HTC HD2 and Apple iPhone 3GS: side by side
In this article we are comparing the European version of the HTC HD2,which is identical
to the one for T-Mobile USA (except for the 3G frequencies), with the Apple iPhone 3GS.
Introduction:to the one for T-Mobile USA (except for the 3G frequencies), with the Apple iPhone 3GS.
Now that we have reviewed the HTC HD2, we realize that it happens to be one of the best smartphones that we have seen. Thanks to its capacitive screen and great interface personalization, the HD2 has what it takes to rival even the cream of the crop high-end handsets. That´s why we decided to present you with the current article and closely compare the two titans of the cell phone industry today. Can we have your full, undivided attention, please? Because the HTC HD2 and the Apple iPhone 3GS are about to cross swords in an epic clash.
Design:
Side by side, the HD2 and iPhone 3GS look similar and yet much different from each other. On the one hand, they both deliver customer interactivity that is heavily dependent on touch sensitive screens. On the other, there is significant difference in scale here. The 3.5-inch screen of the iPhone is by no means small, but the 4.3 inches of the HD2 dwarfs it and makes it look as it was tiny. Both displays offer good image quality indoors, but the iPhone has the upper hand outdoors, in bright sunlight. Their sensitivity is extremely high, although the HD2 has the edge here, despite the fact that this is not much of an advantage in this particular case... we will tell you why a bit later.
As we have already mentioned in our review, the HTC HD2 has the most compact dimensions achievable given its huge screen, which explains why it´s slightly more voluminous than the Apple iPhone 3GS. Despite the larger size, however, we don´t really think the HD2 is at disadvantage, because the difference is not significant and if anyone is willing to carry about the iPhone in their pockets, there is absolutely no reason for them to feel reluctant about tucking the HD2 in there.
It ´s not right to pass final judgment based on the outer appearance and appeal of any device, because design is totally subjective and something that everyone decides for themselves, as they say, one man´s meat is another one´s poison. Would you prefer the iPhone’s appearance, or you’d rather choose the style HTC has picked for the HD2? We consider them equally nice.
Interface:
Despite its name “Sense”, HTC´s personalized interface looks like (and has the functionality of) the well-known TouchFLO 3D and they are actually almost identical in every respect. The home screen consists of multiple tabs that will allow you to quickly get to almost any function of the phone. It´s a good thing that Sense adds integration of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, because using these social services feels easier and better than ever. Behind the appealing face of Sense, however, lies the power of Windows Mobile 6.5 that business people do appreciate.
The iPhone OS platform is also quite famous among customers. Visually, it may be far from spectacular, but its distinguishing features are simple, user-friendly interface and fast speed. You don’t need to have solid knowledge of cell phones in order to make the most of your iPhone right away, because everything is right-down intuitive.
With the rapidly improving hardware, however, the performance gap between these operating systems is getting smaller and less significant by the day. Thanks to its 1GHz processor and ample amount of RAM, the HTC HD2 responds just as fast and reliably to your commands as the most powerful iPhone. What´s more, HTC Sense looks more contemporary and offers integration of social networks, quite a serious advantage indeed.
Messaging:
Any self-respecting smartphone should be able to offer proper email functionality. Of course, both the HD2 and the iPhone 3GS are great performers in this respect, they just visualize the relevant information differently. The HD2 comes with dedicated Mail tab that allows users to go over shorter versions of their emails on the fly. Its advantage is the ability to instantaneously switch between email accounts.
You don’t have tabs on the iPhone, so like it or lump it, you will have to get to know the Mail application better, which actually sports the same functionality found on its rival. It also permits users to take a quick look at short versions of all received emails, but its shortcoming is that switching between accounts feels clumsier alongside of the way you do it on the HD2.
The QWERTY keyboard is another extremely important aspect you need to consider in terms of proper email handling. The keyboard layout of the iPhone 3GS features more space in between keys, which equates to lower chance of pressing the wrong button. In the case of the HD2, buttons are larger, but more cramped. We wouldn’t dare call either of them a winner here if it wasn’t for the excessive screen sensitivity of the HD2 which means higher probability of typing mistakes due to increased number of erroneous presses. Despite that, you can´t go wrong with either handset and you can be pretty sure you´re getting the best no matter your particular choice.
Software:
If you happen to be someone who enjoys proper entertainment or for some reason needs various software applications, the available variety at the online application stores of Apple and Microsoft is an important factor and something you do need to consider.
