Sprint has finally given the EVO 4G, the Android phone we’ve been waiting for, a release date and price. The phone will be out on June 4, for $299 after a $100 mail-in rebate. The phone will use Sprint’s Every Data plans with an added $10 for Premium Data which will provide “a richer data experience than ever before.”
The announcement also comes with details saying that the EVO 4G will, in fact, be able to use voice and data at the same time thanks to the dual 3G and 4G connections. Other details are about as we heard when the phone was first announced. Sprint is preloading Qik onto the EVO 4G to show off the screen, cameras and network capabilities with two-way video chat. It is also touting the built in hotspot functionality which will allow for up to 8 devices to connect to the EVO 4G via WiFi. The mobile hotspot will add $29.99 per month to the bill. The minimum plan with 4G/3G hotspot sharing will come to just about $110.
Of course, we don’t know all there is to know about the EVO 4G yet, like how well the battery and the OS perform in day-to-day use. Hopefully they can both live up to the specs and everything else about the phone. The other problems include the fact that it is launching just days before Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference, which is usually where Apple announces and dates the new iPhone. If what we’ve seen and heard about the new iPhone is true, the EVO 4G might look like old news before it even gets much of a chance to sell, with 4G being the only thing it will have better (in terms of specs only). There’s also that looming Froyo update which may be coming soon, and there’d be no telling when the EVO 4G will get that particular upgrade given the track record of current Android phones.
