Yeah, in total agreement man. Had the Evo since the June 5th and just took it back yesterday. To sum it up shortly, the Evo has more than all the hardware it needs to compete...but the OS isn't mature enough yet, and has more hiccups then I'm willing to deal with on a constant basis. I'd like to see what Android does with Gingerbread though. This i4 is just the smoother, sexier pick. I will miss google nav & having global talk-to-type though lol.
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[Merged] Sprint / HTC Evo vs. iPhone 4
- Thread starter ElvisFreshly
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I've been waiting for google nav and have given up hope that it'll come to the iPhone soon. Ended up purchasing Navigon. It's not free but it does an excellent job.
Though not integrated to the actual keyboard, the Dragon Dictation app works excellently if you need to talk-to-type a lot. Me and my buddy compared Dragon with his Droid, and the Dragon app was actually more accurate.
Ok, I will play along too.
OS-iPhone's is nice, but I can complain about alot. No flash support, no speech to text anywhere you can type, no built in Google maps with navigation for starters.
Browser-I love Safari but the iPhone does not reformat text when you pinch to zoom in like the Evo which is very annoying. Speeds are about even but Froyo is a ton faster than 2.1. I doubt the iPhone will see any speed upgrades for another year
Screen-iPhone wins for sure, just wish it was larger.
Camera/video-iPhone wins easily
Facetime vs Quicktime-Evo wins easily as it runs over 3G/4G. Whats the point of having this on wifi? If I am somewhere with a wifi signal, I will have a desktop or laptop, no need for a phone.
Battery Life-Non issue since the Evo battery can be replaced with a larger capacity one or you can carry two and swap a fresh one in.
Network-Sprint by a mile. You cant even use AT&T for a call most the time and when you can, most calls drop.
Great comparison.
I have been on Cingular/ATT since 2001 and was thinking of switching to Sprint. I was on Sprint back when Sanyo phones were still relevant in the early era of cameraphones (circa 2004). But I decided to stick to the iPhone that I always dreamed about since 2007 and it is finally here.
I had a Nokia N82 and I don't miss Xenon flash all that much. iPhone has a shutter speed that is blazing fast! My N82 also didn't have an LED to use as a torch. With the iPhone 4, I don't need the lights in the room to be on anymore if I want to do a personal coitus video.
I will still look into Android as well as Meego. I always try to look for a secondary phone with a mini-SIM (and unlocked) just for travel and for prepaid. I tried looking into the Nokia N8 and I'm not completely convinced being it will be the last Symbian and it lags. I'm also looking the Motorola Milestone X720, but hate the shape of the right side.
I really do like to own two phones because one can compliment the other if each of them lack in something. But the iPhone 4 is so close to perfect because it excels well on what it does, finding a solid #2 is hard to find. Android just isn't as polished today like I want it to be. Maybe in another year or two. Nothing compares to the iP4. Even the battery life and talk time, the iPhone 4 beats most of best smartphones of today. One of the iPhone's greatest weaknesses over the years was the camera, and it now excels in that one too with this latest model.
Apple can attack several consumer electronic markets. I can see them manufacturing P&S/mini HD cameras (iPhone 4 is the guinea pig) and dedicated portable handheld systems to compete with Nintendo and Sony. Apple can dominate them all.
I have been on Cingular/ATT since 2001 and was thinking of switching to Sprint. I was on Sprint back when Sanyo phones were still relevant in the early era of cameraphones (circa 2004). But I decided to stick to the iPhone that I always dreamed about since 2007 and it is finally here.
I had a Nokia N82 and I don't miss Xenon flash all that much. iPhone has a shutter speed that is blazing fast! My N82 also didn't have an LED to use as a torch. With the iPhone 4, I don't need the lights in the room to be on anymore if I want to do a personal coitus video.
I will still look into Android as well as Meego. I always try to look for a secondary phone with a mini-SIM (and unlocked) just for travel and for prepaid. I tried looking into the Nokia N8 and I'm not completely convinced being it will be the last Symbian and it lags. I'm also looking the Motorola Milestone X720, but hate the shape of the right side.
