With the G2 it said it had a 2gb of internal storage but part was saved for the OS and so forth, I was just curious because i was thinking about the EVO as well with the same amount of memory.
EVO Shift 4G first review!
- Thread starter StAlphonso
- Start date
Kevin OQuinn
AC Team Emeritus
- May 17, 2010
- 9,267
- 496
- 0
Yeah 384 is low for storage, are you sure you weren't looking at RAM? I would think that since it's a cousin of the G2 that it would have almost 1gb available for apps. I think I had like 1.1 or 1.2gb for apps when I had my G2.
EVO vs SHIFT What EVO users really need to know.
Got a Shift this morning at 9am. I have compared it with my EVO and this is what I have found.
1. EVO is about 40-50% brighter than the Shift.
2. No real noticable speed difference between the two unless you run diagnostic tests. I tested with Google Maps, Browser, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube videos. Everything ran almost identical.
3. Text is a little sharper on the Shift just because the screen is smaller.
4. Keyboard is pretty good, I like it better than the one on the TP2.
5. Handset/Headset volume is no better on the Shift (one of the major complaints about the EVO). When listening to music through headphones it still isn't that loud.
6. Not as thick as I was expecting without a case. With a case it gets pretty fat, but still not as big as the TP2.
7. Screen is equally responsive as the EVO, but just not very bright. This will be a deal-breaker for me, but my wife might not mind.
8. Volume buttons on the left side are a bad idea with a keyboard. I find myself hitting them all the time. It would be better if the EVO's were on the left and the Shift on the right.
9. Battery life is sooooo much better on the Shift. I mean like about 60-70% better. This will make Shift owners very happy. Unfortunately because the screen is not very bright I think users will need to leave it at full capacity which will definitely affect the battery life negatively. The other negative is that the Shift uses a different battery than the EVO, so batteries and chargers from the EVO and TP2 will not work with the Shift.
10. Bad location for the microUSB port. Even though it is much better than the Samsung Galaxy S phones that have it on top, this location will prevent most users from mounting the Shift in their car with auto holders. I have tried several generic holders that I have and none of them will allow to charge the phone while using in the car. Shift users will have to wait for a custom solution from HTC which might be very difficult to create due to the location. This is another deal-breaker for me because I am traveling all the time and wouldn't be able to function without the wonderful car kit the HTC made for the EVO.
11. Dpad on the Shift keyboard is average. It could have been designed much better, but doesn't work as well as I had hoped.
12. The final difference I noticed was that the EVO gets better reception than the Shift. I have been with Sprint for 13 years and the EVO has the best reception hands down. The Shift is always one to two bars less in the same location as the EVO. They probably put the antenna in a different location.
13. Call quality and speaker are very similar. I really couldn't tell the difference between the two. Both are above average.
14. Camera and Camcorder are very similar. The only difference I noticed is that the EVO has harsher color tones. The same pictures are more muted on the Shift. In regards to detail most people won't notice a difference other than the different size of the picture due to 5MP vs. 8MP. The camcorders were pretty much the same except for more subtle colors on the Shift. When taking pictures with the flash on the Shift seemed to do a better job with only having one LED flash as opposed to two of them on the EVO. I find that sometimes the two flashes on the EVO can be too bright and affect photos.
Those are my main observations. I will try and put up a comparison video on You Tube showing the differences I have talked about above. My biggest problem with the Shift is the lack of brightness on the screen. It will be hard to compete with other screens without that brightness. The high brightness on the EVO allows it to somewhat compete with the samsung devices, not for color saturation, but for outdoor viewing. It also appears that the Shift LCD is sunken quite a bit lower into the face of the phone than the EVO. That might also have something to do with the lack of brightness. The other possibility is that Sprint sourced two different screens for this device like they did on the EVO and there might be a brighter option, but I certainly didn't get it with mine.
