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Shoppers looking to buy an Android phone in a Verizon store will soon face the dilemma of buying an HTC Incedible or Motorola Droid. WireFly, a principal advertiser on Tech Bottle, ran a decent comparison of the two high-end Android phones but, in my opinion, it slants the review slightly in the Droid’s favor (which is already available for purchase on WireFly) over a more objective comparison. Caveat: This review is based almost entirely on specs, as few people have actually touched the HTC Incredible outside of the HTC/Verizon elite.
Advantages to Droid
- Physical keyboard. I’ve relayed before that it’s not a very good physical keyboard but if that’s something you can’t live without, the Droid is a better choice. Keep in mind that the stock virtual keyboard on Android can be replaced with other virtual keyboards like the very popular Swype.
- Battery life. The Droid runs a less complicated user interface (UI) and the processor runs at 550 MHz vs. 1 GHz on the Incredible. No stress tests exist on the interwebs about the Incredible’s battery; however, it is likely that the Droid will outlast the Incredible on a single charge.
- Screen Resolution. The Droid supports resolutions up to 480 x 854 and the Incredible supports resolutions up to 480 x 800 (same as Nexus One). Frankly, I don’t think the extra 54 pixels would even be noticeable but this is an “on paper” advantage.
- Price. Pricing for the Incredible hasn’t been announced yet. Many speculate it will be in the range of $199 subsidized (new contract, new every 2, etc.). If that holds true, the Droid will probably sink to around $99. This is merely a guess but it’s virtually certain that the Droid will be less expensive than the Incredible.
Advantages to the Incredible
- Processor. The Incredible will multitask and run high end graphics better than the Droid. The Incredible runs at a full 1 GHz vs. 550 MHz on the Droid.
- Better UI. HTC’s latest revision of Sense UI is simply gorgeous (VIDEO). The Droid runs a very basic Android experience, generic UI. This advantage could be slightly less important to those who intend to run home screen replacement apps on the Droid to spiff it up a bit.
- Camera and Video. The Droid has a 5.0 MP camera. The Incredible has an 8.0 MP camera with a dual-stage flash that likely can support 720P video recording, which may require a software update after the phone’s initial release.
- RAM. The Incredible has 512 mb of RAM and the Droid has 256 mb of RAM. This difference is meaningful because, while the Droid can multitask, it lags when many memory intensive apps are running. The Incredible will perform like the Nexus One which users report multitasks very well.
- Storage. Both support a MicroSD card up to 32 gb (the Droid ships with a 16 gb card preinstalled and it’s unclear what the Incredible will have inside). However, the Incredible has an additional 8 gb of internal storage. Accordingly, max storage on the Incredible is 40 gb (which may be important if you’re shooting HD videos with the 8.0 MP camera) and the max storage on the Droid is 32 gb.
- Faster Wifi. The Incredible supports wireless N and the Droid is a slight step back at wireless G. I’m not sure this difference is meaningful unless you plan on making massive downloads.
- FM Tuner. This is somewhat strange because Android users can stream Pandora or Slacker. I suppose it lightens the load on the network if people actually use the FM tuner. In any event, it does allow you to tune into some talk radio and live events. [UPDATE: Latest specs show no mention of FM radio. Not much damage to the still awesome HTC Incredible a/k/a Droid Incredible by HTC.]
- Form Factor. They’re both somewhat ugly phones but the Incredible is a somewhat smaller and lighter ugly phone.
If all goes according to plan, I’ll have an Incredible in my hands within the next couple of weeks. If you’re in the market for a smartphone, you’re on Verizon and you want an Android phone, then I recommend waiting for the Incredible and not purchasing the Droid now (despite the Wirefly comparison that shows the Droid and Incredible to be virtually indistinguishable).
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