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This past week many of our readers have dreamed with the Motorola Droid. One of our writers, Phases, went as far as to leave his mobile phone through a very public break-up letter. But before Android fans can truly rejoice and triumph there is one bar it most compete against…the iPhone bar.
Unfortunately, any multifunctional phone that comes out is called an iPhone killer through no fault of its own. iPhone users know this. They walk with their superiority swagger not knowing the iPhone supremacy might come to an end soon.
Here’s an article by CNET’s Brooke Crothers breaking down and explaining the hardware differences between the two devices.
Also, Jon Rettinger from Technobuffalo.com did a VS. review:
iPhone v. Droid
and a Storm 2 v. Droid video
Hey Robfactory, I really appreciate the vids to see some nice comparisons, but I really don’t have 30+ minutes to watch both. Could you provide a little “highlights” paragraph outlining the major points made in the videos? Rob Jackson usually does that and it’s great. Thanks!
The Iphone and Droid video seemed to be a fair review of each even though he said he had an iphone user. Though I have to say the iphone browser seemed a tad smoother when scrolling then Droid. I’d still prefer the Droid.
Very objective comparison.The droid is really living up to its name
if the droid was a snapdragon phone i would have bought it by now
The HTC snapdragon phone is going to crush the Droid. A lot of people will probably be sad they didnt wait, though neither did I so lol. The people that are stuck with the G1 right now and have their plans coming to an end in the first part of 2010 will deffinetly have the cream of the crop to choose from.
I don’t think this guy realizes that there’s a virtual portrait keyboard as well.
There is always something better just around the corner. I got my Droid and I say it’s darn smooth and fast enough for me. I am fairly sure I am set for a year at least.
lazerus, I completely agree. If the HTC Passion comes out (not a definite yet) and does feature the hardware that is rumored it will most likely blow the Droid away performance wise. It’s specs mirror the HD2 pretty closely and that thing FLIES even though it’s running WinMo! Android + specs like those = WIN.
As impressed as I am by the droid, I think I’m still going to go ahead and check out HTC’s second release for big red as well as the Saygus.
If it’s not ANDROID then it’s NOTHING!!!
The iPhone is smoother and more responsive in any place scrolling is being done in the video above. I don’t know why he seems to be ignoring that. It’s important because I think that is one big reason why people who use iPhones have a hard time using anything else. You can “out feature” the iPhone and have better hardware, but without the smooth user experience the iPhone will continue to be thought of as “the best”. It’s the user experience where the most focus seems to be in the phone market these days. I tried the droid in a Verizon store last weekend. I found it to be extremely fast with launching an application, while simultaneously clunky and jerky where “scrolling or sliding” are concerned.
I am liking my droid and can’t see myself really regretting the purchase any time soon. I will definitely check out what HTC has coming down the pipe, but from the rumors, it’s looking like another full touchscreen phone. Despite its faults, I still rely on the Droid keyboard to type out anything that is more than a few words long. Soft keyboards just don’t suit me.
@Kuttyjoe, the only thing I noticed between the scrolling is that the Droid doesn’t have the inertia scrolling like the iPhone on the browsers (like the contact list does), but yes, not as smooth as the iPhone.
When I saw the sliding keyboard I thought the same thing I thought when I saw the “Clickable” screen on the storm “ouch, moving parts, thats going to break”. I just don’t have the same need as some do to “feel” the keys (if you’re typing while driving then you have more important things to worry about than typo’s … pull over if it’s that important).
A friend of mine just purchased a droid and is very happy with it, but he just switched from a Palmpilot so he’s probably just experiencing the novelty of the touch screen.
Honestly the multi touch gesture is a really big deal, there are so many applications for it (Holding shift while typing, accurate zooming, etc …) So here the iPhone really has a great edge.
The only advantage I really see to the Droid is the turn by turn directions, I wish Apple would get on board with this … however, I rarely drive anywhere that I need directions, and if I do I can get by with the Maps on the iPhone (of I could purchase a TomTom or Garmin for the car).
