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Picture: iPhone 4 vs HTC Desire
Two AWESOME phones, but which one is best?
My phone contract has been ready for renewal since January and I still can’t decide whether to get another iPhone, or branch out and get something different. I do still feel pretty screwed over by Apple since iOS 4 was released – it pretty much crippled my iPhone 3G! What I don’t understand is why Apple would release an update that kills off their older devices completely? If it ever transpires that it was a deliberate ploy to force people to upgrade, then I will never buy another Apple product again. Big difference I’ll make, yeah yeah.
Anyway, if I actually do make a move and get a new phone soon – it’s going to be one of these!
To kick it off, I’ll look at the ‘underdog’, the ‘newcomer’ that is the HTC Desire. It’s increasingly difficult these days to comment on how a phone looks (because they all look more similar than ever before)! But, it is clear to see that the HTC does have the bigger screen.
HTC Desire vitals from GSMArena: 
Key features:
- Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
- 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 2 Mbps HSUPA
- 3.7″ 16M-color capacitive AMOLED touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480x 800 pixel)
- Android OS v2.1 with kinetic scrolling and pinch zooming
- Slim profile and great build quality
- Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 1 GHz processor
- 576 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM
- 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geotagging
- WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) video recording @ 15fps
- Wi-Fi and GPS with A-GPS
- microSD slot, bundled with a 4GB card
- Accelerometer and proximity sensor
- Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
- Stereo FM radio with RDS
- microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
- Optical trackpad which doubles as a button
- Smart dialing
Main disadvantages:
- Disappointing video quality
- Limited storage available to the user on the system partition (you are left with only 120 MB for installing apps)
- No DivX and XviD video playback
- No voice dialling
- Non hot-swappable memory card
My first remarks have to be in relation to the POOR video recording capability! Why bother even adding it as a feature if it’s going to record at 15fps? Pocket cameras can almost record burst photos at a faster rate than that!! Well, I suppose that is on the highest quality setting, but even so.. Pathetic. I guess the main ‘feature’ of the phone is the fact that it runs on Google’s new(ish) Android OS. That is not a feature of the phone I know, but it is a major factor to consider with any new smartphone purchase these days – which OS does it run. Who wants to get a phone with no ‘apps’ or additional extras available to download (free)?
Everyone knows about the iPhone and that is why it sits comfortably as number 1 with the majority(?) of smartphone buyers. It’s almost as if people like myself have to justify why not to get an iPhone, rather than just comparing it against the competition. Yes, I have an iPhone, but I am willing to try something new. Despite being one of those sad people that queued up outside the Apple Store for hours when the 3G first arrived! I am still willing to accept that there may be something better. There was a day when Sony Ericsson was the be all and end all of phones (in my eyes), so Apple may yet have the same fate. Who knows?
Anyway, the iPhone 4 vitals from GSMArena:
Key features
- Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
- 3.5″ 16M-color LED-backlit TFT capacitive touchscreen of 640 x 960 px resolution
- Scratch-resistant glass front and rear, with fingerprint-resistant coating
- 1GHz Apple A4 SoC; 512MB of RAM
- 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and touch focus
- 720p video recording at 30fps
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
- GPS with A-GPS connectivity; digital compass
- 16/32GB storage options
- Accelerometer, proximity sensor and three-axis gyro sensor
- Active noise cancellation with a dedicated secondary microphone
- Standard 3.5 mm audio jack, stereo Bluetooth v2.1
- Excellent audio output quality
- Slim waistline at only 9.3mm
- Secondary front-facing camera
- Some degree of multitasking
- Rich AppStore
Main disadvantages
- Hardware design is prone to reception issues
- MicroSIM card support only
- No Flash support in the web browser
- No true multitasking for all applications
- FaceTime video calls work only over Wi-Fi
- No file transfer over Bluetooth or USB Mass Storage mode
- No hardware shutter key for the camera
- No FM radio
- No stereo speakers
- No microSD card slot
- No smart dialing
- Too dependent on iTunes for loading multimedia content
- Poor loudspeaker performance
The iPhone OS is easily recognised as one of the best user interfaces on the market, so there is no question as to whether it is a worthy competitor. The camera on the iPhone is top notch as well in comparison to the HTC. However – the price difference! Dun dun duuuuunnnnn! Yes, the price is so shocking considering the fact that the phones offer very similar features.
