3D is all the rage these days.  CES had 3D technology on every corner and the newest concepts being shown where glasses free 3D TV.  It seems it’s also starting to influence our pocket technology too.  This latest device, soon to be released on the Sprint network, is the successor to highly acclaimed HTC EVO and it’s called the HTC EVO 3D.  Yes it is the HTC EVO on the outside, the HTC Sensation on the inside and a little 3D technology thrown in just to finish it off.

HTC EVO 3D Back Cover Angle Shot

As far as the interface goes, the phone runs just like any other Android phone with everything working in regular 2D mode. The 3D enhancements come with the Flick of switch on the side of the device and your instantly shooting 3D photos and videos with ease using the dual 5MP camera on the rear of the device.  The 3D effects do work, and it’s a sight to be seen, but it’s not ready for general use. I found my eyes straining after a couple of minutes playing with it.  Sense itself does not make use of any of the 3D hardware inside the phone, which is a shame as the 3D effects of Sense 3 would look amazing if they had.  In my opinion, the 3D side of the EVO 3D will be a novelty for a few days and will come into play every time you meet someone new who hasn’t seen the device, but that’s about it.

HTC EVO 3D Dual Camera Close-Up

Did I mention that the EVO 3D has a dedicated camera button on the right edge of the phone with a slider to switch the phone between 2D and 3D camera mode.  The dedicated camera button is one of the nicest I’ve seen on an Android phone and makes it feel like you’re holding a real camera in your hands.  It’s a dual stage circular chrome disc that will focus and setup the appropriate levels on the first step of the press, then take the actual photograph when you press down harder and snap down into the second stage.  Just like a real camera.  I really like this feature and it’s one feature that’s lacking on the Sensation.  It seems that manufacturers are slowly trying to remove hardware features from more and more devices. Trackballs and track pads are disappearing, and now the camera buttons on some devices are gone.  The next stage is to remove the soft buttons in the next version of Android. What’s next!! Take away the screen and have a cerebral implant!

HTC EVO 3D Camera Buttons

The phone I received did not have service enabled. As I only have the phone for a couple of days, I’m not even going attempt to have it turned on, instead I’ll  just stick with WiFi and test out the everything I can besides the phones data connections.

The inside of the phone is almost identical in specifications to the HTC Sensation so I expect the performance to be almost identical.  The EVO 3D does have 1GB of RAM compared to the Sensations 768MB.  Not sure how much of a difference this will make in real life, but I’m assuming it was required to give better support for the 3D functionality.

The screen is also the same as the Sensation in the form of the ultra high resolution qHD display and looks almost identical in my initial testing.

Here are the two behemoths side by side to give you a comparison:

HTC EVO 3D Next To HTC Sensation

Size-wise the EVO 3D is slightly bigger than the Sensation and bigger than the T-Mobile myTouch 4G and Google Nexus One shown below:

HTC EVO 3D Phone Comparison with HTC Sensation, myTouch4G and Google Nexus One

Cosmetically, the EVO 3D and the Sensation are very different.  The EVO 3D looks almost identical to the original HTC EVO with its square features and sharp edges, the Sensation on the other hand has a much softer and more rounded look. I personally prefer the Sensation and I also remember the sharp edges use to jar on my face when using the original EVO. I assume the EVO 3D will be the same.

I also prefer the chrome look of the Sensations ear piece over the dark look of the EVO 3D’s.  The front left and right edges of the face of the EVO 3D are so sharp that I’m sure I can don myself in shaving cream and get a close shave using the edges of the phone.  Many people I know, have, or have had the original EVO, and they all love it, so I shouldn’t be so judgmental.  I just like rounded shapes over sharp corners and edges.

The cover of the EVO 3D opens in a similar fashion to the Sensation. The entire back of the phone snaps off all the way round to the front of the device exposing not only the back of the phone but also the sides, top and bottom.  It’s pretty bizarre really and makes it look more like you’re dismantling the phone rather than accessing  the insides to get to your memory card and battery.  The back was surprisingly flimsy and I was a little scared to actually remove the back panel with fear of it breaking.  Not the grade of material I’m used to with HTC.  I do like the ribbed texture on the back of the device and it feels good in your hands.

HTC EVO 3D with Back Cover Off

There are a few goodies thrown in with the device to get you started on your 3D experience and I’m sure that more software written to take advantage of the 3D hardware will continue to trickle in.  The 3D version of the Spiderman game from Gameloft was pretty cool to watch, but I couldn’t play it for long.  I found myself switching the 3D depth to its lowest setting to make the game more playable without eye strain.

There was a copy of the Green Hornet movie in 3D included with the phone, but I couldn’t get it to play on the phone I had.  Possibly due to the phone not being enabled on the Sprint network.  Apart from these items, there wasn’t really too much extra included. The usual selection of sprint applications and of course Sense 3 itself.  Interestingly; the EVO 3D did have the Car Panel and Dock applications which where missing from the HTC Sensation.  I guess the networks get to choose which features are included.

Well that’s a little intro to the HTC EVO 3D coming to the Sprint network very soon.  I hope this was interesting for you and helps you make a more informed purchasing decision for your next Android device.

Fire away with any questions you have below and I’ll do my best to answer them or direct them to someone else who can.

There’s a few more photos shown in the gallery below as well as the ones you’ve already seen in the article itself.

Before i go, did you know that we just dropped the price of the original HTC EVO to a figure that is too low to print here.  Let’s just say that it won’t cost you anything!