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We’ve been hearing about this phone for quite some time, but Sprint has officially announced the HTC EVO Design 4G. It’s set up to be a mid-range handset but will be about as decent as any of them. You’re getting a 4 inch qHD device with Android 2.3, HTC Sense, a 1.2GHz processor, a 5 megapixel camera capable of shooting HD video, a front-facing camera, comes with an 8GB microSD card and has 4G WiMax radios inside.
It doesn’t have a keyboard like the EVO Shift did but it allows HTC to promote its thinness. At .47 inches it isn’t the thinnest device in the world but it’s still very pocketable. It’s also interesting to see that Sprint’s using qHD resolution on a 4 inch display – it’ll be nice to see how clear that turns out to be. It’ll be available October 23rd for $100 after rebates, discounts and a two-year contract agreement.Read on for full press details.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., & SEATTLE (BUSINESS WIRE), October 19, 2011 – Sprint (NYSE: S) continues the award-winning HTC EVO™ family legacy with the addition of HTC EVO Design 4G™, the first EVO family member touting World Phone capabilities. HTC EVO Design 4G boasts many of the “must-have” features of its predecessors, including Sprint 4G and a large touchscreen display, while sporting a slim, pocket-friendly aluminum unibody design at an easily affordable price.
HTC EVO Design 4G goes on sale Oct. 23 for just $99.99 (excluding taxes) with a new two-year service agreement or eligible upgrade and after a $50 mail-in rebate via reward card1. It will be available in all Sprint sales channels, including Sprint Stores, Web Sales (www.sprint.com) and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1).
“Priced at under $100, HTC EVO Design 4G is the perfect device for consumers looking for both the benefits of 4G and the latest in device style,” said Fared Adib, Sprint vice president-Product Development. “When matched with one of the Sprint Everything Data plans, our customers will unlock the value of unlimited without worrying about the cost or surprises on their monthly bill.”
Designed for customers who want to stay connected and be entertained, HTC EVO Design 4G combines the acclaimed HTC Sense™ experience with a stylish and robust feature set to make the 4G experience more accessible than ever. Other key features include:
- Android™ 2.3, Gingerbread
- HTC Sense – Award-winning user experience taking social networking, navigation and customization to new levels
- Aluminum unibody design gives HTC EVO Design 4G a slim, streamlined profile –guaranteed to get attention and is nicely compact in your hand, pocket or bag
- 1.2GHz processor
- 4-inch qHD capacitive touchscreen display
- Dual cameras: 5MP rear-facing camera/camcorder with flash and HD video recording and 1.3MP front-facing camera for video chat
- World Phone capabilities to make and receive calls and texts, and to access email and news from locations around the globe
- 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot, supporting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices on the Sprint 3G or 4G network
- Wi-Fi® b/g/n capable
“With HTC and Sprint working together, the smash-hit HTC EVO 4G introduced the world to the possibilities of 4G,” said Martin Fichter, vice president, product management, HTC America. “With the introduction of the fifth addition to the EVO family – HTC EVO Design 4G – HTC is expanding its diverse portfolio of 4G smartphones on Sprint’s powerful 4G network.”
HTC EVO Design 4G requires activation on one of the Sprint Everything Data plans plus a required $10 Premium Data add-on charge for smartphones. Sprint’s Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM includes unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint Network, starting at just $69.99 per month plus required $10 Premium Data add-on charge – a savings of $40 per month vs. Verizon’s comparable plan with unlimited talk, text and 2GB Web, or $10 per month vs. Verizon’s 450-minute plan with unlimited text and 2GB Web. The Mobile Hotspot option is available for an additional $29.99 per month and supports up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously2. (Pricing excludes taxes and surcharges.)
Sprint was unbeaten among major wireless carriers for customer satisfaction according to results from the 2011American Customer Satisfaction Index. In addition to tying for first place among wireless carriers, Sprint was also the most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all industries, during the last three years, according to the survey.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 52 million customers at the end of 2Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint atwww.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative devices that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.
I’ll pass. I have the OG Evo right now and the only thing that can get me to change will be the Galaxy Nexus or Galaxy lll.
Evo owner too. One of the best android phones ever made;)
IMO, i think it put Andoid on the map, it changed the game.
I mostly agree. I think it’s fair to say that the OG Droid put Android on the map. But the EVO changed the smartphone game for everyone. It seems like an also-ran now, but it started the avalanche.
Yay! Another HTC phone this week.
– Sent from my HTC Sensation
It’s good to see another phone with a 4″ screen (and qHD res!) coming out. Supposedly this phone has overall dimensions of 115x60x12 (mm). Compared to my Thunderbolt (which I think is too large for easy one handed use), it’s 0.25″ smaller in length and width.
There need to be more phones of this form factor.
Agreed. Good to see someone recognizing a market for 4″ screens. Some people think 4.3″ is too big. Not me, but some people.
Sprint needs the Nexus. Nothing else matters.
Meh, not really. The nexus isn’t that mindblowing upgade of a phone compared to the 3d or epic touch. Its the android 4.0 that is really the star of the show. I can wait for a significant upgrade on hardware but its the software that im waiting to consume on my 3d. I’ll take software improvements over similar specs in hardware.
But with those 2 phones you won’t be getting software improvements for a couple months, and that’s if you’re lucky.
That would be true if I were running stock…but my rooted 3d will see every update to come out for the forseeable future. You can bet on that.
They’ll get it eventually. With a WiMax chip.
What we need is LTE instead of WiMax
It’s not an EVO without the circles…
I dont get all the fuzz over the new nexus!My photon4g is a powerfull enough phone,what I need is ICECREAMSANDWICH…and will get it as soon as a rom is available!
It’s a pretty good looking phone for 100 bucks. I have the EVO 3D already so no thanks. But I agree with most of you. The nexus is not that great actually I hate it. Samsung=crap! (Samsung fans don’t give me slack) Im HTC all the way and the EVO is the phone that changed everything besides the nexus one which was the first to have a 1ghz processor. I’m most likely going to get the nexus for a dev phone. Starting to read sdk. Which might I just say the nexus one is still the main phone for Google.