In other words, if you happen to be a person who likes having fun and lend color to their daily grind with various applications, you better head for the nearest mental health treatment facility and... this is a joke of course, not funny at that. Well, if you happen to be such a person, you better opt for the iPhone, because you will get access to a software library of almost 100,000 programs. On the other hand, there are quite a few applications for Windows Mobile as well. The thing is not many of them can be found at Windows Marketplace for Mobile itself, not to mention the free stuff there is as scarce as chicken teeth. To top it off, paid programs cost an arm and a leg. Hands down, the iPhone remains our blue-eyed boy here.
Despite its name “Sense”, HTC´s personalized interface looks like (and has the functionality of) the well-known TouchFLO 3D and they are actually almost identical in every respect. The home screen consists of multiple tabs that will allow you to quickly get to almost any function of the phone. It´s a good thing that Sense adds integration of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, because using these social services feels easier and better than ever. Behind the appealing face of Sense, however, lies the power of Windows Mobile 6.5 that business people do appreciate.
The iPhone OS platform is also quite famous among customers. Visually, it may be far from spectacular, but its distinguishing features are simple, user-friendly interface and fast speed. You don’t need to have solid knowledge of cell phones in order to make the most of your iPhone right away, because everything is right-down intuitive.
With the rapidly improving hardware, however, the performance gap between these operating systems is getting smaller and less significant by the day. Thanks to its 1GHz processor and ample amount of RAM, the HTC HD2 responds just as fast and reliably to your commands as the most powerful iPhone. What´s more, HTC Sense looks more contemporary and offers integration of social networks, quite a serious advantage indeed.
Messaging:
Any self-respecting smartphone should be able to offer proper email functionality. Of course, both the HD2 and the iPhone 3GS are great performers in this respect, they just visualize the relevant information differently. The HD2 comes with dedicated Mail tab that allows users to go over shorter versions of their emails on the fly. Its advantage is the ability to instantaneously switch between email accounts.
You don’t have tabs on the iPhone, so like it or lump it, you will have to get to know the Mail application better, which actually sports the same functionality found on its rival. It also permits users to take a quick look at short versions of all received emails, but its shortcoming is that switching between accounts feels clumsier alongside of the way you do it on the HD2.
The QWERTY keyboard is another extremely important aspect you need to consider in terms of proper email handling. The keyboard layout of the iPhone 3GS features more space in between keys, which equates to lower chance of pressing the wrong button. In the case of the HD2, buttons are larger, but more cramped. We wouldn’t dare call either of them a winner here if it wasn’t for the excessive screen sensitivity of the HD2 which means higher probability of typing mistakes due to increased number of erroneous presses. Despite that, you can´t go wrong with either handset and you can be pretty sure you´re getting the best no matter your particular choice.
Software:
If you happen to be someone who enjoys proper entertainment or for some reason needs various software applications, the available variety at the online application stores of Apple and Microsoft is an important factor and something you do need to consider.
In other words, if you happen to be a person who likes having fun and lend color to their daily grind with various applications, you better head for the nearest mental health treatment facility and... this is a joke of course, not funny at that. Well, if you happen to be such a person, you better opt for the iPhone, because you will get access to a software library of almost 100,000 programs. On the other hand, there are quite a few applications for Windows Mobile as well. The thing is not many of them can be found at Windows Marketplace for Mobile itself, not to mention the free stuff there is as scarce as chicken teeth. To top it off, paid programs cost an arm and a leg. Hands down, the iPhone remains our blue-eyed boy here.
Camera:
The HTC HD2 sports 5-megapixel camera, while the Apple iPhone 3GS comes with just 3-megapixel one. Moreover, the HD2 is equipped with a flash, which makes it the better “cameraphone” of the two. Just a word of advice – try it before you buy it, because quite a few units seem to be affected by a software bug that causes pink aura to appear in the middle of pictures. Either way, the snapshot quality is nothing to write home about, but the HD2 is better on the overall.
Both handsets capture videos at 640x320 pixels and 30 frames per second and we are of the opinion that those of the HD2 sport more details.
The HD2 and iPhone 3GS are both equipped with displays that are large enough to allow proper visualization of anything you capture directly onto your device. The HD2 has the upper hand in this respect thanks to its significantly larger screen and its higher native resolution.
Multimedia:
Both the iPhone 3GS and HD2 are great devices for movie fans and anyone who doesn’t mind relaxing watching YouTube videos. Logically, the HTC comes on top once again, thanks to its 4.3-inch screen. Moreover, its other advantage is you can install CorePlayer, meaning you will be able to see high resolution DivX and Xvid videos without a problem.
It´s pretty clear by now what´s the better device in this category, but we just can´t omit to mention two other smartphones that, at least in terms of multimedia, are far superior to the handsets we are comparing today – the Samsung Omnia II and Omnia HD. Aside from better image quality (they utilize AMOLED screens), both deliver native support for popular video codecs.
