HTC Incredible vs. Apple iPhone 3GS

April 22, 2010 By Nick Mokey

Does the much-hyped HTC Incredible really live up to its name? We compare spec-by-spec versus Apple’s iPhone 3GS to find out.

We have little doubt that HTC’s Incredible is king of the Android mountain for the time being. But even if it stares down at the myTouch puttering around in the foothills and the Droid on a craggy outcropping just below, it still has to measure up against that veritable Everest in the distance: Apple’s iPhone 3GS. How does the HTC Incredible measure up? Break out the altimeter and sextant, we’re going to find out.

Display

Winner: HTC Incredible

Few iPhone owners really complain about the 3.5-inch screen on the iPhone, but the HTC Incredible really has it beat in every regard. Besides measuring up larger at 3.7 inches diagonally, it boasts 480-by-800 resolution. As astute mathematicians will notice, that’s more than twice the resolution in Apple’s 480-by-320 LCD. Because it uses OLED display technology, it should also offer much brighter, more vibrant colors side by side, as the Nexus One does. (Anecdotally, most owners think the Nexus One looks better, but if you delve deep into technical minutiae, you can find an opposing viewpoint.)

Processor

Winner: HTC Incredible

Much as with the Motorola Droid, the beastly Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz chip powering the Incredible puts the 600MHz Arm Cortex A8 in Apple’s iPhone to shame. However, it’s worth noting that the iPhone has a dedicated PowerVR graphics processing unit, which endows it with gaming prowess well above and beyond what the CPU alone would lend.

Camera

Winner: HTC Incredible

Apple must plead no contest in this department. The iPhone 3GS has a 3-megapixel camera with autofocus, but no flash or manual controls. The Incredible offers an 8-megapixel shooter with dual-LED flash, plus on-the-fly adjustments for brightness, contrast, and ISO level. Likewise, the iPhone can only shoot VGA (640 x 480) video, while the Incredible can shoot video at the same resolution as its screen, 800 x 480.

Software

Winner: Apple iPhone 3GS

It’s a matter of taste, to be sure, but the overwhelming public preference still seems to favor Apple’s iPhone OS to Android. And as of iPhone OS 4.0, one of the biggest gripes about it – the inexplicable lack of multitasking – will disappear for good. Put that together with 185,000 apps in Apple’s App Store to about 40,000 in Google’s Android Market, and it’s hard to argue Google holds the upper hand at the moment.

Battery Life

Winner: Apple iPhone 3GS

As with the Droid, we can’t claim to have hammered these out in laboratory tests just yet, but manufacturer estimates usually hold at least some water on cell phones – even if they’re all equally stretched. Apple rates its iPhone 3GS for 300 hours of standby, to the Incredible’s rather sad 146. That’s less than half. However, the Incredible claims 5.2 hours of 3G usage to the iPhone’s 5. When it’s that close, we would just assume call it a draw if Apple weren’t boasting over twice the standby time. On a hardware level, the batteries are nearly identical in capacity: 1219 mAh on the iPhone, to 1300 mAh on the Incredible.

Portability

Winner: HTC Incredible

Similar as they may be, the Incredible narrowly edges the iPhone out in all but what dimension. It’s a fraction slimmer, a fraction narrower, and a fraction lighter, but measures 4.63 inches tall to Apple’s 4.5-inch-tall iPhone. To any reasonable consumer, it’s a draw, but if you happened to be a lightweight backpacker looking for the ideal phone to drag you back to reality as you’re attempting to get away from it all, the Incredible just narrowly wins its place nestled beside the carbon fiber tent poles.

Memory

Winner: Apple iPhone 3GS

Much as with the Droid, you’ll find a different winner here depending on whether you prefer a phone that gives you the most value for your money, or a phone that can theoretically hold the most. The Incredible comes with 8GB of internal memory and a microSD slot that can handle up to a 32GB card (if you format on a PC first). The iPhone 3GS comes with either 16GB or 32GB built in, and no option to add more. Considering the 16GB iPhone and 8GB Incredible both retail for $200 with contract, we think HTC has the win. Technically, the HTC can offer up 40GB with a 32GB card installed, but given the $200 price tag on these cards at the moment, the iPhone still looks like the more practical decision for buyers seeking storage without complete disregard for their wallets.

