Droid down... Droid or Incredible?

[onefix]

Here's what it really comes down to:

HTC

• Great third party software
  • SenseUI is great
• Poor hardware quality
  • cracks in the plastic
  • poor radios
    • This is a big one...it's why Verizon passed on the Nexus One and why Google gave up on fixing 3G on the Nexus One

Motorola

• Basic software (it is as standard as a "Google Phone" gets)
  • However, there are many 3rd party home replacements and widgets. No Android phone really looks the same after it has been customized.
• Great hardware quality
  • Gorilla Glass
  • Top notch radio (Motorola builds good radios)
  • Good GPU (3D) performance
  • The CPU overclocks like nobody's business ... 1.1GHz is stable on mine
  • Oh, and did I mention the multitude of ROMs available for the Droid?
  • The Droid just feels solid.

 

[King_Bean]

Here's what it really comes down to:

HTC

• Great third party software
  • SenseUI is great
• Poor hardware quality
  • cracks in the plastic
  • poor radios
    • This is a big one...it's why Verizon passed on the Nexus One and why Google gave up on fixing 3G on the Nexus One

Motorola

• Basic software (it is as standard as a "Google Phone" gets)
  • However, there are many 3rd party home replacements and widgets. No Android phone really looks the same after it has been customized.
• Great hardware quality
  • Gorilla Glass
  • Top notch radio (Motorola builds good radios)
  • Good GPU (3D) performance
  • The CPU overclocks like nobody's business ... 1.1GHz is stable on mine
  • Oh, and did I mention the multitude of ROMs available for the Droid?
  • The Droid just feels solid.

+1

I was trying to be diplomatic, but the Droid is definitely the better phone in my opinion. Of all the Android devices currently available, including the N1 and Incredible, Droid is the best of them all to me. Of course, that will change once the Evo drops.

 

[BigMace23]

You should definitely take this article into consideration too...
Will the Droid Incredible Ever See 2.2? Other Updates? | Droid Life: A Motorola Droid Blog

 

[BlueIce5249]

Want a hard keyboard and dont want to drop as much money? Buy a Droid.

Don't care about money or keyboard? Buy an Incredible.

Personally I'd say go with the Droid regardless, but that's because I LOVE the Droid and Motorola phones. Even with N1 and Incredible, the Droid seems to be the face of the Android OS.

 

[QrafTee]

+1

I was trying to be diplomatic, but the Droid is definitely the better phone in my opinion. Of all the Android devices currently available, including the N1 and Incredible, Droid is the best of them all to me. Of course, that will change once the Evo drops.

... Which is an HTC phone, how ironic.

 

[brettlewis]

You know the full retail price for the Incredible IS LOWER then the droid?

 

[shadowdude777]

... Which is an HTC phone, how ironic.

I feel the same way that he does: that HTC products are generally cheap and plasticky, but I'm willing to overlook that for a 4.3" screen and a 4G network.

 

[egut125]

I feel the same way that he does: that HTC products are generally cheap and plasticky, but I'm willing to overlook that for a 4.3" screen and a 4G network.

Moto will have the 4.1" Shadow, granted no 4g, but honestly unless you're in a city with it coming (I'm not and wont be for a long time) I'm not sure what the big fuss about the EVO is.

 

[shadowdude777]

Moto will have the 4.1" Shadow, granted no 4g, but honestly unless you're in a city with it coming (I'm not and wont be for a long time) I'm not sure what the big fuss about the EVO is.

Hmm, the Moto Shadow does look interesting. But as you said, no 4G, and still a d-pad instead of a trackball/trackpad is disappointing. I'm in New York City so I should get 4G coverage sooner than later.

What I want is a 4.3" screen, a trackball, a physical keyboard, 4G coverage, and a completely aluminium body (except where that's impossible like the trackball itself). Someone should make that happen and I'll buy in a heartbeat.

