We were in New York City this evening to hear about the new HTC EVO 4G LTE. The EVO 4G LTE is very similar to the HTC One X, though it adds HD-voice capability, Sprint LTE, and a slightly redesigned case to provide a kickstand (perhaps in homage to the original HTC EVO 4G). It’s also got a beefier battery at 2000mAh, versus 1800mAh on the GSM version, plus a dual-core Snapdragon S4 CPU instead of the Tegra3 quad-core chip found on the One X.

The HD-voice is an interesting addition, as it marks the start of improved voice quality afforded by fourth-generation networks. HD-voice is the kind of thing that might take years to be practical, as you can only benefit from the improvements if you’re talking to someone with an HD-voice capability.

First impressions? The EVO 4G LTE, which has an unusually (but not unsurprisingly) long name, is super slender, and has a jaw-dropping display. When Dan Hesse was holding a EVO 4G LTE on stage with the screen turned on, from where I was sitting, it appeared as if the screen wasn’t real and almost painted-on. The phone also seems quite fast thanks to the S4 dual-core Snapdragon.

The back has two textures: shiny black plastic, and treated “rubbery” plastic. Separating the two sections is the kickstand…

…which is thick enough to work in the normal configuration…

…but also in the reverse configuration.

The EVO 4G LTE also has a terrific dedicated camera key that has a great tactile feel, plus a handsome metallic finish.

Overall, the EVO 4G LTE is gives us more of a “HTC is doing great things again” sentiment than a “You should totally switch to Sprint to get this phone” feeling. Practically speaking, if you like the specifications of this phone, you should consider the upcoming AT&T HTC One X, which will be able to utilize much more ubiquitous LTE and a faster fallback 3G network than what Sprint is offering.