I really do like to own two phones because one can compliment the other if each of them lack in something. But the iPhone 4 is so close to perfect because it excels well on what it does, finding a solid #2 is hard to find. Android just isn't as polished today like I want it to be. Maybe in another year or two. Nothing compares to the iP4. Even the battery life and talk time, the iPhone 4 beats most of best smartphones of today. One of the iPhone's greatest weaknesses over the years was the camera, and it now excels in that one too with this latest model.
Apple can attack several consumer electronic markets. I can see them manufacturing P&S/mini HD cameras (iPhone 4 is the guinea pig) and dedicated portable handheld systems to compete with Nintendo and Sony. Apple can dominate them all.
I highly disagree on the battery issue. You would have to carry around 3-4 batteries in you pocket if you want the same life of the iphone 4. Believe me, I had the Evo up until last week. That was the biggest let down for me. That's really not a plus on the evo if you have to spend more money and have to carry several batteries around and have to have a separate charger for the extra battery. I'm not trying to be rude so don't take it personal. It's just my opinion. Yes, I rooted my phone and did everything possible to up my battery life. You shouldn't have to continuously have to load up an app killer every 1/2 hour just to stop 15 things from running in the background. the battery issue is the biggest reason to not get an evo.
Did you try a different battery? I have an 1800 battery and I get thru a day just fine. 20+ hours with moderate usage and 14-18 with pretty good usage. I am not running 4G though, not available here yet. If you were having to use a task killer every half hour, you are unfamiliar with how Android runs and did yourself more harm then good. Android devs put out a blog in April about how Android runs and why a task killer is not necessary. Should have taken the time to read it
I've spent 30 days with the EVO and one week with the iPhone 4. I agree with the thread starter's assessment. The EVO has some compelling apps like Sprint TV and Real Signal, fast 4G download speeds, and ability to be a WiFi hotspot to 8 devices.
But the iPhone 4's look and feel, quality apps, beautiful screen, screaming upload speed, and smart camera make it the winner in my eyes.
As for size of phone (and screen), the iPhone's size makes more sense. Bigger isn't always better. If I need or want a bigger screen, I pick up the iPad.
But the iPhone 4's look and feel, quality apps, beautiful screen, screaming upload speed, and smart camera make it the winner in my eyes.
As for size of phone (and screen), the iPhone's size makes more sense. Bigger isn't always better. If I need or want a bigger screen, I pick up the iPad.
Did you try a different battery? I have an 1800 battery and I get thru a day just fine. 20+ hours with moderate usage and 14-18 with pretty good usage. I am not running 4G though, not available here yet. If you were having to use a task killer every half hour, you are unfamiliar with how Android runs and did yourself more harm then good. Android devs put out a blog in April about how Android runs and why a task killer is not necessary. Should have taken the time to read it
Somehow I'd like to believe that someone with a rooted phone would know a little something about battery management & task killers.
I've come to the conclusion that most people who returned their EVOs only did so cause they couldn't afford it when they got it.
Listen buddy. You don't need to hang around the Macrumors forums and convince US that YOU are happy with YOUR purchase. It's obvious you're really reaching here too. Facetime DESTROYS Quicktime BTW. Anyone that has educated themselves on the subject knows that videocalling on the EVO is damn near unusable. And what are you going to have to say when the iphone 4 is jailbroken and we are all using 3G Unrestricter + Facetime? You must understand that we know what we're doing with our phones.
Wow. Such nastiness. Feeling insecure about your purchase? Need to be convinced?
Factual information and honest comparisons are very helpful, IMHO.
Really? I returned my evo and purchased my 32gb iPhone 4 straight out no contract. Please do not make ignorant statements. The phone was literally falling apart on me. The screen was separating and there was light leaking from the bottom icons and the top. It's a great phone unless you pick up an iPhone. Get out of kid.
I used an EVO for a week, have had an HTC Incredible for a month, owned a iPhone 3GS for 2 years, played with the iPhone 4 for hours at the store. I develop apps for both iPhone and Android.