 

[photog]

Here's what it really comes down to:

HTC

• Great third party software
  • SenseUI is great
• Poor hardware quality
  • cracks in the plastic
  • poor radios
    • This is a big one...it's why Verizon passed on the Nexus One and why Google gave up on fixing 3G on the Nexus One

Motorola

• Basic software (it is as standard as a "Google Phone" gets)
  • However, there are many 3rd party home replacements and widgets. No Android phone really looks the same after it has been customized.
• Great hardware quality
  • Gorilla Glass
  • Top notch radio (Motorola builds good radios)
  • Good GPU (3D) performance
  • The CPU overclocks like nobody's business ... 1.1GHz is stable on mine
  • Oh, and did I mention the multitude of ROMs available for the Droid?
  • The Droid just feels solid.

Don't forget that the Incredible screen is absolutely useless outside on a sunny day.

I got the Droid about 2 1/2 weeks ago with the full intention of returning it for the Incredible if it came out in time. I have rooted my Droid, and I really think there are more negatives with the Incredible than the Droid. I feel absolutely no need to go to the Incredible..........and I don't think I would like the Sense UI.

 

[dm33]

Here's what it really comes down to:

HTC

• Great third party software
  • SenseUI is great
• Poor hardware quality
  • cracks in the plastic
  • poor radios
    • This is a big one...it's why Verizon passed on the Nexus One and why Google gave up on fixing 3G on the Nexus One

Motorola

• Basic software (it is as standard as a "Google Phone" gets)
  • However, there are many 3rd party home replacements and widgets. No Android phone really looks the same after it has been customized.
• Great hardware quality
  • Gorilla Glass
  • Top notch radio (Motorola builds good radios)
  • Good GPU (3D) performance
  • The CPU overclocks like nobody's business ... 1.1GHz is stable on mine
  • Oh, and did I mention the multitude of ROMs available for the Droid?
  • The Droid just feels solid.

Not sure if you folks are serious or not.

The Incredible has much better specs than the Droid. Its newer tech. Usual stuff...
CPU is much faster, more RAM (means faster), 8GB built in ROM, 8MP camera, supposedly better touch screen.
Basically in practically any way that matters, its better.
The Droid has a physical keyboard, and if you need that get a Droid until a better phone comes out with a physical keyboard.

 

[egut125]

Not sure if you folks are serious or not.

The Incredible has much better specs than the Droid. Its newer tech. Usual stuff...
CPU is much faster, more RAM (means faster), 8GB built in ROM, 8MP camera, supposedly better touch screen.
Basically in practically any way that matters, its better.
The Droid has a physical keyboard, and if you need that get a Droid until a better phone comes out with a physical keyboard.

more RAM doesn't directly correlate to fast phone, better to say allows more multitasking to occur more smoothly

 

[photog]

Not sure if you folks are serious or not.

The Incredible has much better specs than the Droid. Its newer tech. Usual stuff...
CPU is much faster, more RAM (means faster), 8GB built in ROM, 8MP camera, supposedly better touch screen.
Basically in practically any way that matters, its better.
The Droid has a physical keyboard, and if you need that get a Droid until a better phone comes out with a physical keyboard.

1. Incredible clocks at 1 GHz. My Droid is overclocked at 1.1GHz and very stable.

2. Incredible does have more RAM. But like someone said that doesn't mean that that RAM is always necessary, but it is helpful.

3. 8MP camera.....who cares? Some people maybe, but there isn't a huge difference between 8 and 5. Believe it or not, there are some 5 MP cameras that are much better than some 8 MP cameras. There's more to it than number of pixels.

4. Better touch screen? How are you going to answer the phone if you're outside on a sunny day and the screen is totally useless? Your screen is going to get scratched up if you don't have a screen protector on it, and it's more likely to break than a Droid's screen.

5. How about the cheap plastic build of the Incredible?

6. How about the poorer reception on the Incredible?

The Incredible has more shortcomings than some people want to believe.

 

[craigrn16]

Why is this debatable? I have and love my Droid but even I can see the Incredible is a better phone.