Internet:
You can surf the boundless expanse of the Internet using Opera Mobile on the HTC HD2. The browser is extremely fast, adequate and supports zooming via multitouch. The function is implemented very well and works almost as good as on Apple´s Safari. Of course, you can double tap to zoom in the browsers of either device. By the way, Opera Mobile has one advantage over Safari – it automatically resizes text, which effectively eliminates the need to scroll horizontally. The browser succumbs to its Apple-made rival in several things, say the need to zoom in on a link before you can actually click it or the fact that pages don´t automatically shrink if their width exceeds the resolution of the screen.
Given their relevant advantages and drawbacks, both browsers offer similar web surfing experience. The HTC HD2 is the better handset once again, thanks to its larger screen with higher native resolution, which means you will need to use the zoom function quite rarely.
The HTC HD2 sports 5-megapixel camera, while the Apple iPhone 3GS comes with just 3-megapixel one. Moreover, the HD2 is equipped with a flash, which makes it the better “cameraphone” of the two. Just a word of advice – try it before you buy it, because quite a few units seem to be affected by a software bug that causes pink aura to appear in the middle of pictures. Either way, the snapshot quality is nothing to write home about, but the HD2 is better on the overall.
Both handsets capture videos at 640x320 pixels and 30 frames per second and we are of the opinion that those of the HD2 sport more details.
The HD2 and iPhone 3GS are both equipped with displays that are large enough to allow proper visualization of anything you capture directly onto your device. The HD2 has the upper hand in this respect thanks to its significantly larger screen and its higher native resolution.
Multimedia:
Both the iPhone 3GS and HD2 are great devices for movie fans and anyone who doesn’t mind relaxing watching YouTube videos. Logically, the HTC comes on top once again, thanks to its 4.3-inch screen. Moreover, its other advantage is you can install CorePlayer, meaning you will be able to see high resolution DivX and Xvid videos without a problem.
It´s pretty clear by now what´s the better device in this category, but we just can´t omit to mention two other smartphones that, at least in terms of multimedia, are far superior to the handsets we are comparing today – the Samsung Omnia II and Omnia HD. Aside from better image quality (they utilize AMOLED screens), both deliver native support for popular video codecs.
Internet:
You can surf the boundless expanse of the Internet using Opera Mobile on the HTC HD2. The browser is extremely fast, adequate and supports zooming via multitouch. The function is implemented very well and works almost as good as on Apple´s Safari. Of course, you can double tap to zoom in the browsers of either device. By the way, Opera Mobile has one advantage over Safari – it automatically resizes text, which effectively eliminates the need to scroll horizontally. The browser succumbs to its Apple-made rival in several things, say the need to zoom in on a link before you can actually click it or the fact that pages don´t automatically shrink if their width exceeds the resolution of the screen.
Given their relevant advantages and drawbacks, both browsers offer similar web surfing experience. The HTC HD2 is the better handset once again, thanks to its larger screen with higher native resolution, which means you will need to use the zoom function quite rarely.
Despite being two of the most technologically advanced cell phones on the market today, ironically, both the HD2 and iPhone 3GS fail miserably when it comes to in-call quality. Simply put, the voice of your caller, no matter the handset, sounds mediocre at best. The same applies to what this person hears on the other end of the line. Thank goodness that both cell phones come with many other functions to make up for their, erm, to put it mildly, unsatisfying overall performance in this respect.
Judging by the technical specifications, the Apple iPhone 3GS should be able to deliver 12 hours of continuous talk time and remain operational for 300 hours in standby. On the other hand, the HTC HD2 provides the less impressive 6.33 hours of continuous talk, but its battery keeps it alive longer in standby – 490 hours. Both need to be recharged at the end of the second day, that is, if you don´t make them break too much sweat on daily basis. In case you want to make the most of your device and your appetite for it is ravenous, you will have to recharge its battery on a daily basis... which is acceptable, given the functionality they deliver alongside of the competition.
Conclusion:
Finally, we need to point out that we are fascinated by the overall performance of the HTC HD2, because it takes the overly complex and sluggish Windows Mobile platform to another, much higher level. With the HD2, HTC has rolled out an exceptionally user-friendly handset that offers WM fans easy and enjoyable interface control that rivals what Apple came up with more than two years ago with the iPhone. The HD2 is better than Apple´s popular device in some respects, while the iPhone is superior to the former in other things. Still, you can´t really go wrong no matter your choice, because both the HTC HD2 and iPhone 3GS deliver awesome functionality in almost every respect.
HTC HD2 and Apple iPhone 3GS: Side by Side Video:
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: