Droid vs. Hero

[lifispeachy02]

These are the phones I am debating between. Our Sprint contract expires in January and I am starting to do some research as to which phone I want to get. I have all but ruled out iPhone because where I live, I have heard a lot of bad things about AT&T's service. I think I have decided to get an Android phone. So, I am here.

Now, the question is, stay with Sprint and get a HTC Hero, or go to Verizon and get a Droid. I really like the style of the HTC. I love the customization, the multi-touch, and Sprint is pretty good service. I have heard some bad things such as it can be a bit sluggish. That was about the Eris, pretty much same phone though I think. And it is only Android 1.5, also I hear it has a really bad camera.

With the Droid, I like the idea of a physical keyboard, but it looks pretty awkward, I love the big screen, it is already Android 2.0, and Verizon is supposed to be the best provider. It also has free turn by turn navigation (I don't know if Hero has this). I have not heard a lot of bad things about it, but it is still very new. It is a little bit more expensive, but i'm not worried about $20.

I know this is really long, but I am just looking for a little advice. Which do you guys recommend? Will HTC put out an update to upgrade to Android 2.0? Which is better as far as integration with Facebook, Twitter, and all the social networks?

Thanks guys.

 

[keenan6]

I would rather wait 6 months for Android 2.0 to be released on the HTC than to go with a Motorola.

It's a F'n Motorola.

 

[Slug]

Moved to more relevant forum.

 

[lifispeachy02]

I would rather wait 6 months for Android 2.0 to be released on the HTC than to go with a Motorola.

It's a F'n Motorola.

The problem is I really need a new phone right now. Mine is junk. Always locks up, battery is junk.

Sorry about the wrong forum. I'm new here and I didnt see the Sprint HTC forum above.

 

[djkleric]

You also have to keep in mind that the Droid and verizon will cost you about 1500 more dollars over the life of the contract. I would go with the sprint hero just for that reason alone. If you are looking for navi, yes the hero has it in the form of sprint nav. It is soso. The hero will also be getting a 2.0 update but when is the question. I might be a bit biased as I have been with sprint for a very long time, and I also have the hero. But when it comes down to it is what will make you more happy.

 

[lifispeachy02]

You also have to keep in mind that the Droid and verizon will cost you about 1500 more dollars over the life of the contract. I would go with the sprint hero just for that reason alone. If you are looking for navi, yes the hero has it in the form of sprint nav. It is soso. The hero will also be getting a 2.0 update but when is the question. I might be a bit biased as I have been with sprint for a very long time, and I also have the hero. But when it comes down to it is what will make you more happy.

I think you made a good point that just might sell the Hero to me. It will be able to be updated to Android 2.0. That is a big deal to me.

 

[troyboytn]

I would rather wait 6 months for Android 2.0 to be released on the HTC than to go with a Motorola.

It's a F'n Motorola.

lol Amen to that.....not only is it a Motorola.....its ugly!

 

[kassdog]

I jumped from Verizon to sprint because of the price. The really do nickle and dime you at Verizon. I'm saving roughly 60 every month for the same contract.

 

[lifispeachy02]

Like I said, the update is a big deal to me. Also, I am a little concerned about the performance. I hear its a little sluggish. That might not be true or the places I have seen that could have been before an update or something, but if anyone has any input about that, i'd appreciate it.

 

[tatonka_Hero]

Here's my view on this...

I hate the look of the Droid, period. And I love my Hero, even with the bit of lag. If you're concerned about a bit of lag, then learn some patience.

Now for the flip side:

I would much rather be on Verizon than Sprint, if I could have the same phone at the same price. The ONLY reason I switched to Sprint was because my girlfriend works for Sprint, so my rate is pretty darn low, and I'm not on a contract. The service from Sprint here is pretty shaky in spots, where Verizon was great. Well, it's more Alltel than Verizon, because I switched before the big change. Of course, the only reason Verizon is so good around here is because they picked up Alltel, who bought Midwest Wireless.

I do get enough service at home to text, but rarely to make a call. Wit Alltel, I got enough service to call most days, but that was with the Razr, one of the better phones for getting service in low areas.

I don't know if 2.0 is going to be too big of a change when you consider the Hero already has sense and all that other good stuff the other 1.5 phones don't have. One thing I'll miss when we get 2.0 is if the pinch zoom doesn't work on webpages in 2.0 (as I've heard it doesn't).

To sum it all up, since I seem to be long winded tonight, you probably want to think about how good of reception you'll get combined with the few issues with the Hero (as with all new electronics), and weigh that with the difference in price.

 

[lifispeachy02]

From what I have read, HTC is working on an update to 2.0 so all the stuff that is there with 1.5 should be there with 2.0. I could be wrong on that, but logic is telling me that.

 

[rjjr2531]

Ok...sprint is cheaper and free to anyone w a cell. Hero's 1.6 is much snappier than the 1:5 the euro models had. It has 7 screens to customize opposed to the 3 w droid. Heard stood keyboard sucks. Hero keyboard vibrates and sets it apart from other touch screen phones. It's slim and fits nice on the pocket. Great speaker phone and call quality. More than enough screen size. Had it since it came out, did a ton of research and my only complaint is the lag w the camera and camcorder in low lights. 2.0 update will probably fix that. Well that's my 2 sense....ps, this was typed quickly from my hero thru WiFi

 

[lifispeachy02]

I think I am going to stick with Sprint and get the Hero. I actually don't like the look to much of the Droid either. I just like having the newest thing.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I appreciate it.

 

[eyebeam]

also I hear it has a really bad camera.