I would only recommend the Shift to Sprint customers that really want a physical keyboard and don't care about the screen brightness. There are also many users that think the EVO is too big and the Shift is a great size. Very pocketable. The device feels very solid, as most HTC devices do. It is a quality device and feels that way, unlike some Samsung devices on the market that feel very cheap and plasticky. This phone might be a perfect fit for my wife since she prefers a keyboard, albeit a candy bar style, but I don't see Sprint getting anymore candy bar smartphones other than Blackberries moving forward.
I hope my comparison will help some of you make a decision to keep or sell your EVO. I know after comparing both, I will definitely be keeping my EVO. Good Luck Android users.
Got a Shift this morning at 9am. I have compared it with my EVO and this is what I have found.
1. EVO is about 40-50% brighter than the Shift.
2. No real noticable speed difference between the two unless you run diagnostic tests. I tested with Google Maps, Browser, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube videos. Everything ran almost identical.
3. Text is a little sharper on the Shift just because the screen is smaller.
4. Keyboard is pretty good, I like it better than the one on the TP2.
5. Handset/Headset volume is no better on the Shift (one of the major complaints about the EVO). When listening to music through headphones it still isn't that loud.
6. Not as thick as I was expecting without a case. With a case it gets pretty fat, but still not as big as the TP2.
7. Screen is equally responsive as the EVO, but just not very bright. This will be a deal-breaker for me, but my wife might not mind.
8. Volume buttons on the left side are a bad idea with a keyboard. I find myself hitting them all the time. It would be better if the EVO's were on the left and the Shift on the right.
9. Battery life is sooooo much better on the Shift. I mean like about 60-70% better. This will make Shift owners very happy. Unfortunately because the screen is not very bright I think users will need to leave it at full capacity which will definitely affect the battery life negatively. The other negative is that the Shift uses a different battery than the EVO, so batteries and chargers from the EVO and TP2 will not work with the Shift.
10. Bad location for the microUSB port. Even though it is much better than the Samsung Galaxy S phones that have it on top, this location will prevent most users from mounting the Shift in their car with auto holders. I have tried several generic holders that I have and none of them will allow to charge the phone while using in the car. Shift users will have to wait for a custom solution from HTC which might be very difficult to create due to the location. This is another deal-breaker for me because I am traveling all the time and wouldn't be able to function without the wonderful car kit the HTC made for the EVO.
11. Dpad on the Shift keyboard is average. It could have been designed much better, but doesn't work as well as I had hoped.
12. The final difference I noticed was that the EVO gets better reception than the Shift. I have been with Sprint for 13 years and the EVO has the best reception hands down. The Shift is always one to two bars less in the same location as the EVO. They probably put the antenna in a different location.
13. Call quality and speaker are very similar. I really couldn't tell the difference between the two. Both are above average.
14. Camera and Camcorder are very similar. The only difference I noticed is that the EVO has harsher color tones. The same pictures are more muted on the Shift. In regards to detail most people won't notice a difference other than the different size of the picture due to 5MP vs. 8MP. The camcorders were pretty much the same except for more subtle colors on the Shift. When taking pictures with the flash on the Shift seemed to do a better job with only having one LED flash as opposed to two of them on the EVO. I find that sometimes the two flashes on the EVO can be too bright and affect photos.
Those are my main observations. I will try and put up a comparison video on You Tube showing the differences I have talked about above. My biggest problem with the Shift is the lack of brightness on the screen. It will be hard to compete with other screens without that brightness. The high brightness on the EVO allows it to somewhat compete with the samsung devices, not for color saturation, but for outdoor viewing. It also appears that the Shift LCD is sunken quite a bit lower into the face of the phone than the EVO. That might also have something to do with the lack of brightness. The other possibility is that Sprint sourced two different screens for this device like they did on the EVO and there might be a brighter option, but I certainly didn't get it with mine.
I would only recommend the Shift to Sprint customers that really want a physical keyboard and don't care about the screen brightness. There are also many users that think the EVO is too big and the Shift is a great size. Very pocketable. The device feels very solid, as most HTC devices do. It is a quality device and feels that way, unlike some Samsung devices on the market that feel very cheap and plasticky. This phone might be a perfect fit for my wife since she prefers a keyboard, albeit a candy bar style, but I don't see Sprint getting anymore candy bar smartphones other than Blackberries moving forward.
