Impressive HTC smartphones will be released in the market this month along with postpaid plans with two reputable network carriers. Sprint is offering the latest HTC Evo 4G LTE which is more aligned with the HTC One X and Verizon will carry the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE which is based on its predecessor, the HTC DROID Incredible 2. Both devices offer several features, appealing design, and impressive performance.
The HTC Evo 4G LTE will have a bundled plan with Sprint and will support its latest 4G LTE network, which is expected to be up and running in full scale this summer. Last week, Sprint had already accepted pre-orders of the anticipated HTC Evo 4G LTE that is scheduled to be released this 22nd of May 2012. HTC Evo 4G LTE is a variant on the HTC One X with a touch of the Evo-style design and some feature tweaks. It is expected that the latest HTC Evo 4G LTE will follow the success of one of Sprint’s best selling phone and its predecessor, the HTC Evo 4G that was released two years ago.
Verizon will also be releasing another HTC handset following the trends among the big players; AT&T will carry the HTC One X, the HTC One S on T-mobile, and the Sprint with the HTC Evo 4G LTE. The latest HTC DROID incredible 4G LTE will go in the hands on Verizon and will be released with a two-year contract with the carrier. Unlike Sprint, Verizon already has its 4G LTE network already functional and its users will be able to experience the LTE network when the HTC DROID incredible 4G LTE gets released at the end of this month.
With the increasing rivalry of HTC handsets in the community today, we take on the cue to help users in choosing which device will be offer better performance and features.
Design
HTC have given emphasis on the materials and built of their handsets as opposed to the plastic casings of other phone manufacturers such as Samsung and others. HTC have used alloys for the HTC Evo 4G LTE and the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE which give a premium and high-end feel to both devices. The HTC Evo 4G LTE offers a high quality built and in terms of its appearance and its feel. The phone is black all over with a silver metal along its edges. At the back of the phone, the red stripe separates the back casing. The top part is a glossy black casing that covers the microSD slot and the sim card slot. It also allows the NFC payments using the phone. The lower part of the phone is made with a metal casing with a matte finish which gives the phone a premium feel. As a signature feature of Evo-style designed phones, the HTC Evo 4G LTE has a kickstand which is unnoticeable since it is in the red stripe. The kickstand is comes very handy especially when watching movies with the device.
On the front of the phone, we can see the large screen of the phone with a three capacitive touch buttons on the bottom. The design of the earpiece is a long slit at the top of the screen and the secondary camera, sensors, and LED indicator can be noticed on its sides. On the right edge of the phone, the volume buttons and the dedicated camera button can be seen. On the other side, the microUSB port is placed to allow the user to charge the phone while positioned up using the kickstand. The 3.5 mm audio jack and the power button is on the top edge of the phone.
The HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE offers a fresh design with its added angles at the back cover. Its design is not that premium as the flagship HTC phones with the likes of the HTC One X and the soon to arrive HTC Evo 4G LTE. It also lacks the premium feel due to its plastic casing. It also has a smaller screen than the Evo 4G LTE which is somehow a disadvantage since the high-end devices are usually offered at screen size of more than 4.7 inches. But some may consider the size also an advantage as some users prefer a smaller and easier to carry handset.
On the top edge of the phone, the 3.5 mm audio jack and the red dedicated power button can be noticed. On the right, the volume keys can be seen while on the other side is where the microUSB slot is located. The HTC Evo 4G LTE wins this round with its more premium look and feel, more importantly due to its kickstand.
Display
The HTC Evo 4G LTE houses a 4.7 inch Super IPS LCD2 capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 720 x 1280p with a pixel density of 312 PPI. On the hand, the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE houses a smaller screen with a 4.0 Inch S-LCD capacitive touchscreen with a resolution 540 x 960p with a pixel density 275 PPI. Both devices are protected with Corning Gorilla Glass technology. The LCD screen of both devices is better than the AMOLED screen that uses PenTile matrix since the Super IPS LCD2 and the S-LCD uses the natural RGB matrix. However, for this round, the HTC Evo 4G LTE wins due to the Super IPS screen that offers wide viewing angles with consistent colors and contrast, with virtually no color shift.
