Review: Virgin Mobile EVO V 4G Wants You To Despoil It

The biggest plus of a service like Virgin Mobile is that you can save a lot of money using no-contract phone service, as long as you pay up-front for a phone. The biggest minus, however, is that the available phones were not much to write home about.  Sure, the HTC Wildfire and Motorola Triumph are good basic phones, but they’re very 2009. Where are the phones with high-end screens, 4G, and the latest Google OS?

That’s where the EVO V 4G comes in. Essentially a rebranded Sprint EVO 3D, the Virgin edition comes with the same 4.3″ screen, same 6 ounce weight, and 5 MP 3D camera. Powered by the same dual-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 MSM8660, battery life is passable if you don’t spend too much time on 4G or using GPS (expect to keep a charger in your bag regardless). You have 4 GB of on-board storage and there’s an included 8 GB SD card. The body of the device has a sturdy Gorilla Glass front and a textured plastic case that gives you a great grip. This is all the same as  the Sprint model.

Also the same? The Sprint name on the front bezel of our review unit instead of Virgin’s.

Where things change is that the EVO V version has Android 4.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich). However, unlike the EVO 4G LTE, the EVO V lacks the softer overlay of Sense 4.0 and uses Sense 3.6 instead. This is annoying but tolerable. In fact, had I not used Sense 4.0, I likely would not even know to complain beyond my usual “Me no like Skins.” One thing that intrigues me about the mix of ICS and 4G on this model is that the 4G is of the older Wi-Max variety. While I love custom ROMs, one of the annoyances has been that no ICS ROMs have ICS and Wi-Max, because there were no Wi-Max ICS phones — until now. Will the EVO V open the door for customizers? We’ll have to wait and see. We also have to see if ROM makers even bother, as Wi-Max is not going to be seen in any new phones; although, it’s possible that we may see more former Sprint Wi-Max models released for Virgin. The 4G functionality itself works fine and is better outdoors than inside. And even though the 4G isn’t as fast as LTE and is sometimes surpassed by a T-Mobile HSPA+ phone I have, but it beats Sprint’s 3G speeds.

What of the 3D feature on the phone? I never had a chance to try the Sprint version, but I see why it failed to woo so many people over. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a neat feature, but it took some time to get used to. At first, the 3D effect really hurt my eyes to look at. A manual camera button on the side and 2D/3D toggle are great though. The 2D camera works just fine. There have been reports of color and light issues, but I’m too much of a casual photographer to notice. I confess to loving the physical camera button, especially the metal feel and the satisfying two-stage functionality (hold to focus, release to take a picture). Playback of your 3D content takes adjusting to. You have to look at the screen in exactly the right way to see images in 3D. In fact, I’d say the only real ding against the camera is that you’d need a 3D device of some sort to get any kind of playback. Mind you, I’m shopping for  a 3D TV anyway.

Mainly so I can rock a pair of these bad boys.

Virgin goes easy on the pre-loaded apps, which is nice. You have a Virgin Mobile Live app, Polaris Office, and a My Account app. Sadly, you can’t hide Mobile Live or My Account. There’s also a few HTC goodies, but nothing to distract or make the phone feel bloated.

The EVO V is one one of two Android 4 phones on Virgin (with another on the way) and the only Virgin Phone with 4G. This exclusivity is reflected in the $299 asking price (note: Virgin currently has the Evo V 4G on sale for $239). While that may seem like a high price for “last year’s model,” keep in mind that even Virgin’s lowest plan of $35 a month includes unlimited data and texting. Even if you trick it out with unlimited voice as well for $55, you pay significantly less than you would for 4G on any other network, plus you’ve no contract. With that in mind, this 4G powerhouse becomes a phone that will pay for itself.

The $55 plan was actually $60 two years ago. Nice.

I usually want phones with physical keyboards, but the EVO V is enough of a joy to use that I don’t care that one is missing. The phone is simply that good. While Techcitement will review the EVO ONE V soon (Virgin’s other ICS phone and one that runs for $100 cheaper with Sense 4.0, but it lacks 4G), I strongly recommend this phone for the combination of low total cost of ownership and high speed in a performance package. It’s not a value you’ll find anywhere else.