[Merged] Sprint / HTC Evo vs. iPhone 4

[barefeats]

LCD -- I noticed the IPhone 4 screen looks yellowish in comparison to the EVO. The EVO screen colors wash out if you are not looking straight at it.

FRAME RATE -- I have run various benchmarks trying compare the two phones. As indicated by other postings, the EVO appears to be capped at 30 fps while the iPhone averaged 48 fps with surges to over 60 in the 3D Benchmark.

3G vs 4G SPEED -- The download speed of the EVO was faster most of the time but the iPhone 4's upload speed was faster most of the time.

BATTERY LIFE -- The iPhone is the clear winner but there are ways to extend the life of the EVO including carrying a spare battery.

LOOK AND FEEL -- iPhone wins, but the EVO isn't as cheap looking and feeling as the Droid Incredible.

ANDROID -- No apps like Pages, Numbers, Keynote, or iMovie. No Electronic Arts games.

 

[211269]

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.

Funny because its the iPhones UI that appears stuck in a time warp to me. Its like something from the 90s. Its boring to look at and you cant do anything besides shuffle the icons into a different order. You must like things simple and those 7 home screens with all the widgets and wallpapers overwhelmed you

 

[GfPQqmcRKUvP]

No not leaving. I can post anywhere I want you probably didn't know that. Dudes in here act like the iphone is your mom and I banged her LOL. Really pathetic. If someone said they don't like the PS3 cause they have an xbox I wouldn't bash em. You dudes in here are some lames.

Cool stuff.

 

[211269]

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).

Huh? You cant figure out how to put music from iTunes on to your Evo? I do it all the time.

 

[Sean4123]

Funny because its the iPhones UI that appears stuck in a time warp to me. Its like something from the 90s. Its boring to look at and you cant do anything besides shuffle the icons into a different order. You must like things simple and those 7 home screens with all the widgets and wallpapers overwhelmed you

I just went into your recent posts and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is about you trashing the iPhone and trying to sell Android. I hope to god that you're getting paid for this. Otherwise, you can chalk your life up to a big waste of time.

 

[211269]

I just went into your recent posts and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is about you trashing the iPhone and trying to sell Android. I hope to god that you're getting paid for this. Otherwise, you can chalk your life up to a big waste of time.

Cool story! You should become a detective when you grow up!

 

[GfPQqmcRKUvP]

Cool story! You should become a detective when you grow up!

No, but seriously, it's a little pathetic. All you do is bash the iPhone on a mac forum. You're not accomplishing anything; no one cares what you say. So why are you hear? I know that you're allowed to be here, but why are you here if all you do is engage in an Android love-fest at the expense of the iPhone?

FWIW, I couldn't be happier with my iPhone 4. My Nexus One is up on ebay right now, can't wait to get rid of that POS.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

I think people aren't seeing that with an Android phone, you actually don't think about apps. It's not about apps. I love my iphone4 but the fact that I can go online to a developer site and download an installer for a beta keyboard or whatever and its used THROUGHOUT the entire OS is just amazing!

Android is more of a computer in a mobile pocket and i don't know if thats what people are looking for. The apps are no where as good as the iphone's but when i was showing it to people, i didn't have to use any apps to show them. Especially when facebook, twitter and flickr are completely integrated with the phone.

CMON apple, GET TO IT. Social connections!!!

 

[vile]

I really love those "it outspecs comment" I've never ran into issues where my ipod touch or my iphone would be to "weak" to handle a app. It's not about specs but overall performance like some previous posters already said, and the iPhone clearly wins in that case (for me). Stop comparing android & iPhone and pick whatever you like...

 

[samstod]

Huh? You cant figure out how to put music from iTunes on to your Evo? I do it all the time.

I can put some of my music, but nothing I purchased from the iTunes store.

 

[maflynn]

There's a thread in the iphone forum about this, and I found this video kind of humorous. It was funny in spots and lame in others.

 

[5630745]

I cannot stand CDMA. It's just an inflexible technology. Love, LOVE, the EVO, like my iPhone 4. I wish there was a GSM version of the EVO out.

 

[muncheroo]

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

Not sure why people say the OS is less refined. I'm going to expand the definition of OS to cover some basic function of smartphones and give you some hard-cold facts about android.

1. Apps - android has way fever apps. Way fewer games. But in terms of core apps, pretty much the same as iphone.

2. visual voice mail app pushes notifications and lets you read or listen to your voicemail with 1 click. this feature is banned by the apple app store's policies and you are required to navigate to a web app.

2b. you can make calls and send texts using google voice. international rates using google voice are very cheap.

