Sprint EVO 4G vs. iPhone 4

How do Apple and HTC's smartphone juggernauts compare?

While the RIM's Blackberry OS holds the crown for United States smartphone dominance, Apple's iPhone ranks second, and Android is quickly rising in the ranks. As Google's Android mobile platform continues to grow in popularity, so does the range of alluring smartphone hardware that runs it, which with every passing iteration takes further aim on the iPhone juggernaut.

Earlier this year Google's Nexus One was introduced as a viable competitor to the iPhone 3GS, and now HTC's Evo 4G will go toe-to-toe with Apple's newly introduced iPhone 4. Each with powerful new technologies and their own unique feature-sets, the iPhone 4 and HTC Evo 4G will battle for the hearts, minds, and cash of consumers well into the holiday season. To give you a better sense of how these two mobile giants match up, we've constructed a rundown of the software, hardware, pricing, and technical specifications of each.

Design
In their latest iteration, Apple has stuck to the tried and true layout of the iPhone, while making it smaller than its predecessor. Clocking in at 4.8 ounces and measuring .37" thick, 2.3" wide, and 4.5" tall, the new iPhone is thin and sleek. Apple's designers have also gone a more angular route, switching the old iPhone's rounded back for something completely flat and made from the same aluminosilicate glass material as the front panel. The new design aesthetic is topped off with a stainless steel border around the entire device.

The EVO 4G, meanwhile, opts for screen real-estate over compactness. Standing at 4.8" tall, 2.6" wide, and .5" thick, with a screen that takes up nearly the entire front of the device, the EVO is big - relatively speaking. And unlike the iPhone, it features a rounded back with softer edges, a protruding camera lens, as well as a built-in stand for propping the device up on surfaces.

Hardware Features
Often criticized for lagging behind in terms of sheer features, Apple has largely managed to bring the iPhone up-to-speed with their new model. A front-facing camera has finally been added, along with HD video recording capabilities. Apple claims that the resolution of their new screen exceeds the capabilities of the human eye, making individual pixels invisible, while the addition of a Wii MotionPlus-style gyroscope opens a new realm of possibilities for App developers.

Watch IGN's iPhone 4 Hands-On
Here are the device's most notable features:

• 3.5" Touch-screen LCD IPS display, 960 x 640 resolution
  
• 5 Megapixel rear camera, VGA front facing camera
  
• 720p HD video recording
  
• A4 Processor
  
• Battery life: 7 hours of 3G talk time
  
• 3G and 802.11n Wi-Fi networking
  
• Cellular Signals: Quadband GSM, pentaband HSPA
  
• Bluetooth, GPS, Digital compass, MicroSIM
  
• Proximity sensor, Light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope
  
• Up to 32GB of storage

And just when it seems like manufacturers couldn't cram more stuff into a device as small as a smartphone, the EVO 4G proves there's always space for more with a seemingly endless list of features. This is the U.S.'s first 4G capable phone, and add WiMAX support as well as the ability to convert 3G or 4G signals into your own personal mobile Wi-Fi network and you've got a phone unlike anything else out there. Oh, and just in case you feel like it, you can use the HDMI output to watch things on the big screen.

IGN's HTC Evo 4G Unboxing Video

Here's the Evo 4G's list of features:

• 4.3" Touch-screen TFT LCD display, 800 x 480 resolution
  
• 8 Megapixel rear camera, 1.3 Megapixel front facing camera
  
• 720p HD video recording
  
• 1GHz Snapdragon processor
  
• Battery life: 6 hours talk time
  
• 4G, WiMAX, and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi networking
  
• Cellular Signals: CDMA, EV-DO Rev. A, WiMAX
  
• Bluetooth, GPS, Micro SD support, Digital Compass
  
• HDMI output
  
• Proximity sensor, Accelerometer
  
• 8 GB included (up to 32 GB via Micro SD)
  
• Built-in Sprint Overdrive Mobile Hotspot

Software Features
Of course, if the advent of smartphones has taught us anything, it's that a device lives or dies based on the versatility of its platform. Apple iOS (formerly known as iPhone OS 4.0) finally brings multitasking to the iPhone. iPhone 4 owners will also be able to take advantage of FaceTime, a video chat program that lets you talk with other iPhone owners - but the app can only be used while on a Wi-Fi network. iMovie, Apple's video-editing program, is also making it's way to the iPhone 4, letting you edit movies on-the-go and upload them to the web at full 720p resolution.

The EVO is backed by the robust Android 2.1 platform, running HTC's custom UI called 'Sense'. The EVO's video chat app (called 'Qik') lets you talk with other EVO owners over 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi networks, or you can even set up a live stream of your video on the web. Setting up a local Wi-Fi network, via the EVO's Overdrive, is done through Sprint's Mobile Hotspot app.

Pricing
The EVO is available from Sprint right now for $199 if you sign up for a two-year contract, Premium Data plan, and after a $100 mail-in rebate. Sprint's plans range from $69.99 for unlimited data and 450 anytime minutes, up to $189.99 for an unlimited family plan that includes two lines. The required 'Premium Data' plan costs another $10 per month.

Apple will be releasing the iPhone 4 on June 24 to the tune of $199 for the 16GB model, and $299 for the 32GB model, both with two-year AT&T Contracts. Their plans range from $39.99 - $69.99 a month for voice and $15.00 - $25.00 a month for data. Or, if you've got the money, you can buy the iPhone 4 with no contract for $599 (16 GB) and $699 (32 GB)

source: http://gear.ign.com/articles/109/1096001p1.html