HTC EVO 4G Preview

HTC and Sprint have officially announced the upcoming release of HTC EVO 4G – the world’s first Android smartphone with the support 4G/Wi-Max networks. The sales of the smartphone are planned to start this summer.

Hardware filling is close to the specs of  the mega-successful HD2. Among the differences of the devices are: increased memory, an improved camera, the front face camera and increased battery capacity. At present the software platform is truly what makes the device special: it is the first Android- smartphone powered with this screen size and support for 4G.

The new device is has a Snapdragon QSD8650 hardware platform (CDMA-version of the chipset QSD8250, used both in HD2 and Nexus One) with a processor of 1 GHz. EVO 4G is equipped with a luxurious 4.3-inch screen with 480 x 800 pixels making it the special of specials. Built-in memory (ROM) is 1 GB, that does not limit the user in the number of installed programs, and thanks to a decent amount of RAM (512 MB) these programs will run very fast.

The built-in camera with 8 Megapixels is worth a special mentioning. Camera can shoot videos in HD-quality (720p) and is a really high-quality solution that is compatible with digital “soaps” of the initial level. In addition to the main camera, a 1.3 megapixel camera is also there, located on the front side of the device and happy users can make some exciting video calls.

Communicative capabilities of EVO 4G are presented with Wi-Fi module (standard 802.11b / g), support for Bluetooth, as well as the presence of HDMI-out port.

The smartphone is based on Android 2.1 operating system and has HTC Sense over it.

The main peculiarity of EVO 4G is the support for wireless networks of data transfer of the fourth generation 4G (technologies EV-DO Rev. A and WiMAX). At the same time calls are made through the CDMA module, and for data transfer EV-DO or WiMAX are used. The device can operate as a wireless access point supporting up to eight local connections by Wi-Fi.

As for the first impressions, almost all the experts point out high-quality camera (for a smartphone), gorgeous screen, and as always friendly user interface Sense. Touch keys disappointed a little, the use of which is not too convenient, but hardware buttons (“rocker” for the volume control and power button) are of high quality.

At the back of the devices there is retractable chrome leg. After removing the back cover many users will be surprised by “internal” bright red colors of the device. The buttons on the keyboard are large enough; the good screen size did not restrict developers in choosing their size.

Testing of Internet connection speed in WiMAX networks has not been done yet, but Sprint speaks of the average speed of 3-6 Mbps.

We are likely to learn the cost of the device only in summer, when HTC EVO 4G is available.