The HTC EVO 3D got a 4.3-inch phone with WiMAX wrapped in a white body. The 3D capable device at CTIA we are impressed and it got 1.2 GHz dual core processor and qHD display.

Hardware

The EVO 3D got some combined elements from EVO 4G and Incredible 2, like the angular edges and sliver ringed capacitive keys with soft curves and earpiece. The silver grating missing from the earpiece and discover the silver 2D/3D mode switch plus the large machined aluminium camera button on the right edge that you realize completely different device. It is little taller than EVO 4G with a different screen aspect ratio 16:9 vs. 5:3. The 1.3MP front facing camera on the bezel to the right, a sheet of Gorilla glass protects the 4.3-inch qHD capacitive display and includes silk-screened HTC and Sprint logos at top. In the back it got 5MP autofocus camera and dual LED flash. It features a red aluminium rim that also conceals the speaker, and reminds us of the red trim piece around EVO 4Gs camera. The back cover is made of matte black soft-touch plastic that wraps around the edges of the device. The top edge got the Power/Lock button, a standard 3.5mm head phone jack surrounded by a silver ring and mic. At the bottom you can find a primary mic along with a slot to pry the back cover off. The left edge is devoid of anything other than combined HDMI/micro-USB connector. On the right side there is a volume button and aforementioned 2D/3D switch and a camera key.

It looks solidly built; the materials used fail to convey the same sense of quality as the Sensation as we reviewed before. The volume rocker and power/lock button are part of the back cover have an unpleasant feel. Removing the back cover reveals the same translucent black chassis as Incredible 2, a generous 1730mAh battery, and a micro SD card slot containing an 8GB Class 4 card. As for the specs the EVO 3D is same like the Sensation. It uses the same 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU and Adreno 220 GPU, and features 1GB RAM and paired with a dual-mode GSM/CDMA capable radio. The Phone is equipped with a 4.3-inch 16:9 qHD with 960*540 pixel resolution Super LCD display, and other than supporting glasses-free stereoscopic content, the EVO 3D screen appears to be identical to the Sensations in terms of brightness, color saturation, black levels and viewing angles. The good thing here is the radios on board, includes WiMAX, CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS/AGPS, and FM along with usual sensors.

The call quality doesnt seem to be very good for us comparing to the others, we didnt see WiMAX perform significantly better than HSPA+ on other carriers. WiMAX works better outdoors and locking onto a signal usually requires staying stationary for a minute. Things are different now that HSPA+ and LTE are viable alternatives WiMAX is suddenly less compelling. Power efficiency is another concern. Carriers deploy HSPA+ and LTE networks, chip manufacturers are likely to integrate those radios at the SoC level, while WiMAX continues to require a separate ratio. The battery took 14 hours and 44 minutes to drain 1730mAh. 3D photography is particularly taxing on the battery. We can saw the charge level drop from full to 60 percent in about an hour and half during which we snapped about 80 photos and captured four short videos.

Camera

The twin 5MP autofocus cameras and dual LED flash, both cameras are sharp and decent quality 5MP sensor with better than average low-light performance and low noise. The limiting factor here is the optics not the autofocus lenses, but the panel protecting the camera pod. The color balance is accurate, light metering is hit and miss. Only the left camera is used for 2D shots, and scenes with a dynamic range are often over under-exposed. Macro photography is possible in 3D, produces results are impossible to display properly because the two cameras are too far apart when capturing close-ups. The cameras are disabled when the phone is not in the horizontal position and in landscape orientation. The both cameras feature 5MP sensors, 3D photos consist of a pair of 2MP wide screen stills. Zooming is not supported when capturing 3D content. 3D images are saved in MPOs or JPS formats, easier to view and edit since it basically places the left and right pictures side by side into a single JPEG file containing additional metadata.

Video captured smoothly in 720p and 30fps, and then encoded using standard H264. It captures video in HD quality up to 720p and playback up to 1080p on both 2D and 3D. Many people have problems seeing the 3D effect on the display even after being coached to slowly pan sideways until 3D photos or videos into place. The 3D effect looks bad at left and right edges of the screen, and pinch to zoom switches the display back to 2D. MPO files and 3D videos are handled properly by the Sharp 3D TV, but none of our 3D content worked on the Nintendo 3DS. We are able to convert the JPS files into anaglyph images by using a 3 step Photoshop process. We are also able to upload and watch 3D videos on YouTube.

Software

The EVO 3D runs Sense 3.0 UI on top of Android 2.3, just like Sensation. As we mentioned on that review, performance is top notch. The processor takes you to the new level of fluidity. The basic UI to web browser to maps is utterly smooth. There is no delay, no hesitation. We can able to realize some people actually enjoy the Sense UI and we comment HTC for creating unique and consistent user experience across its device lineup. There is some crapware, and it can be removed easily. We have given Sprint credit for keeping pre-installed apps to a minimum, includes content that adds value to the device. You can find the apps like Adobe Reader, Amazon MP3, Polaris Office, Qik Video, and Swype. Others like NASCAR, Sprint Mobile, Sprint Radio, Sprint TV & Movies, Sprint Zone, and TeleNav are less attractive. The main advantage is the movies and games take advantage of 3D display. Spider-man and Green Hornet 3D launches HTCs Watch service to access movie. Wii developers join the party and build 3D capable apps and web services.

For:

Dual-core processor performance, qHD resolution, glasses-free 3D display, quality camera button

Against:

Poor battery life, not much internal memory, call quality can be better, display should be higher quality

Conclusion

The EVO 3D is a well-made device, it lives up to its flagship status. It steps back in some areas, but overall performance makes it s
till in the competition. Sense 3.0 leave us cold, and now that other carriers rolling out HSPA+ and LTE networks, WiMAX no longer feels like the new one on the block. The processor performance is superb in the device and got terrible battery life. The device is priced at $200 on Sprint. We have to think of the EVO 3D as a Sensation with a lesser camera, cheaper materials, worse battery life, and without ability to roam worldwide. Its got 3D and the best dedicated two-stage camera button thats ever graced a phone.