Overall Winner: HTC Incredible

On paper, the HTC Incredible aces more categories than the iPhone, but without properly weighting the importance of each one, we don’t suggest you take this particular verdict to mean much. Apple’s dominance in software – especially its commanding lead in apps – probably means much more to potential buyers than a few extra millimeters here and there. That said, HTC’s hardware outmaneuvers Apple in just about every way possible, from an improved screen and microSD slot to an incredibly powerful Snapdragon processor and 8-megapixel camera. Is it really the superior phone? Depending on what’s important to you, absolutely.

Check out our other smartphone comparisons:

iPhone 4 vs. Droid X

iPhone 4 vs. Android’s Best: Spec Face-Off

Apple iPhone 4 vs. HTC EVO 4G

Motorola Droid vs. HTC Incredible

HTC Incredible vs. HTC HD2

HTC HD2 vs. Apple iPhone 3GS

Check out our full HTC Droid Incredible and iPhone 3GS reviews.

Showing 86 comments

Incred at 5:26pm 23rd November 2010 not to even mention the outstanding verizon network compared to the not even close at&t
bkkbrit at 9:49pm 17th July 2010 I have the HTC Incredible and it is an incredible phone. Beats Apple iPhone 4 hands down, no comparison.
iPhone 4 vs. Droid X | TrendsCovered.net at 2:23am 4th July 2010 [...] HTC Incredible vs. Apple iPhone 3GS [...]
HTC Incredible vs. HTC HD2 at 9:23am 24th June 2010 [...] 4 vs. Droid XiPhone 4 vs. Android’s Best: Spec Face-OffApple iPhone 4 vs. HTC EVO 4G HTC Incredible vs. Apple iPhone 3GSMotorola Droid vs. HTC IncredibleHTC HD2 vs. Apple iPhone 3GSCheck out our full HTC Droid [...]
iPhone 4 vs. Droid X at 9:20am 24th June 2010 [...] [...]
Mike at 12:32pm 13th June 2010 It's a bit misleading comparing the PowerVR (GPU) on the iPhone versus the Scorpion CPU on the Incredible. The Snapdragon core contains a Z430 GPU (called Adreno 200 by Qualcomm).
Evilcheckmate1 at 1:06am 13th June 2010 whats up everybody will im a hacker who loves hacking phones first of all i have hack every phone you could think of 2nd the thing that makes a touch screen phone great is that you dont really have to buy a new phone for example i have an iphone jailbroken with an app called cydia for those who dont know what cydia is its an app for hackers just like the apple store app only thing is cydia is better then apple cuz everything almost in there is free for people like myself who doesnt want to spend money and the great thing about cydia is that you can get htc design on the iphone just google it you will see pictures i have the htc design now the development team and other hackers are coming out with a better design then the htc probably be release in a couple of months and another funny thing is that the iphone ios 4 that apple said that the iphone 3g what not hanndle like multi tasking is available including all the other features so apple lie because they want you to buy the new iphone but for those jailbreakers u wont have to buy anything cuz you can find it in cydia every design for every phone is in cydia crazy 1 simple download and your interface for your phone changes completly just like buying a new phone thats whats makes the iphone the best but dont worrie the htc will eventually get there but not now give a year or 2 theres alot of issues with the htc but it does have the potential to be the best but not now cuz theres still in the beggining just like when the iphone first came out there wasnt copy and paste or apple store or picture text messages but then everybody complain and a year later there was an update and then bammmm!!! the iphone now has all the features now cuz of an update will the htc needs alot of updates who knows when the htc will be ready but for now it has progress alot but still issues hopefully that will be fix soon and the htc will hopefully have a cydia so you can change your phone to an iphone dam i love touch screen phones so htc fans give it time but right now the iphone is still on top because all issues have been fix because its been out for years and trust there was even reception issues but bam update fix that so now its the htc turn for issues and trust me there is but there only one thing that the new iphone ios4 will have that makes me think about buying one which i dont think us hackers can break and its video face calling for the first time u will be able to look at the person calling you which i think is awesome noore blind date just have to turn wifi on and its free on iphone ios4 dam!!!!just to think how many girls i could have had on video face calling and had them strip dam u iphone where were u when i was in my teens oh htc fans dont look for cydia u wont find it but the hackers will make something new for it but who knows how long that will be but for now im going to play with my iphone and see if i could make the best design for my iphone and trust i already copy htc now im adding extra stuff to make the design perfect hopefully apple will put it in the apple store but that aint going to happen cuz the apple store doesnt have designs but the ios4 will have a list of about 10 themes but there already available in cydia lol oh u can even get the ios4 theme for iphone 3g or 3gs
