By In a not-so-surprising statement made at a Sprint investor conference yesterday, Sprint’s CFO Robert Brust believes that the HTC EVO 4G can keep up with the launch of the iPhone 4 when it hits AT&T later this month. He calls the state of the industry (for competitors, anyway) “iPhone introduction” trauma whenever Apple drops their yearly eggs all into the AT&T basket in June/July.
Our hope is that we won’t lose as many customers this year as we have in the past.
It’s really refreshing to hear a higher-up not pretend as if they have no competition and as if they’re untouchable. He cites AT&T’s network problems (and the bad reputation that came right along with it over the past few years) as one of the reasons why the EVO 4G will remain attractive throughout iPhone frenzy.
Other factors include tiered data plans with not much more value than customers have already been getting. Combined with the expectation that AT&T will be getting a data-heavy iPad 3G, it’s clear to see why service and cost alone would turn several thousand people away from AT&T for the iPhone.
Not only focusing on AT&T’s woes, Sprint’s touting their own benefits: cheaper (and, for now, unlimited) plans, a self-proclaimed more reliable and faster network, and a device that can truly go toe-to-toe with what Apple’s bringing to the table. Sprint has a good reason to be confident in their ability to hold up against AT&T if their EVO launch-day performance is anything to go by (even if those numbers ended up being slightly wrong).
[via CNet]
Maybe…if Sprint/Google/HTC can fix battery drainage, low wifi range and get updated to 2.2!?
Yeah Jim cause Im sure the iphone will come out COMPLETELY bug free..
Battery drain? Yeah I suppose a phone with everything and a 4.3 screen should just last all day!
Matt, I own and very much like the EVO but these are real issues, that if not addressed will reduce EVO’s desirability.
I am with Matt.
Why bash something so great? Heck if you dont like it, then sell it and get yourself envolved with the $375 ETF from At&t after you figure out that that screen they now have will consume more battery, and the Antennas… why would you let people touch them? Arent human beings suppose to stay way from cellphone antennas? Wouldnt that make At&t’s coverage worse? LOL
Either way dont think for a second that Google wont come up with a greater screen with less battery drainage. Like they said in Engadget- The Evo is like a Ferrari- of course its going to use alot of Gas for all that Horse Power!
I get 14 hours out of my evo so I call that a win in battery life about 2 more then I ever got out of my touch pro 2 and I wish they wouldnt call out the iphone its not ment to be an iphone killer its ment to be the first 4g device
Matt you are absolutely correct. There is only a one hour difference in battery life. Besides the IPhone OS cant touch google open OS even with any flaws the IPhone fanboy may point out.
I agree with Jim. I’m cool as an Evo owner with a thicker phone or even a case that holds an extra battery. The evo has more to offer than the iphone 4 . The iPhone 4 requires WiFi for video conference, what good is that. ATT has a strangle hold on Apple and its too bad because it could be much better on the Sprint network. I would still choose the Evo. Faster and bigger.
@ Jim: You are wrong. If you really wanted 2.2 (Froyo) all you have to do is root your EVO and flash over the Froyo ported custom ROM. It’s a smartphone, they all have subpar battery life. All in all, there are options to fix the issues that you are mentioning but many feel the need to be lazy and then complain about it.
The new iPhone isn’t even on the same level as my Nexus One with 2.2 so I know it also doesn’t stand a chance against the EVO and Incredible. :)
@Jim do you have your 4G off or is this your first smartphone? How many hours does your battery last? Also Blackberries don’t count because they don’t really do anything so thats why the battery last so long, phones like the iPhone, Android, WebOS all have bad battery life.
Sometimes, Jim, you just gotta adapt and overcome. Nobody (AT&T/Apple, Sprint/HTC) is going to be perfect, and each company is going to have its own set of problems. You just have to figure out whose problems are easier to accept…Sprint and the battery-draining EVO 4G, or AT&T and their network nightmares. I am very leary about switching to Sprint due to a couple of my friend’s customer service nightmares with them. I undeniably love the iPhone. But AT&T’s network has grown extremely sour on me. If I had a choice, I would switch back to Tmobile. But for some reason they are sitting on their thumbs and have not brought out an Android phone worthy of consideration (not interested in MTS, Galaxy, or Garmin). For that, I still sit on the fence.
