HTC Evo brings 4G Android to Sprint Snapdragon and 8MP camera too

HTC has had its fair share of headline moments over the past few years, so launching the world's first 4G Android handset on Sprint in the US shouldn't come as any surprise.

But the HTC Evo is more than just a 4G (WiMAX) handset, it is another Android superphone. Giving us much of the package we saw in the HTC HD2, the HTC Evo has that glorious 4.3-inch 800 x 480 pixel resolution display.

The Evo comes with Android 2.1 and HTC Sense as we've seen on a number of devices, most recently the HTC Legend and Desire. A bump in spec sees an 8-megapixel camera on the back, rather than the normal 5 we've seen from HTC in the past, making those HTC Incredible rumours seem more likely.

This is an autofocus camera, offering 720p video capture and thanks to an HDMI port on the bottom of the phone, you'll be able to plug straight into your TV to watch 720p movies. You'll have to buy the cable yourself though.

Inside you get a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1GB ROM, 512MB RAM and all the connectivity you could want (except GSM…). Like the HD2, the Evo will act as a Wi-Fi hub for your devices so you can share your 4G connection, and you get all the sensors and features you'd demand from a smartphone.

It's a big thing measuring 121.92 x 66.04 x 12.7mm and weighing 170g.

"We believe that the HTC EVO 4G represents the best of Sprint and the best of HTC working together to bring an unmatched device to the US. This combination of HTC and Sprint innovation will allow people to do even more while on the go, faster than ever on the Sprint 4G network", said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC.

The handset destined for the Sprint network will be US only, which begs the question: what will us GSM-loving Europeans be getting?