Stay in touch with this Virgin Mobile HTC EVO V mobile phone that features 4G speed for fast data transfer and Bluetooth technology for simple connection to compatible devices. The 3D capability offers immersive visuals.
248 of 257 people found the following review helpful.
By S. Power
Virgin Mobile has always been a great value, delivering acceptable phones and service at a far lower total cost of ownership than the big contract carriers. In the past though, Virgin's phones have been about a year behind the current technology at the time of their introduction and the over-all experience was far lower than what you could get if you were willing to pay more. They were, as I've said in my other reviews of their earlier phones, a good value because of their cost, but not great because of their phones or performance. Their phones were usually about a year behind the newest releases from the hardware makers, and their network service from Sprint is slightly lacking in some cities especially compared to Verizon.
This HTC EVO V 4G runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), which is currently (at the time of this review) the newest version of Android. It has a fast processor, good camera, is 4G capable, has great battery life, and has overall great performance. Although it has been out for over a year on Sprint, it is not nearly as far behind the mainstream as previous Virgin Mobile offerings have been. Between my wife and me, we have tried pretty much every Virgin Mobile "Beyond Talk" phone. They have almost all been good, but with flaws, performance tradeoffs, and were noticeably behind the mainstream phones that the big carriers were offering at the time. The HTC EVO V 4G is the first one that is not only a good value, but also rivals the mainstream on-contract phones in terms of performance. I'm not saying that it is as good as the newest phones on the big carriers, but the difference is becoming far less noticeable. The cutting edge phones are still getting better, but now at a slower pace which is allowing phones like this one to be a closer match.
Size. This phone is a little bulkier than the Motorola Triumph, but is comfortable to hold and use. It still fits in my pockets with no problems. It is heavier than the Triumph or any other VM phone, but for me, I don't find the added size and weight to be an issue because they enable the huge 4.3 inch screen and exceptional battery life. Having Wi-Fi, 4G, 3G, Bluetooth, and GPS all in one phone, and all work so well also probably contributes to the size. I would prefer it was flatter (like the Triumph), but don't have an issue with its form factor.
Cases. Since this phone is identical to the one that has been on Sprint for over a year, there are plenty of great cases available for it, including ones from top of the line companies like Otter Box. There are many times more accessories available for it than for previous Virgin Mobile phones.
Screen. I love the 4.3" screen size, and this one is even sharper than the one on the Motorola Triumph. It is great.
Touch Screen. The touch screen is very responsive, accurate, and precise. By far the best touch screen I've ever used. Even better (or equal to) the one on the Apple Ipod Touch. I use that comparison because I've always felt that the Touch was better than the Android phones I'd had in the past.
Keyboard. The touch screen keyboard on this phone is awesome. I don't know for sure if the keyboard they loaded on here is the stock Android 4.0 one, or if is part of HTC Sense UI, but wherever it came from, it is awesome. My big, clumsy, fingers mash at the screen, and instead of having to retype everything, it automatically comes up with what I intended to write. It is the easiest to use and simplest touch screen keyboard ever. I love it. It is so good, that I would have bought this phone just for the keyboard. Occasionally it will get a correction wrong, and you have to select the correct word from the choices it gives you, but this is very rare. Even when that does happen, it isn't too much of an inconvenience, and when it does happen the phone seems to learn from the results. You never get the same mistake twice.
Battery. The battery life on this phone is incredible because of its increased size and better power management and network management. It lasts 2 to 3 times longer than the battery on the Motorola Triumph. Because of its size it also takes a long time to charge, but I'm OK with that. For me, other Virgin Mobile phones seemed to be very inconsistent with their battery performance. On the Triumph, for example, the battery would often go from full to empty way too fast, and without stopping at any points in-between. That never happens with this phone. In a low signal area, or if you are doing a whole lot on 4G, it can drop fast, but the gage always shows you what is happening so there are no surprises.
Network management. The only network management problems I've had with this phone is those instances when the wifi it is connected to is not working properly. Instead of reverting to 3G or 4G, the phone will lose internet when it is connected to a wifi network that isn't properly providing internet access. This is a pretty serious flaw and is very annoying, but can be overcome by turning off wifi or having the phone "forget" those networks that don't work well. You just have to be aware of the issue and be careful what wifi networks you let you phone connect to. Otherwise, it is better than most other Virgin Mobile phones at keeping connected to the Sprint network and performing well. It is also great at making seamless transitions between 3G, 4G, and Wifi, always switching to the best available choice.
Camera. The 5MP camera on this phone performs better than the 5MP camera on the Motorola Triumph and many other cell phone cameras. It isn't as good as a compact camera or even the iPhone 4S, but it is at least fully usable. Android 4.0 has a lot of camera software improvements over Android 2.2. It focuses better, is faster, and comes with cool and even useful effects. This is the first cell phone camera that truly is a replacement for a real camera. Again, I'm not saying that it takes pictures that are as good as a Canon or Nikon, but they are good enough that you won't mind using them.
3D. You should look to someone else's review if you are interested in an evaluation of its 3D performance. For me, the 3D features of this phone are a waste of space. I'm just not into 3D. I will say that it is easy to turn off, and doesn't really get in the way at all.
4G. This is my first 4G phone, and when there is coverage, it is incredible. I am in the process of moving from Detroit (where there is no 4G), to Austin (where there is). Having 4G is an incredible improvement, even just for web surfing or for using Google Maps. I love it.
Internet Sharing. The ability to share this phone's internet connection is awesome and works really well. It works great on both 3G and especially 4G. It is simple to use, and at $15 a month is a much better value than a Mifi card.
Call Quality. The call quality is great on this phone, and is much better than the Motorola Triumph which sometimes sounded muffled. It is clear for both you and the person you are talking to.
Bluetooth. The Bluetooth on this phone works great both with a headset and with my car. I love how it seamlessly transitions from my Podcast Application (Doggcatcher), Navigation, and phone calls. I really didn't expect it to work as great as it does.
Processor. This phone is snappy and doesn't seem to have any processor induced lag at all. No matter what I run or play, it works the way it is supposed to, even when I'm multi-tasking. The processor seems to be more than adequate.
Durability. The back case on this phone comes off too easily. It was even off in the box when I first got my phone. I addressed this by getting an Otterbox case for the phone, but over-all, I don't find the back cover design to be that good on this phone. I will update this review if anything breaks or causes any issues on it, although I think that putting the Otterbox on it will prevent any problems. If you are planning on using it without a case, you might have issues if your back cover is as susceptible to coming off as mine is.
Reliability. So far, I have had no issues with applications or functions crashing on this phone. It works consistently and flawlessly. I will update this review if I find anything getting hung-up or crashing. I have had the phone since they first released it, and still haven't had any problems.
HTC Sense. This is my first phone with HTC Sense UI. I would prefer that the phone was just vanilla Android because HTC Sense UI doesn't add anything that I care about, but it also doesn't seem to cause any problems or get in the way. HTC Hub provides some pretty good ringtones and wall papers. Overall, I find HTC Sense UI to be neither a good nor bad thing. It includes some things that I use, but if it wasn't there, the stock Android versions of things like the Music Player and Calendar would have been fine. Stock Android makes it easier to switch between brands, which I think is the exact reason the manufacturers like to do things like Sense, to increase the cost to customers for switching brands in the future. HTC wants to get you used to Sense and Samsung and Motorola each want to get you used to their skin.
If there are any topics that you wanted me to address that I failed to, please let me know in the comments and I will update this review for you.
// Update after 6 months. 15SEP2012 //
I have had this phone for 6 months now, so wanted to give an update. It continues to work very well. I'm considering getting the Laza Zcell extended battery that Danny K. has been raving about, but only because it sounds cool. I am not really having any battery life issues with the stock battery.
One thing that I was surprised with about this phone, and am very pleased with especially compared to other VM phones, is that they are constantly updating the software. The Triumph, Intercept, and other VM phones I had never seemed to get any software support from VM or from their OEM's. This phone gets patched and improved constantly (about every 1 to 2 months). I have been happy with the phone ever since I got it, but knowing that they still have people devoted to keeping it current and fixing bugs that users find makes me even more happy with it. It is my first HTC phone ever, on any carrier, and their continued support for their product will probably keep me coming back.
I have now issues to report after six months. The phone is still working well. We like it so much that we bought a second one. We are now a 2 EVO house. We usually have two different VM phones, so we can compare them, but until they come out with something better, we'll probably be sticking with the EVO for a while.
143 of 150 people found the following review helpful.
By Danny K
After reading so many reviews both negative and positive I decided to make the move. My local Radio Shack had a limited time promotion on the HTC Evo 3D for Virgin mobile and knowing the problems I was having with my Motorola Triumph I had to make the move. Especially since I would have 30 Days to return it back to the store. Here are the facts:
GPS on the evo connects in 10 seconds and that's in my house (I use waze app all the time)
Triumph can't connect in my house and usually takes more than 5 minutes to connect.
Audio is louder and sounds better on the HTC Evo (especially with poweramp app)
Triumph has a problem when you unplug earphones and replug in the sound jumps.
HTC Evo has no lag when pressing buttons or apps
Triumph has lag and sometime you must press 3 times
Call quality is better on the HTC Evo and testing this in low signal areas I haven't missed any calls
Triumph sounds muffled
HTC Evo 3d pictures give me a headache, 2d pictures are very nice, I don't see a major difference between either phone.
Battery on the HTC Evo beats the Triumph hands down. And I like the option to add a larger battery if needed. I use 2x battery saver app.
Sent a text message in a low signal area and 1 time received a radio interference message, but the text still went through.
3G is noticeably faster (I used speedtest.net) with my old Motorola and the HTC next to each other. I'm sure this is because of the dual processor and improved memory in the HTC.
4G is insane! 7,485 kbps download.
If someone calls you and you can't take the message and they leave you a message on voicemail, you can listen to the message without dialing into voice mail and delete it after listening so no minutes are used, very cool! On the motorola triumph you had to dial into voice mail.
BTW, my Motorola triumph was on the $25 dollar plan and my wife was using a Samsung intercept so I gave her my Motorola. If anyone has upgraded from the Samsung intercept to the Motorola triumph. You know its a no brainer and the Motorola wins hands over, but although the upgrade from the Motorola to the HTC Evo is not as drastic, it is an improvement over the quirky things that the Motorola does....
UPDTATE1:
Have had the phone for 1 month and haven't missed 1 call. There are reviews that say they have had call problems or texting problems. See update #5.
UPDATE #2:
Factory battery is better than the triumph, but I order the extended Laza Zcell battery and cover for the HTC Evo on Amazon. The reviews are incredible and the battery lasts for more than 2 day on normal use!
UPDATE #3 Revised:
Received the Laza Zcell battery and cover and it is fantastic. The cover fits perfectly, charged the battery overnight and my 2x battery saver app says I have 114hrs till the battery runs out! Mfg says you will get max battery after 5 charges. The bottom of the back case pops out about 3/16 and the rest of the case stays slim. This actually makes the phone easier to hold and with the new back cover the top power button is easier to operate. Also you will not need a battery saver app with this battery, but if you do it will extend your battery operation even longer! After 5 charges, and the phone being on for 7hours, my 2x battery saver app says I have 191hrs left! This is insane!
UPDATE #4
The HTC Android version is 4.06. It has some very cool settings that are not on the Motorola. For example. When the phone is ringing you can set it to lower the ring tone automatically when you pick the phone up. You can also increase the ring when it is in a bag or pouch and it will lower when the phone is pulled out of the bag. You can also set your phone to automatically go to speaker phone when you turn it upside down.
UPDATE #5
I received a text from my brother (I don't really text much at all) when I responded I received the weird code alert and radio freq message, I selected OK on the message and I believe it still went through. My response to my brother didn't require a response but it did remind me of all the people that are complaining about texting on this phone. Here is what I did, go to your phone keypad and type ##25327# then a screen pops up, at the top press the word menu, it will then say reset, press reset, then select yes to resetting and saving personal info....This should fix any texting issues. I did this and have not had any radio interference messages since. Keep in mind this is not the same as going to the PRL update. It is more than that and resets your phone with out loosing your personal data.
UPDATE #6
Still loving this phone! Did more texting this month with my family with no problems. Everything above still stands. This is without a doubt the best VM phone I have ever had. If you have a 3D tv, you can take 3D videos and set your 3D on your tv to side by side and watch your videos in 3d. Very cool, much better than watching 3D on your phone. Still experimenting. Also one thing I don't like is to answer a call you must move the green icon into a circle. So I installed an app called easy answer. Now when a call comes in I can look at the phone and just hold it to my ear and it will automatically answer. It detects that you have the phone by your ear. How cool is that? Also I installed a 16gb sd card so I could install my favorite movies. I found that the phone is so powerful (dual core CPU) that it will play HD videos that my old Motorola triumph would not play! Love this phone and I'm so surprised that there are so many negative reviews.
UPDATE #7
Just leased a new vehicle and needed a good HTC 3D Evo smartphone holder. Found the iOttie one touch smartphone holder. It is easily the best vehicle holder I have ever found. Amazon sells it, check it out, you won't be disappointed it attached to my dashboard that like many has a non smooth vinyl and fastened beautifully. Its 12 degrees in NJ today and its working without a problem. It will also attach to your windshield. Just sharing with all the HTC 3D evo fans. One negative is it will not work with the extended battery. So I'm back on the original factory battery
Will update as I use it more.... Very happy with this HTC Evo 3g V.
83 of 91 people found the following review helpful.
By Michael
This is by far the best phone for virgin mobile!! I didn't buy it through amazon, I went to best buy but I have had no problems with this phone..great buy at 300$ because the monthly rates are so low. This phone finaly allows you to use the real sprint network and not the throttled VM network. I get 2.5MB with the 3G network!!! I'm on long island in New York right outside the city . Sound quality is awesome with headphones!!! Better than iPod, screw beats audio this sound enhancer is incredible!! If your worried about the battery life, check out my review on the 3980 mah extended battery for this phone..it is truly amazing! I ask if this review helped at all please check like..thank :)
No comments:
Post a Comment