Sprint HTC EVO 4G LTE unboxing and initial hands on review

The 3rd generation of the EVO will arrive on Sprint on May 18th for $199. Original EVO owners have been waiting for a reason to finally upgrade after last year’s flop, the EVO 3D. The EVO 4G LTE is a variant of the HTC One X, which is the best Android phone available now. Sprint worked with HTC to give this phone a more “EVO” look, which seems to be a love or hate it feeling with original EVO owners. The wanted to give customers a micro SD slot (not on the global version) for expanded storage, and with that came a shiny slide-out cover on the top back that just doesn’t look right because the bottom half is anodized aluminum. For whatever reason HTC didn’t feel they could go with the anodized aluminum on the top cover. I’m no phone designer, but did it have to be so shiny? This is my only complaint, but if I’m a Sprint customer, I can look past it because this is the best phone, and the next one down isn’t in the same “zip code.”

Other differences from the global HTC is a bigger battery at 2000 mAh, a dedicated camera shutter button, LTE compatibility, HD Voice, and the EVO signature kickstand that fits beautifully in its place. The final difference from the global version is the processor. Like the AT&T version of the One X, the EVO 4G LTE gets the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor clocked at 1.5 GHz. Again this is for LTE compatibility since the NVIDIA Tegra 3 isn’t compatible.

Speaking of LTE, it hasn’t launched yet, but should sometime in June. The first six markets include Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio. It’s a little bit of a Debbie Downer that LTE isn’t available now, but if you consider most consumers will be signing up for 2 years, LTE should hopefully be in major areas by then.

The full specs include a 4.7-inch (1280 x 720) Super LCD 2 display, a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, micro SD slot for up to an additional 32GB of storage, 8MP camera rear camera with ImageSense, 1.3MP front-facing camera, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, WiFi, HDMI through MHL port, mirco USB, Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, and Sense 4.0.

We will do a full review, but for now checkout the initial hands on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CuGNQQ2x4co

HTC EVO 4G LTE Gets Unlocked Bootloader

While the HTC One X has been a hit with consumers and tech enthusiasts alike there has been one thorn in the paw of this lion of a phone. That’s the fact that AT&T has the device’s bootloader locked. This potential slap in the face to HTC’s unlocked bootloader policy has caused an uproar and enough of one that HTC made an official statement the other day. Some of the worry has transferred over to the HTC EVO 4G LTE offered by Sprint. Well folks you have little to worry about as it appears that HTC’s bootloader unlock tool supports the unlocking of this device. This is a potentially good sign for those who want to root their device.

While HTC does allow the unlocking of the EVO 4G LTE, it does not in fact grant S-Off. This means that you can’t flash a ROM, kernel, etc. in recovery but have to use a PC work around to do such things. Sorry folks. You will still have to wait to do those things, but it’s good news as its a step closer into that direction. So while you may not be able to flash one of the CM 9 nightlies easily just yet, chances are sometime soon you will be able to. If you’re interested in reading more on this device you can check out our initial hands on review right here. Enjoy!

Huawei Ascend Y200 Entry-Level Phone Coming To U.S.

Huawei teased us with its high-end Ascend D Quad a few days ago at CTIA, but it still has its feet firmly planted on entry-level soil. The Huawei Ascend Y200, also shown at CTIA, is an example of a phone that’s perfect for teenagers, smartphone first-timers, or anyone on a budget. The “Y” stands for “Youth”, which is how Huawei is positioning devices with slower processors, smaller screens, and lower camera specs. The Y200 sports the following specs:
Single-core 1GHz processor
3.5-inch 320 x 480 resolution display
3.2 megapixel camera
1,400 mAh battery
Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

This is definitely a lower-end phone. It should be coming to U.S. carriers some time in the next couple of months, though we don’t know which yet. Pricing has also not been announced.