I hope my comparison will help some of you make a decision to keep or sell your EVO. I know after comparing both, I will definitely be keeping my EVO. Good Luck Android users.
I forgot about the ROM/Internal Storage comparison between the EVO and Shift. Many are saying the Shift has 2GB of internal storage aside from the microSD card. Regardless of the specs the Shift and EVO have roughly the same internal storage for apps. Both have about 370MB available which isn't much at all. This is one thing I don't understand aobut Sprint. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile all sell phones with a ton of internal storage. Sprint has never done this. For example Verizon has the Droid Incredible with 8GB of internal storage. This is another pet peeve of mine. They are trying to cut costs I guess, but it is not a good business decision. Unless Google starts allowing all programs to be loaded onto a storage card, other carriers will whip Sprint devices on internal storage.
my biggest complaint so far is the battery.
why couldn't they have made them the same? i mean really...physical size they are almost identical, just put the contacts on the wrong side...*facepalm*
oh well. battery life does seem decent, haven't run it long enough to give a fair comparison but just general observation it seems ok.
i don't think the speaker is to bad, for what i need it for it's ok (youtube video's mostly) i will compare it to the Evo when my SD card finishes scanning...i think my 16gb card is on it's last leg
i can order a new card but not sure i can get my pictures off this one ... fail for not backup up more often
why couldn't they have made them the same? i mean really...physical size they are almost identical, just put the contacts on the wrong side...*facepalm*
oh well. battery life does seem decent, haven't run it long enough to give a fair comparison but just general observation it seems ok.
i don't think the speaker is to bad, for what i need it for it's ok (youtube video's mostly) i will compare it to the Evo when my SD card finishes scanning...i think my 16gb card is on it's last leg
i can order a new card but not sure i can get my pictures off this one ... fail for not backup up more ofteni thought the specs said 2gb for internal memory but i think a lot of it is used for the system and everything...my hero only had about 100-130 mbs available and i would have a ton of apps....so i think 370 mbs or so, not to mention there are plenty of apps that are apps2sd supported, should be more than enough internal memory, at least for me
dont have much of a problem with brightness...never played with an evo too much so its hard for me to compare....but even with my brightness turned down pretty low just like i used to have on my hero its bright enough to me...besides it helps preserve the battery which to me is more important than how bright the screen gets (unless its un-usable which this most certainly isnt)
agree the volume buttons arent in the best spot but they havent gotten in the way for me too much yet...sometimes holding it in landscape without the keyboard i can see myself hitting them but so far its not a big deal...maybe im used to it since theyre in the same spot as the hero
cant comment much on reception but seems to have pretty full bars and had no problem with 3g (couldnt connect to 4g but ill try again later)...i think nyc has great sprint reception
either way both phones are really great choices...it may not be enough to sway EVO owners, especially since they wouldnt have their upgrades yet, but for people new to either there are some serious options now
dont have much of a problem with brightness...never played with an evo too much so its hard for me to compare....but even with my brightness turned down pretty low just like i used to have on my hero its bright enough to me...besides it helps preserve the battery which to me is more important than how bright the screen gets (unless its un-usable which this most certainly isnt)
agree the volume buttons arent in the best spot but they havent gotten in the way for me too much yet...sometimes holding it in landscape without the keyboard i can see myself hitting them but so far its not a big deal...maybe im used to it since theyre in the same spot as the hero
cant comment much on reception but seems to have pretty full bars and had no problem with 3g (couldnt connect to 4g but ill try again later)...i think nyc has great sprint reception
either way both phones are really great choices...it may not be enough to sway EVO owners, especially since they wouldnt have their upgrades yet, but for people new to either there are some serious options now
A video comparison would be awesome. Thanks for the reviews so far guys. I have an evo and considering the evo shift. I think I can deal with the screen being sreen being so small. The keyboard seems like it would be worth it but I am just not sure. I really wonder who decided on the 3.6 screen size would be better than all the other phones at 3.7. Weird!
