HTC’s Evo 3D has just been announced and it’s looking pretty amazing so far; think an HTC Sensation-style phone with a 3D camera. It’s due to hit the shops sometime in August – we hope to have more info on prices and availability soon.
While we’re working on that, we managed to get a sneaky hands-on with one of the Evo 3D demo models. These were on display at HTC’s new base of operations for EMEA in Slough. Yeah, the same place where Wernham Hogg had its HQ – all the best companies are based here.
Obviously, there were limits to what we could do with this model; as it was tethered to a whopping great security tag we couldn’t really point it’s cameras at anything particularly interesting. But at least you’ll be able to get an idea for how the phone looks.
We’ll try to get some more hands-on pics with the device later on, one without a security tag on it. We thought you’d like to have a quick glimpse at these all the same; check back here later for more pics.
So without further ado, feast your retinas on this handful of pics.
The 3D cameras of the HTC Evo 3G. These are bolstered by a dual LED flash and have a maximum aperture of f/2.2. The top camera (or the right-most one here) is the one that takes standard 2D pictures.
That little silver switch over on the left shifts the Evo 3D from 2D to 3D shooting mode.
What’s cooler that being able to take pictures in 3D? Being able to take pictures in 3D and IN SEPIA. Or Negative, or with a Posterise effect…
The HTC Evo 3D’s camera app with the Normal effect filter. Hopefully you’ll get an idea of the 3D effect of the screen here.
How the video recorder app of the Evo 3D looks – pretty similar to how it does on all HTC smartphones. Again, as with the previous pic, we tried to give you an idea of how the 3D effect works. Note that there’s an option to enable stereo recording here, same as the HTC Sensation.
An attendant (and breif) spec list next to the display model. Note that when you’re taking still pictures in 3D mode, you get less than half of the total megapixel count, ‘up to 2MP’ as it says here. However both 2D and 3D video can be shot at up to 720p.
Hopefully we should have some more pics soon – check back here later!
The HTC Evo 3D unshackled and free from its evil security tag prison! It feels pretty weighty in the hand – solid and substantial. The soft touch covering gives it extra grip.
On the back of the Evo 3D there’s a cross hatch/diamond weave pattern which gives you even more grip and accentuates the ‘digital camera look’ HTC is going for. Note the mechanical shutter key next to the 2D/3D switch.
Hopefully this gives you a better idea of the imaging capabilities compared to the previous picture.
Yep, we couldn’t resist messing around with the effects. Again. The only HTC camera effect that didn’t make it across was the ‘depth of field’ effect, which blurred the background and focussed on the centre of the screen.
But with a 3D camera and display, do you really need extra depth of field?
Once you’re done taking pictures, you’ve the option to send them to friends in 2D or 3D. Obviously, unless your friend has a device that can display 3D images they’ll just get a 2D pic. So for now, you’ll only be able to send these to mates with LG Optimus 3Ds and Optimus Pads. We’re looking forwards to testing Evo 3D to Optimus 3D 3D picture messaging.
The four menu buttons featuring the same circular design we’ve seen on US-only Evo phones.
The HTC Evo 3D is a pretty compact thing, despite its 4.3-inch screen. We’re checking to see if an expertly folded £10 note comes included but we’re guessing no (courtesy of HTC’s Alex McPhee, origami master).
The micro USB port of the Evo 3D allows you to connect to bigger screens via HDMI (thanks to MHL) well as mains chargers and USB ports as normal.
An HTC Evo 3D compared side-by-side with an HTC Sensation. As well as having a little more RAM – 1GB compared to the Sensation’s 768MB – the Evo 3D is also a bigger, chunkier phone overall.
The Evo 3D is definitely a blockier, more angular phone than the sweeping curvy Sensation.
You might have noticed from the earlier pics that the metallic strip around the camera unit here is a different colour to the one on the demo model we snapped earlier. We were told by an HTC spokesperson that this was to indicate which level of development each Evo 3D was at; the earliest versions apparently sported a metallic green trim, later models had red and the most recent versions had an amber colour (like the one above).
Another Evo 3D/Sensation comparison shot.
The Evo 3D’s guts torn asunder, like a preserved frog on a biology student’s table. Note that the battery doesn’t need to be taken out to pop a new memory card in – small victories. We liked the translucent plastic parts, similar to the bits seen in the Windows Phone 7-running HD7.
Chances are you won’t spend a lot of time looking at the insides of your phone…
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