HTC Evo V 4G (Virgin Mobile)

Pros: Prepaid
$55/month for unlimited everything
Extended battery
4G - Wimax (low coverage area)
Android
PRICE

Cons: 4G Wimax Coverage Area
Standard battery
Mobile Hotspot feature is $15 extra...just download an app

Summary: I originally had Verizon's HTC Thunderbolt on a contract when it first came out (got it in March of 2010) and was thankfully Grandfathered into the unlimited 3G/4G data plan. I loved everything about the phone and the service but...the bill was about $130/month for unlimited talk, text & web. When Virgin Mobile USA talked about launching 4G, it caught my eye since I have their Mifi 2200 that I use everyday with running my own business. Since my Verizon contract was up back in March of 2012 (this yr), I wouldn't have any early termination fees to worry about.

I purchased the HTC Evo 4G from Virgin Mobile USA when it was available and decided to get the 1 day shipping since it was only $11.99. When I received it I called Virgin Mobile USA to activate the phone since I was going to port my cell number from Verizon. The customer service rep I talked with was very friendly and knew exactly how to do it. I know people have talked about the Virgin customer service reps not being helpful and I have had that in the past when I called in for my Mifi 2200. It only took 30 minutes to port my number from Verizon to Virgin. Some services from my Verizon Thunderbolt phone like 4G was still available until the end of the day.

Once the HTC Evo 4G was successfully activated (# ported from Verizon), I turned on the 4G Wimax and it hooked up in a couple seconds. Since I live right in Downtown Chicago, I received full 4G Wimax signal. I did a speed test to see how much the speed difference Wimax was compared to LTE from Verizon. On Verizon's LTE Network I received 22 MBPS down and 8 MBPS up. On Virgin/Sprint's 4G Wimax Network I received 16 MBPS down and 10 MBPS up. That was during the peak hours on a Wednesday afternoon about 1:30PM. The thing I realized immediately was the battery goes so down VERY quickly but I wasn't surprised because of course I had the same exact problem on my Thunderbolt from Verizon. I went online & found an extended battery to purchase and bought it. When it arrived the next week I installed it Monday night, charged it up that night and used it the next day. Now I only charge it once every 2 days.

Overall: Fabulous phone, extended battery is definitely required for just about anyone (people working 9-5 Mon-Fri, teenagers, etc) and now I'm paying $55/month for unlimited everything compared to $130/month from Verizon.