Maybe another silly question but does it have the same style charger as the Evo? Just wondering if I would have to switch my car charger and what not. If its the same thats great because I have a lot of those chargers and wouldn't have to buy more. thanks
Micro usb is the new standard. This phone has the same charging port as the evo.
Played with one at Radio Shack today. It's very nice and I did like the keyboard, but having been with the evo for a few weeks now, the screen was, for me, too small. Wish it was closer in size to the epic.
One sidenote: the Radio Shack employees did not know they were getting the shift infill just a couple days ago. Was posted here before or locals knew about it.
LancerzRalliart
Well-known member
- Jan 3, 2011
- 172
- 11
- 0
Good review, I think I will get the the EVO now and not the Evo Shift for my first android phone.
I agree that if the screen was as big as the epic it would be a go. 3.6 seems small. I have to see it in person though.
this is tough for me. im comparing and deciding which to get. im wondering if:
1)the front facing camera
2)kickstand
3)higher megapixel camera
4)HDMI out
5)way bigger screen
is worth only $50 more than the shift. if im gonna have this phone for a year im thinking maybe its a good choice...?
1)the front facing camera
2)kickstand
3)higher megapixel camera
4)HDMI out
5)way bigger screen
is worth only $50 more than the shift. if im gonna have this phone for a year im thinking maybe its a good choice...?
I've had some time to play with my shift for a bit. From what I gathered as I compared it to my Evo is that the phones have a lot of similarites with the only differences being the screen size, kickstand, hdmi out etc. All those features the Evo has. I myself never used hdmi nor the FFC so those features never got me hooked. I used the kickstand, probably twice since I had the Evo.
The shift is a nice phone. It has a nice style to it and the feel is great. The camera is great in which I see no big known when I compared it to my Evo camera. The reception I get on both my Evo and my Shift is great. However, I'm a officer assigned to work at a high school and I get 3 bars on my Shift and on my Evo I get no bars when I'm inside the school.
The keyboard is really smooth and the buttons are pretty responsive. You slide the keyboard out and its nice with a click when fully extended.
All in all, both the Evo and the Shift are great phones. However, I think it all comes down to personal preference. Just take a drive to one of the stores and check out the shift. You might like it.
Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk
The shift is a nice phone. It has a nice style to it and the feel is great. The camera is great in which I see no big known when I compared it to my Evo camera. The reception I get on both my Evo and my Shift is great. However, I'm a officer assigned to work at a high school and I get 3 bars on my Shift and on my Evo I get no bars when I'm inside the school.
The keyboard is really smooth and the buttons are pretty responsive. You slide the keyboard out and its nice with a click when fully extended.
All in all, both the Evo and the Shift are great phones. However, I think it all comes down to personal preference. Just take a drive to one of the stores and check out the shift. You might like it.
Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk
battery
those of you who have an Evo with custom ROMs or not-- can you make it through the day (average usage with Sense enabled) without having to charge at work/car mid-day? to me that is the deal breaker between the Evo and the Shift. while it would be easy for me to charge my phone mid-day at work-- id hate to be watching my battery bar on the wknds when im out and about all day/night. the screen size and thiness is great on the Evo- but its not worth it in my book if the battery performance cant keep up.
those of you who have an Evo with custom ROMs or not-- can you make it through the day (average usage with Sense enabled) without having to charge at work/car mid-day? to me that is the deal breaker between the Evo and the Shift. while it would be easy for me to charge my phone mid-day at work-- id hate to be watching my battery bar on the wknds when im out and about all day/night. the screen size and thiness is great on the Evo- but its not worth it in my book if the battery performance cant keep up.
i have to do some further testing on this, but driving home tonight i noticed my Shift was roaming on verizon and my Evo had no signal.
