The Reviews Thread

[mac35]

Ok, it looks like the reviews are starting to come in over the next few days so I thought I'd start a thread where we can compile all of the major (and not so major I suppose) media reviews.

First up:

Droid Incredible review -- Engadget

The "wrap up" portion of the review:

Let's just put this out there: the Droid Incredible is the best Android device that you can purchase in America right now. It's better than the Droid, better than the Nexus One, and certainly beats the pants off of any previous generation handsets like the Eris, myTouch, or Cliq. It's not just a very, very good Android phone (though it is); it's also an excellent smartphone no matter how you cut it. If you're on Verizon right now, you're finally getting really good options for phones, but the Incredible is currently sitting at the top of that heap with a good bit of distance to the next in line. Sure, there are still issues like a lack of quality titles in the Android Market, and if a hardware keyboard is a must, this won't do the job for you. Also, while Sense is truly great on this phone, there may be users who prefer a more streamlined, stripped down experience. Still, if you're looking for an ultra-fast, extremely capable smartphone that has the guts and gleam to go the distance, the Incredible just might be the Droid you're looking for. Yes, we made that joke.

Feel free to add other reviews to this thread as they come out.

 

[Agent 007]

I posted this on the main thread:

Gizmodo: HTC Droid Incredible Review: More Like Impressive - Htc droid incredible review - Gizmodo
Slashgear: Droid Incredible Review (vs. Nexus One vs. Moto Droid) - SlashGear
Laptop Magazine: Droid Incredible Review (vs. Nexus One vs. Moto Droid) - SlashGear
Engadget: Droid Incredible review -- Engadget
IntoMobile: Verizon's HTC Droid Incredible gets reviews by IntoMobile
Phonedog: HTC Incredible (Verizon) Review
DroidDog: HTC DROID Incredible Review | DroidDog Android Blog
PhoneScoop: Review: HTC Droid Incredible : Is It Your Type? (Phone Scoop)
ZDNet: First look review: HTC DROID Incredible from Verizon Wireless | Smartphones and Cell Phones | ZDNet.com
Android Community: Verizon HTC Droid Incredible Review | Android Community
Android Central: Review: Verizon HTC Droid Incredible | Android Central
Android Central Software/Sense Walkthrough: Video: Verizon Droid Incredible software and Sense walkthrough | Android Central
The Boy Genius Report: The Boy Genius Report
Brighthand: Brighthand.com
MobileCrunch: MobileCrunch Unboxing

 

[Agent 007]

Oops double post, sorry about that.

 

[xmonkey]

Too..many.. reviews. Like what Engadget had to say though... making me not want the N1 so bad. Especially liked the bit about the sensitivity zones on the capacitive buttons being fixed.

 

[rushmore]

Summary from the reviews so far:

Good

1. Call quality
2. Speaker volume
3. Nice build
4. Great camera (for a phone)
5. Responsive touch screen

Bad

1. Apps can not read the internal storage memory correctly, if at all.
2. Battery life not as good as Nexus and a lot less than Droid
3. Same color problems as Nexus (oversaturation)
4. Weaker radio that is not steady with signal (not as steady and two bars weaker than Droid)
5. Phonedog reports clock tests show the clock is at 667mhz (capped then?)

Good news is most issues should be corrected with FW updates.

 

[storm14k]

This review by mobilitytoday seems to have a different story on battery life.

YouTube - Review: Verizon HTC Incredible

It also seems to give more praise to the camera quality and video recording quality than some of the others. I wonder what he may have done different. Not that any of the reviews said anything sucked but this guy seemed excited about those areas.

 

[mac35]

Summary from the reviews so far:

Bad

1. Apps can not read the internal storage memory correctly, if at all.
2. Battery life not as good as Nexus and a lot less than Droid
3. Same color problems as Nexus (oversaturation)
4. Weaker radio that is not steady with signal (not as steady and two bars weaker than Droid)
5. Phonedog reports clock tests show the clock is at 667mhz (capped then?)

Good news is most issues should be corrected with FW updates.

Indeed, none of these (except the battery life) are that bad (and if the battery can go a full day that's all I need). The app/internal storage thing will either be a firmware update OR an app update, not sure at this point but either way, it will be sorted out soon enough. The color issue is subjective (as most display gripes are) and the radio issue has seen conflicting reports (Engadget could get a signal in the NY subway and went out of their way to praise that.

As for the clock speed, even if it is capped all reports thus far are that the phone flies and has no lag or slowdown so the allegedly capped CPU doesn't seem to be impacting performance.

 

[rushmore]

Indeed, none of these (except the battery life) are that bad (and if the battery can go a full day that's all I need). The app/internal storage thing will either be a firmware update OR an app update, not sure at this point but either way, it will be sorted out soon enough. The color issue is subjective (as most display gripes are) and the radio issue has seen conflicting reports (Engadget could get a signal in the NY subway and went out of their way to praise that.

As for the clock speed, even if it is capped all reports thus far are that the phone flies and has no lag or slowdown so the allegedly capped CPU doesn't seem to be impacting performance.

Agreed. The big issue for me is the radio signal. I wonder if they undervolted the radio to avoid even weaker battery life. Nah.

I will hold off until the radio issue is more clear (no pun intended).

 

[mjm1111]

Any more updates on the radio strength?

 

[dibs ODDJOB]

And I believe the app storage can be remedied by putting a microSD card in, which the apps will see and use. Possibly a fix until app devs rewrite code or Google patches Android.

Looks like a battery saver app will be helpful for the DI.

 

[booser4]

I think there's been a wide enough array of reviews and tests now that have proven that it is not underclocked. That one report must be wrong, for some reason, no idea why.

I have a question though, why are some of the reviews seeing available ROM up in the 700's, not 512? Is that an error in the phone, or is it accurate?

 

[rushmore]

I think there's been a wide enough array of reviews and tests now that have proven that it is not underclocked. That one report must be wrong, for some reason, no idea why.

I have a question though, why are some of the reviews seeing available ROM up in the 700's, not 512? Is that an error in the phone, or is it accurate?

Nobody knows, but funny how reviewers state it only uses the rom for storage, yet there clearly is over 500megs showing for free storage- more space than there would ever be if 512mb rom (OS and preinstalled apps take over half the rom).

As far as the signal strength, CNET make the fifth review that mentions the signal strength issue. Droid was one of the best they tested, so looks like there may be something to this.

 

[hornyhippo]

Oops double post, sorry about that.

Dude, your avatar fooled me. I thought there was a bug on my monitor that I was ready to squash.

 

[mac35]

Review and Editor's Choice Award for April from CNET:

HTC Droid Incredible (Verizon Wireless) Cell Phone reviews - CNET Reviews