Aces at 6:28am 7th June 2010 I hope if you Jailbreak the iPhone 4 it will support Divx.My iPhone 3G Divx playback is just awful.
Hannes at 2:25am 6th June 2010 I just love to browse through all those fights between "Apple-no-matter-what" fans and "Anything-else-but-Apple" representatives. You are so funny. Just pick the one you like most
Lady Selene at 10:27pm 1st June 2010 I have an iPhone and LOVE it, I carefully looked at the HTC and it really does look like a great phone!!! My daughter is not a Mac person (does not have my good taste) LMAO ... JOKING, I told her this was possibly the phone for her. Of course a "Hands On" is needed before making a finalchoice, but it does look Great!!!
chris at 4:48pm 1st June 2010 wow, not trying to OFFEND anyone, but yall need to lighten up. your talking about these electronic devices like they were your children, and are being offended just the same. all i can say is try getting tens of thousands of people to all agree one menu item at taco bell. it aint gonna happen. its personal prefrence, and not everyone will agree. no matter what it is. just need to learn to agree to dissagree. (BTW, only thing i hate about the droid is the stupid backorder. I HAVE TO WAIT TILL THE 18th!!) :(
Carl Brown at 12:44am 28th May 2010 Is this phone going to be compatible with Verizon's 4G LTE network that will be coming out this year?
JAmies at 2:12pm 23rd May 2010 Just like the internet, the media laundry-frenzy called the 6 or 11 o'clock news, and many other gossip places, it's opinion and I'm glad to read the column.But much exactly like all these people (including myself) putting their lousy two cents in, whether they are queer for Apple, or just plain looking for something else, who cares. Go to college or a sports game & pick a side, again, who cares.Just like the newspaper, some other rag or the fricken news media scum, flip the remote, the page or url & shut up!
shralp at 7:47pm 18th May 2010 I still run the HTC touch HD on upgraded Winmo 6.5.5 with sense. I'll still use it for a couple of years with all my tweaks and software upgrades. 2008 phone that leaves me wanting nothing. Iphone has advantage of all those dock units and a smooth experience. I think next years phones will offer enough extra power for me to upgrade, but not this lot.
dust2glory at 2:43am 16th May 2010 If you love your iphone you'll love the HTC since they copied everything from it.
Fonzie at 3:51am 10th May 2010 You guys are geeks. Its obvious that you don't use your phones to call your girlfriend. Put the phones down for minute and get into the real world.
Joe at 11:02am 9th May 2010 I've used both the iphone and the incredible. Personally I like the incredible better. But, that's just me. In my opinion, both phones are equal competitors. I mean sure once the 4G comes out, the iphone might have the upper hand. Then after another 6 months android will have the upper hand. It's just a never ending race.The other thing i take into comparison is networks. Where i live, currently verizon has better service over all of the other networks. But in other states im sure AT&T will have the better service. So, if you're going to compare networks it kind of depends on where you currently live. In my opinion though Verizon has the better service.Personally, what I think it all comes down to, is which device you like more, And what is more convenient for you. Keep in mind, it doesn't matter what you buy in a few months time, something will be better then it.
Jon at 10:44pm 8th May 2010 I got an Incredible ONLY because of Verizon over AT&T. If Verizon or even Sprint offered the iPhone, I would have gotten the iPhone in a second.
snookie1959 at 6:41am 5th May 2010 Interesting you say that since I am sure you have not experienced Apple's multi-tasking. I have and it is quite good. if you look at the internal details it is more sophisticated and efficient than Androids. But your average user won't notice that much.
snookie1959 at 6:40am 5th May 2010 There are plenty of complaints about the Incredible's battery life. Its fine for me but I don't use all the widgets. The 3GS battery lasts much longer. Unlike many other companies when Apple says how long their batteries are good for you can take it to the bank. As far as swappable batteries I could care less. The only time I need to charge is when traveling and you can't take spare batteries on an airplane anyway.
snookie1959 at 6:37am 5th May 2010 No Verizon phone will let you talk and have internet access at the same time. it's because of the way Verizon implemented the CDMA spec.
snookie1959 at 6:36am 5th May 2010 You should have done a little more research. The 3GS offers far more than a compass over the 3G.