From dialaphone.co.uk today (10 Aug 2010), cheapest iPhone 4 Black 16GB, on any network, in order of price ascending.
From dialaphone.co.uk today (10 Aug 2010), cheapest HTC Desire, on any network, in order of price ascending.
Whereas the HTC can come ‘free’ on many network tariffs, the iPhone 4 is ridiculously priced in comparison. Prices can go up to the tune of up to £329 with a ‘rip off’ monthly line rental. But then, Apple products are things of beauty eh? I paid for it last time and got 2 years out of the phone. This, coincidently is the longest I have ever used the same phone – so I’d say I got my money’s worth. That is, taking into account me dropping my tariff to a ‘sim only’ deal as soon as my contract expired.
As long as I don’t end up like one of these customers (below) who insist on getting an iPhone 4 regardless of features.
My verdict
I think if you are a regular Mac / iTunes user, willing to pay for the looks and a guaranteed great phone – get the iPhone 4. It will fit in seamlessly, with no need for installation of any additional software.
If you want a great phone, but do not wish to shell out on the lengthy contracts and poor price plans, get the HTC Desire, you won’t be missing much. Google will take care of what Apple doesn’t (their existing customers). Also you won’t feel so guilty getting an early upgrade since you probably won’t have had to pay for the phone in the first place.
For me, I love the iPhone, so that is my target. But something just makes me curious about these Android phones, so they aren’t ruled out just yet. Plus, like I mentioned before, I am a loyal customer as long as I am treated well. If Apple doesn’t sort out their software soon so it works with older models then I will avoid them in protest. Luckily the phone competition is jut about level so I won’t be left in the shade if it comes to it.
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hahaha, its always interesting reading your reviews, they're detailed if anything. interesting facts about the ip4, but i challenge a few of the negatives you mentioned;
-the speaker quality is fine, (tho sound comes out of the bottom of the phone lol)
-i dunno about the file transfer problem, but for me i just drag and drop songs i want from my laptop and into my ip4 (yes using itunes).
i agree it is reliant on using itunes to access the media on the phone, (and to be honest i dont reeaally need 2 copies of every song i own on my laptop) however, as far as apps go, i can browse the internet, download what i like, and transfer it to my ip4 and it wont affect my tariff at all! i only understand half of your… vent/being annoyed at Apple, because my old phone was a sony ericsson c902, which was great but then it was just a normal phone. now i have a mini netbook in my hands! =D
my only gripe, is the battery life. the more apps/games/net surfing u do, the more the battery goes down. obviously. but used wisely it can last all day.
but overall as a newbie to the iClub, i am pretty pleased with my new mini laptop i mean iphone 4.
Hey Bianca, nice to see you drop by
The file transfer thing was mainly about files other than music, for example some people would like the ability to transfer Word documents, or Spreadsheets etc or other files attached to emails if they use it as a business phone.
The speaker quality is not very good. Compare it to even some new Sony Ericsson phones and you'll soon see the difference. Try a call on speaker phone and compare the sound to your old phone. I think your old one will sound better.
But, like I said, despite the small gripes I have, I still think the iPhone would be the \’most satisfying\’ phone I could get right now.
ah forgot to add… i have heard the wonders of the ip4's competitors, like this htc desire you mentioned and also the samsung i think, and also motorola hav taken a stab at it. but they all bloody look the same! lol. why go for a look-a-like? if i couldnt afford the ip4, then i wouldnt get a cop-out look-a-like, i wud get one of sony ericssons new models, like the vivaz or the other new ones.
Very true! I think the other phone brands have jumped on the iPhone bandwagon and just copied it way too much. Even the way some models show the apps is just too similar to iPhone.. I agree, the Vivaz is good and it uses the Android software from Google..
My only fear of Sony Ericsson was that pre-Android, their software was awful. All these \’Sony only\’ file transfer suites and it was a joke to update them too. If they have completely got rid of that, then I\’d consider them a worthy competitor once more.
Exactly, I agree.. The iPhones just aren't different enough and like you say the newer operating systems coming out have so many advantages over Apple's.. It's just getting people out of their "I want an iPhone" syndrome and making them start to think more about actual features and battery life etc..
How can I load TomTom on my HTC?