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Mar 23

Sprint, HTC Unveil First 4G Android Phone

Posted in: 4G, cellphones, HTC, Phones, Sprint, Today's Chili

Android superfactory HTC’s latest smartphone is a 4G device designed just for Sprint. The phone, called HTV Evo, is a feature-packed gadget that will have the distinction of being the first phone offered for a 4G network in the United States.

The Evo has a 4.3-inch touchscreen (by comparison, the iPhone’s display is 3.5 inches, while the Nexus One and Motorola Droid have 3.7-inch screens), two cameras, GPS navigation, HDMI output and mobile hotspot capability. It will run Google’s Android 2.1 operating system and HTC’s custom user interface called the Sense.

And despite its large touchscreen, the Evo feels comfortable, says Into Mobile, which got some hands-on time with the phone.

Sprint claims its 4G network can offer download speeds up to 10 times faster than current 3G networks, allowing the Evo to be blazing fast when it comes to data access.

Over the last few years, Sprint has been building out its 4G network. The company’s 4G wireless service is available in 27 cities in the United States, though that doesn’t include most major hubs like San Francisco and New York. Sprint has said it will expand its 4G network in a big way this year.

Sprint has also recently launched a 4G wireless product called Overdrive that uses Sprint’s 4G wireless data connection to establish a local Wi-Fi hotspot. The hotspot supports up to five devices at a time.

Sprint and HTC haven’t announced pricing for the Evo, but say the device will launch this summer.

Like the Nexus One, another HTC-designed phone for Google, the Evo will use a 1-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It will have an 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with HD-capable video camcorder and a forward-facing 1.3-megapixel camera. (See a list of detailed specifications on Sprint’s site.)

Evo’s mobile hotspot functionality will allow up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices to share the network. The phone will also support Adobe Flash and will have a “custom” web browser, says Sprint.

UPDATE: See below for more photos of the Evo 4G from the Sprint HTC event, courtesy of Into Mobile.