, is to under rate my high end 60" HDTV because I showed you how a vhs movie looked on it while waiting for my digital cable service and blu ray player to arrive.

Ooh. Very nice.

 

[Duffin]

Re: EVO LTE reviews (latest: Mobile Burn 5/15)

I'm rather enjoying both sides of this discussion! My attempt at a concise 2 cents is as follows:

To under rate the EVO LTE because of Sprints data speeds, is to under rate my high end 60" HDTV because I showed you how a vhs movie looked on it while waiting for my digital cable service and blu ray player to arrive.

I like that!

 

[manonmoon49]

I'm rather enjoying both sides of this discussion! My attempt at a concise 2 cents is as follows:

To under rate the EVO LTE because of Sprints data speeds, is to under rate my high end 60" HDTV because I showed you how a vhs movie looked on it while waiting for my digital cable service and blu ray player to arrive.

Wait a sec. You still have VHS??

Sent from the dummy Evo 4G LTE at the BB Store

 

[triangle8]

Re: EVO LTE reviews (latest: Mobile Burn 5/15)

Gosh, I can't wait until Sprint's LTE network is up and running.