I think when my contract is up in March I’ll sit it out a month or two longer and see what else comes out … most likely I’ll stick with Apple though … they make a great product, I’m familiar with it, and they have a very reputable brand as far as customer service, innovation etc.
Don’t forget Droid has virtual landscape keyboard as well!
The Droid’s first three day selling number means it is not even close to have iPhone killed.
Anyway, I am both an Android and an iPhone fan. I played with Droid and didn’t like it. The phone itself is ugly, there is not much things you can do out of the box. The Verizon signal was surprisingly not very string in the the place I tried phone(downtown Chicago). The default theme on the Droid is not very warm… etc. Droid Eris appeared to be nicer on my hand.
The thing is Droid may have good hardware on spec, but it may not show off very well without strong ecosystem behind it. When I hold the Droid, I felt lonely and did not feel to do anything. But if you have an iphone on your hand, you feel like to play.
Sorry, no droid this time. But as a Android fan I am looking forward to trying Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X10a with (1gb processor and 8 mp camera). I will buy one if x10a’s battery can hold for one day after reasonable usage (like what iPhone has).
Why would you want either an iPhone or a BlackBerry?
http://www.mobileinfoplanet.com/blog/blog1.php/2009/11/11/why-you-want-multitasking-on-your-iphone-1
http://www.mobileinfoplanet.com/blog/blog1.php/2009/11/07/point-of-blackberry
Hey, in yuur review yuu say, that the Motorola Droid/Milestone(EU) does NOT support the zoom with two fingers. On the Motorola Spezification Page for the Milestone is written, that it supports: “PINCH AND ZOOM”. In the German Text its discribed as “ZOOMEN DURCH ZIEHEN MIT ZWEI FINGERN” – which means translated: “Zooming by dragging with two fingers”
So. it is true, that it supports this feature – or not. does motorola lie to us?
Scrolling for me on the Droid is completely smooth except when a web page is not fully loaded yet. Even the supposed home screen lag is not apparant if you use a very soft touch on tjet screen. I really love it. The Snapdragon is faster but not that much than the cortex 8 used in the droid and will use a lot more power if clocked at 1ghz (some manufacturers are downclocking it 750 for that reason.) So far for me the Droid has far exceeded my expectations, which were somewhat low after playing with it in the store for a few hours. I thought that after a few weeks I was going to return it, but now I am going to keep it even if a Snapdragon model comes out. I also find that the interface is so customizeable that I do not miss the Sense UI.
I don’t use the hardware keyboard 90% of the time, but I have found that the keypad is a godsend in certain situations that require fine moevement that is difficult with a finger (ex: clicking on the exact spot in the middle of a word or a small link in a chain of small links).
@M8, Milestone (EU) DOES have multitouch, aka the Pinch and Zoom. But DOESN’T have Google Navigation and instead has Motonav. That’s the difference with the Droid.
It looks like the Droid is a step up from the Mytouch (which I own) with the Android 2.0 operating system, and turn by turn (nice one Google) but I just don’t see it taking out the iPhone. What it comes down to is the browser experience. On the iPhone the feel is just flawless, everything zooms and moves as fast or faster than your eyes. On the android system (though I have not used the Droid personally) browsing is clunky, even entering web pages in the browser bar can be a chore.
I had never extensively used an iPhone until a friend left their iPod touch at my house a few nights ago. I fired it up on my WiFi connection (which I can tether from my mytouch slick!) and after using it for 3 minutes I was already convinced that the Android OS couldn’t touch iPhone.
Sure the Droid has a tactile QWERTY which is nice (though looked clunkey in the video) but the iPhone’s on screen keyboard is just smooth, it flows faster than even the tactile keybaord on my HTC Tilt which I thought I could never replace.
