HTC Vivid

Hardware wise, the HTC Vivid is a familiar sight. The smartphone is essentially put together from the parts’ bin of the HTC Sensation 4G and HTC EVO 3D, save for its 4.5“ screen and beefed up built-in memory - it packs a well familiar dual-core CPU,...

Supports AT&T LTE — and it's fast (where you can find it) ; Great display ; Relatively fast, smooth UI

Not a beautiful phone ; Launches with an old version of Sense ; No Android 4.0 until next year

The Vivid is a perfectly average, acceptable Android smartphone — the problem, though, is that "acceptable" doesn't really cut it at $200 on contract

If you want an LTE device on AT&T’s network that’s made by HTC, you’ve got one other choice, that being the HTC Jetstream tablet we had a look at a few weeks ago. If you want an LTE device on AT&T’s network that ISN’T HTC, you’ll be going with the...

Crisp, easy to read qHD screen ; Decent battery life (when 4G isn't running) ; 4G ; 8MP f/2.2 camera

Heat generated from back of device ; Uncomfortable and heavy form factor ; Poor speaker volume ; Light leakage from top and bottom of screen

While the HTC Vivid is a decent performer on all fronts and has 4G capabilities (where available), the price for said performance just isn't on par with other devices on the market today. That said, some do like a little heft to their devices, and...

You now have a choice of LTE Android phones on AT&T, and all of them are a good choice. Specs are similar, performance is similar, hell they even look similar. If you're a fan of HTC Sense, it's a no brainer -- get the Vivid. If you're not, look at one...

If I didn’t mind the look of the Vivid, it would be a phone I could carry regularly. As it stands, unfortunately, HTC designed this phone right out of the running for me.

The HTC Vivid is a respectable phone for AT&T to bring to market as one of its first two LTE handsets. The hardware looks and feels great, though it's a bit thick and weighty. Those are caveats that any current 4G LTE device comes with, however. It...

Snappy performance across the board ; Surprisingly good battery life ; Excellent build quality and heft

A bit on the thicker side ; HTC Sense may not be for everyone ; Heavy use of plastics make it smudgy

Unfortunately, the stand-out feature wasn't one I could enjoy while testing the HTC Vivid. AT&T LTE is expanding rather quickly, but was not in NYC during my testing period, and I couldn't make it to Boston or Washington, D.C. during that time, either....

If you’re a fan of HTC’s solid design, you’ll like the Vivid. Some cutting-edge internals and access to LTE speeds doesn’t hurt, but a sub-par battery and weak speakers do. Still, at a new lower price of $99.99 on a new contract, it’s a great deal for...