3. In android, there is integrated navigation. I have a shortcut setup to my home, so I can just click it once from one of the home screens and literally, within 2 or 3 seconds, google's server-side processing has figured out the best route based on crowd sourced traffic information, the assisted gps has locked on to a signal, and I am ready to go.

4. Stability. Mine has been very stable. I don't hear of many forum members complaining of crashes. That's the best I can offer you in this department.

5. Notifications. Probably a matter of taste, but engadget thinks android's notification system is light year's ahead of apple's.

6. 'openness' - not talking about rooting here... but you are free to sideload apps.

7. swype keyboard - will blow your mind

8. Widgets! Exactly like the kind you guys are familiar with in OS X

Those are just some points off the top of my head to show you that in many department's, android's OS has more polish and function integration than iOS. I have a lot of friends who have iphones and have played with the ip4 extensively. I've played with my friends ip4 extensively and I definitely agree that it feels like a very mature, polished product, but I get the same exact feeling from using android. They are definitely two different beasts and I implore you to use it for more than a few seconds before you pass judgement.

And just to give you an even better idea of the OS, here are some screen shots of people's androids (scroll down to post 14 to get a sense of the level of customization possible):
http://androidforums.com/htc-evo-4g/91853-lets-us-peek-your-screens.html

 

[jp700p]

Just got my iPhone 4. Posted an update.

 

[phobic99]

I love how everyone here has to justify their purchases to each other, whether they buy a Droid or an iPhone 4.

It's kind of like seeing "My daddy can beat up your daddy!" in a techie-geeky sort of way. Very cute and entertaining.

 

[alejovh1]

that video never gets old, love it!!!!

 

[Chupa Chupa]

For some reason some people want to irrational hate on Apple, so they have to puff up other devices, because they have taken a stand against a company.

Yes, I think it makes them feel "edgy." It's a similar phenom to how some people loved Apple when it was a small, almost "also ran," company. When it became mainstream the love was lost and were accused of being a "sell out", not because the products went downhill, but because it became a bourgeoisie symbol.

But products like Droid have their place and help keep Apple on its toes. Would the iPhone 4 have such an incredible screen were it not for the Nexus, I think not.

 

[malnar]

Probably because they can't understand why people are so brainwashed by an inferior product and Operating system. Personally if I were an Android fanboy i'd love to have a Nexus. Not many people have one. It's the cream of the Android Crop. It outspecs the iPhone.

It's kind of annoying that I walk by 50 people a day with the same phone as me.

Most people aren't impressed by specs. They're won over by usability and enjoyment. That's why the Iphone has so many fans. I can hand the Iphone to my dad and he gets it. I can hand the Iphone to my 4 year old daughter and she gets it. I know you Android guys don't get this, but this kind of usability is a MAJOR PLUS to most people. Most of us just don't care what kinds of weird things you can do with Androids when you dig into it. We know that the Iphone is incredibly easy and fun to use and the Androids, well, they're like using Windows. If you like that, great, have at it. I don't. But don't treat people like they're stupid because they choose something that simply works well for them and suits their needs. The reactions of Android fans is so defensive, it looks like you feel very insecure about your choice(s - plural because you guys can never seem to stick to one phone for more than a month or two.) That doesn't seem like the way someone who is happy with their phone would react, does it?

 

[dmelgar]

I think people aren't seeing that with an Android phone, you actually don't think about apps. It's not about apps. I love my iphone4 but the fact that I can go online to a developer site and download an installer for a beta keyboard or whatever and its used THROUGHOUT the entire OS is just amazing!

Android is more of a computer in a mobile pocket and i don't know if thats what people are looking for. The apps are no where as good as the iphone's but when i was showing it to people, i didn't have to use any apps to show them. Especially when facebook, twitter and flickr are completely integrated with the phone.

CMON apple, GET TO IT. Social connections!!!

Agreed. Anandtech said it too. Android is more like having a computer. iPhone is like an appliance. Likewise the iPad is an appliance.

Some people like that. Mindlessly simply, idiot proof. Some people like the flexibility and power that comes with a general purpose computer.

 

[Apollo 13]

I just went into your recent posts and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is about you trashing the iPhone and trying to sell Android. I hope to god that you're getting paid for this. Otherwise, you can chalk your life up to a big waste of time.

well it's not like he's wrong. The Iphone is nothing but tiles of apps which gets boring to look at.

 

[dmelgar]

The reactions of Android fans is so defensive, it looks like you feel very insecure about your choice(s - plural because you guys can never seem to stick to one phone for more than a month or two.) That doesn't seem like the way someone who is happy with their phone would react, does it?