Reality if you have the money go buy an iPhone 3gs for $600.00 (without a contract) put it on T-Mobile’s netowork (at least here in Chicago) use all of the Jailbreak apps and if you brick it… just buy another one it’s worth it.
The iPhone is a tool the Android phone is a toy.
Sorry,
~Wishing I would have bought an iPhone
@ 12:42 in the Droid vs. Storm 2 video you mentioned not being able to change how many icons appear on the home screen. This is an incorrect statement.
Once in the menu displaying all the icons, hit the BB menu button. Go to options and this allows you to set the layout to 1, 2, or 3 rows.
for all you folks thinking Snapdragon is going to be something major you are going to be in for a rude awakening.It does not and will not run much faster or better then the chip in the Droid that is a given. So keep hanging out thinking it is going to be end of all chips/fixes because it won’t be. If anything you are better of waiting for a Tegra device then Snapdragon.
A couple things I noticed while I read some of these comments:
-Yes, he doesn’t seem to mention the Droid also has a landscape software keyboard
-Some people see that the Droid doesn’t have pinch-zooming and assume that means the Droid can’t do multi-touch at all (which is false – it does have multi-touch built into the OS and the hardware is capable of it… it’s only that the browser does not use it right now – possibly a Verizon choice to avoid friction with Apple? Who knows). It is possible though because there are apps using it right now
-About the Droid being ugly… this is a subjective thing because I think my Droid is gorgeous. I look at it every day and think how nice it looks. And while I was watching that video I was looking at the I-phone thinking… “that thing doesn’t look as sexy to me as it used to… it’s kind of looking a bit old now. It looks a bit old-school next to the Droid”. But hey.. that’s me.
@Adam – you should use the Droid browser before you put it down. It’s awesome and at least equal to the I-phone browser if not better in some ways. Pinch zooming is a “cool” feature but it isn’t really necessary, the zooming built into the Droid does the job very well. Google is also very good about updates. Any flaw with the browser or any other default app or the OS in general can and will be fixed (as well as new additional features being added) on a regular basis. My G1 went through 3 pretty major changes in the time I had it and in the end it was a much better phone a year after buying it.
IzzyD is right. The snapdragon chipset does not have a dedicated GPU. Also, it is garbage when it comes to battery life. That is why the Acer is underclocking it. Tegra is next wave when it comes to mobile computing.
Also, to all saying the Apple Iphone is best. Keep in mind that they are in their third generation whereas Android 2.0 already does more in some ways. Read this gizmodo article:
http://gizmodo.com/5397215/giz-explains-android-and-how-it-will-take-over-the-world
Apple is making the same mistake they did 25 years ago when they lost the desktop war to Microsoft. They will continue to give you closed, slick, glossy products for those who not technologically inclined whereas Google will overwhelm them with an abundance of products and eventually take the marketshare. Android has its share of problems and it will probably be part of the platform itself but thats the cost of a somewhat open OS. Just like Windows.
I sprung for the droid, coming after one year on a G1, and the droid 3G is a full 50% faster than the T-Mo 3G in the same location. Amazing! I don’t regret my decision at all. And for some of you on the fence about buying a droid, keep in mind that Verizon’s ETF doubles from a current $175 (less $5 per month of service completed) to $350 (less $10 per month completed) as of Nov 15. That’s a fact I verified with verizon.
That is one reason I sprung for the droid now rather than wait and see what other Android goodies VZ might have in the next few months. With the cheaper ETF, I could afford to make a move in 6 months or a year if something new is just too tempting. But with a $350 deposit, well … not so sure.
android is unstoppable rite now it has so many dam fones, the g1 is still even pritty good for bein the first one there was, now theres 7 out in the us… that is great im happy sum one cood finally beat the iphone… were movin on up
Many comments were made about the turn by turn navigation, but don’t give up your Garmin or Tomtom, yet. I found several problems with Google Nav. Perhaps the worst is that when you receive or make a phone call, the maps stop.
