14 DAY TRIAL // One month after its official Sprint release and people already report problems with HTC's EVO 4G smartphone. Even if this is not reported at such a high scale as iPhone antenna issue, there's still an important number of EVO 4G users that report their device cracks near the power button.
It all started with one user that noticed that his EVO just got a thin crack just under the power button. The small crack is barely visible, but it made our user check his friend's EVO too, to notice that it got the same crack at the same spot.
Even though the “power button crack” is not a known issue yet, therefore those that got it cannot get a new replacement for free yet, it seems that polls started on various websites indicating that the issue is quite spread.
One of the users that has the issue, posted on Android Central forum, explaining how it tried to replace its cracked EVO 4G at a local corporate store but after he was run around, he was offered a refurbished unit, not a new device.
After calling the support service and explaining to the technician the phone's issue, the EVO 4G user was told the problem is not listed as a known issue and if he will get a replacement he will be charged for it.
This proves that the manufacturer doesn't have any idea about the problem and will not issue free replacement orders until more users are reporting the same problem.
According to a poll posted on XDA forum, about 31% of the voters have the power button crack issue, from about 400 total people that participated in the poll. Even if the percent will go lower, this seems to be a widespread problem.
Further, this doesn't seem to be caused by any kind of abuse over the phone, as many users that reported the defect keep their phones in cases or treat them very well.
We are yet to get an official statement from either the manufacturer or carrier concerning this issue, but all facts point to a design flaw that a number of EVO 4Gs are "blessed" with.