Processor
Though both devices are powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 Krait dual-core processor and Adreno 225 chipset, the HTC Evo 4G LTE is clocked at 1.5 GHz, while the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE is clocked at a slower speed of 1.2 GHz. Thus, the winner for this round is the HTC Evo 4G LTE due to a faster processor speed.
Camera
HTC Evo 4G LTE and HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE is equipped with a camera that has an 8 megapixel sensor capable of taking images with a resolution of 3264 x 2447 pixels. Both cameras is also features simultaneous HD video recording and still image recording. The HD videos are recorded at 1080p resolution. It also features stereo sound recording and video stabilization. Both devices are also equipped with a 1.3 megapixel secondary camera, capable of recording HD videos at 720p resolution. This round is a draw.
Software
Both devices will come with the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) OS with an overlay of HTC’s latest Sense UI 4.0. HTC have also partnered with beats audio to provide its users with a superb sound quality. The devices also feature an active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic and SNS integration. The devices will also be pre-loaded with Android apps.
Data Connectivity
The HTC Evo 4G LTE will not support the usual GSM network, although it will be 4G and LTE enabled supporting Rev A with speeds of up to 3.1 mbps, LTE, Cat3 at 50 mbps, and UL with speeds of up to 100 mbps. It will also support Bluetooth 3.0. On the other hand, the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE will support HSDPA and HSUPA. It will also have support for Rev A and it will have LTE Class 13. It will also use a newer Bluetooth 4.0 version. Both will have Wi-Fi capable, DLNA, Wi-Fi direct, and Wi-Fi hotspot. HDMI out is also possible using the microUSB slot that support MHL. Though the Droid Incredible 4G LTE supports HSDPA and uses Bluetooth 4.0, the Evo 4G LTE supports faster data networks such as UL and Cat3. Thus, the HTC Evo 4G LTE wins this round.
Memory
The HTC Evo 4G LTE comes with and internal storage of 32 GB while the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE has only 8 GB. However, both devices is equipped with a microSD slot that allows the user to expand the memory of the devices up to 32 GB. So the internal memory is not that much of a strong consideration since it is much cheaper to expand using an SD card that paying for a larger, more expensive SSD. For this round, we clearly give the credit to the HTC Evo 4G LTE.
Battery
HTC Evo 4G LTE provides greater mobility than the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE since it has a 2000 mAh standard battery as compared to the 1700 mAh battery of the later. Thus, the HTC Evo 4G LTE wins this round. However, it cannot be determined clearly if the larger screen and higher processor clock speed can affect the battery life of the Evo 4G LTE making it significant enough that it would make the phone less superior than the Droid Incredible 4G LTE. For now, we consider the Evo 4G LTE as the winner with its higher capacity battery pack.
Price
The HTC Evo 4G LTE will be available on May 18, 2012 or on the 22nd, depending on your location, at price of $199.99 with a contract with Sprint. On the other hand, HTC Evo 4G LTE is said to be available this 31st of May at an expected price of $299.99 with a two-year contract with Verizon. Though there is still no official price and sale date for the handset. The Droid Incredible will be offered at a higher price. however, one must consider the inclusion of the plan and the features of the phone. For now, we consider the HTC Evo 4G LTE the winner with the lower cash out to take home the device.
Conclusion
It is truly a tough fight in the high-end smartphone market segment especially with the release of handset with the likes of the HTC Evo 4G LTE and the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE. It its impressive that HTC was able to somehow dominate some sectors of the high-end market through the company’s partnership with large network providers.
Both devices that we have presented both offers commendable features and design, and deciding which to choose will surely be a difficult decision. Some consumers will have to consider the package inclusion of both carriers, some will have to consider the size of the phone, and some may be particular with the aesthetics of the handset. In the end, it will still be the decision of the user that will prevail.
But, for us, it might be a good decision to go for the flagship HTC phone, which is the HTC Evo 4G LTE.
