$5 Qik video call surcharge for HTC EVO 4G revealed

By Chris Davies/May 28, 2010 3:59 am EST

Sprint's mandatory $10 per month WiMAX surcharge on top of the basic HTC EVO 4G package was enough to get us mildly miffed in our review of the Android 2.1 smartphone, but word that we users might be expected to pay extra for Qik video calling has us even more disappointed. According to a leaked document passed to AndroidGuys, Qik video chat functionality will be a $4.99 per month subscription, made via PayPal rather than via Sprint's regular monthly bill.

The nature of the charge suggests it's being levied by Qik rather than Sprint themselves, but either way it takes the likely monthly cost of an EVO 4G to $115; in other words, over the course of your two-year agreement you're paying $120 for video chat service. According to the document, Qik video calls will be available when the EVO 4G launches on June 4th, but we're now wondering exactly how many people will opt to use the service, especially with the knowledge that Skype video calling is expected later on this year.

[via Android Community]