iPhone 4G compared to latest Android phones

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Linuxluver

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#62467 8-Jun-2010 10:05

This table on the CNN web site makes an interesting comparison of iPhone 4G with the top Android phones. The top Android phones currently available look pretty good by comparison.

Through the coming year we can expect many even more awesome Android phones.....The Apple iPhone has the look of treading water for the next 12 months by comparison. It will absolutely be very popular. But people looking for more or different - or in the US, CDMA - will probably be looking at Android or some other choice.

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#339303 8-Jun-2010 11:07

Yeah, I don't know if Apple have done enough this time, although they have loyal supporters,

The only real feature that not many other phones have is the quad band 3g, which is a good thing, but:

- HD recording 720p
- 5MP camera with flash
- Multi tasking
- microSd card - edited, just realised the iPhone 4 doesn't have it???
- Assisted GPS

Welcome back to 2009 again!

My $300 Galaxy lite does almost the same amount!

I would be interested to see the display though! have they confirmed what it is yet? AMOLED or OLED? I know the res is insane for such a small device, just wondering if it'll actually be noticeably better than say an HTC Desire

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welliegeek

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#339311 8-Jun-2010 11:36

I think it's all in the apps.

The hardware is pretty much playing catchup (except maybe for the screen) but I think that the app store both attracts and keeps a lot of users.

My 3GS + iOS4 + >50 apps will keep me going until the next iteration.

eracode

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#339313 8-Jun-2010 11:37

vinnieg:

I would be interested to see the display though! have they confirmed what it is yet? AMOLED or OLED? I know the res is insane for such a small device, just wondering if it'll actually be noticeably better than say an HTC Desire

I was literally just about to order a Samsung I9000 Galaxy S from Clove when I saw the confirmed details of the new iPhone's screen. I know there are lots of pros and cons, swings and balances features between the two phones but the screen is important to me. How do I choose between the iPhone at 3.5" 960x640 versus the Samsung Super AMOLED 4.0" 800x480? With Android 2.2 FroYo promised for the Samsung in due course. Also the iPhone does not have an FM radio which is a feature I like and use.

All comments on this delicious dilema will be appreciated.

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vinnieg

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#339325 8-Jun-2010 12:11

eracode:
vinnieg:

I would be interested to see the display though! have they confirmed what it is yet? AMOLED or OLED? I know the res is insane for such a small device, just wondering if it'll actually be noticeably better than say an HTC Desire

I was literally just about to order a Samsung I9000 Galaxy S from Clove when I saw the confirmed details of the new iPhone's screen. I know there are lots of pros and cons, swings and balances features between the two phones but the screen is important to me. How do I choose between the iPhone at 3.5" 960x640 versus the Samsung Super AMOLED 4.0" 800x480? With Android 2.2 FroYo promised for the Samsung in due course. Also the iPhone does not have an FM radio which is a feature I like and use.

All comments on this delicious dilema will be appreciated.

Yeah that's true, the i9000 is AMOLED and brighter, but the iPhone 4 has the higher res and would possibly look sharper. You might have to look beyond the specs and at the apps. I know the Android Marketplace has lots of good free apps and most of the paid apps are similar to the iPhone, but the iPhone marketplace is still a bit more polished and easier to use....I'd get the i9000 just because of the price and for myself since I'd know how to use it. if it was for my non-technical wife then I'd go the iPhone because it's soo easy

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Linuxluver

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#339362 8-Jun-2010 13:42

welliegeek: I think it's all in the apps.

The hardware is pretty much playing catchup (except maybe for the screen) but I think that the app store both attracts and keeps a lot of users.

My 3GS + iOS4 + >50 apps will keep me going until the next iteration.

Maybe.

Android has 60,000-ish apps now...about the same as what iPhone had 18 months ago.

I have 60 apps on my Android phone and not sure what other apps/function I would want that I don't already have.

I already have apps that Apple won't allow the iPhone to have (wifi finders, Adobe Flash).

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Linuxluver

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#339364 8-Jun-2010 13:45

eracode:
vinnieg:

I would be interested to see the display though! have they confirmed what it is yet? AMOLED or OLED? I know the res is insane for such a small device, just wondering if it'll actually be noticeably better than say an HTC Desire

I was literally just about to order a Samsung I9000 Galaxy S from Clove when I saw the confirmed details of the new iPhone's screen. I know there are lots of pros and cons, swings and balances features between the two phones but the screen is important to me. How do I choose between the iPhone at 3.5" 960x640 versus the Samsung Super AMOLED 4.0" 800x480? With Android 2.2 FroYo promised for the Samsung in due course. Also the iPhone does not have an FM radio which is a feature I like and use.

