The EVO Shift 4G is powered by an . This seems a bit weak when compared with the upcoming dual core-powered phones we saw at the show ( or the , for example). The processor is the next-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon, however, and it was speedy enough for basic Web browsing and toggling through applications.

To benchmark performance, I used the Quadrant app for Android. According to the app, the HTC Shift 4G outperformed the Nexus One, Motorola Droid X, the HTC EVO 4G and the Samsung Galaxy S. We saw these same results when we benchmarked the T-Mobile G2 with Quadrant, which has the same chipset.

Using the FCC-approved Ookla's Speedtest.net application, I tested the Shift's download and upload speeds in both Las Vegas and a few different areas of San Francisco, where 4G was recently rolled out last month. In the South Park neighborhood of San Francisco, the Shift 4G achieved average download speeds of 2.62 Mbps and upload speeds of 0.78 Mbps. This is pretty fast-but a bit slower than Sprint's claimed download speeds between 3-6 Mbps. The San Francisco 4G network is pretty new (rolled out at the end of December) so we haven't quite figured out where we can get a strong signal and where we can get a weak signal. Over at PCWorld's offices, we were only getting one bar for 4G.

Call quality was very good from the Strip in Las Vegas; callers on the other end of the line heard very little of the madness that was going on around me. I also tested it again in San Francisco and found call quality to be quite good. My friends on the other end of the line agreed and heard very little background noise.

Conclusion