Conspiracy theory: what happened to the EVO 4G vs. iPhone 4 post?
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted June 10th 2010 8:37AM
posted June 10th 2010 8:37AM
We had a debate yesterday as to whether or not it was fair to compare a phone we did a thorough review on (the EVO 4G -- you can read all about how awesome we think it is right here) to a phone we only had a short time to play with (the new iPhone). I was in the latter group, but not around when that post was written or put up on the site. As a result, when I came back and saw it had been posted, I pulled. Not because the EVO 4G was winning in the poll. Not because it said nice things about the EVO 4G. I pulled it simply because I didn't think it was fair to make the comparison yet. In hindsight, we should have made that clear from the start, and I apologize.
So, the post will go back up... once we've had a chance to look at both phones completely. In the meantime, the poll is below, and we seriously have no preference on which phone wins. Do your worst guys.
| iPhone 4 | |
|---|---|
| EVO 4G | |
| Holding out for something better | |
| I'm happy with what I have |
Burn it! Burn it with fire!
Need a keyboard. EVO and iPhone 4 both fail.
(In reality, due to quirks of the plan I'm on, I'm probably stuck on a Touch Pro or maybe a Touch Pro 2. Hopefully the Android port for Touch Pro becomes more stable, and then moves to FroYo and gets faster.)
My main beef with the iPhone(Any version) is the Homescreen ... or lack there of. Who wants a homescreen filled with App icons? Thats called an app drawer! And "Yay, I can now stack icons into folders!!!!!!" ....
Even the oldest WinMo phones have a proper homescreen. I will stick with Android. I am not getting an Evo 4g though, waiting for something better to come to Verizon.
@sethmo
*shrug* I like the app icon style f the UI. I't clean, pretty to look at, and my aging eyes do have to squint so like I did with my mtouch3g.
engadget are probably scared of being sued by apple like they do to everyone lol
When compared to iOS, Android looks like an unpolished turd...I have both and honestly can't stand the android interface...blah...not to mention the f'd up way android gets updated(or NOT)...Pisses me off...And Google as a company is just plain creeping me out lately...dumping my Gmail account today...Scary
Integrity.
Posts like this are why I visit Engadget, and not the other tech blogs out there. Thanks, Joshua, for explaining what happened, apologizing and rectifying it. Even though I personally didn't notice the hoopla, it says a lot about you, and all of Engadget, by how you handled it.
i would like to say thank you for giving an explanation and not brushing it under the carpet. but frankly, the iphone review is pretty simple the way i see it. the iphone 3GS lacked a lot of things, yet it had a good review, not the iphone 4, has improved a lot and it's obvious it will have a good performance in any review.
i thought, personally, it was like one of those posts that says which one will you be buying...
but anyway, it's good that it's cleared up now.
but this remains,
apple fans will buy iphone 4
Google fans will buy evo/incredible
MS fans will buy wphone 7 (like me)
and people in between will buy what's fashionable, and whatever device is more popular. that's where sites like engadget come in handy. so it's vital for engadget or any other site that reviews gadgets etc to be absolutely neutral and put aside their personal preference and give a honest opinion.
@mjenabi
It also remains that smart consumers will buy the device based on things like availability, price, service, functionality, compatibility, etc. (like me).
But oh, there will always be fanboys who buy anything with a little green robot or Apple or Windows emblem on it.
Sorry kids, Windows Mobile blows (I've had many smartphones my last WM Phone was a Shadow, and yes, the new WM sucks too), Android is cool but Sprint sucks (one of the first adopters of the G1 here), iPhone has the greatest consumer-base (and therefore greater compatibility with others with things like FaceTime), apps, price-points, functionality, compatibility, etc.
And seriously, "what will you do with 4G?" I can't imagine it being good for anything other than mobile porn, and 3G is certainly just as capable of that, if you're into that sort of thing.
@Schmerzlichtod
Why does Sprint suck?
I don't understand why everyone says this. I have had sprint for 11 years, I have only had a handful of dropped calls, no signal issues, i just don't understand why it sucks.
Weren't all the crybabies saying it was pulled because the EVO was winning?
Look at the stats fanboys, look at the stats.
