HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE Review

Introduction:

Two years ago when the original HTC DROID Incredible was released by Verizon, it was considered a high-end Android Smartphone, and was followed-up a year later by the HTC DROID Incredible 2. But since then, the Android landscape has changed, with consumers wanting more features and larger displays, which manifested in the form of the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX and the Samsung Galaxy S III. Now with the release of the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE, Verizon is hoping to capitalize on the two earlier model’s success and have customers upgrade to the newest version – which adds 4G LTE connectivity, a higher resolution display, and faster processor.

Included in the retail box is the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE phone (ADR6410LVW), 1700 mAh battery, wall charger with microUSB cable, and user guides.


Design:

The overall design of the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE is reminiscent of the two previous models. The back of the device is a black soft-touch plastic with groves in the center, which allows for a nice firm grip. Since the size of the device is smaller than most other high-end Android smartphones, it fits well in the hand or in the pocket, without feeling too big.




The main reason for its compact size is due it using a 4” display instead of a 4.3” or larger. While having a large display is nice, especially when viewing web pages or videos, some people don’t want the extra bulk that it can create, so the one on the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE is a nice compromise. Unlike last year’s model that was limited to a WVGA resolution display of 480x800 pixels, the display on the DROID Incredible 4G LTE is now qHD resolution with 540x960 pixels (275 ppi), and is also Super LCD. Simply put, the screen on the DROID Incredible 4G LTE looks quite good, with sharp text and nice saturated colors. Our only complaint about the screen is the poor viewing angles and that is it difficult to see in direct sunlight.

Even though the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE is running Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, it still comes with three capacitive buttons under the screen for back, home, and recent apps. We believe this is a good idea, since the screen size is limited to only 4 inches. Up on top is a VGA (640x480) camera that can be used for self-portraits or video chat, while the main camera on the back comes in at 8MP. Located on the sides of the phone are the power/lock button, volume rocker, microUSB port, and 3.5mm headset jack. Removing the back cover will allow access to the 1700 mAh battery, 4G microSIM card slot, and the microSD memory card slot. Keep in mind that the phone does not come with a memory card, due to the 8GB of total internal memory, but we were able to use a 32GB microSDHC card without any problems.