Smartphones - Summer 2010

I've been doing a lot of research on phones since I'm itchin' to get my hands on something better than my 4-year-old Razr. I've compiled a list of phones that I've found to be meeting my lax requirement of having a 1Ghz processor so here they are.
I'll also show what US carrier it is and the price from that carrier.

Manufacturer Model - Operating System - Carrier price - capacity
Apple iPhone 4 - iOS 4 - AT&T - $199 for 16GB $299 for 32GB w/ 2yr contract and data plan - does not have a micro SD slot.
HTC Google Nexus One - Android OS 2.1 - AT&T/T-Mobile but is currently unavailable. Can still be found on sites like eBay - 4GB microSD card included expandable up to 32GB.
HTC Desire - Android OS 2.1 - AT&T/US Cellular will be released before the end of July est. $199.99 w/ 2yr contract and data plan - Up to 32GB microSD capable.
HTC HD2 - Windows Mobile 6.5 - T-Mobile - $199.99 w/ 2yr contract and data plan - 16GB microSD included expandable up to 32GB.
HTC Evo 4G - Android OS 2.1 - Sprint - $199.99 w/ 2yr contract and data plan - 1GB internal Flash and 8GB microSD included capable up to 32GB
HTC Droid Incredible - Android OS 2.1 - Verizon - $199.99 w/ 2yr contract and data plan - 8GB internal flash with a microSD slot capable of holding 16GB
Motorola Droid X - Android OS 2.1 - Verizon will be released July 15 $199.99 w/ 2yr contract and data plan - 8GB internal flash with 16GB microSD card expandable up to 32GB.
Samsung Galaxy S - Androind 2.1 - Multiple Providers with differing names (Fascinate on Verizon, Captivate on AT&T, Vibrant on T-Mobile, Epic 4G on Sprint) - $199.99 w/ 2yr contract and data plan - 8 and 16 GB Flash drive versions with an included 16GB micro SD card expandable up to 32GB.

HTC is dominating in the amount of next-gen smartphones. Because 5 of the 6 listed are HTC and of which 4 of those have Android OSes installed you can bet that you will have no trouble at all modding them as they all should be extremely similar to each other thus making it easier on the modding community. Here is a good place to learn how to mod your phone easily. Also someone ported the Android OS to the iPhone thus dubbing it the iDroid meaning that down the line we may end up seeing a high quality port of the Android OS to the iPhone 4. If I were to recommend a phone it would be either one of the 3 HTC droid phones as they are all going to be at the major carriers (AT&T, US Cellular, Sprint, Verizon). If you desperately want a droid for T-Mobile I suggest searching eBay for an unlocked phone of any of those recommended though it will be quite expensive. The only other alternatives are the phones that run in the 500 MHz range which will have limited functionality as compared to these.

The iPhone is competitive with the other phones as the 16GB model is the same price as the other phones which some will have an 8 or even a 4GB microSD card. The HTC HD2 and most likely the HTC Desire will come with a 16GB card though. Also you can't just upgrade the iPhone to the 32GB whereas all the other phones use microSD which can just be swapped out for one with higher capacity (currently 32GB is the highest capacity for microSD cards which will cost under $100). If you want 4G speeds you are going to have to go with Sprint's HTC Evo and live in the major cities in which 4G (WiMax) is offered. The HTC Evo is actually iPhone's main contender as it is extremely similar in specs except for what I've just listed. Here is a good review comparing them.

Also to note, the current CPU of all of these (except the iPhone) is the Qualcomm Snapdragon which runs at 1Ghz and is capable of decoding 720p video. But even more so is that according to Wikipedia Qualcomm is expecting to release its dual-core 1.5Ghz processor capable of decoding 1080p by the end of the year thus meaning by next year the phones will be 3x as awesome as they are now. Also by the end of this year Android should come out with its v2.3 gingerbread which will support WebM which YouTube and a lot of other streaming sites are in the process of converting to. Also another thing to note is that the new Flash 10.1 is available to the 2.2 version of Android OS which will enable flash content. This is a double-edged sword as the animations on most sites will bog it down but for playing flash games it works flawlessly. It just recently came off of beta so expect future updates to fix any flaws. Also theres rumors of Motorola planning a 2GHz Android phone for later this year.

Now I'm stuck in the perpetual question wondering if I should upgrade now or wait til the phones are 3x as awesome next year. I'm also figuring that since I haven't really had a taste of any of these phones myself that I should be able to last until next year before everyone goes out and picks one up just to rub it in my face. Also to note that a lot of these reviews say that if you end up using these phones a lot that you will have to charge them every night so one can only hope that by next year the battery life will have improved. They've also said that they do experience some random stutters and slowdowns even with 1GHz processors so hopefully a dual-core 1.5gHz should suffice. Also your forced into getting a data plan even if you plan to only use the wifi which kinda irks me.

I say wait. If you really can't wait go for the HTC. I despise all iproducts since they are nothing more than a status symbol anymore. Personally I will stick with my crackberry since it offers everything I could ever need in a smart phone. I'll take functionality over bells and whistles any day.

Actually the iPhone 4 isn't called the "iPhone 4G". Just letting you know. ;)

Anyway, you can get Nexus One off your list because the Droid Incredible is a better buy and can do everything it does (and better). Ultimately it just comes down to your OS tastes, because both the EVO 4G and the Droid Incredible are very good Android phones, and every bit as capable as the iPhone. Of course, iPhone's A4 has been proven to be much faster than the Snapdragon (by almost 50%), even though the clock speed is the same. However, since the iPhone's RAM is at 256MB, they're pretty much evened out. Of course 256MB doesn't set it back much since iOS's method of multitasking isn't very resource intensive.

When it comes to screens, nothing can beat the iPhone 4's. At 326ppi and also IPS technology, it's the best screen out of everything on your list right now. AMOLED is more efficient but the iPhone 4 also have a very good battery life. Engadget says you practically cannot see any pixels on the iPhone 4 display. You can see from their hands on. The iPhone 4 also has the best video camera out of this list, capturing 720p at 30fps. The 5MP camera is adequate, but it takes some pretty good photos. Remember megapixels aren't everything when it comes to cellphone cameras.

But in all seriousness, the EVO 4G, Droid Incredible and iPhone 4 are all very good phones and I don't think you'll have much complaints about hardware regardless of which one you get. The main deciding factors are whether you prefer iOS or Android more. Do you like a closed platform with more stability and a healthier app ecosystem, or an open platform that allows for more customization, but a much more unpolished interface and less apps? It comes down to the user.

Oh, and just know that HTC phones are a pain to update because of their "Sense" UI. With Android updating so often...well, you're a pretty techie guy. You can hack it to update when the time comes. Probably won't be a problem for you. ;)

One last thing before you buy, the iPhone 4 can't be hacked with Android (especially Froyo 2.2)...YET.

I'm Sure Iphone will be the top consumers want... For me i will buy Iphone cuz for me almost perfect, TOO MUCH APP!!. $199 a 16 gig? i think it's cheap than the Itouch and Iphone 3g right??

Wait it out! You've already pointed out a lot of the pros to stalling your decision in buying a new phone, but don't forget to factor in price cuts as well. I'm sure Apple will lower their iPhone4's hefty price tag by next summer when companies roll out another batch of brand spankin' new phones.

Another reason to wait would be because of carriers and cell phone plans as well. The industry will go through a lot of changes over the year if the rumor of T-Mobile getting the iPhone4 proves to be true (1, 2).

[size=10]Whoa, Razr huh? Haha, that sure is nostalgic! Grats on keeping it alive for so long, mine gave out after 2 years.[/h]

By then the iPhone 4 will be redundant. It's just like the iPhone 3GS right now.

Maybe you could make the bolded phone names into links that take you the the picture of the phone.

Good idea. I've kept my Razr goin' by putting a custom monsterpack on it (thats firmware, flexware, and GUI). The battery also craps out if I talk on it more than 5 times and send 5 text messages so I have to recharge it daily. The hard part was making it work with the computer because it takes 3 seperate drivers for charging, flashing, and file transfer. Eventually I got it worked out and I'm pretty happy with the result. I also swapped my battery out with my sisters phone before she turned it in for a trade and its working a lot better. This is the monsterpack that I used: http://modmymobile.com/forums/5-razr-v3/2004-got-n00b-mp-apristel.html

And thanks for the info ImperialX. I just used the name everyone dubbed it when they found it in the bar but your exactly right. Also I've read a couple reviews about the A4 processor it uses and everyone agrees its faster than the Snapdragon by at least 30%. I also looked at the cameras and they all are 5MP except the HTC Evo and Droid Incredible having an 8MP one. I'm not sure of the others as its not stated but the EVO can record at 720p as well. As for the battery the iPhone beats them all on talk time (iPhone = 7-14 hours, HTCs are 5-7 with the exception of the Nexus One being 7-10) but falls in line in standby time (iPhone = 300 hours, HD2 is 390-490, Desire is 340-360 with the Nexus One being only 250-290 and EVO and Incredible only being 146). Your also right about the screen being better as the iPhone has a 640x960 screen while the HTCs have a 480x800 screen which means the iPhone4 has 37.5% more pixels. Its screen size is also comparable with the other HTC phones except for the EVO and HD2 which have almost a full diagonal inch more.

After all this its really coming down to either the iPhone and EVO imo. I basically did all this because I wasn't up to date with the current crowd of phones and I'll most likely wait 'til next year when the phones should be better and there should be more phones available for each carrier.