GO GO I don't care! I will get the EVO and you can get any damn phone you want. If you don;t like it, you can return it. Although, I do not think AT&T's return policy is not as nice as Sprint's.
I think it's silly that you guys took it down - you're no strangers to speculation; that's for sure.
Thanks for your honesty Josh. I could only wish more media outlets had the nuts enough to admit their mistakes.
This just reinforces why I prefer Engadget over all others (for my tech news, that is)
@wendel17
Except they did NOT make a mistake.
Its their damn blog. They haven't reviewed the iPhone yet. And frankly the android fanboys (like yourself) were jumping to all sorts of conspiracy theories and attacking the editors.
Pure trash....
@BrookLynnsFinest engadget are always putting devices against each other there not out look at when they done ipad against the tablets when there not out same thing as what happened with evo and iphone
@BrookLynnsFinest
Clearly you've missed the point. The 'mistake' was posting a comparison before giving the iPhone a thorough review. Personally, I don't see it as a big deal, but nonetheless, I appreciate that Josh was forthcoming.
As far as being an Android fanboy, I have no freaking idea what you're talking about. I actually own an iPhone 3GS.
@BrookLynnsFinest
You're a moron. When I'd he say he liked android? Seriously, quit acting like a fucking jackass towards everyone.
There's your comparison shot... the Retina tech is sharper and brighter... Its just beautiful
@Wesscoast Yeah, but that's not a Super AMOLED screen. We never questioned whether the Retina display was better than your average lcd.
@Wesscoast
Funny that Evo has fingerprints and glare all over it yet the iphone doesn't. That camera angle isn't very good either.
I'm waiting to see if the PSP2 phone (with android) rumors come true or not. Hopefully we'll find out at E3. If not I'll upgrade my 3G iPhone to the iPhone 4.
I fully support the decision to pull the comparison. It is fine to compare the specs since it is available, but the quality may be different (i.e. photo and video quality between the two products).
how al your iphone buyers going to when att drop there data allowance right down
@supermanjason
I'm currently burning just under 1gb a month. I'll stick it out with AT&T for awhile longer. What's my alternative? Sprint? In the Greater Boston area? No thanks.
I was playing with my friend's Evo yesterday, it is good, but kind of slow when opening apps, and it doesn't rotate both sides when tilted, i guess they assumed everyone will use it with the kickstand (only rotates left). The screen is great and loads faster than the iPhone...but still feels weird. Hopefully, when froyo comes to it will get much better.
Personally, I'm holding off till i get to try the iPhone 4, maybe there will be a much better android phone in a few months. but for now i'm sticking to my 3GS.
I hate plastic phones.
Sure, I'm an Apple "fanboi" but when I tried the Android phones, they were extremely sluggish...
Maybe I didn't try them at a good location.
Either way, I'm sticking with the iPhone. =P
@AppleDragon I tried one at the store too, and it was FAST, but the keyboard dissapointed me and the pinch and zoom are off, zooms very fast or it doesnt zoom where i wnat to. As an iphone owner and user for 3 years, i'm used to pictures and webpages to zoom without hipcups or to stay where i'm pinching. Looks like a software issue, but while the EVo has gread specs, it doesnt cut it for me.
@AppleDragon
The lack of outside plastic is a huge deal with me. I absolutely love the materials in the iphone4.
This is the first phone which will not likely have a case.
@yujin
One word POLISH. It is the little things.
@yujin
I feel exactly the same way that you do. Every Android phone I have tried just doesn't feel as good as the iPhone. You can list their stats on paper and they seem great, some better than the iPhone, but once you load up Maps or the browser on both units and try to pan around and zoom and and out, you see that there is just a massive difference in how well they work. To me, it's very impressive that the iPhone has had this level of performance since day one.
And lets be honest here. The vast majority of us are doing the EXACT same things with our phones, whether they be Android or the iPhone.
You pulled it out because there was only one option in that post. Get an iPhon 4. The choices were stupid and the only thing was something like:
Iphone 4 is the best! get it get it!
Meh. I'm getting an HTC EVO 4G.
Apple sucks big time.
