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[Merged] Sprint / HTC Evo vs. iPhone 4

jp700p said:
I was one of the first in line to get an HTC EVO. For the first couple of weeks I was content. But thats when things started to go sour.


- Sprints 4G is over rated
I live in a city where 4G has been present for over a year and its not all its cracked up to be. I barely get above 3 megs at most and on average saw about 2 megs. I traveled to other 4G citities and saw about the same. I doubt Sprint will improve this since they can't even get their 3G network right.


- Battery life is terrible
I do light web surfing and text messaging here and there. I take it off the charger at 8a and by the time its for bed at 11p, its almost all drained. Thats what 4G, GPS, Bluetooth all turned off. And I manually end tasks of any programs running in the background periodically. I don't know why they included Sprint TV since it drains about 1% every 1 minute.


- Android OS isn't mature yet
Most of the popular apps I tried were either not compatible with the phone or they looked like crap. They are not as beautiful working and looking as the worst app in the Apple App Store. Scrolling isn't as smooth which is sad since it has the fastest CPU processor available to man-kind at the moment.
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A lot of your points are valid, but not all of them. For instance, your assertion that Sprint can't get 3G right. Works just fine for most people. Every carrier has dead spots. None are immune from that. And if you read message boards, you will see that Sprint is usually rated pretty high for 3G coverage.

As for battery life, this one makes me laugh. Not too long ago the iPhone had horrible battery life and yet people still managed to deal with it. And that was with a non-removable battery too! On the EVO you can bring along an extra battery or better yet, get a larger one that last longer. That being said, there are many things you can do to improve battery life. A lot of people make it through a whole day and people who have rooted their phone and dumped the HTC Sense OS have gotten even more, so it sounds like maybe something HTC did created the problem. In fact, an update was released today addressing that very issue. Will be interesting to see if people see improvements or not.

Finally you stated that "They are not as beautiful working and looking as the worst app in the Apple App Store" which is a huge over-exaggeration. There's some REALLY bad stuff out there, even in the app store! Also your claim that the EVO has the "fastest CPU processor available to man-kind at the moment" isn't true either. There are faster processors out there. And there are even faster multiple core ones right around the corner. And I can't wait to see what things look like once they are released. The phone wars next summer should be even better then this one!
 
I'm kinda in the same place as many people in this thread. I'm stuck between both phones and I'm currently on Sprint, have been for 8 years. I've been to many forums and my head kinda hurts now so excuse me if I don't make some sense in this....

The biggest issue bothering me is just how each phone will hold up over the 2 years I will be on contract. I know insurance exists and its awesome, but I'm just talking overall. The glass on the iPhone worries me a lot because accidents happen, no question about it. So if I dropped both phones, which one would hold up better?? I like to keep my phones for a while since it saves money. For example, I still have my 5 year old Samsung A900/Blade on Sprint and its still running great. I know the Evo has a glass screen too, but its not encompassing the whole phone.

I love the new iPhone design and feature set, don't get me wrong, but there just seems to be a lot going against me here :( I live in an area where At&t isn't so great so having no reception in my house is another downside. Then making the move to At&t will cost me a bit more money because of the plans.

So depending on my situation what would a lot of you do? Go with the iPhone for a great design and features but no reception in your house and glass front and back? Or the Evo 4g which saves you time switching carriers, a little more durable(would you agree?)and still a great design, but a little less refined OS and missing some apps you liked on the iPhone?

Thanks! This might save me future headaches :p
 
Aznhiga13 said:
So depending on my situation what would a lot of you do? Go with the iPhone for a great design and features but no reception in your house and glass front and back? Or the Evo 4g which saves you time switching carriers, a little more durable(would you agree?)and still a great design, but a little less refined OS and missing some apps you liked on the iPhone?

Thanks! This might save me future headaches :p
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I don't think either is realistically going to be 'more durable'... if you drop something there's a pretty good chance it will break!

The Android OS is great. It's not hard to use (unless you're actually simple), not confusing... just more complex than the iPhone, which gives the apple cheering section an easy target.

HTC Sense is very nice and widgets are the best thing ever. You'll love FriendStream and the Clock/Weather widget with the full-screen weather animations when you switch your screen on. Contrary to what some of these guys will tell you, HTC's interface looks very polished.

Oh, and while the android market has fewer apps right now, there's still an equivalent to just about every essential iPhone app. And many of them are free... especially if you know where to look ;)
 
After nearly a month with my EVO, I have to say it is a really good phone, despite its flaws. It took a few weeks, but I have the system tweaked to the point where it easily lasts the whole day. Turns out there are a lot of really dumb settings turned on that shouldn't be.

