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tested<br />
SMARTPhones<br />
World-Class Phone<br />
The HTC EVO Design 4G offers world phone capability and swift<br />
data speeds in a sleek aluminum body.<br />
The EVO’s going global with Sprint’s latest smartphone,<br />
the HTC EVO Design 4G. While this Android<br />
handset looks like a slightly larger version of the<br />
HTC Rhyme on Verizon, this EVO adds global connectivity<br />
and 4G speeds for a reasonable $99 (with<br />
two-year contract and mail-in rebate).<br />
At first glance, the EVO Design 4G looks like<br />
the HTC Rhyme minus the polarizing purple<br />
exterior. But closer inspection reveals key differences,<br />
including a larger 4-inch display that<br />
occupies most of the face, leaving just enough<br />
room for a thin earpiece and the 1.3-megapixel<br />
front-facing camera. A barely-there black matte<br />
aluminum strip wraps around the front, forming<br />
a thick brushed-aluminum band in the rear with<br />
an etched HTC logo.<br />
The 4-inch 960 x 540p glossy Super LCD<br />
qHD touchscreen display was bright with vibrant<br />
color, and at 411 lux, was much brighter than<br />
the Galaxy S II (284 lux), but still a bit below the<br />
iPhone 4 (511 lux) and iPhone 4S (549 lux), not to<br />
mention the LG Marquee (684 lux). However, we<br />
noticed some noise when watching The Avengers<br />
trailer on YouTube. Thor’s usually stunning<br />
crimson cape was diminished by pixelation, as<br />
were night scenes.<br />
The EVO Design 4G’s single-core 1.2-GHz<br />
Qualcomm MSM8655 processor with 768MB of<br />
RAM turned in some pretty solid scores. On the CPU<br />
portion of the Benchmark app, the phone notched<br />
2541, well above the EVO 4G Slide (1,702), the Nexus<br />
S 4G (1,688), and the LG Marquee (1,602).<br />
Overall, the Design 4G showed no signs of<br />
lag when launching apps or switching between<br />
applications. The camera took only two seconds<br />
to launch, and navigating between home screens<br />
was a breeze.<br />
Once the pages were fully loaded, gestures such<br />
as scrolling and pinch-to-zoom were seamless.<br />
We really liked that we could navigate between<br />
windows by zooming out of the current window<br />
and cycling through all our open windows.<br />
The Design 4G’s 5-megapixel rear-facing camera<br />
took sharp photos with bright colors in both indoor<br />
and outdoor settings. The phone captured impressive<br />
shots of a chalk-drawn mural as dusk fell. In<br />
a side-by-side comparison with the EVO 4G, we<br />
noticed the Design 4G gave us sharper, clearer<br />
images, especially in dimmer settings.<br />
Voices came through loud and clear on the<br />
EVO Design 4G. Even when we were placed on<br />
speakerphone, we could easily hear our caller<br />
sing “His Eye Is On the Sparrow,” though the song<br />
sounded somewhat hollow.<br />
Sprint’s international rates vary by country, so<br />
you’ll definitely want to check out the rates before<br />
placing a call or streaming video overseas. Data<br />
pricing is a flat $0.019/KB, but the voice plan fluctuates.<br />
In the United Kingdom, it’s $1.29 per minute<br />
with international roaming charges, while voice<br />
calling jumps to $1.99 in Japan and Sweden.<br />
Sprint claims the EVO Design 4G’s 1520 mAh<br />
battery can get up to 6 hours of talk time. The<br />
phone lasted 5 hours and 25 minutes during the<br />
LAPTOP Battery Test (continuous web surfing via<br />
4G). That’s 5 minutes short of the 5:30 Android<br />
average. The EVO 4G lasted 5:39, while the Nexus<br />
S 4G clocked in with 5:32.<br />
The $99 HTC EVO Design 4G takes some of<br />
the EVO 4G’s best features and puts them in a<br />
smaller, sleeker package. This Android phone<br />
offers snappy performance, fast 4G speeds, and<br />
The EVO Design 4G’s sleek looks are matched by its<br />
fast speeds and good price.<br />
720p video recording, plus world phone capability.<br />
Our only major complaint is the relatively<br />
short battery life, but this handset wasn’t far off<br />
the average. Overall, the HTC EVO Design 4G is a<br />
very good choice for budget-conscious shoppers.<br />
<br />
—Sherri L. Smith<br />
HTC $99.99<br />
★★★★☆<br />
www.sprint.com<br />
CPU: 1.2-GHz Qualcomm Operating System:<br />
Android 2.3 RAM/ROM: 768MB/4GB Display<br />
Size/Resolution: 4 inches/960 x 540 GPS: Yes<br />
Wireless: 802.11b/g/n, EV-DO, HSDPA/UMTS,<br />
Mobile WiMAX Front Camera: 1.3-MP Rear<br />
Camera: 5-MP Talk/Standby Time: 6 hours/6<br />
days Ports: microUSB, headphone Size: 4.8 x<br />
2.4 x 0.5 inches Weight: 5.2 ounces<br />
Sophisticated design<br />
Strong performance<br />
Fast 4G speeds<br />
World roaming capability<br />
A bit thick<br />
Mediocre battery life<br />
32<br />
Laptop | January 2012<br />
www.laptopmag.com
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