snookie1959 at 6:35am 5th May 2010 As I said I have both. Even though the iPhone easier to read in sunlight the Incredible is not as bad as some have made it out to be.
snookie1959 at 6:34am 5th May 2010 That is freakin hilarious. You cannot be serious. Either that ort you are really that uninformed.
snookie1959 at 6:33am 5th May 2010 If you care about widgets then maybe you would have a point but plenty of people don't care about the additional eye candy that sucks up resources.
snookie1959 at 6:32am 5th May 2010 first that is not remotely true at all. Even if it were so what? Lite versions still run.
snookie1959 at 6:31am 5th May 2010 The 4G Android phone only means that if you are on Sprint and in one of their few Wimax cities you will get their 4g speeds. Nothing else is different and nobody but a few care about an HDMI port. Get a clue before you post. Google is your friend.
snookie1959 at 6:30am 5th May 2010 Are you aware how obvious it is that you are a teenager?
snookie1959 at 6:29am 5th May 2010 The phone is a lot more than just specs and the specs are not easily comparable on their own. This should be obvious.
snookie1959 at 6:27am 5th May 2010 Anyone who uses the term fanboy has no credibility and should be dismissed out of hand as a fool.I have both the iPhone 3GS and have had an Incredible for about a week. Verizon is much better than AT&T for anyone who doesn't already know that. The Incredible is the 1st Android phone I have found to be actually usable. All the rest are too half baked OS and hardware wise. That includes the Nexus One. Rating the phones on specs and declaring a "winner" makes no sense. As just one example the Apple proc btw is faster than the procs used in Android phones. The proc to be used in the next iPhone is about 35% faster than the same speed (1 ghz used in Android phones). Its really about the OS and hardware combination. iPhone specs are dues to change in a month or so anyway. In general I find the iPhone to have a simpler interface. It is also much better at syncing just about anything. Much higher proportion of high quality apps available for the iPhone although I do find most of the apps I rely on are available on Android too. Android is really obviously a work in progress although it does not bother me that much. However I think your average consumer will find Android annoying in many ways. But Android on the Incredible is quite good and some real competition for Apple will be good for everyone. Once the iPhone is on Verizon though you can expect Android sales to drop down substantially.
Anthony at 2:27am 5th May 2010 Every app on the app store has a lite version so cut the 180k in half
dang at 12:36am 5th May 2010 One of the best comments ever! Points for the reference to the hulk. :)
The One at 12:27am 5th May 2010 In my opinion...one must be aware that the iphone is a technological instrument, full of wonderful tricks and armoury. But one must not digress from the fact that the incredible is indeed like the incredible hulk - just not green.It is upon comparison of both devices that brings us true harmony and peace. They must not fight...but be friends.
truthhurts69 at 10:13am 4th May 2010 Lars I have the phone in hand and even compared it to my Iphone friends they even liked it but they are so use the Iphone so they wont make a change. think lars be smart and not be a neanderthal."Uggh Lars likes iPhone Uggh"
truthhurts69 at 10:09am 4th May 2010 Bravo Jack just goes to show you how big a cry baby Iphone users are. congratulations for proving that to everyone. Truth hurts huh. now who is lame the person who is just giving you the facts or the baby that wont shut up and wants his pacifier.
AllenS at 4:50am 4th May 2010 More importantly, after you get a few thousand apps, does more really matter? Should Apple win the software category because it has 50 different fart apps? Aren't all of the most useful apps present for both the iPhone and Android? If the author can identify a large group of critical apps that aren't present on Android, then I'd be willing to support this claim.
mark at 3:08am 4th May 2010 a great comparison would be the next iphone (4G) and the next htc (evo 4g).
gregitz at 3:39pm 3rd May 2010 I've been an iPhone user since its inception. But because I love new technology I thought trying Android would be fun. Instead, I found the experience to frustrating. Android may have some innovating ideas but overall it's just not as elegantly put together as the iPhone as an overall package. Contacts were constantly disappearing and getting shuffled into something Google calls (other contacts). When that happens, they don't show up in the phone address book anymore. It's a weird thing. Also, you can't alphabetize by last name first, and if your contacts are listed as a business then things get screwy, especially with syncing to my car's address book. There are about 3 or 4 different doors into many of the phone's functions, which might sound great, but sometimes it's nice to just have one way in. I've owned the Eris as well as the Incredible and both times, as much as I wanted to like each, I couldn't help but miss the simplicity and straightforwardness of my iPhone. If only AT&T were not the Achilles heel. Still though, I'm willing to live with substandard phone service because I love the phone so much. Android needs some refining. Maybe it will get there, but the Incredible and Android OS, in my opinion, isn't as enjoyable to navigate.
