HTC EVO Shift 4G (Sprint)

Who should get this phone? Consumers who want a solid 4G Android 2.2 cell phone with a slide-out tactile QWERTY keyboard.

What cell phone compares to this model? The HTC EVO Shift 4G has a similar form factor to the Samsung Epic 4G and a similar user interface as the HTC EVO 4G.

Why should I get this phone? You want a pocket-friendly Android 2.2 smartphone that offers 4G.

In a nutshell: The HTC EVO Shift 4G may not be the slimmest Android 2.2 cell phone available, but it has tons of features that make it a good choice for those in the market for a workhorse smartphone.

At first glance, the HTC EVO Shift 4G looks like a basic touchscreen phone that’s a bit bulky. This is because it sports a slide-out 4-line tactile QWERTY keyboard. Although, there isn’t a row of keys strictly dedicated to numbers, we did find that the function key is far enough away from the keys with numbers that it was easy to use. Another plus is that there is plenty of space between the top row of keys and the screen so typing is a breeze. However, if you don’t want to use the slide-out QWERTY keyboard you can always use the onscreen keyboard available in both portrait and landscape mode. The HTC EVO Shift 4G doesn’t come with the popular SWYPE keyboard, but the HTC keyboard does a good job predicting and learning words the more you use it.

Unlike the HTC EVO 4G’s wide 4.3-inch display, the HTC EVO Shift 4G is a bit narrower with its 3.6-inch capacitive touchscreen. Speaking of the display, we found colors vivid and letters and numbers sharp. We particularly like the silver lining that surrounds the phone’s screen as it adds a bit of style. The spine of the cell phone subscribes to the minimalist philosophy with just volume keys, a power button, 3.5mm headset jack, and an uncovered microUSB port. Like other Google Android smartphones currently available there are only 4 touch keys for maneuvering through the cell phone’s features and none of them are a send or end key. Instead there are Menu, Home, Back, and Search keys. However, at the base of the cell phone there are dedicated icons for Phone, Applications, and a + sign that offers options for customizing any of the seven home screens.

The smartphone is also lightweight, but doesn’t feel cheap in the hand. It has a dark gray plastic backing that has a bit of a sheen to it, making it look a bit luxurious when the light hits it just right. Also, on the back of the cell phone you’ll find a 5-megapixel camera (there’s no flash). You’ll need to remove the back cover of the cell phone and the battery to swap out the included 2GB microSD card.

Testing the HTC EVO Shift 4G 

• Making calls: During calls we could hear callers clearly and callers said they had a similar experience on their end. Regardless of how close you hold the smartphone to your face, the “End Call” button never seems to get “accidentally” hit.  

• Volume Adjustment: You can use the side buttons to adjust the volume, but we rarely needed to use them.  

• Speakerphone: Call quality is acceptable when using this feature. We didn’t cut each other off when speaking simultaneously.

• Operating System: The smartphone comes loaded with the Android 2.2 OS and sports an 800GHz Qualcomm processor. So it’s going to be a bit slower than the HTC EVO 4G. The EVO Shift 4G comes with 2GB of onboard memory and a 2GB microSD card so if you plan on storing a lot of pictures and videos on this phone you’ll need to get a higher-capacity microSD card. It also has HTC Sense, an overlay that sits on top of the OS that adds more functionality and features to the cell phone. For starters, HTC Sense offers a slue of widgets to help customize the phone’s seven home screens. It also has Footprints, an application that allows you to take a picture of a place, get all the information available about it from the web including a map, and even add a note. The idea is that whenever you go back to that place you can revisit or just share it with friends. Overall, the user interface is fairly straightforward and icon friendly.

• Web Navigation: You can easily access any website you want simply by entering the name of the site in the Google search bar. The cell phone does support Adobe FlashPlayer 10.1. We did also appreciate that you can have multiple browser windows open simultaneously and easily navigate between them. You can also do things like find a word on a web page, which is helpful on the phone’s smaller screen. Overall, surfing the web on the HTC EVO Shift 4G was a fluid experience with the ability to zoom and scroll around web pages with ease.

• Social Media: Facebook comes included in the applications preloaded on your phone as does Peep, HTC’s Twitter client. It also has HTC’s Friend Stream feature that lets you view all the updates (including pictures, Facebook updates, and more) for your contacts in one place. That means you don’t need to go to the Facebook app to look for just a few updates. If you want access to more social networking options you can easily download them from the Android Market.

• Camera Features: The EVO Shift 4G sports a 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and led flash on the back of the cell phone. It lacks a tiny mirror for framing self-portraits.

• Shutter Speed: We found the shutter speed on the HTC EVO Shift 4G to be fast so you’ll be able to easily capture action shots.

• Picture Quality: We found colors to be true and details sharp when looking at pictures on the cell phone.  

• Photo Settings: You can control the brightness, saturation, contrast, sharpness, timer, resolution, white balance, ISO setting, metering, flicker adjustment, face detection, effects (normal, grayscale, negative, solarize, posterize, and sepia), and add geo tags.
  

  Picture captured at the camera's highest settings.

• Video Features: You can record 720p HD with this Android cell phone. We found quality solid and playback smooth.

• Music Features: Playback of music through the HTC EVO Shift 4G speaker is loud, but a bit tinny. Music did sound much better through the included headphones. You’ll need those headphones to listen and use the included FM radio app.

• Formats supported: We were able to play MP3, unprotected AAC (Apple’s audio format), and unprotected WMA (Microsoft’s audio format) music files.

• Features: Repeat, Shuffle, and Playlists (you can even create playlists on the cell phone). You can also save tunes stored in your cell phone as a ringtone or as an alarm. You can also share music with other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

• Connectivity: The HTC EVO Shift 4G works with Sprint’s 3G and 4G networks. The cell phone is automatically set to 3G and if you want to use the 4G network you can turn it on in the phone’s Wireless Network menu found under the Settings option. It also has the Mobile HotSpot feature so you can share the data connection with up to eight other WiFi-enabled devices. 

• Bluetooth: The cell phone worked seamlessly with the Motorola T505 and callers didn’t know we were using a Bluetooth connection. We were also able to connect the HTC EVO Shift 4G with a MacBook Pro and transfer contacts, pictures, and music.

• WiFi: It has 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (that’s pretty secure) and we were able to log onto available WiFi networks to surf the Web or send/receive e-mail. It just takes moments to set up. The only thing you need is the WiFi network you want to use and password if needed.

• Battery Life: We found battery life on the HTC EVO Shift 4G to be on par with similar devices. We were able to go about a day before needing to recharge the cell phone and used it to check e-mail, surf the web, listen to music and take a few pictures.

The HTC Sense overlay combined with the slide-out QWERTY keyboard makes the HTC EVO Shift 4G fairly easy to use. It has thoughtful QWERTY-keyboard shortcuts well integrated into the overall phone experience and does a good job at keeping users productive on the road.

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