I generally agree with most of your assessments. There are areas where iPhone is clearly superior to the EVO, others are more subjective. I think its only recently that Android phones have been good enough to compare at all.
OS - iPhone is definitely smoother, if thats your criteria. EVO limits screen updates to 30 fps for some reason. The Incredible does not. After using the Incredible a month, I think the OS is overall comparable in function to iPhone. iPhone has an edge in usability, but Android exposes more capability.
Browser - I disagree on this one. For one, EVO has flash. I hate flash, but there are times you need it and its great to have it. Otherwise you can't see anything. Android browser is also better at reflowing text when you zoom in. Its a huge difference. Android can, iPhone can't. If your eyes are good enough to read tiny text, iPhone is ok, otherwise EVO is better.
Screens - depends on whats important to you. I love the big screen. The high res of iPhone 4 is nice, but for me EVO res is plenty high enough. Still higher than the iPhone 3GS is even with a bigger screen.
Build quality - I think iPhone 4 wins. Awesome build quality.
Camera/video - iPhone 4 wins. On the EVO, I think sometimes features are there as gimmicks, not intended to really be good. Cameras on the EVO, in particular video recording should be better than it is.
Video chat - Qik seems pretty weak. Facetime follows Apple's mantra of it just works. And amazingly easy to use. Apple may end up creating a whole new market here. Android phones will probably ride the wave. There are other alternatives on Android, Fring, Skype coming.
Battery life - I think this is the big one. iPhone 4 wins big time. Its possible to make the EVO last, but its even easier to inadvertently have so many things communicating in background that the battery dies quickly. HTC plays games putting in a minimum size battery for size and weight. But its not really usable. Should have a much bigger battery meaning heavier bigger phone.
Network - I had Sprint for 10 years, AT&T for 2, and now on Verizon. In my area AT&T STINKS. Look at a coverage map. 90% of the area of the country is EDGE only. Horrible for me. With Sprint and Verizon I find 3G coverage everywhere. After going with Verizon, and suffering through AT&T for 2 years, I can't imagine going back.
Thanks for the review. Good comparison.
This comparison ignores the reception problem on the iPhone 4. I hope they figure it out, but its looking like a hardware design problem.
If there is a way to keep the audio playing, please advise me.
Also, if there is a way to have Pandora fade out when another app is playing audio, I would be interested to know that also.
Backgrounding should be automatic. If you switch back to the home screen and open a new app, the music player should keep playing. I also don't remember if it fades or not, I don't think it does and I think that kind of stuff would be implemented on the OS level. Maybe Android 2.2 (froyo) will do it.
I had the EVO, but returned it because I had no reception in my house. Now I have the iPhone because ATT actually provides me reception. The EVO also suffered from the same hand position as the iPhone 4. When I held the EVO cupped, the bars would drop. When I held it with two fingers at the top, the bars would come back up. Stupid hands...
I also have to mention to people still on the fence, and worried about the battery life. My EVO had terrible battery life, but once they pushed the second OTA update out, my battery life improved dramatically (1 days use no problem) just like the iPhone 3GS.
Other phones will get 2.2. Nexus one has screen touch accuracy issues. Its crucial to have a good touchscreen on this type of phone.
The touchscreen issues have been sorted out. when people want to compare iphone to android, they need to try a n1 with froyo. it easily outperforms an evo.
Did not you hear you have to use a case for it? With the case, all phones look and feel the same. It's the case and the screen. You chose the color of the case.
i still think the motorola droid is the best android phone available, so i dont know why everyone compares it with evo. sense ui blows. the droid is on verizons network, has an awesome build quality, and although the keyboard sucks its nice to have. im probably going back to it since i cant use the iphone 4 as a phone, and it doesnt load webpages half the time on 3g. apple dropped the ball this time, i hope they get hammered with bad publicity. the device is freakin awesome, i cant wait to see how awesome iphone 5 is gonna be after they sort out all this nonsense they have with their phone.