attnjake at 3:36pm 29th April 2010 Got my new phone today and I have to tell you its Incredible! Camera, Display, Speed, VZ carrier not AT&T, etc... best so far! A lot more goodies to discover, will be up all night......
tony at 3:34am 28th April 2010 I just want to clarify something here. I see a lot of people saying that they want to compare the iphone 4.0 to the HTC EVO 4G. It needs to be understood that even thought the new iphone has a 4 in the number it does not make it a 4G phone. ATT is a very long way from releasing a 4G network. The iphone 4 will run on the same crappy network that all the previous versions ran on, while the EVO will run on sprints new wimax 4G network which will probably be pretty awesome depending on where you live. I reside in northern cali on the monterey penninsula where sprint has horrible coverage and no 4G so the incredible is the best choice.
Stan at 12:30pm 27th April 2010 You just had to write like a 13 year old texting his friends. Next time try to use proper wording, more punctuation, less CAPITALIZED words and don't start a sentence with 'LOL'. Maybe then other people would be able to actually read and understand your reply.
Smark at 5:58pm 26th April 2010 Me i don't care what IPHONE do or can do and the HTC, sample work every phone have they own program.Who get a shit about they trying to get ur moneys people trying 2 buy a phone over $500 dollar what a dum ass. let me telling all u out there. Sample go the place that is verry poor signal and pull ur AT&T phone VS VERIZON see who got the BEST signal that the one you needed. let me tell you my story i was driving to RENO and my car brok dow and i have the iphone they work like shit have no signal i was pissss LOL i buy that phone for $500. Now i have VERIZON they work 4 me from SAC allway 2 RENO and is free phone. LOL get OVER and get smark.
Z. at 8:35am 26th April 2010 You can't even compare these two phones. The Incredible wins this battle hands down. And this is coming from someone who has an iPhone 3gs. Also, the multitasking coming in the OS 4.0 is still a poor man's, crippled multitask. It is not true multitasking.I will be switching to an android device very soon.
Hooter at 9:32am 23rd April 2010 Dex, I agree, I'm doing the same thing. I love my iphone but with AT&T well, It's like having a ferrari on a deserted island.
GHT at 1:12am 23rd April 2010 How can you compare battery life? The Incredible has a swappable battery; keep a spare or two charged up and laying around...
susanss at 2:02pm 22nd April 2010 It's pretty bad when you have to compare a phone that hasn't even been released yet... to a phone that is a year old. Is HTC's phone really *THAT* bad?
susanss at 1:59pm 22nd April 2010 > minutes of standby, to the Incredible’s rather sad 146. It can only stay in standby for 2.4 hours???? (Why is digitalTrends always loaded with obvious errors???)
dontno at 12:03pm 22nd April 2010 It is cool phone but the battery is suspect. I ordered it on 19th and no sooner than i ordered it i received notice from fedex saying the phone was shipped I received it on the 21st not sure why but really cool phone.
vzwcynic at 10:09am 22nd April 2010 Here is the review I was referring to. Overall a good phone, but there are many other good things in the works that will be coming out this summer and fall.http://gizmodo.com/5520071/htc-droid-incredible.....
vzwcynic at 9:53am 22nd April 2010 This is relevant for about 60 days, and then the real comparisons can be made when the iPhone "4" comes out. There is a real hands on review of this phone that I apologize I did not bookmark and can not find. It felt the Incredible felt on the cheap side compared to the Nexus One. I still can't believe that ugly design, what I have called the "oil pan" look, was approved by Verizon's brain dead product team. I mean look at the side by side photo in this review of the iPhone and the Incredible and ask yourself who has taste and who does not. I saw some marketing spin that calls it the "topographical look". What are they smoking at Verizon, certainly nothing good. From the company that sold the P.O.S. Blackberry Storm to its best customers, it takes an otherwise very good phone and makes it look like junk. Before you get suckered into buying anything from Verizon, I'd give it a good long wait, because even though the government publicly questioned the ethics of charging a whopper $350 ETF, they still went through with it. Think about that for a minute. Sprints HTC EVO, the HD2, and the upcoming iPhone if not the current iPhone are better in my view. I was hopeful about the Incredible, as I was the Blackberry Storm, but I am back to waiting, something Verizon customers have had to do a lot of when it comes to having access to the best phones. I wish Verizon and HTC would resurrect Palm/Web OS. An HTC EVO or HD2 running Web OS would be extremely appealing to me.