The app store isn't as nice, though I have never been a huge app person. The majority that I do like are on both iOS and Android, so I haven't noticed a huge difference.

Android OS isn't hard to use, but it also isn't as intuitive as the iPhone's. The biggest problem is actually that most of the apps and OS have been created with phones with less responsive touchscreens than the EVO/Incredible/Nexus One, so their on click behaviors are a little different. IE, I'm use to being able to click on a name in twitter or a link and get directly to that name or link, and not having a pop up come up with a second click. Not a deal breaker, but annoying. I'm sure after a few months I'd be used to it.

I'd like to compare the cameras, but the camera on my EVO hasn't been working since about day 1, and they don't have any stock to replace it. Never buying from Radioshack ever again.

I'm also having a hard time deciding if I want to go back to the iPhone or not, though I'm leaning towards it. The fact that I have a lot of content purchased through iTunes is a big factor, as is the fact that sprint is a bit hit or miss at my workplace (though, being 36 stories up, AT&T wasn't a peach either, though the signal didn't usually go below 2 bars).

If I do return it, I am going to really miss the tethering. Of all the features of the phone (other than the massive screen) it is the best reason to stay with the EVO. Being able to use my WiFi iPad or Macbook Pro anywhere is really nice. I was out of town last week, so being able to get work done without resorting to going to Starbucks was helpful.

Edit: Also, Swype is awesome. I haven't had time to become truly accustomed to it, but it is the best keyboard I've ever used. It is better than the iPhone's keyboard, though I had three years or practice to become an expert on that one. Even after a week I'm typing as fast or faster than I ever did on my iPhone. It's a strange feeling to let go and trust its autocorrect when you are just sliding your finger across the screen, but it does a really good job of getting everything right. It's too bad Apple won't let them release it for the iPhone.
 
marksman said:
In other words once someone posted a video everyone started molesting their phones and people started to look for monsters under the bed.

What some people who are having a problem can't understand is there are a lot of people not having an issue. Which is evidence itself that the problem is a little bit more complex.
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This is a perfect synopsis of the problem. I have no doubt that a significant number of people are having the issue, but not everyone is. For some reason, the more vocal people having the problem want it to be broader than it is - I guess they prefer not to suffer alone.
 
rookie1082 said:
Lets be honest -- The Devs on Android are bar none better than Devs on iPhone. While iPhone devs are trying to figure out HOW to unlock an iPhone, Android devs are slipstreaming devices and making them quicker, smoother, and unlocking internal hardware to add features (i.e. Nexus one's 720p recording).
Click to expand...

The folks who work on expanding the Android OS features are great, but saying they are "bar none better" is sophomoric rhetoric. The biggest difference is more devs on the Android side are working on core OS functionality to increase usability and performance. The vast majority of iPhone devs are working on apps, not core OS functionality.

Why do we suppose that is? because for the most part, iOS already includes most of the features that people actually want and use. It's not perfect, and if you want to "geek out" on your phone, then jailbreaking is probably necessary; but for the overwhelming majority, jailbreaking is never going to be necessary. They enhance the experience through the addition of apps, not reflashing their phone's firmware.

I've owned android devices as well as all the flavors of the iPhone. I'm possibly the most schizophrenic of all when it comes to my cell phone. I repeatedly go back to the iPhone as I find it to be a superior combination of performance, experience, and functionality.
 
Well I'm sorry for the double post. I obviously missed it and there probably others that missed it as well.

MY BADDDD
 
samstod said:
I'm also having a hard time deciding if I want to go back to the iPhone or not, though I'm leaning towards it. The fact that I have a lot of content purchased through iTunes is a big factor,
Click to expand...

But you said you also have an iPad that you could just use your content with, right? So I guess I am not seeing why that is a factor. It it's movies or TV shows you're talking, I'd rather watch them on an iPad's larger screen. If it's games, well here again I'd rather have the bigger screen, unless you are someplace that wouldn't be ideal for lugging the bigger device along. But then, you've got Android games you could play. So I am curious. What content makes it a big factor that couldn't be used on your iPad? I'm asking because I am considering the exact same arrangement that you are using now and want to make sure I'm not overlooking something!
 
Don't Believe the Hype

I had to come back here to let you know that I actually held a Droid EVO device. It was more like holding a TABLET that thing is huge without a cause.

Next, I asked to play around with it, and I was confused and put off by the crappy GUI. Are Droid zombies claiming it's superior to the iPhone serious? The GUI is stuck in a time warp. The owner actually seemed unexcited. He griped about the crappy battery.