@diegoelunico
Just because you can not afford a companies products it does not mean that "it sucks big time"
@Joao
take it easy girl. I didn't want to hurt your feelings.
And I CAN buy Apple products, but I'm not interested in them at all.
Anyway, Samsung Galaxy S, HTC EVO 4g, daddy is on your way! yyyaaaaayy :)
Personally, I'm just so very glad there is competition. Its only going to mean great things for consumers.
Thanks Engadget...I was one who was miffed when you pulled the article. Good to know there was a good reason for it. In the future though, don't just make articles disappear with no explanation. Just lock the comments and add a big old bold editorial comment saying what you just said. Some people link back to your articles and when they suddenly disappear, without a word edgewise, it's unnerving.
I wish Sprint would just get it through their heads that nobody wants all the crapware they pre-install on the EVO. It makes too clustered and overwhelming.Gimme a barebones Android handset and let ME install the stuff I want! Like the iPhone.
[Signed] A 3 year iPhone user, hesitant to switch.
@Alone in a Crowd
Agreed- or if they are going to load it, at least let me remove the apps I don't want.
[signed] A 6 day Evo owner - happy I switched off my Blackberry
@Alone in a Crowd I like the preinstalled stuff. The Navigation is great.
I'm getting the iphone 4. I much prefer its smaller form factor.
See no Evo...hear no Evo...speak no Evo.
You guys were ready to throw of to the iPhone lol premature?
For me, being an insider to the wireless industry, it all comes down to the RF transmitter chip inside. If it doesn't match the network system, it will suck ass. Henceforth, Winner goes to EVO because the circuit board clearly shows a Qualcomm chip running the RF like it should for a qualcomm CDMA system.
The iPhone has never had Nokia's RF chip which if you've sat in any Base station switching office is literally wall to wall Nokia RF equipment, because that's who AT&T chose to go with to build their GSM system with. No Nokia chip? Then welcome to drop call/incomplete call hell. Show me the Nokia chip on the iPhone4 board and i'd say it was a step in the right direction.
It's great that both phones do so much in features that it's truly outstanding, but if it can't make calls you might as well just buy an mp3 player instead and carry a real phone as well.
@TheNexxuvas .. You say that. Except for all of us outside the US there is no problems with dropped calls.
I have used my iPhone in 20+ countries with no problem.
Tell the truth.. Steve Jobs laid the smack down on you guys for that one. shame.
EVO 4G without Sprint? Maybe. It's a really nice phone, but it is far more hamstrung by Sprint's network than the iPhone is by AT&T's. I'll be dropping my cash on a 32GB iPhone 4 next week.
Why don't you compare the iPhone 4 with the Galaxy S?
The Galaxy S is much better than the Evo 4G.
It's obvious the iphone will win cause the EVO works only in the US. I would get it, but no EVO in Canada.
Holding out for something better!
Just did a video of speed test on Wifi between the Evo and an iPod Touch first gen... I know the proc isn't the same as the iPhone - but damn the Evo loads pages quickly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bizg3cn1sPM
I`m actually very satisfied with my nexus one ,
But if I had to choose between the two - I`d go with the Evo 4g.
Not because I`m an Apple/iPhone hater , I just find android very suited for me in almost any situation .
I`m of course talking about the gadgets and UI modification that probably wont show up on the iPhone (let`s drop the illegal JB`ing option).
Plus -
Open source : The power is in your hands, you can take the source of the OS and kernels and do whatever you want with them.
Make roms , mods, compile different kernels , overclock , free more RAM , etc...
Open environment : no one will try to lock the phone as hard as they can from being rooted (or as may you know it - jailbreaked) .
Open battery case - Even though apple are aware the issued with lithium over the time - they still lock you the possibility for opening the back plate housing (and take off the warranty if you do) .
iPhone is a very potential phone , but what irritates me is that you need to perform illegal actions to use that potential.
@dany74q
I did not really get true importance of on battery life until I owned an Ipad. I charged my smart phones once a day. On days of heavy use, I was looking for a socket. Basically battery life was always a lingering concern.
It is nice to be free of that concern with a long lasting battery. There is not doubt that I can go days without charging the iphone4. With the huge jump in battery life, I prefer the closed case if I get a great materials.