 

[doomedromance]

Droid
- physical keyboard
- Rooted, big development community
- Big community in general (look at all the # views and posts Droid related on any forum compared to other phones)
- Vanilla Android (No HTC fancyness)
- Almost useless D-Pad (IMHO)
- physical keyboard great for NES, SNES emulators

Droid Incredible
-Better Hardware specs
-No keyboard
-Wait for Root and Rom Development (time unknown)
-More MP camera, (Probably, but not necessarily better)
-Fancy HTC Widgets
-Optical Trackpad
-8GB Onboard Memory (potential for more space, buy a 16GB card and a huge plus if Google ever opens up app storage)
-Looks to still be HTC proprietary USB connections.

I'd probably get a Droid again, I like the keyboard and Bugless Beast.
I don't see rooting the Incredible to be that long. It's probably pretty similar to the Nexus One. Unless it has the problems that the Droid Eris was facing. Is the Eris even fully rooted yet?

 

[doomedromance]

1
3. 8MP camera.....who cares? Some people maybe, but there isn't a huge difference between 8 and 5. Believe it or not, there are some 5 MP cameras that are much better than some 8 MP cameras. There's more to it than number of pixels.

And there's a lot of 3 MP camera phones that are much better than our 5 MP. MP war is a marketing gimmick in most cases, and does not equate to better quality. I'd take my 12MP D90 over a 15MP T1i any day.

I pretty much agree with the other things you said also.

 

[photog]

Why is this debatable? I have and love my Droid but even I can see the Incredible is a better phone.

This is really like Al Gore telling everyone the debate on global warming is over just so he doesn't have to debate the facts.

Fact: The Incredible screen is useless outside on a sunny day.

Fact: The battery life is significantly shorter on the Incredible.

Fact: You can overclock the CPU of the Droid to faster than the Incredible. I've read, but not sure, that the Incredible CPU can't be significantly overclocked.

Fact: The Droid's screen is scratch resistant while the Incredible's is cheap and requires a screen protector.

Fact: The Droid is built like a tank while the Incredible is cheap plastic.

Debatable: Some report the reception isn't as good on the Incredible.



What are the real benefits of going to the Incredible? More RAM. Sense UI......if you really want it (I don't).

 

[photog]

And there's a lot of 3 MP camera phones that are much better than our 5 MP. MP war is a marketing gimmick in most cases, and does not equate to better quality. I'd take my 12MP D90 over a 15MP T1i any day.

I pretty much agree with the other things you said also.

I'd take my 12.8 MP Canon 5D over your 12.3 MP Nikon D90 any day.

 

[viperboy]

So today I made the awesome move of dropping my phone in the parking lot, shattering the screen and destroying the LCD display (it's not just cracked, the screen does not turn on).

No, I do not have insurance.

So do I drop the 550 on a new Droid, 280 (is what I've been told) on the Refurbished Droid, or do I wait 12 days and drop the money (I'm guessing 600 off contract) on the Incredible?

I'm leaning towards the Incredible.

Just wanted to let you know that the $280 option is a Certified Pre-Owned phone. Basically, it is the same as the replacements you would get in the store, but they come with everything (battery, back cover, charger etc) and have a 1 year warranty.

The Incredible is $529 at full retail, so it's cheaper than the Droid and I believe worth it.

1. Incredible clocks at 1 GHz. My Droid is overclocked at 1.1GHz and very stable.

2. Incredible does have more RAM. But like someone said that doesn't mean that that RAM is always necessary, but it is helpful.

3. 8MP camera.....who cares? Some people maybe, but there isn't a huge difference between 8 and 5. Believe it or not, there are some 5 MP cameras that are much better than some 8 MP cameras. There's more to it than number of pixels.

4. Better touch screen? How are you going to answer the phone if you're outside on a sunny day and the screen is totally useless? Your screen is going to get scratched up if you don't have a screen protector on it, and it's more likely to break than a Droid's screen.

5. How about the cheap plastic build of the Incredible?

6. How about the poorer reception on the Incredible?

The Incredible has more shortcomings than some people want to believe.

I have a Droid with a ROM on it clocked to 1.25GHz and the Incredible is wayyyy smoother than my Droid is. The Snapdragon is very efficient and the extra RAM makes a big difference on the Incredible.