CM at 9:35am 22nd April 2010 Its really hard for me to believe the Iphone can actually run on standby for 12 1/2 days ... 300 hours divided by 24 hours ... I know thats the claim but I know not one person that could ever come anywhere close to that even on standby your phone does communicate to your provider for different things ... perhaps at perfect temperature and in a lead box and then I think thats still a real stretch.
Justin at 9:00am 22nd April 2010 Jobs said it was around 180k when he announced the new OS a couple of weeks ago.
Justin at 8:58am 22nd April 2010 The 'fanboi's interchange OS and Phone too fluidly. While they say the phone is the best, they really only mean they like the OS the best.
Justin at 8:56am 22nd April 2010 Solid article, however I think you meant to say 300 hours vs 146 hours of standby time, not minutes.Legit comparison, though. OS comparisons are a dime a dozen, thanks for making a concise hardware battle.
eo at 8:55am 22nd April 2010 because, you compare the best android has to offer to the best apple has to offer...not my fault overlord jobs only has one phone that he only releases once a year to the mindless sheeple... if the apple fanbois want to keep claiming that their allmighty iphone is the greatest of all smartphones then they gotta compare with the best. if the fanbois would stop always claiming that the iphone is the best and admit there are better handsets out there then these stupid iphone vs "whatever" comparisons would stop.
Justin at 8:54am 22nd April 2010 Network.
Justin at 8:49am 22nd April 2010 by that logic, why even compare the incredible to a phone thats been out for months?
eo at 8:30am 22nd April 2010 why would that be fair???? you compare a current phone (in 1 week) to a phone that only has specualtion (no solid specs) this is a comparison between two phones that are out right now (I know, I know (technically) the inc is not out yet but i doubt the iphone 3gs is going to change in a week and I doubt the next gen iphone is going to be released in the next week)
GPShift at 8:04am 22nd April 2010 To be fair I was referring to the desire not the Sprint EVO. Nor have I compared the evo to the desireSent from my Iphone.
chutcher at 8:01am 22nd April 2010 4G Andriod phone will be out by then as well. A better compairson will be an Andriod 4G (with HDMI output!!!) ad the iPhone 4G
Ian Bell at 7:38am 22nd April 2010 Does the Incredible let you talk on the phone and browse the net at the same time? Or is that a network, not a phone feature?
Jason at 7:03am 22nd April 2010 I'm not so sure they'll be back on top. Hardware-wise, the EVO's hardware meets or exceeds what we know about the iPhone 4G. We'll just have to see what Apple has to offer.
GPShift at 6:54am 22nd April 2010 The iPhone was ahead of it's time but that time has come and gone for me...buh bye Apple...I couldn't have said it better.and in 4 months they will "temporarily" be back on top.we should be clear here people...Apple isnt Babylon... they're just really good at what they do.but like all things, no matter how good you are, there is always someone waiting to knock you off your pedestal... Albeit temporary, it is what makes us human.Competition.
guest at 6:52am 22nd April 2010 Also, as far as the iphone battery life, is this being measured without hooking it up to a docking station, stereo/alarm clock speakers, the machines at your gym, your computer, or your car's stereo system? All of these things will transfer the power source from the iphone battery to the docking station's power, and/or charge the battery- so is this truly accurate?
GPShift at 6:51am 22nd April 2010 yea, I'm torn on this one...I'm on ATT right now with a 3GS and Ill be leaving to go BACK to VZW for this phone.now granted I am in TAMP where ATT's market is a pretty solid 3G service. but I just always liked VZW better.I will deffinately miss the ability to be online and talk, but ill get by.As for the phone comparison... Ehhh...this review is a surface one, that's fine... the digi-Trends people are working on a more in depth one.the fact is however, that the android software is simply more advanced that the apple 3.1. bla bla bla..and the Desire is just newer and therefore slightly better hardware as well. is it better than the new i phone 4? probably not... hell HTC looses on the front facing camera already and its not even out yet. But its no different than having to have the newest model car, this year its ford, next year its Chevy etc...corporate spies do their best to scheadule releases as soon as their competitors but it just doesnt alway work that way. and as a result they have created a new generation of people that "have to have the latest thing" Don't fool yourselves into thinking you are brand loyal...unless your a NASCAR nut who shaves Dales race # into your back hair... your not brand loyal....(and if you do then I'm sorry... On so many levels)your only loyal to superiority. and that, my friends, has a shelf life of 7 months.
