HTC Evo Shift 4G: A Comprehensive Smartphone Review

The HTC Evo Shift 4G is a powerful smartphone that packs a punch. It features a 3.6-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 480x640 pixels.

One of the standout features of the HTC Evo Shift 4G is its 5-megapixel camera, which is capable of recording video at 720p.

The phone's processor is a Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8650, which provides fast performance and efficient battery life.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G also comes with 512 MB of RAM, which helps to ensure smooth multitasking and app performance.

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The HTC Evo Shift 4G's design is a compact one, with dimensions that are nearly identical to its siblings, the T-Mobile G2, HTC Evo, and HTC Hero. It measures 117 mm (4.6 in) high, 60 mm (2.4 in) wide, and 16 mm (0.63 in) deep.

The device's design is also reflected in its display, which is a 3.6-inch 800x480 LCD touchscreen. This smaller screen size was noticeable while web browsing, where I appreciated the extra real estate of a 4-inch screen.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G's dimensions are:

The HTC EVO Shift 4G's design is derived from its brothers, the T-Mobile G2, HTC Evo, and HTC Hero. It has Android-specific buttons.

The device has nearly the same dimensions as its siblings, measuring 117 mm (4.6 in) high, 60 mm (2.4 in) wide, and 16 mm (0.63 in) deep.

The solid build of the EVO Shift 4G is comfortable and secure in your hand, thanks to its textured back. Those with smaller digits may appreciate its slightly smaller form factor compared to the Samsung Epic 4G.

The device weighs nearly a half-ounce more than the Epic, coming in at 5.9 ounces.

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The HTC EVO Shift 4G has a 3.6-inch 800x480 LCD touchscreen, which is slightly smaller than some other Android phones.

Display quality is crisp and clear with nice contrast, making it easy to see what's on the screen.

The smaller screen size can be noticeable while web browsing, where more real estate would be appreciated.

The built-in speaker has typical cell phone tinny sound, but it's no worse than most other phones.

However, the headphone jack can be a problem, as it didn't securely mount my headphones, causing them to jiggle loose and pause playback.

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The keyboard on the EVO Shift 4G is flat and difficult to use, requiring a lot of re-typing to correct mistakes. This is especially noticeable when compared to other phones with more ergonomic keyboard designs.

The phone's smaller form factor means it doesn't have a dedicated row for numbers, adding extra key presses to type. This can be frustrating for users who frequently type numbers.

The direction pad in the lower right corner is limited to up/down/right/left arrows, which doesn't offer much value on a touchscreen phone. This is because touchscreen phones are designed for intuitive navigation with your fingers.

The EVO Shift 4G doesn't come with Swype, a virtual keyboard feature that can be very helpful for fast and accurate typing. This is likely because the phone has a physical keyboard, which may be a reason for some users to prefer it.

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The HTC Evo Shift 4G has a solid feel with chrome accents adding a bit of sparkle to its muted navy-color body.

The display is a regular LCD, but it has excellent resolution, making everything look very crisp and detailed.

The phone's size is somewhat large, mainly due to the sliding keyboard, but the screen is smaller than the EVO, making it more manageable to hold.

The touch keys on the front offer haptic feedback, and the volume keys on the side are excellent, but the lock key on the top is a bit awkward to press.

The phone is powered by a Qualcomm MSM7630 chipset with a 800 MHz Snapdragon ARM microprocessor, which provides a smooth experience with Android OS and applications.

During development, the device was known by several codenames, including HTC Speedy and HTC Knight, or PG06100. This information was leaked online before its official release.

The HTC Speedy was also referred to as a variant of the HTC EVO with a keyboard.

The EVO Shift packs a punch when it comes to its processor and memory.

The Qualcomm MSM7630 chipset is the brain behind the EVO Shift, featuring a Snapdragon ARM microprocessor clocked at 800 MHz.

This chipset is paired with an embedded Adreno 205 graphics chip, which can handle up to 41 million triangles per second.

The EVO Shift has 512 MB of eDRAM, which helps ensure a smoother experience with Android OS, applications, and the HTC Sense user interface.

The device also comes with 2 GB of built-in ROM, mainly used for the system software.

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The EVO Shift's audio and output features are quite impressive.

The main speaker is located on the back of the phone and is used for most applications like music and notifications.

A secondary loudspeaker is cleverly placed above the screen, serving as an earpiece for phone calls and other audio needs.

The microphone is situated on the bottom of the phone and is used for phone calls and voice commands, but can also be utilized in various third-party applications.

With the Sprint Mobile Hotspot application, you can share the device's mobile broadband with up to eight other devices, making it easy to stay connected on the go.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G has impressive connectivity features.

This device features a CDMA cellular radio that supports 3G EVDO, revisions 0, A, and the as yet undeployed B, allowing for faster download and upload speeds, and better power efficiency.

WiMAX technology, also known as 802.16e, offers speeds of up to 10 Mbit/s on the downlink, and 1 Mbit/s on the uplink.

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The HTC EVO Shift 4G has a CDMA cellular radio that supports 3G EVDO, revisions 0, A, and B, allowing for faster download and upload speeds, and better power efficiency.

It also features WiMAX, a protocol known as 802.16e, which offers speeds of up to 10 Mbit/s on the downlink, and 1 Mbit/s on the uplink.

The device is marketed as a 4G phone, and WiMAX is indeed considered a 4G technology based on 4G standards set by ITU-R.

Sprint's 4G WiMAX network is available on the EVO Shift 4G, and when connected, it delivered blazing fast speeds of up to 7.3Mbps in testing.

However, 4G connections were not always reliable, and Sprint's 3G network was slow, averaging around 500Kbps, and often dipping much lower.

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Making calls can be a challenge with the HTC EVO Shift 4G. Calls broke up and had static, making it difficult to have a clear conversation.

If you're in an area with poor Sprint coverage, you may experience dropped calls. The phone was basically unusable from my office on the East Side of Manhattan unless I kept my head in close proximity to the window.

Your experience may vary depending on your location and Sprint coverage. If you have better coverage in your area, you might have a smoother calling experience.

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The HTC Evo Shift 4G has a user-replaceable 1500mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery.

This battery is designed to be compatible with batteries from other HTC devices, including the HTC Incredible, HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Hero (CDMA), and HTC EVO 4G.

Unfortunately, battery life on the HTC Evo Shift 4G can be a concern, with some users reporting that it rarely lasts through the day.

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The HTC Evo Shift 4G runs on the Android operating system and presents information through Android desktop widgets and applications.

The device comes with HTC Sense, a user interface that brings a modified browser and home screen.

The phone first came with Android OS 2.2 "FroYo", but it's not mentioned what version it's currently running.

HTC Sense also allows you to save sets of home screens as "scenes", so you can have your "work" setup and your "social" home screens.

The camera software has extensive options, including touch-to-focus and face detection.

The phone comes with a 1-year warranty, which does not cover scratches, cracks, smudge marks, liquid damage, and other forms of physical damage.

Sending phones for repair is typically handled by the phone service provider, rather than through HTC.

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The EVO Shift was released on January 9, 2011 in the United States through Sprint. This marks the official launch of the device, making it available to the public for purchase.

The release date of January 9, 2011, is a notable point in the device's history, signaling the start of its availability in the US market.

The HTC Sense user interface is a key feature of the device, running on the Android operating system and presenting information through Android desktop widgets and application.

It includes launchers, app drawer, and lock screen replacements, giving you a lot of flexibility in customizing your home screen.

The Sense interface also brings a modified browser and home screen, making it easy to access your favorite apps and features.

The EVO Shift has a great selection of widgets from HTC, which can be saved as "scenes" to switch between different setups, such as work and social.

The camera software has extensive options, including touch-to-focus and face detection, making it easy to capture high-quality photos.

The 800 MHz processor seems powerful enough for most users, with no lag in the interface and apps launching quickly.

The warranty on your new phone is a crucial aspect to consider. The phone comes with a 1-year warranty.

This warranty, however, has some limitations. It does not cover scratches, cracks, smudge marks, liquid damage, and other forms of physical damage.

You'll need to send your phone for repair, and this process is typically handled by the phone service provider, rather than HTC.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G is priced at $149.99 with a new, two-year customer agreement on Sprint.com.

If you're looking for a better deal, you can get the Evo Shift 4G for $99.99 with a new Sprint contract from AmazonWireless.

Sprint tacks on an extra $10 a month for the 4G "privilege", which is an additional cost to consider.

You can find the myTouch 4G on T-Mobile for $99.99, making it a more affordable option compared to the Evo Shift 4G on Sprint.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G has its share of pros and cons. It has a 5MP camera with LED flash, making it a great option for photography enthusiasts.

One of its main advantages is the Android 2.2 operating system, which provides a smooth and intuitive user experience. The phone also features a 3.7-inch touchscreen display and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

The device's 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor ensures fast performance and efficient multitasking. However, some users may find the 512MB of RAM to be a bit limiting.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G has a 1400mAh battery that provides up to 6 hours of talk time and 10 days of standby time. This is a significant improvement over its predecessor, the HTC Evo Shift.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G is available on Sprint.

It's a great option for those who want a reliable 4G network.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G comes packaged with an AC adapter and a USB cable.

These accessories are essential for charging and syncing your phone.

A 2GB microSD card is also included, which can help expand your phone's storage.

This can be a big help if you have a lot of apps, music, or photos to store.

Reference material is also provided to get you started with your new phone.

This can be a lifesaver if you're new to smartphones or need a refresher on how to use your phone.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with backside illumination and an LED flash.

This camera can record 720p HD videos with H.264 video compression, which is pretty decent quality.

Low-light shots can be a bit noisy, but they're still good or better than some other phones, like the Samsung Epic 4G.

The camera controls are basic but easy to use, with options to adjust the ISO, flash, and image saturation.

You can also make adjustments to the white balance and select visual effects, but it's often best to leave these settings alone and do any fine-tuning on your computer.

The device comes with 2GB of onboard memory and a 2GB microSD card, which is expandable to 32GB for plenty of storage space.

This should be more than enough for most people's needs, considering the average user's storage requirements.

The HTC EVO Shift 4G has a microSD slot for user-expandable storage.

You can add up to 32GB of extra storage to your device using a microSD card.

The device comes with a 2GB Class 2 microSDHC card pre-installed.

This means you'll have a total of 4GB of storage space right out of the box.

The onboard memory is 2GB, and the microSD card is also 2GB, which should be plenty for most people.

The HTC EVO Shift has a 5MP camera with an LED flash that takes 720p HD video.

While the camera's quality is decent, low-light shots can be noisy.

You can adjust the ISO, turn on and off the flash, and make adjustments to image saturation and white balance, but it's recommended to leave these settings alone and do any image adjustments on your computer.

There is no front-facing camera on the EVO Shift 4G, which is a notable absence given its 4G stature.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G is a solid choice for those who want a powerful phone without breaking the bank. It's a less costly alternative to the EVO 4G on Sprint.

If you're a fan of hardware keyboards, you'll appreciate the Evo Shift 4G as it gives you another option besides the Samsung Epic 4G.

However, keep in mind that the memory card slot is not exactly easy to access - it's buried underneath the battery.

The keyboard itself is also slightly stiff, so you might need to get used to typing on it.

One thing to note is that you'll have to pay extra for 4G service, even if you can't actually use it in your area.