One more thing... The Hero's camera is MUCH improved after the latest software update. This update happened after all the reviews I saw.

 

[sprucebeach]

I had both during about two weeks of overlapping 30-day evaluation periods and ended up keeping the Hero. My thoughts:

1. At full brightness the Hero has the brighter screen (see below). In addition, photographs displayed on the Hero's screen had higher and more-pleasing contrast.

2. The screen sizes and resolution are clearly different but the higher resolution of the Droid made no difference in readability to me and, as can be seen, there's little difference in screen real estate. Only a few more lines of Google News show in the screen above.

3. The Droid seemed faster at doing things when connection speed wasn't an issue.

4. The Droid weighs exactly one-third more than the Hero - 170 grams vs. 126 - and because of its square corners and flat profile it really holds like a brick in your hand. When I'd leave the house I'd find myself grabbing the Hero because the Droid was just to big, pointy, and heavy. I didn't want it in my hand or my pocket.

5. The Droid's hardware keyboard, though drawing negative comments, was easier for me to type on than the Hero's landscape s/w keyboard. Since going full-time with the Hero I've found it progressively easier to use its keyboard.

6. I used Sprint Nav and Google Nav simultaneously on a 400-mile trip. Google was quirky and sometimes urged me to take pointless detours from the direct route (something that will doubtless be improved) but it was much better than Sprint Nav. It was more customizable and gave a much better display of the surrounding roads and countryside regardless of the zoom level or orientation. But see #8 below.

7. I liked Droid's email app with its combined mailboxes better. On the other hand I missed pinch zooming on the Droid and didn't like tapping or selecting + and - to zoom.

8. Google Nav and better email will accompany Android 2.0 when it reaches the Hero, so those advantages for Droid are only temporary. Its massiveness is permanent.

For my particular situation it was going to cost me about the same per month for either phone. For me the Hero seemed to be the right choice.

 

[ajuarbe]

I think that Sprint all around is the better service when you consider price, plans, and reception all combined. Verizon does have the best reception, but Sprint is a close second IMO. As far as the lag I went to the Sprint store this past weekend to play with the Hero since I am obsessed but have not bought it yet. I wanted to see about the lag everyone talks about. Now I thought the phone was zippy. I did notice the vibration for the keyboard was off which from what I've read makes it zippier. Maybe it was stripped down to the bare bones and once you add more apps it starts to lag I am not sure. I have a feeling that some on here that report lots of lag have lots of apps and push the phone to its limits. I think the Droid is ugly and the Hero is damn sexy. Even the people that complain about the Hero being laggy always finish their posts by saying how much they love the phone anyways so there has to be something to that.

 

[SamXp]

8. Google Nav and better email will accompany Android 2.0 when it reaches the Hero, so those advantages for Droid are only temporary. Its massiveness is permanent.

I didn't know this. Two of the reasons I almost returned my Hero for a Droid was Google Nav (VERY nice, with the dash mount) and the faster processor. The lag in the Hero is my only complaint.

 

[sprucebeach]

Yes, I liked the Droid's dash mount too. And Car Home. I don't know if Car Home is part of 2.0, but I don't think the Hero has the special hardware to support automatically switching to it when inserted into the (eventual, hopefully) dash mount the way the Droid does.

When I said that Google Nav will accompany 2.0 I didn't mean that it would necessarily be a component of 2.0 but rather that Google has said that it requires 2.0. I don't know if it is part of 2.0 or not but it presumably will be readily available.

On the other hand, a combined inbox for multiple accounts is part of 2.0. See Android 2.0 Platform Highlights | Android Developers

 

[acp]

3. The Droid seemed faster at doing things when connection speed wasn't an issue.

great review and I like the results

seriously though I wanted to point out something in point #3...it's the word "seemed" that sticks out. That is basically what I said coming from the Moment to the Hero, I think the Moment is faster, but there such slight differences I can't really say that the Moment is 10x faster, if anything it is .8x faster (obv estimation for conversation sake).

There is slight lag with Hero's email (3-4 seconds omg call the cell phone police) and also when scrolling through contacts (another 3-4 seconds I think I'm going to smash this phone on the wall omg omg my whole day is wasted).

 

[sprucebeach]

I didn't know this. Two of the reasons I almost returned my Hero for a Droid was Google Nav (VERY nice, with the dash mount) and the faster processor. The lag in the Hero is my only complaint.

Well crud! Now Google Nav is available for 1.6 too!
More Android Users Get Google Maps Navigation - PC World

 

[TF1984]

My vote is for the Hero as well. The day the Droid was released I watched the Droid forums and saw a lot of complaints. I finally got to play with one at Verizon store and found myself playing with the Eris for about 5 times longer than the Droid, go figure... HTC.

Little laggy but I have problems with Patience anyway. It's a nice free counseling session every time I use my phone.

If you are fearful about one or both of these devices, you could wait until your contract is up, Sprint is rumored to be releasing 6-10 new devices before Februaries end, at least 4 are scheduled to be Android. Perhaps one will have the Snapdragon processor, which leaves Droid in the dust.

 

[BOV53]

The camera is working real good since the update.

 

[LTZguy]

The camera is working real good since the update.

i HATED the camera before the update! now i love it! it works extremely well now. very pleased with it. the onlt phone i have seen with a better camera is the instinct hd...and the only thing that makes it beeter is it has a flash...quality is the same now. heres a pic i took last night

 

[acp]

very awesome picture

I fkn love this phone

 

[Shouse]

Not only is it a f'n motorolla, it's big and bulky. My friend just bought one. It seems sturdy, But its a beast.