guest at 6:43am 22nd April 2010 As I patiently wait for my "Incredible" new phones, I have done my research. I have weighed the iphone and the androids. I have verified the service with AT&T & Verizon through my own experience and that of many colleagues. I have come to the conclusion that that I can live with an Ipod Touch for most music and apps, and use the "Incredible" on the weightier Verizon network for any "calls" I may need to make. It is interesting to see the comments on this topic are more geared toward the mobile data, than to the actual purpose of the device- wireless PHONE. Yet, the arguments about a forced data plan abound. 10 minutes of 'surfing' in the app market alone would cost you $600 a day. I know, that is what I was "billed" [for 174 MB of data for my phone and 138 MB on my husband's phone] when I returned my moto droid to preorder the incredible. As for those die-hard iphone users who want to get the Verizon version- you will most likely not be able to use the data while you are on a phone call just like the droid users. It is a network thing.
GPShift at 6:39am 22nd April 2010 I like how you took all that time to complain but had absolutely nothing constructive to say.who has a "I bring nothing to the table" shirt for this guy?quityerbitchin and be constructive... "If the author wanted to write a meaningful he would have talked about why people like the iPhone and compared what they liked about it to the phone he was comparing. but that would have required a deep understanding of the subject which he obviously didn't have."yea ok nancy..your gonna get right on doing that for us right?
Dex at 6:07am 22nd April 2010 "Apple rates its iPhone 3GS for 300 minutes of standby, to the Incredible’s rather sad 146 "That is only 5 hours of standby time for the apple and 2.5 hrs for the Incredible...Ok, I have an iPhone 3g. I love Apple. I work on Microsoft all day and my home computers are all Mac. I bought the first iPhone when it came out and then bought the 3g. I didn't upgrade to the 3gs as I didn't think a compass was worth $199...I pre-ordered the Incredible and am dumping my iPhone. Yes, I love the phone but the service is horrible. I have full bars until I make a call and then I get "No Service" more times than I can count. I am right outside Chicago and never had as many problems with T-Mobile...that is sad. That being said, I need a phone that I can use and rely on. A 30 min call and a few text messages will now kill my battery. I have a few apps and like 10 songs on my phone. I mainly use it for calling, texts and email.The iPhone was ahead of it's time but that time has come and gone for me...buh bye Apple...
stranger at 6:07am 22nd April 2010 Yup, They forgot to mention the iPhone is on AT&T vs Incredible on Verizon. Hands down, Incredible is the winner. A phone is only as good as its network
ajb at 6:06am 22nd April 2010 The biggest issue I see with this "review" is its discussion of the display. One reviewer mentioned that the display is essentially useless outdoors in sunlight. That is a huge omittance, and even though the indoor quality is currently better, for most people, I don't think they would knowingly want to make that trade off. I had an AT&T Tilt which was a wonderful phone - in its day - but it screen washed out in sunlight and it was very annoying and made the phone almost useless outdoors. Contrast that with the fact that I can easily read my iPhone in any kind of lighting, even in direct sunlight. Enough said. I would give the nod to Apple, or if to the Incredible there should have been a huge footnote. Bad reporting because it didn't properly inform the readers of this very negative attribute.
s15274n at 5:51am 22nd April 2010 Apple fanboys are just upset. The article is good. My only gripe is I wish the part dedicated to the OS noted that Android gives the user a TON more flexiblity on what can be done and will also allow apps to be installed outside of it's market, unlike apple out of the box. Android's OS is incredible and I would not put Apple's over it.