Battery life on the Evo is good… Lasts all day for me. Same as my old HTC Hero. Some people just have unrealistic expectations.
I Bought the Evo the very first day it came out. Had one on reserve and picked it up on my lunch break. Im very much satisfied with it. Im not sure what all this low battery hype is about…? I play my music all day at work. Mind you, an 8hour shift….and still have alittle juice left afterwards.
My Blackberry Curve 8530 seemed to not even last that long.
I dont know of any super electronic phone or device that you dont have to atleast charge alittle bit after an eight hour period.
Bottom line the whole story about being unsatisfied because of the battery is baloney. Unless your an Internet fien then I can understand, but still this is a great device.
Buy an Evo!
Google:
1. High-quality navigation software that isn’t a separate purchase.
2. Tethering
3. Install any app you want period.
4. System-wide voice-to-text input.
5. Live, functioning home screen widgets.
6. Anything that matches the numerous innovations coming from Android 2.2 — things like over-the-air music syncing and streaming, cloud-to-device messaging, and mobile hotspot functionality.
7. The choice to use a carrier that isn’t AT&T (I don’t think I have to spell out the numerous reasons why).
8. The existence of full multitasking, outside of carefully defined and limited circumstances.
9. On and On and On.
10. Even the New IPhone is behind faster then a rock regardless of Apple making things better.
11. LG is coming out with 20 Android phones
12. Apple has one phone per year.
13. People love freedom and choice.
@Inco or every other T-mobile customer who complains about T-mobile not having any good Android phones please look at the story and stop your apparent suffering. Inco if I sound like an ass its because I have read maybe 300 to 400 different comments from people whining about T-mobile’s Android offering when they have still the best Android phone.
http://m.zdnet.com/blog/cell-phones/4-carriers-and-4-super-smartphones-which-is-your-favorite/3987
Here are some good tips to help save battery life with your EVO.
http://www.goodandevo.net/2010/05/20-tips-to-improve-htc-evo-4g-battery-life.html
@Inco You have been served. The Nexus One on T-Mobile beats the New IPhone.
@Inco
Are you interested in the Samsung Galaxy S, set to debut soon on T-Mobile and all other carriers too I think.
It looks like an awesome phone. Add another amazing phone to the Android team
@Cyd
I agree with all of your reasons why Android is better than iPhone OS (or iOS now)
Like you said LG is set to come out with 20 new handsets by years end. Motorola said the same exact thing.
Don’t forget Samsung, which will have the Galaxy S and some tablets in the fall.
HTC is probably going to come out with some amazing new phones.
Exciting times in the Android world.
T-Mo has a good android phone, but definately not the best. IMO anyway. Obviously alot of other people’s too since people are going out and switching carriers to get other phones besides the n1.
@swazedahustla Where does your phone sit on this list, thats what I thought.
http://www.androidspin.com/2010/05/27/motorola-shadow-blazes-through-benchmark-test/
Also many people don’t even know about the Nexus One but that Google fault and many reviewers agree that the Nexus One still the top Android phone but thats because of 2.2 so when 2.2 comes to other phones then the Nexus One will be surpassed.
okay…so as a fellow evo owner this is hard. i am seriously contemplating buyers remorse and switching to at&t. a couple of reasons…finally it will be cheaper with their tiered data plan that i will not surpass. the battery life on “my” evo is abissmal, and the new iphone battery has 30% more capacity…if you don’t think apple is leading the industry in battery technology your a fool. and lastly apple has with one phone successfully monopolized the industry. everyone in my fam has one, everyone i know plans on getting one if they don’t already have it, and the ones who can’t get it wish they could, again these are real people i have encountered. sorry to be so wordy…but i am pissed that after 9 years with sprint i am gonna have to leave, main comlaint…battery.
As much as I love the Evo, the new iphone is going to outsell the evo. The new iphone looks gorgeous, its so thin. And it will be smooth.
I personally will choose the galaxy s cause im a sucker for that super amoled and excellent video support
Plus, apple charging for that imovie app, i mean come on. Ripping off their loyal fans. Shame on you apple.
Look jdog and cyd, sure the N1 has offerings that the iPhone doesn’t. But in order to get what I want on the N1, I don’t feel like taking the time to download the Desire ROM to get Sense UI and what not. Plus I want more than just vanilla Google. I’m not saying that vanilla Google is any less than the iPhone. Not by any means. All I want is a phone that gives me everything that I want straight out of the box. I don’t feel like dealing with a Wi-Fi antenna that’s supposedly less than stellar. The last part maybe hearsay, but I don’t plan to spend the $180 plus 2 year agreement plus restock fee plus time playing with phone just to find that out (or the $500 to just buy it outright). Like I said in my previous posting, what problems are you willing to deal with. Not flaming, just stating POV. I appreciate both of your feedbacks, but flames are not necessary. Thank you for reminding me of the N1, but there was a reason why I didn’t buy it back in January. Nothing against it, just personal preference. But it gets pretty frustrating for somebody like me when the next best TMo option is an outdated WinMo phone that was released to the rest of the world 6 months earlier. The only other option that I’ve considered on TMo was the SE Xperia X10, which I would buy outright. But in that case, I’m not interested in Android 1.6. And considering SE’s track record with the X10, I don’t want to wait until some time in Q4 just to see if they come out with 2.1. So like many other TMo’s, I would be stuck. But I opted for the iPhone last year because I liked what it offered…personal preference. The network has been less than stellar, but I made that choice to go to them. If TMo had an option that I was interested in, I would come back to them. Not trying to strike a chord, just provide my POV.
My EVO was giving me abour 8-10 hour battery life with a little over moderate use.But now i get about 18 hours. Just change some settings.
1. Turn-off Auto-Roaming (Biggest), and change to sprint only
2. Keep GPS, Bluetooth, wifi, and 4G off while not in use
I have seen people updated their Nexus-ones with Froyo, battery life does get much better. That is just not buggy.
Both my wife and I have the EVO and with a little bit of tweaking, I am getting 22 hours of battery life with moderate/heavy usage. My wife likes Sense UI (I turned if off on mine) so she is not getting quite as much battery life. With bigger batteries as an option as well, I think it’s a non-issue. I attribute all the negative reviews to the poor default settings – everything is turned on and everything is syncing all the time!
Now if only the EVO could be made available in some similar form or fashion for us outside of the US.
Moots the app is only $5. I don’t have a evo but two if my coworkers got one on a family plan. I’ve been playing with it & it’s not that bad. I do like android, I’m just not a fan of the sense ui. But if sprint wanna really take on the iPhone they have to market it better & let people know that the battery issue is a myth from hell. Show in your ads how cool it is to use this device. I’m not hating on android but the average consumer don’t know about snap dragon processor or huge megapixel camera, or it’s the 1st 4g. You can’t advertise a phone just by specs. Show people how awesome your phone is by using it your ads. I’m sorry but that evo ad is a joke. That’s why iPhone is doing so well. iPhone wasn’t the first to video chat, but look how they implemented it. You don’t need to set it up just call & it’s open. So well see how it will work with other third party apps. I don’t hate android (but I hate the cliq) & I don’t hate iPhone. But the the average user isn’t conserend about open or closed system, walled garden, or freedom of choice. They just want a phone that’s trouble free & fits there needs. Not everyone is a tech geek.
And I have a question? What is rooting a android phone, what does that do
People that complain about the battery life really do not know how to use an Android phone effectively. I was in the Sprint store and this guy was making a big fuss about the battery.
#1 He had 4G on.
#2 We are in Orlando, we don’t even have 4G yet.
#3 He was not aware that we didn’t have 4G yet.
#4 “But this is a 4G phone! Why do I have to turn it off?!”
#5 His Wifi was on, GPS was on, brightness all the way up and probably many other settings set incorrectly. After awhile I stopped listening and continued to play with the demo model.
I have a G1 right now and I rarely have any problems with the battery and having these simple settings turned off will not hamper you using the phone as it was meant to be used.
Maybe HTC, Google and the carriers need to do a better job of educating the consumer on optimal settings to maximize battery life. Or at least shipping the phone in an optimal way, that way customers can probably realize that it is something they are doing that is causing the battery problem because it wasn’t happening before.
@Jim – The Wifi range AND battery life are both MUCH improved with 2.2 (froyo) You need to learn how to configure and use your new smartphone as well if your life as much worse than any other smartphone.
I sent 20 txt messages, played PhoneFraze for 3 hours with friends at a party, showed my phone to countless people and watched the indy 500 crash video about 4 times, raced about 3 different Iphones in loading about 20 different websites because they wanted to see how much faster it was than the 3G and 3GS and still had 25% battery left when I got back after 16 hours off the charger. You really can’t expect more than that! Get on ebay and buy the two spare hero batteries and charger for $12. Problem solved and no more worries because this thing reboots in like 40 seconds!
Yes, turn off all the unnecessary stuff that wants to sync that you don’t use and for god sakes including Google Talk.
@Sean – I’ve thought about it, but based on what I have seen so far, it hasn’t really appealed to me. It doesn’t mean that it won’t appeal to me closer to its release date. I will definitely look at its review once we get closer to time. I also thought about the HTC Vision, but who knows officially if it’s going to be a TMo phone.
@ SwampFox – thanks for the tip about the $12 hero batteries/charger – what a steal! It’s the same capacity as the battery that comes with the EVO!
I switched from Sprint to AT&T when the iPhone 3G was launched.
After two years of network nightmares on ATT, and having to deal with jailbreak applications that slowed iphone down considerably just to give it the functionality it should have had out of the box, I am now back with Sprint, EVO in hand, and could not be happier.
And nothing about the iPhone 4 or iOS 4 makes me regret my decision. EVO is a better phone, with a better OS, on a far superior network.
Just my .02
I got the EVO 4g the 1st day it was released. I upgraded from BB Tour (9630) and currently have another BB Bold (T-mobile) for work. I also have an iphone w/o service. I absolutely love the EVO 4g phone. I still have my love for blackberries and think they have there place. But let me tell you hands down the 4g is ultimately the best phone. The battery life is fine and currently have had no problems. I have no idea what some of the other users are doing or how they have there settings. I listen to music, take pics, talk/text, video call(s) etc and my battery last me approximately 9 to 10 hours a day. Mind you I don’t leave it on 4g all day long or surf the web for hours in a day.
If you surf the web for long periods of time, then of course the battery is going to drain. I don’t know of any smartphone that will last you all day surfing.
I could go on and on with the advantages and disadvantages of all the carriers. I will just say each carrier has there issues.
If you are on the fence about getting the 4g you need to get one if you can. It is the ultimate android device.
I think the iphone 4 is going to be good for me. I had sprint and the customer service sucks. This is a company who fired some of its customers! Most of the top end phones have similar functions and apps. And as far as the Network goes, any network would have had and have the same problems if they had the iphone and ipad, period. I know this because I’ve worked at the two top companies as an RF engineer.
30+ hourz with 30% left on my evo…
You all should watch the YouTube vid of the droid incredible and the iPhone 3gs side by side. The incredible is almost interceptibly faster online, and the only things about it that really stand out are the multitasking capabilities and the camera quality. What’s crazy to me is that the incredible was barely holding it’s one against a ONE YEAR OLD iPhone! The new iPhone WILL OWN ALL. Just wait and see:)
Wow, I thought this article was about how the EVO could compete with the iPhone 4. Reading the comments, that was lost really fast. Batteries are subject to a lot of factors on how long they will last. Some apps cause a lot of drain, but that gets overlooked a lot. I still believe what the article is about, the EVO can and will survive strongly against the iPhone, especially when people realize there’s absolutely nothing new about what Steve Jobs has offered this year. Android got there first in many aspects of what their phones can do, and Apple is playing catch up on about all fronts. It takes time but Android will win in the end. History has clearly shown that closed systems always get defeated by open source operating systems.