I had no desire to play with it any further. There was no "wow" factor -- nothing. I picked up my iPhone 4 and gave it a hug. Kidding. But I am convinced that I have the best app phone. All of that Droid hype is just that -- hype.
 
of course the salesman "forgets" to mention features exclusive to the iphone4 like the retina display, gyroscope, itunes syncing, etc...

implying that the evo can do anything the iphone4 can do and better. Each might have an advantage over the other in something, but the evo isnt better at everything.
 
Well, I made the mistake of buying an EVO today. I'm certainly glad Sprint has their flexible return policy! Phew...

Now, the device is not exactly bad, but in comparison to my experience with the iPhone and the variety of quality applications, it would be hard to keep it.

I'd best describe the Android experience as "clunky." It works, but not exactly as you'd expect. There is a lot of potential, but there is going to be a lot of work needed in the apps area. There needs to be a good bit more polish. Some of the developers who also produce for the iPhone have some nice offerings, but overall, the refinement isn't there.

Battery life has been fair, not as dreadful as some have stated. It's in line with the 3GS or maybe a bit worse, but nothing majorly different than I have experienced in the last year on the 3GS. I have big hopes for the life of the iPhone 4's battery.

I'd even go so far as to say that Apple has done a better job with multitasking. One example of this is listening to old radio broadcasts online in MP3 format. On the iPhone, I can load up a file, and it will launch the QuickTime Player. I can go about my business in another app without it shutting off, but on the EVO, going back to the home screen to start a new program cuts the audio off. This was unexpected.

I'll edit this a bit for clarity in the future, but for now, I'm looking forward to getting an iPhone 4 and dropping this EVO off at Sprint before the month is out.
 
MadeTheSwitch said:
But you said you also have an iPad that you could just use your content with, right? So I guess I am not seeing why that is a factor. It it's movies or TV shows you're talking, I'd rather watch them on an iPad's larger screen. If it's games, well here again I'd rather have the bigger screen, unless you are someplace that wouldn't be ideal for lugging the bigger device along. But then, you've got Android games you could play. So I am curious. What content makes it a big factor that couldn't be used on your iPad? I'm asking because I am considering the exact same arrangement that you are using now and want to make sure I'm not overlooking something!
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Well, it's 6 years of music purchases for one(maybe one or two hundred albums? At least one a month)...sure I could find a way to unDRM them, but that is a lot...plus a few TV show seasons, movies, and games. I still have access to the content, just not on my phone any longer. I'd also have to reconvert all of the CDs I put into iTunes for the first two or three years I was doing them as they are in Apple codecs.
 
rookie1082 said:
Lets be honest -- The Devs on Android are bar none better than Devs on iPhone. While iPhone devs are trying to figure out HOW to unlock an iPhone, Android devs are slipstreaming devices and making them quicker, smoother, and unlocking internal hardware to add features (i.e. Nexus one's 720p recording).
Click to expand...

Your screen name fits you, cause that's one of the most ignorant statements I've seen in this forum.
 
FelixDerKater said:
Well, I made the mistake of buying an EVO today. I'm certainly glad Sprint has their flexible return policy! Phew...

Now, the device is not exactly bad, but in comparison to my experience with the iPhone and the variety of quality applications, it would be hard to keep it.

I'd best describe the Android experience as "clunky." It works, but not exactly as you'd expect. There is a lot of potential, but there is going to be a lot of work needed in the apps area. There needs to be a good bit more polish. Some of the developers who also produce for the iPhone have some nice offerings, but overall, the refinement isn't there.

Battery life has been fair, not as dreadful as some have stated. It's in line with the 3GS or maybe a bit worse, but nothing majorly different than I have experienced in the last year on the 3GS. I have big hopes for the life of the iPhone 4's battery.

I'd even go so far as to say that Apple has done a better job with multitasking. One example of this is listening to old radio broadcasts online in MP3 format. On the iPhone, I can load up a file, and it will launch the QuickTime Player. I can go about my business in another app without it shutting off, but on the EVO, going back to the home screen to start a new program cuts the audio off. This was unexpected.
Click to expand...
Not true. Not sure what you did. You can easily keep music running while other programs are running. Depends on what program you used to play the music and what program you were trying to start. Normally it keeps going.

if you're talking about the browser, then maybe I could see it stopping. But if its really an MP3, you can typically download the file and listen to it whenever you want. Can't do that with an iPhone.
If the page has a Flash player to play the MP3, it will at least work on the EVO not like the iPhone which can't handle any flash. If it is a flash player, it will stop when you leave the browser. (Thankfully stops flash).
 
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