Friday, 18 May 2012
HTC EVO 3D

Heading for the Sprint network in the US, the HTC EVO 3D is an Android smartphone with a 3D display, similar in concept to the upcoming LG Optimus 3D.

Although the initial version of the EVO 3D will be a CDMA/EVDO/LTE 4G device, there are indications that a GSM / 3.5G version will be available too at some point, which is good news for those who want a 3D phone but don't live in the US.. but it will almost definitely have a different name.

The display is the main selling point here - a high-resolution 4.3" 540 x 960 "QHD" panel offering glasses-free 3D. As with LG's offering, the EVO 3D also has a 3D camera on the back - in this case capable of taking 2 megapixel 3D stills or 5 megapixels 2D pictures plus 2D and 3D HD video. There's also a front-facing camera for video calling.

Inside is a 1.2GHz dual core Snapdragon CPU with 1GB of RAM, which is the sort of power you will need to drive a 3D display of this resolution.

The HTC EVO 3D runs Android 2.3, and comes with everything that you would expect of a high-end smartphone including WiFi and GPS. In addition to the usual multimedia options there is an FM radio and optional HDMI cable, and it also comes with a number of HTC add-ons such as HTC Sense.

Most Android users struggle with power consumption, but the EVO 3D comes with a very large 1730 mAh cell which is quoted as giving up to 14 days standby and 7.5 hours talktime. This battery has about 50% more capacity than most rivals, which is certainly a good thing.

HTC EVO 3D It's quite a heavy device at 170 grams (6.0 ounces) in weight, and it measures 126 x 65 x 12mm.. overall pretty similar to the HTC Desire HD. To look at, this is a fairly typical black slabby device with the unusual twin camera arrangement on the back.

We're not entirely sure when Sprint intend to make this available, although sources say sometime during Q2. HTC haven't confirmed any non-Sprint version either, but perhaps this will be announced as the HTC Desire 3D or HTC Incredible 3D or something similar very soon.