I think Android fan boys are worse than iPhone fan boys. Probably because they are so obviously insecure about their phones. An EVO owner, some who has actually bought the phone, would like the battery to at least last the full day and he is set upon by other Android owners. Amusing to watch.
The Sprint CFO really should not be critiquing AT&T’s network because that just focuses attention on Sprint’s network which he should not welcome. Especially requiring people without access to the 4G network but have to pay for it anyway. Dumb move Sprint.
What he isn’t saying is that Sprint would give their left arm to get the iPhone and he knows it.
I use an HTC Incredible btw so feel free to attack me for not being loyal enough to Android kids.
BTW the 4th Gen iPhone walks all over any Android phone in existence. Google should be very glad only one carrier ha the iPhone right now or they would have the same low market share they have in Europe where multiple carriers have the iPhone.
Does anyone know how to put a widget on the screen to disable GPS quickly? I only see it for bluetooth and wifi.
Also, do you all disable roaming?
I left Sprint years ago due to extremely poor customer service, my plan changing on its own and other issues that should never have been. I’ve been on an iPhone 3G which was great for the first month or two before I realized just how imprisoned I was in Apple’s closed-circuit technology.
Since I heard about the Evo I’ve been trying to get my hands on one, I even cancelled a next-day shipping order thinking I’d pick one up at the store. Within 1 day of its release, no Evos were available in all of Portland, one of the original Clear/WiMax markets. Now I am told varying dates of availability, June 14 or June 21. It seems to me that Sprint botched this launch by not having enough phones to sell in 4g markets where demand would be extremely high. Anyone on the fence looking to see the Evo in a store will be turned away until, wait for it, both the Evo and iPhone 4 are in stock. It’s a bit silly to think that unhappy Evo owners in non-4g markets may be returning their phones for iPhone 4’s while there will continue to be high demand in 4G markets.
The fact of the matter is that the EVO is a really cool phone. Where Google and Manu’s are losing out are ditto head consumers. I am a tech freak and I am proud of it( there is a diffrence between techy and geeky). Apple is very successful because the understand this. The especially in the US market! I used to work retail at BBY and Geek Squad and people sometimes don’t think or are just plain lazy. Google and the network prroviders are going to have to put more pressure on the Manu’s to fix battery issues on the more advance phones. Although it may be unreasonable, the majority of consumers just can’t think past 1 and don’t want to listen to the 4 min demo sprint gives users on how to effectively use their shiney new phones. Its kind of like “which way did he go george” with some.
I would agree the ad campaign needs to be sort of like the new win 7 ads, showcasing the feature in use. This would get people to see the feature in every day use- more specifically the video talk option with qik. The fact that is a media center held in the palm of your hands. Just my 2 cents.
People like Jo makes me want to kill kittens.
Wife reports that the battery life is pretty good. It’s enough for everything she needs to use the phone for with charge left over at the end of the day. I think that’s what everyone is shooting for, enough for their usage and that’s a pretty wide margin. She’s a pretty light user so I doubt she’ll ever run in to battery life issues even if everything is turned on. However, the reports of battery life being poor with 4g on seem to contradict the nature of the phone. It’s the first 4g phone, theoretically shouldn’t it be able to run 4g all day? I mean, the Android phones on 3g run all day without issue. Guess we’ll find out when 4g hits socal…whenever that is. But it’s a problem I’m looking forward to dealing with!
@Jim, those talking points are getting old, there is nothing wrong with the battery or Wifi on the EVO. I am getting 12 to 13 hours of business use on my EVO. The Wifi signal is much better than my deactivated 3GS.
Rob Adams: “Evo owners in non-4g markets may be returning their phones for iPhone 4’s.”