I wrote about it at http://www.droidstory.com/2009/11/08/dont-get-rid-of-your-garmin-for-the-droid-yet/
The browser comparison between the Iphone and Droid were not completely fair. Yes, the Iphone seemed to load faster…but try and scroll to the bottom of the page. The Droid loads the whole page and can scroll where ever you need without page loads (checker board).
Also, pinch and zoom is just eye candy (that Android can do). I have it, but never use it because I am usually browsing with one hand and the physical zoom buttons on the Droid just make one handed browsing so much better.
There may be a better Android phone coming out every few months, but they are Android phones and all a big family. The app developers are going to see a growing untapped market with much less competition. Apple can’t produce new iphones fast enough to keep up with the Android invasion.
I’ve held out patiently waiting for a phone not under Apple’s thumb for the last 2 years and am now a happy Droid owner.
Any news whether or when Android 2.0 (Milestone/DROID )will have arabic support? Or is there any app that can install arabic on the phone. I am in Middle East and thinking of importing Milestone from any country that releases first. I live in Middle East and even iPhone 3GS is not launched here yet. Phones get launched here very late and I cannot wait that long to stay away from my future droid baby :) !
I have used the Storm 9530 for 6 months, an iPod Touch on wifi in parallel and just ordered a Droid because of the Verizon early upgrade offer.
I compare the Storm to the Apple every day and am very disappointed with the Apple – would never get an iPhone:
– I always multitask with documents, games, Pandora, etc and for that the Apple is useless (Droid has this)
– I listen to a LOT of podcasts and PodTrapper on the Storm is much better than playback on the iPod – podcasts auto download over the air or via USB, great use of the shortcut hardware keys and lots of functionality (Droid has several free podcast clients. I hope they’re as good as PodTrapper)
– I have multiple email accounts that are easy to access and use on the Storm. The Apple is a mess when it comes to multiple accounts.
– SMS and push notification is customizable and very easy on the Storm and non-functional on the Apple
– I agree the browser on the Apple is better and there are many more useful apps (Droid has this). This is the reason I am getting the Droid.
Bottom line is the Blackberry is very functional, the Apple has pretty apps and browser, the Droid has both.
I’m keeping the BB Storm and the Droid and giving the Apple to my daughter to play with. Its really just a toy after all.
@John
You sir, are an idiot.
Of course SMS and push notification on an iPod Touch is non functional, it’s not a PHONE. *shakes head*
Stick with your BB and your Droid. Lord knows why anyone would need to use two phones and an mp3 player.
I was wondering if anyone out there had any serious hardware issues with their new Droids or iPhones.
Also anyone know where I can get info on the number of mobile phones running Android OS in the world?
Thanks a bunch Phandroids!
My only question is can I open word docs on the Droid?
@Corinne – Yah there is an app for that :)
http://www.dataviz.com/products/documentstogo/android/
I definitely say that the droid is my choice because of the faster internet capabilities and the quality of video. I am a little disappointed at the keyboard of the droid but I think that it is not a big enough of a problem for me to choose the blackberry.
iPhone with 93K+ apps would have to be the better pic. Droid also seems more targeted towards teens. I can run several different types of stock trading platforms on the iPhone.
The Droid can do pinch zoom in the browser, just get the Dolphin Browser. Fail comparison of browsers, please learn the device before talking about it.
You can hate on the iphone all you want, but you have to realize that it’s the reason the droid even exists. All the droid did was copy as much of what apple did with the iphone and then add some crap on top of it like a keyboard (which sucks from what i’ve heard) and some other features. And if you haven’t heard of jailbreaking an iphone, it’s awesome, adds crazy customaization of the phone and free apps that you would have to pay for in app stores.
Question… Can the Droid work overseas? From what I’ve been told it won’t.
Actually, the first storm has the option to display one row, two, or up to three rows on the home screen. I have the first storm and i don’t know for sure if they kept this setting on the second storm.
The Droid does multi touch