Hardly. I think its the opposite. Android is the underdog. Its come from way behind in a short period of time to be truly competitive with the iPhone 4. Its worse than the iPhone in some ways, but also significantly better than the iPhone in other ways.
Just like Apple used to be the underdog and you wanted to tell everyone about how great it is, people who were stuck on Windows because thats all they've ever used.

Same way, Android is the underdog and its actually very good. And you end up wanting to tell people about it, because many people don't want to listen because they're stuck on the iPhone because thats the only smartphone they've ever used.

Even when the iPhone turns out not to have reception if you hold it, even if Apple's famous customer support ignores the problem... people are still adamant that they want one. Its an amazing phenomenon.

BTW: A little confusion in your post. Android is an operating system. THere are actually choices of phones, unlike the iOS where you're stuck with one and only one phone. Android users switching between Android phones isn't a bad thing. Lots of hardware innovation going on. No need to have one size fit all.

 

[scott99]

There is no perfect phone. My choices were between the iPhone 4 (I currently have an iPhone 3G) and the Sprint EVO. My contract is up in September, and I have a big decision to make. I love the iPhone, love the apps, the ease of use, the ipod part, etc. But the most important part, is the phone, and I've been very disappointed in that part. Since 2009, in the tri-state area (NY/NJ/Conn) and the east coast, reception has been very spotty, at best. In Jersey City where I work, I literally have to turn off 3G and go to Edge. I'm a tech geek, love apps and games, and the iPhone does that the best, but I need the phone/text/data part, and that's where it is lacking, all due to poor reception (It's dropped calls in my apartment, which has never happened until recently).

Now we get to the Sprint EVO, once again, being a tech geek, I truly dig that phone, the all inclusive plan truly tempts me, and IF the reception is good where I need it, I may just go that route. Of course, there are cons for that phone as well, but I have NOT heard any cons about it's reception, as opposed to the new iPhone 4's legendary reception problems. If the EVO has great reception where I need it, may just keep my iPhone 3G as an iPod Touch.

It's a tough choice, there are no perfect phones, or perfect providers (verizon is the closest, but they charge a fortune). But I wouldn't say one phone blows the other out of the water, both great phones. But If I can't use the phone part.......

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

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.

Overreact much? Tablet? Seriously? While the screen is larger, the entire size of the device isn't that much bigger then an iPhone. To listen to you, you would think it was the size of an iPad. It's not. Also, "Droid" is a brand name used on Verizon phones. What you held was an HTC EVO, not a Droid.

 

[SiskoKid]

HTC EVO vs. iPhone 4 Rebuttal!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAOtC9QfXac&feature=player_embedded

Now THIS is hysterical

 

[shadrap]

Android/ Evo Owner, iPhone 4 Rocks!

Trolls please keep moving. This is for those on the fence on getting an Android or the iPhone 4.

I am a phone junky and have been loyal to none. I have had the Palm Pre, iPhone 3Gs, HTC Hero, and HTC Evo. All within the last year and 3 months.

I picked my iPhone 4 up on launch day and planned to do a youtube comparison of the EVO vs the iPhone 4. I left for the beach with my EVO and iPhone in tow. Once at the beach, I started comparing the phones and this is what I found.

OS - iPhone 4 wins. Smoother, user friendly, and with the latest iOS4 updates, I can't see much to complain about.

Browser - Tied. To me the browsers on wifi are equals. They would take turns winning on load times.

Screens - iPhone 4 wins. Though the Evo is bigger, it doesn't matter. The only thing that would beat looking at this screen is a bigger one like it.

Build quality - iPhone 4 wins. Not by much. I believe the Evo is one of the best built phones available.

Camera/ Video - iPhone 4 wins. All I can say is wow. Coupled with iMovie this is one of the best things ever. I was easily able to make a montage of the guys weekend out of town. WARNING VIDEO IS FUNNY, but not for anyone under 18, lol. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a97f4oxT0o8

Facetime vs Qik - Facetime looks 100% better in every way. Despite being limited to wifi.

Battery Life - iPhone 4 by 20 hours. I am not kidding. I don't care what anyone says about "their" Evo. Mine was rooted with all possible tweaks.

Network - Sprint/ HTC EVO. Though the AT&T 3G network is faster. It is nowhere near as reliable or as large.

Well I am keeping the iPhone 4. In fact, I picked another one up for my significant other yesterday. Neither of our iPhones have the signal issues and besides having to re seat her sim card once. They have been flawless.