Kale at 5:48am 22nd April 2010 As a Verizon customer, I will be going with the HTC or the Moto Droid although my heart is with the iPhone after becoming accustomed to my ipod touch. It's not worth it to me to change carriers since Verizon's network is advanced and prices are more competitive. One thing I do want to point out though is that the article compares the number of apps that are available to each phone. It would be excellent to know the number of useful apps are available to get a better comparison. For example, the App Store for Apple has well over 30 apps that make fart sounds. Seriously? Do we need all those options to get the perfect flatulence tone? It's high time for a little spring cleaning in the app store.
cnemo013 at 5:44am 22nd April 2010 The biggest difference for me is Verizon versus AT&T. This make the Incredible a big winner!
intercollector at 5:30am 22nd April 2010 While not a feature of the android yet, Adobe flash is the biggest killer to the iPhone in my books:<a href="http://www.newphoneinfo.com/index.php/news/article/Adobe+halts+development+for+the+iPhone/12" rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://www.newphoneinfo.com/index.php/news/arti..." target="_blank">;http://www.newphoneinfo.com/index.php/news/arti...
HapiKilmor at 5:29am 22nd April 2010 It is also worth mentioning that the Droid Incredible uses the latest version of HTC's well regarded SENSE interface (running on top of the latest version of ANDROID). So the experience is "enhanced" beyond what one would see using the standard ANDROID interface on the MOTOROLA DROID.
Ian Bell at 5:25am 22nd April 2010 +1 for Jason. I agree.
Jason at 5:12am 22nd April 2010 Great article.One thing, though: You noted that the iPhone has a dedicated PowerVR graphics processing unit while the Incredible has no dedicated GPU. That's very true, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon inside the Incredible supports 720p video decode and 3D graphics (up to 22 million triangles/sec). Compared to the iPhone's 7 million triangles/sec, the Incredible wins.
tyler at 5:10am 22nd April 2010 You should change standby time to hours not minutes
Eric at 5:09am 22nd April 2010 Am I the only one that thinks it's funny that the reviewer of these two phones didn't rate them as phones? Hello McFly!Also, the issue over 185,00 apps vs 40,000 apps seems silly. I really think it's closer to 90,000 vs 30,000. With that said, I've looked at so many worthless iPhone and Android apps that claiming victory in this category seems like counting Gordon Geckos yachts! (a little Wallstreet reference for impact) Honestly, I have a droid with 65 apps and I will never, never, need over 100 let alone 90,000 nor 30,000! Anyone out there need every inane app that just becomes one more we need to wade through.
Ian Bell at 4:38am 22nd April 2010 Agreed, that is what I said. Keep in mind that people looking to purchase a new phone today are going to want to see the pros and cons of each. If I can't decide which network to join, I will want to see what phones are available on each and which phone would be the best. The Apple iPhone is on AT&T only and the Incredible is on Verizon only.
Ian Bell at 4:37am 22nd April 2010 Hi Lars,We do have the phone in hand :) You will see a review of the phone on the site either tomorrow or Monday.
martymcpadden at 4:36am 22nd April 2010 I think a better comparison will be the next iPhone (probably coming this June/July) and the HTC Incredible.
Lars at 4:31am 22nd April 2010 HAHA how worthless. Let's do a comparison on phones we don't have in hand.
Nick Mokey at 3:58am 22nd April 2010 I think the article spells out quite clearly that specs don't tell the whole story, but certainly not "meaningless" as you suggest. Just because you can't garner EVERYTHING you need to know about the phones from specs doesn't mean they're not worth comparing.The software category is intentionally brief because you you easily expend 2,000 words drawing out the differences between the two OSes (and it has been done many times, elsewhere), but this article is about the phones.
Ian Bell at 3:58am 22nd April 2010 Jack, gimme a break. Apple won several categories. I am sick and tired of hearing Apple fanboys touting the iPhone as the best phone out there. It won't be for long. The HTC Incredible is a great phone, and it has a lot of features and better specs than the iPhone plain and simple.Now when the iPhone 4G comes out in a couple months, it will obviously be a different story right? The 3GS is at the end of its rope here. It's an old phone by smartphone standards. What did you expect? Get over it.
Jack at 3:44am 22nd April 2010 This is a worthless article. Like most other articles comparing anything to the iPhone it is based on a review of the specs. Once you start using the device, the specs of each phone are meaningless. The only thing that matters is what it does and how it does it. The fact that the category with the least substance was the one on software tells you everything you need to know. If the author wanted to write a meaningful he would have talked about why people like the iPhone and compared what they liked about it to the phone he was comparing. but that would have required a deep understanding of the subject which he obviously didn't have.