The HTC Inspire 4G is a lot of firsts rolled up into an elegant package. Available starting February 13, the Inspire operates on the carrier's HSPA+ network (now recognized as 4G), which AT&T says can provide data speeds up to 4X faster than its 3G network. Unfortunately, we didn't experience anything close to that during our test period but that doesn't mean you should dismiss the Inspire 4G. The Android 2.2 device is very capable and comes packed with mobile hot-spot capabilities, the latest version of HTC Sense, a spacious 4.3-inch touch screen, and an 8-megapixel camera. When you factor that in with its affordable $99.99 (with contract) price tag, you have one great value buy. Though some might wait for the upcoming dual-core Motorola Atrix 4G, the HTC Inspire 4G gives you a lot of bang for your buck.
Design
With a unibody aluminum design that feels sturdy but measures a slim 0.46 inches thick. Still, 4.3-inch phones aren't for everyone. Although this 5.8-ounce handset weighs less than Sprint's EVO 4G (6 ounces).
The front of the device, rimmed in black, sports the 4.3-inch Super LCD display (800 x 480 pixels). This screen looks sharp and bright, but viewing angles are narrow compared to Super AMOLED panels and Apple's Retina display.
The back of the Inspire 4G sports a protruding 8-MP camera lens, dual-LED flash, and speaker (which supports Dolby Mobile and SRS Wow sound). In addition, you'll find two charcoal panels.
A microUSB port and 3.5mm headphone jack line of the bottom of the Inspire 4G. What you don't get (unlike the Evo 4G) is a front-facing camera for video chats, a kickstand, or HDMI output. For this price, we can live with those omissions.
Interface
Running Android 2.2 and the newest version of HTC Sense. The Inspire is actually the first smartphone in the U.S. to feature HTC's revamped custom user interface. For anyone who has owned an HTC smartphone, the change may not be immediately noticeable, as the overall look of the UI is the same. You still get seven customizable home screens, the Leap screen function, which provides thumbnail views of all your home screens for easy access, and various widgets, such as Friend Stream and Group Contacts. The 4G wars are on, and the carriers are getting quite aggressive in their campaigns. Though a little slow to start, AT&T has finally joined the fray and announced at CES 2011 that it would launch its LTE network in mid-2011 and release 20 4G devices this year. The first of which is the HTC Inspire 4G.
Available starting February 13, the Inspire operates on the carrier's HSPA+ network (now recognized as 4G), which AT&T says can provide data speeds up to 4X faster than its 3G network. Unfortunately, we didn't experience anything close to that during our test period but that doesn't mean you should dismiss the Inspire 4G. The Android 2.2 device is very capable and comes packed with mobile hot-spot capabilities, the latest version of HTC Sense, a spacious 4.3-inch touch screen, and an 8-megapixel camera. When you factor that in with its affordable $99.99 (with contract) price tag, you have one great value buy. Though some might wait for the upcoming dual-core Motorola Atrix 4G, the HTC Inspire 4G gives you a lot of bang for your buck.
Features
The HTC Inspire 4G offers world roaming capabilities, a speakerphone, conference calling, voice dialing, text and multimedia messaging. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS are all onboard and as you might have gathered from its name, the Inspire is 4G capable. It's actually the first of 20 4G devices that AT&T plans to launch in 2011, but to be clear, the Inspire is running on the carrier's HSPA+ network and not its LTE network, which isn't expected to launch until the middle of 2011.
The Inspire 4G packs a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, 768MB of RAM, and 4GB of ROM. The device ships with an 8GB microSD Card, and it accepts up to 32GB.
Apps
The selection includes AT&T Family Map (for keeping tabs on family members), AT&T Code scanner (for comparison shopping and looking up codes you find in magazines), and AT&T myWireless (for staying up to date on your account). AT&T Navigator ($10 per month), provides turn by turn navigation, but Google Maps does this for free. We tried to use AT&T U-verse Live TV, but the program rarely loaded over cellular connections and it doesn't work via Wi-Fi.
Music
The Inspire 4G uses Dolby Mobile and SRS WOW HD to enhance audio playback when you have a pair of headphones plugged in.
Battery Life
The Inspire 4G packs a relatively low-capacity 1230 mAh battery, compared to 1500 mAh for the Evo 4G. this smart phone lasted only 4 hours and 48 minutes in our battery test. (This test involves surfing the web over 3G/4G with the screen on 40-percent brightness.) So even if you assume the true runtime is 5:06, that's 22 minutes shorter than the Android category average, and well behind other 4.3-inch phones such as the Evo 4G (5:48) and Motorola Droid X (7:42).
The Bottom Line
For $99, you get a large display for surfing the web and watching videos, mobile hotspot capability, and a sharp camera and camcorder. And music lovers will definitely dig the SRS WOW sound. Still, we didn't see 4G speeds in our tests, and we have a couple of complaints about the design of this handset (narrow volume rocker, annoying battery cover). For now, $99 4G phones such as the T-Mobile myTouch 4G and T-Mobile G2 are a better deal because they offer faster data speeds. Overall, though, the Inspire 4G is a good value for AT&T customers, and it will hopefully get better as the carrier continues its 4G buildout.
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