I also found the Incredible camera to be very good (for me, atleast). Definitely better than the Droid.

It isn't as hefty and built as the Droid, but I thought it feels good in your hand. No complaints here. And I don't read everything about this phone online, but where did the poor reception come from? In my testing, the phone seems fine, no better or worse than other phones.

But to answer the OP's question, there is another option... you could port your house phone into VZW, it sits on your acct as a $10/month add-on, put an old phone on that line and use it or turn it off, whatever you wanna do. This would give you an upgrade that you could use to get a Droid or Incredible at a much cheaper price. I would bet that if you have a house phone, it costs you more than $10/month. Just something to think about

 

[bose301s]

Just wanted to let you know that the $280 option is a Certified Pre-Owned phone. Basically, it is the same as the replacements you would get in the store, but they come with everything (battery, back cover, charger etc) and have a 1 year warranty.

The Incredible is $529 at full retail, so it's cheaper than the Droid and I believe worth it.



I have a Droid with a ROM on it clocked to 1.25GHz and the Incredible is wayyyy smoother than my Droid is. The Snapdragon is very efficient and the extra RAM makes a big difference on the Incredible.

I also found the Incredible camera to be very good (for me, atleast). Definitely better than the Droid.

It isn't as hefty and built as the Droid, but I thought it feels good in your hand. No complaints here. And I don't read everything about this phone online, but where did the poor reception come from? In my testing, the phone seems fine, no better or worse than other phones.

But to answer the OP's question, there is another option... you could port your house phone into VZW, it sits on your acct as a $10/month add-on, put an old phone on that line and use it or turn it off, whatever you wanna do. This would give you an upgrade that you could use to get a Droid or Incredible at a much cheaper price. I would bet that if you have a house phone, it costs you more than $10/month. Just something to think about

Sorry but both the Snapdragon and the OMAP are ARM chips and both Cortex A8 ARM chips, ARM controls their platform a lot more than x86 etc. meaning that clock for clock all Cortex A8 chips will be about exactly the same in performance no matter what model or manufacturer.

 

[doomedromance]

I'd take my 12.8 MP Canon 5D over your 12.3 MP Nikon D90 any day.

Well if I wasn't a broke college kid then I could say - I'd take my 12.1MP Nikon D3s over your Canon anything any day. While the D3x is awesome approaching medium format, I'd take the speed over it.

 

[johninbigd]

I played with an Incredible today for a few minutes and it is so freaking fast. Much, much faster than my Droid. The UI is dramatically more responsive and applications launch so much faster. If I didn't have to wait until next year to upgrade, I'd upgrade today. The Droid UI is so much slower than it should be, and that bugs the heck out of me. The UI lag is so frustrating. Maybe it's time to try overclocking it.

 

[shadowdude777]

Maybe it's time to try overclocking it.

Yes. You're doing yourself a disservice by not overclocking it.

 

[johninbigd]

Yes. You're doing yourself a disservice by not overclocking it.

I'm running stock 2.1 right now. I'm reading through the rooting guides right now trying to figure it out. I'm not sure what all I need to do to overclock it.

 

[shadowdude777]

I'm running stock 2.1 right now. I'm reading through the rooting guides right now trying to figure it out. I'm not sure what all I need to do to overclock it.

1) Flash the SBF that installs SPRecovery using RSD Lite *THIS WILL WIPE EVERYTHING ON THE PHONE (it won't touch the SD card's contents though)*
2) Download ROM Manager from the Market
3) Open ROM Manager and Flash ClockworkMod Recovery
4) Go into Download ROM, then go into CyanogenMod, then pick the bekit kernel. I recommend starting with a Low Voltage choice, but you should play with all of these.
5) Let it download. It'll ask you if you want to backup and if you want to wipe data and cache. Just check off the backup one, but not the wipe data and cache one. Your phone will restart, go through some voodoo magic, and that should be it.

Now you can download SetCPU and use it to change your CPU clock. Make sure you set the device to Autodetect in SetCPU, not Motorola Droid