HTC EVO 4G Will Offer WiMAX, the Android OS, and a Large Screen

Sprint has just taken the wraps off the HTC EVO 4G, which will be the first smartphone available in the U.S. with WiMAX. This very high-end model will run Google's Android OS and have a very large high-resolution Touchscreen as well as a range of other features.

A great deal of information leaked out about this device before today's announcement, but at that time this model was known by its codename, the HTC Supersonic.

As expected, it will have a 4.3-inch touchscreen, a slim tablet shape, and 1 GHz Snapdragon processor.

On top of Android OS 2.1, the EVO 4G will run HTC Sense, this company's alternate user interface that expands on Google's standard one.

This upcoming model will have a kickstand to hold it up while the user is watching movies on the comparatively large screen.

It will also sport an 8 megapixel camera and a microSD memory card slot.

4G > 3G
WiMAX support will give the EVO significantly faster Internet access than any current phone: it should have peak downlink speeds of up to 12 Mbps, and average downlink speeds of 2-4 Mbps.

There is one caveat: Sprint's 4G network -- which it runs in conjunction with Clearwire -- is only available in limited areas covering about 10% of the U.S. population. That's why its first model will also offer the 3G standard EV-DO.

The EVO will come with software that will allow it to share its Net connection with up to 8 other devices. There will likely be a monthly service fee for using this, though.

Pricing & Availability
The HTC EVO 4G is only being announced today, not being released. The debut won't be for several more months, as it is scheduled for some point this summer.

Pricing for this smartphone has not yet been announced.

Source: Sprint