HTC's new flagship phone, the One X, looks to be outdated. Already.
Last night, Sprint announced the HTC Evo 4G LTE. With a mile long list of impressive specs and the first US phone to feature HD Voice, this is definitely the phone Sprint users have been waiting for.
One X specs
If you want to know what the Evo 4G LTE looks and feels like, a good place to start would be our HTC One X review. The Evo 4G LTE both looks and feels a like HTC's flagship One X phone, because it borrows almost all of its features.
It has the same 4.7-Inch Super-LCD 2 screen, the same 8MP rear-facing camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera, and the same Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz dual-core processor.
The Evo 4G LTE has 16GB of onboard memory, like the One X, and is expandable another 32GB via Micro SD.
The HTC Evo 4G LTE will also come packing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, complete with HTC's Sense 4.0 overlay. Like the One X, Beats Audio integration will be included.
The ludicrously impressive list goes on, however. It'll have an NFC chip and an HDMI MediaLink to stream videos to your HDTV.
But wait, there's more
We're excited about the evolution of the Evo - kickstand and all.
While the One X utilizes a plastic unibody (which you'll recall from our HTC One X review we rather liked), the Evo 4G LTE rocks a similar unibody design, but it's aluminum - and yes, the Evo kickstand has returned. This time, you'll be able to charge your phone while kick-standing.
The One X's awful battery has also gotten a bit of a boost, from 1800 mAh to 2000 mAh.
What LTE?
The HTC Evo 4G LTE has a bit of a misnomer for a name however. As we mentioned in our comprehensive guide to which US carrier is the best, Sprint doesn't actually currently support LTE.
While they're rapidly transitioning to true 4G, Sprint customers will have to rely on WiMAX 4G (much slower than LTE, but faster than HSPA+).
Of course, it's conceivable that Sprint's first round of LTE rollout will be completed by the time the Evo 4G LTE has released. If that's the case, customers in Austin, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Kansas can expect to utilize Sprint's upgraded LTE first.
HD Voice
Perhaps the most exciting feature of the Evo 4G LTE is the introduction of HD Voice, a technology that promises to make call quality clearer than ever before.
The technology has been rolled out in select markets of Europe, but up until now hasn't been brought to the States.
The HTC Evo 4G LTE will cost $199 with a two-year contract and will be available exclusively through Sprint. Preorders will begin May 7th.
Keep your eyes peeled for our hands-on review, as well as an official release date.