The Internet has deteriorated so much in the past few years with the "Apple fanboy" rubbish. Whenever a person doesn't speak poorly about an Apple product, that person is automatically dubbed as a "fanboy". I'm glad that there's still someone left on the forums who can have a civil discussion when we discuss Apple Products.

Anyway, regarding video recording - the EVO 4G can only record at 20fps, while the iPhone 4 does 30 fps. Also, as stated before, iOS has more apps, including iMovie, which allows you to edit, render and export movies up to 720p right on the iPhone. There's no equivalence on Android, and there won't be for a long time to come.

Now, I'm actually quite a big fan of Android. After all, iOS being so closed, we need an open platform as well for choice. But there's almost no room for debate when I say iOS's apps are simply much better and polished than the ones found on Android, even when you disregard the difference in number.

Then again, it's not like Android can't do the things you expect a normal smartphone to do, and is growing so rapidly. If we look at what Android was a year ago, it's almost hard to believe how far it has come. Both iOS and Android has huge potential and no matter which one you choose, the future is looking bright.

Oh, and the EVO 4G being bigger might not a good thing for some people who would prefer portability in a mobile device. The iPhone 4 is not only smaller, but at 9.3mm thick, is also the thinnest smartphone in the World right now. It's something to think about.

I still think you should buy a smartphone now. It's a great time to make a buy. New and better phones will always be coming out, and if you wait for next year, by next year you'll be doing the same thing. Although I really don't want to make another jab at Android, their support for old phones really doesn't compare to Apple. Many Android phones from 2009 already can't update to Froyo 2.2, while Apple has maintained support for even the iPhone 3G from 2008 with the upcoming iOS 4.0 update. Google it yourself - the facts are there.

Of course something like that is happening. That's what being the one trying to catch up is about. But the problem with Android is that there are so many different machines with different specs, running different versions of the OS. Writing an app that's requires so much intensive hardware demands will be very difficult on the Android as of now.



But the KIN isn't even a smartphone. If you use a Hero you should know how much more Android can do compared to such a stripped down OS the KIN runs. And to be honest, it's stupid to say the Hero, EVO or iPhone aren't portable. They're all things that can fit into an average pocket, and that's enough.

If Apple continues its current pattern, yes, we should expect another iPhone next summer. I doubt next summer's release will be overwhelming though, what with this year's iPhone4 release. The iPhone4 is a very competitive product now, but what holds it back is its carrier and its pricing. Once its prices are reduced next year (and more carriers are added... /fingers crossed), I'd like to believe that it'll still remain as a heavy contender next year even amongst the new phones.

There are a lot of great points being brought up in this thread, but I'd still personally wait it out (speaking as a consumer from the US). AT&T's decision to cut unlimited data plans is interesting and has caused carriers to reevaluate their business models. I think we're going to see a lot of changes in the industry's dynamic between carriers and in plan pricing. Who knows, if the iPhone4 really does come to T-Mobile, maybe we'll see T-Mobile rise from its ashes and bring in more competitive pricing.

As for support on old Android phones, that responsibility falls on the carriers (in the US). T-Mobile will be bringing software updates to its phones. I can only surmise that the rest will follow -- If T-Mobile can do it, I'm sure the other carriers can too lol.

Just because the applications are being developed, doesn't mean they'll be close to a retail release any time soon. Surely you understand the effort and time that goes into making good, robust apps.

I wonder which of those phones I should get since I'm with T-mobile. Plus Im eligible for an upgrade so this is perfect timing

Do you have to stick with T-Mobile? WinMo7 is coming and WinMo6 phones really don't have much of a future. If you cannot wait for WinMo7, then I urge you to switch to another network. You can't find any decent Android phones on T-Mobile.

Sadly I have to stick with them. The other ones wont accept me

As far as it goes, that is still ImperialX's opinion supported by facts or not. I know from personal experience how long it takes to develop an application for any operating system if you plan to produce something that has a higher level of quality. It would be especially difficult to try and develop an application that can compete with iMovie. As it stands right now, I don't see anything that can match it's level of productivity and ease of use coming in the near future for the Android Operating System.

I myself will be getting the 4G. why? Let's face it, if you have the money to pay for it I don't see reason not to go with the iPhone over any other mobile device. It simply goes above and beyond what other mobile devices of this current day and age can do.

$309.99

$189.99 Equipment Installment down payment
plus 3 Equipment Installment monthly payments of $40.00
Yea Im not getting it anymore. Thats how much I have to pay with my upgrade o-o

But do you need all the features of the iPhone? This is what I don't understand and why I consider the iPhone to be nothing but a status symbol. How often do you actually use all the extra options on the iPhone? So far I am loving my Blackberry on the T-Mobile network because I have yet to find anything that I want to do not being available. Obviously this is just my opinion but I see no need for the iPhone(and for that matter android).