when i got home my Shift picked up verizon again right away and i have never roamed on verizon at my house with my Evo.
i drive about 45 minutes one way every day and usually 75% of that is without cell service. i'd say i'm down to 50% with the shift, can't wait to go out and test this further
the signal i was getting was strong enough to make a phone call too, when i do get a signal with my Evo it's not enough to call anyone.
i might stop by my friends work tomorrow, they get verizon but most sprint phones will barely get a signal. you have to standing by a certain window, where verizon phones work anywhere in the room.
as for sprint 3G, only tested it at work but it seems to be just as good as my Evo in the same location.
when i got home my Shift picked up verizon again right away and i have never roamed on verizon at my house with my Evo.
i drive about 45 minutes one way every day and usually 75% of that is without cell service. i'd say i'm down to 50% with the shift, can't wait to go out and test this further
the signal i was getting was strong enough to make a phone call too, when i do get a signal with my Evo it's not enough to call anyone.
i might stop by my friends work tomorrow, they get verizon but most sprint phones will barely get a signal. you have to standing by a certain window, where verizon phones work anywhere in the room.
as for sprint 3G, only tested it at work but it seems to be just as good as my Evo in the same location.
I personally have not been able to go a full 24 hours without a charge with normal usage on my Evo. Unless I used apps to turn off certain features like gps, data etc. And when I did use those apps to disable those features, my Evo battery would lats about 12-14 hours but thats also with minimum usage.
If i didn't use any of those apps that disable features and use Evo as average which consisted of phone calls, lots of texts, web browsing, checking the market, updating apps etc, I'd probably get somewhere between 6.5 hours to 8 hours.
Been looking at the shift and have a few questions
My EVO has constantly been struggling to get more than 5 hours charge with heavy texting and moderate internet use. For those with the Shift just how much better is the battery life so far??
Also I have seen conflicting reports everywhere so I figure for those with the phone how much memory does it have???
Does the phone have 2GB internal memory in addition to the SD memory card or does the phone have 2GB memory total??
Like for example the EVO has a 1GB ROM with an 8GB SD card
Is the Shift a 2GB ROM + SD Card or is it 1GB ROM + 2GB SD card??
Another question is how does the keyboard feel???
I know that both reviewers have said it feels smooth and good but from all the pictures online it looks like cheap and flimsy plastic.
This was the reason I passed on the Epic4g and got an Evo instead. I really wanted the Epic but the phone felt like plastic everytime I went to use the keyboard and felt like it would break.
Does the Shift have a solid build quality to it where it doesnt feel like it will break easily ???
Thanks in advance if any of my questions can be answered. I understand that the phone hasnt been out for a while so it may be hard to answer them.
My EVO has constantly been struggling to get more than 5 hours charge with heavy texting and moderate internet use. For those with the Shift just how much better is the battery life so far??
Also I have seen conflicting reports everywhere so I figure for those with the phone how much memory does it have???
Does the phone have 2GB internal memory in addition to the SD memory card or does the phone have 2GB memory total??
Like for example the EVO has a 1GB ROM with an 8GB SD card
Is the Shift a 2GB ROM + SD Card or is it 1GB ROM + 2GB SD card??
Another question is how does the keyboard feel???
I know that both reviewers have said it feels smooth and good but from all the pictures online it looks like cheap and flimsy plastic.
This was the reason I passed on the Epic4g and got an Evo instead. I really wanted the Epic but the phone felt like plastic everytime I went to use the keyboard and felt like it would break.
Does the Shift have a solid build quality to it where it doesnt feel like it will break easily ???
Thanks in advance if any of my questions can be answered. I understand that the phone hasnt been out for a while so it may be hard to answer them.
ah. i forgot. does it have anything like Gorilla Glass? i really hope so.
also, is this gonna get the newest version of SENSE?
also, is this gonna get the newest version of SENSE?
Similar threads
Trending Posts
-
-
-
-
-
How to easily transfer files wirelessly between a Mac and a Samsung?- Started by pennybak
- Replies: 1
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram