HTC’s latest incarnation, the Evo 3D, goes head to head with LG’s Optimus3D — both are the only two 3D-ready handsets available in the market today.
But while the Optimus feels big and gigantic in your palm, the Evo 3D is a better fit. The front portion harks back to the Incredible S with
the same rubber coating around the edges and at the back. The phone’s 4.3-inch screen sports a higher resolution than LG’s at 540x960, which makes visuals appear sharper and clearer. The Evo also sports a physical shutter button for the camera and a slider to toggle between 2D and 3D modes. Overall, we prefer the Evo 3D’s styling compared to the Optimus3D.Powerful processor
Qualcomm’s dual-core processor running at 1.2GHz powers the phone, and the Evo also sports the latest version of the Android operating system (v2.3.4). The visual interface, à la HTC Sense 3.0, is swift and fluid and thus makes navigation effortless. HTC has also included a ton of personalisation options from skins, and scenes to different types of lock screens.
As for 3D technology, we found HTC’s implementation slightly better than LG’s. For starters, the 3D effect is a lot more forgiving to your eyes; and while it still has a narrow sweet spot, the effect seems better. Once you take a picture in 3D, you also get the option of converting it to 2D.
The worrying part is that HTC doesn’t give you any usable internal memory. The built-in 1GB can’t be configured as ‘Mass Storage’ when you connect it to a computer. So a micro SD card is necessary if you want to load photos and videos on it.
In terms of specs, the Evo 3D is a quad-band phone with full 3G connectivity. Apart from Wi-Fi ‘n’, there’s Bluetooth 3.0 as well. However, the lack of NFC and USB on-the-go functionality is disappointing.
Battery Life
HTC has packed in a bigger battery — 1,730mAh compared to 1,500mAh on the LG, which significantly reflects during day-to-day usage. We managed 5:40 hours of continuous video playback, which is very good. Basically, expect the device to last well over a day per charge.
Photos and videos
If you’re shooting in 3D, the 5-megapixel camera will only let you take photos at 2MP, which is rather low. Features exclusive to 2D include image adjustments, ISO, resolution, aspect ratio, auto-enhance and face detection. Touch-to-focus is thankfully present in both modes. Pictures turn out quite sharp and clear in a variety of lighting conditions; however, the image quality isn’t that impressive in 3D. Video recording is a bit of a disappointment too as you’re locked down to 720p (1280x720) in both modes. Nevertheless, videos are smooth with very little jitter.
Verdict
The HTC EVO 3D is like the Sensation with an added punch. It looks great, is fast and the 3D effect adds the ‘oomph' factor. While I would give the phone a thumbs up on its performance alone, the no-glasses 3D feature is great to flaunt and will turn a lot of heads too.
Pros:
- Improved battery life, good 4G lifespan
- Phone quality is exceptional – maintains a strong signal, good voice quality
- 3D capabilities are good…
Cons:
- …but the screen has a small sweet spot for viewing and there’s no depth slider
- Software crashes are regular and reoccurring, due to HTC firmware
- Benchmark and overall performance is excellent, for last season’s models
