Apple iPhone 4 vs. HTC Droid Incredible

Introduction:

Verizon customers have been feeding off the Motorola DROID for an extended amount of time to get their fix of Android – despite having other options such as the Motorola DEVOUR, LG Ally, and HTC Droid Eris. Fortunately for them, HTC came to the rescue with the HTC Droid Incredible as a healthy alternative to the "aging" DROID. Not only does it come packing some heat under its hood, but it has been the steady flavor of the last couple of months as consumers have been attracted to the handset thanks to its appeal and marketing campaign. As of right now, the HTC Droid Incredible is Verizon's main driving force which can attempt to hold its own ground against the Apple iPhone 4. Seeing that these are two of the best smartphones currently available to customers from their prospective carriers, it would only be fitting to stack them up side-by-side to see how they perform against one another.

Design:

The HTC Droid Incredible's overall look clearly sits at the opposite end of the spectrum when compared to the nostalgic industrial design of the iPhone 4. Although the Incredible might not exude a level of premium quality in its choice of materials, the mostly plastic handset feels extremely light weight over the heavier iPhone 4, but we'd like to point out the durable and sturdy materials used for the iPhone 4 would substantially fare better in the long haul. If there is one thing we like about both handsets equally, it has to be their overall perfect size which doesn't seem too small or large for most people to hold in the hand. Plus they're both quite thin as the iPhone 4 stands in at 0.37” thick while the Incredible tallies in at 0.47”. It's not to say that the uninspired design in play with the Incredible isn't a bad thing, but there is no denying that the iPhone 4 has more of an appeal from a quick first glance.


Some speculated that Apple was going to look at AMOLED technology for the iPhone 4, but as it turned out, the company opted to employ an LED backlit IPS LCD display which looks to be in healthy supply versus Samsung's AMOLED displays. One advantage that goes to the HTC Droid Incredible is that it has some high contrast ratios thanks to AMOLED technology – which makes for things like true black colors. Overall, the Incredible's WVGA display (480x800) looks extremely crisp thanks to its 3.7” size with plenty of lush colors that can vividly display a wide array of gradual tones.  On the other hand, the iPhone 4's Retina Display does have a slight edge with detail which is partly due to its smaller sized 3.5” display, which has a resolution of 640x960 – so the smallest of text are more visible as opposed to the slightly fuzzy looking ones seen on the Incredible. Additionally the oleophobic coating does make the iPhone 4's display look cleaner every time we take it out of our pockets as opposed to the Incredible. When setting both handsets to their brightest levels, the iPhone 4 definitely had more luminance when viewed at all angles, but both had pretty good viewing angles so you don't lose focus of what's on screen. However, the iPhone 4 performed much better in outdoor conditions with direct sunlight while the Incredible was somewhat unusable in that situation. When there's so much praise to the iPhone 4's Retina Display, you really can't tell how much better it is over the Incredible unless you actually look really up close to the screen. If there is one thing we can agree with is that both handsets have wonderful displays that are highly prized.


When it comes to the rest of the handsets, both follow each other very carefully as the placement of the buttons and other items are nearly exact. The iPhone 4 has a very springy home button while the Incredible has the usual touch sensitive ones which are supplemented with an optical pad that also acts as a button. The dedicated power and volume buttons are all decently sized with some good feedback when pressed down. No one can deny that the Incredible's microUSB port is a welcomed sight over the traditional proprietary one that Apple employs on all of its devices. We adore the soft touch feeling rear cover of the HTC Droid Incredible which does well in repelling scratches and dirt, but the iPhone 4 manages to handle well too as it has an oleophobic coating over the glass like material found on its rear. Placed towards the upper left corner of the back of the phones, you can find the cameras, but the Incredible packs a dual LED flash. Finally, much like some of its other brothers and sisters.