Three-dimension or in simpler words, 3D has been known to enthrall consumers for decades. Right from the days of the first 3D movie in India to now, 3D media consumption has seen an upward trend and it’s been rising spontaneously in the last couple of years. This rise is due to the fact that the 3D technology has evolved over the years and become more affordable and also the TV manufacturers who’ve been pushing their wares. But 3D is not restricted to a living room or a movie theater these days as companies have gone a step further by making it portable. One such device is the HTC EVO 3D which is the creation from the Taiwanese manufacturer and we managed to get our hands on it to see if it’s worthy enough to be your 3D device on-the-go.
Design / Build quality:
A typical HTC design, the EVO 3D may not feel the lightest or slimmest Android phone in the market but feels good to hold. The capacitive control buttons below the screen have a circular design that gives a different look to the phone. Above the screen, there is the earpiece, proximity sensor, LED indicator and the front facing 1.3-megapixel camera. The right hand side of the phone features the volume rocker buttons, camera mode button (2D/3D) and the shutter button.
The rear of the phone features two cameras that shout 3D HD Imaging and are engulfed with a red coloured boundary. The twin 5-megapixel cams along with the dual-LED occupy most of the rear portion of the phone.
Display:
EVO 3D features a 4.3-inch qHD display (960×560 pixels), which size-wise is similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S II (I9100) but sets itself apart with the high resolution and 3D support. The screen is capable of displaying 3D videos and images without the need of special glasses. We’ll keep the 3D viewing for the latter part of the review but as far as display goes, EVO 3D doesn’t. The text is crisp and has a good readability under sunlight. The contrast cannot match the AMOLED displays but it is understandable since AMOLEDs are yet to do both 3D and 2D.
Hardware / Software
Heart of the phone is dual-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz and Adreno 220 powering the graphics department. The phone features 1GB of RAM and provides 1GB internal storage as well. There’s a microSD card slot as well that can spruce up the total storage to up to 32GB. Running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the EVO 3D comes with HTC Sense 3.0 that is many terms ahead of the previous versions of Sense. The Sense 3.0 has earned an active lock screen. The phone allows users to get quick access to messaging, phone dialer and log, access camera, mail while in the locked state. You can select your home screen from the option of six screen scenes provided. The phone can be personalized to the hilt with different wallpapers, scenes, widgets and more from HTC.
The phone offers connectivity in the form of WiFi, Bluetooth and of course 3G. Like many other Android phones, the EVO 3D can also act as a WLAN hot spot for other devices to connect to the internet. The presence of GPS also makes it easier to find your way in case you are new to the country.
Camera:
EVO 3D comes with two 5MP cameras and dual LED flash. The reason there are two cameras is the fact that it can record 3D videos. There’s a dedicated camera button on the side along with a switch to shoot in 3D or 2D. Users can also enhance pictures and videos on-the-go with the built-in camera effects. As for the quality, 2D images seemed at par but the phone could capture 2D videos at just 720p resolution. Considering EVO 3D is a high-end offering from HTC we would’ve expected it to be on the lines of other competitive devices featuring full HD video recording.
As for 3D, still images and video quality is decent. You can check out the sample shots below.
Glasses free 3D
That’s the USP of this phone, isn’t it? To a certain extent we will agree that HTC has taken the first step towards making glasses free 3D for the masses. However, the technology is evolving for phones and is not that much enjoyable on a phone. But we would say it really works. For instance, if you shoot photos in 3D you need to watch them on the phone at a particular angle. This is kind of a trade-off that currently you have to make with the technology. In terms of 3D content viewing on TVs, you have to make sure the TV or 3D devices support it. But we expect the 3D aspect to the phone is a novelty and will catch up more as time goes by.
Multimedia:
Besides capturing the world in 3D, the EVO 3D is a good multimedia powerhouse. It supports TV-out with a MHL cable and supports MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, MP4, Xvid, WMV, H.264, H.263 as audio and video playback formats. The phone also features an FM radio.
Conclusion:
The phone gets the power from 1730mAh battery that lasts for around day and a half, that’s good considering today’s smartphone league. Large screen, dual-core power, 3D capabilities and HTCs good integration of social network status in the phone make it a good proposition. However, all said and done, at the price of Rs. 34,000 it all depends on your pockets, how deep are they?
Rating: 
Pros: Good Build Quality, Glasses-free 3D
Cons: Mediocre Camera, Price
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