HTC Evo Design 4G review

For under $100, HTC and Sprint try to throw in everything but the kitchen sink – instead delivering a handset that tries too hard and delivers too little.

HTC Evo Design 4G
Is this sub $100 phone worth your cash?

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

HTC Evo Design 4G

In this day and age, a 5.0 megapixel camera sensor isn't much to get excited about, but that's exactly what the HTC EVO Design 4G is packing on its backside. Coupled with a single-LED flash, photos taken with this handset are "just okay" even at the highest 2592 x 1456 resolution setting, with low color saturation and frequently murky results indoors.

Images snapped in the great outdoors fared better, with far more detail present compared to the ones we shot inside. Contrast was also improved, but overall, images look too muted color-wise for our taste. Photos can also be taken with the 1.3 megapixel camera on front, but it's clearly better suited for video chat.

HTC Evo Design 4G

Otherwise, the Camera app comes with all the requisite features you might expect. The volume rocker does double duty for zoom in/out but you'll need to use the on-screen shutter button to actually snap photos.

HTC Evo Design 4G

13 filter effects are built in to the Camera app, ranging from Distortion, Vignette and Depth of Field to a handful of Instagram-style Vintage looks. Users can choose a variety of options from Camera settings including the ability to geo-tag images, auto enhance, auto focus and face detection.

Although the EVO Design 4G comes with a qHD display, photos viewed on the device itself actually look much better than they do once they're imported back to your computer – almost deceptively so, because color saturation and contrast seems to be cranked up on the four-inch display, which is capable of showing off 16 million colors.

Latest in HTC Phones
HTC Desire 22 Pro
HTC is back with an intriguing phone wrapped in NFT and metaverse buzzwords
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
A foldable HTC phone might be in the works, based on a new patent
HTC U20 5G
HTC U20 5G is official, and it's the company's first 5G phone
HTC is still making phones, as it launches the triple camera-toting Wildfire R70
HTC U12 Plus
HTC is launching its first 5G phone sometime this year
HTC One M8
Why the HTC One M8 is the best phone of the decade – and beats these four other phones
Latest in Reviews
The player holding a Shard Card in Fragpunk.
Competitive shooter Fragpunk wowed me with its game-changing Shard Cards, but I can't stand the aggressive monetization
Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank leaning on plinth on desk with pink background
I wouldn't take the Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank on extreme adventures, but it's great for my basic traveling needs
VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank leaning on plinth on desk with pink background
The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank is one of the most stylish batteries I’ve seen, but it’s too slow for the price
Atomfall
I survived Atomfall’s testing countryside and became an ethically murky mercenary
The Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro on a bronze table
I tested the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro and it's the closest Android fans can get to an iPad Pro alternative
TinEye website
I like this reverse image search service the most