If that is the case, no one should get the new iphone either, At&t does not have 4G period, let alone At&t have a very spotty 3G network, where 15 to 20% of current iphone owners can never maintain a 3G signal.
The only reason the battery of the iphone 4 will last more than the evo is because iphone owners will have no other choice of not cosuming to much data. The new data plan from att is to keep your phone as a luxury object instead of use it as much you want
Hell yeah the EVO can take on the iPhone and WIN. The only thing I see between them during the conference is iPhone 4 beats them by the pixels and their scratch resistance screen, and battery life. But EVO beats them by their FLASH including and their front 1.3 MP camera since iPhone 4 uses a VGA front face camera. I still say EVO wins anyway except for those parts I just said.
jjfizzil wrote-Apple is very successful because the understand this. The especially in the US market!
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And Android is now beating iPhone in the US, thanks to Verizon. It’s now Sprint’s turn to have some fun, especially with videocalling over 3G.
Google dropped the ball when they keep the nexus one an online only purchase . It would have been an iphone killer if it was advertise like the motto droid was. I was a t mobile costumer when I purchased the behold 2 IN november 2009 . If tmobile would have had the nexus one in store I would have never made the mistake of purchasing the behold 2. I would have waited. The evo is an amazing phone and way better than the iphone 4g. now its up to sprint to advertise this phone as much as humanly possible.
@Darwin, really man? Who would be insecure at having a phone that is completely open and customizable just because it lacks the art, magic, and retna display of Apple. There are several android phones out right now on par with the new Iphone, and by the time the next Iphone is released several more phones will have surpassed it. “retna display” is a win for apple, but even apple fanboys admitted they were expecting more from this phone. Personally I wont be purchasing an Evo, but only because I am waiting for a moderately powered smart phone with a great keyboard like my moment. Hopefully the new Galaxy S Pro or whatever will come to Sprint :-)
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Sprint should make their plan cheaper. Maybe give us unlimited data, but less voice minutes. Right now, the plan is not cheaper than competitors.
On the other hand, EVO is just the best phone I saw so far. Bigger screen alone is enough reason for me to want it.
Look the simple fact is that when it comes to buying either of these devices there are more important thing to consider than who has the best camera, battery life, etc… etc…. It is always going to come down to a personal preference period !!! I am an diehard iPhone fan…. Does AT&T suck? Absolutely …. but Sprint isn’t any better. My mother-in-law has the HTC Evo 4G and yes I thought it was a cool smart phone but I wasn’t impressed with it. That is just my personal opinion. I personally do not care about Widgets and other nick nacks that supposedly make an Android phone so amazing. Frankly if you are spending that much time on your smart phone then you seriously need to evaluate what went wrong in your life. I like everything about my iPhone because that is what I am use to. I don’t care that the iPhone 4 has less mega pixels than the Evo…. I digital camera to take care of that for me. If you plan on buying your first smart phone do your self a favor and buy a phone that YOU feel is easy to use and that will accomplish everything that you want. You will not receive an award for having the best phone in the world. Oh and by the way …. Sooner or later there will be a new phone that will so call blow your phone out of the water…. No sense in trying to keep up with the latest and greatest.
I have an Iphone, yes it’s great in many ways. However, coverage outside of California (on recent cross country trip) was non-existent! I went 5 days in Northern Minn w/zero (yes, zero-zip-nada-nothin’)phone service. Even 50 miles toward the nearest tower of theirs it didn’t work. Very bad in that respect. AT&T agreed they have no coverage anywhere near there, so it’s a known issue.
However, I’m considering SPRINT because of cost vs. AT&T. I’ll give up my Iphone for a better deal, the Iphone is fun, but my friends ‘smart’ phones seem pretty cool. The big concern is this: I’ve called customer service (Sprint) 3 times and it’s always outside the US. The Philippines every time. That concerns me. AT&T is the US every time, so was Verizon…I see some customer service complaints but they weren’t quite current. That’s my big sticking point…I hate having my personal info floating around a country that has a high rate of IT theft. Any thoughts?