All comments on this delicious dilema will be appreciated.

Read the analysis on the link I posted in the Android forum comparing phones.

The iPhone has a higher res, but a smaller screen.....so the conclusion was that on such a small screen, the practical benefit lay in more real estate...not higher resolution.

In other words, we may not actually see any difference, but a smaller screen is a smaller screen.

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mkl

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#340726 11-Jun-2010 17:40

I think too many people are comparing products based on technical specifications. You really have to get a feel for it and use it make any decisions.

It is the entire user experience - from the build quality of the phones to how easy and elegant it is to send an email, that one should look at when deciding on whichever is "better". Even minor things like the position of a button, or how smooth the scrolling is can change your view about the product.

Also "better" in this case will be very subjective, some people's requirements will differ from others. What do you want to do with your phone?

E.g. If you want to use your phone to play SNES / GBA games on emulators easy, and that is very important to you, well then you may want to consider Android, because you don't have to jailbreak your iPhone to access those emulators (although Jailbreaking is pretty simple as it is).

Or if you just want something that "works", elegant and a wider range of apps to choose from (currently at least), you may want to consider the iPhone.

I don't see any easy way to compare choices unless you have used them both. Technical specifications look good on paper but may greatly differ in practical use.

E.g. 8MP sensors - We don't know the lens quality, sensor size etc. It is easily possible that a 5MP sensor can produce better quality photos.

IPS LCD vs OLED - People say OLED is better, but what about under direct sunlight? Some people prefer LCD under sunlight.

In conclusion - it's rather hard to make any judgements. Get whatever works for you, not based on specifications, but on user experience.

Linuxluver

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#340733 11-Jun-2010 17:54

In conclusion - it's rather hard to make any judgements. Get whatever works for you, not based on specifications, but on user experience.

Absolutely agree.

My knowledge of iPhone is mainly informed by my experience with iPod Touch. The interface is the same, though obviously missing some functions.

The iPhone OS is said to be "easy to use", but honestly I found Android superior in so far as Android phones can have physical keyboards as well as soft keyboards - if you want one - and/or a trackball or optical sensor for fine placing of the cursor on busy pages. This was a big one for me as I hated the way text select / cut / paste worked on iPhone OS when it finally got it. There are other things, too, about Android's UI that I came to appreciate over time weren't just different, but actually better......though maybe not immediately OBVIOUS.

That may be the key there. iPhone OS looks easier (once you'd got over the iTunes activation hurdle) but in the long run.....that is debatable where control and command options are concerned.

I'm one of these guys who tries every interface there is...and I'm generally happy with all of them, though I do have preferences.

Too many people like the first OS they learn and promote it to "easy"....and everything else sucks just because they can't be bothered learning anything else. Windows has been the most unintuitive "intuitive" OS for years on this basis.

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NonprayingMantis

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#341324 13-Jun-2010 21:52

IMO most people don't give a crap about technical specification, and the iPhone has never been about pushing the envelope there
the iphone competes on two factors

1) brand. Everyone knows that apple is a cool brand for cool people, and having an iphone is a good way to showoff how 'cool' you are. it's a fashion statement more than anything else for a lot of people.

2) acessability. Android may be catching up here, but the original iphone was streets ahead of any other phone in terms of ease of use, and most other OS's just plain suck compared to Apple.

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#341360 14-Jun-2010 00:36

vinnieg:

The only real feature that not many other phones have is the quad band 3g

i'm still surprised at how uncommon this is. My palm treo 750V has quad band 3g - and its over 3 years old. Its obviously not a technical limitation....

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Johnk

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#341398 14-Jun-2010 08:53

The numbers game on the app market isnt a big problem for me, i know that technically the apple app store has many more apps, but what is the quality like on many of them?
most them are very similar and are not that great IMO.
I am looking forward and waiting for some andriod phones

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marmel

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#341405 14-Jun-2010 09:17

Regs:
vinnieg:

The only real feature that not many other phones have is the quad band 3g

i'm still surprised at how uncommon this is. My palm treo 750V has quad band 3g - and its over 3 years old. Its obviously not a technical limitation....

I think your Palm has quad band GSM, not 3G.

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#341449 14-Jun-2010 11:07

850 + 900 MHz 3G on the same phone is very new and tricky because the bands are so close. I think only perhaps Nokia is also supporting this?

And remember, it is only NZ and Aus where these two bands are actually used side by side. So how much testing will the device vendors have done on this in these two countries?

bazzer

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#341450 14-Jun-2010 11:19

Regs: i'm still surprised at how uncommon this is. My palm treo 750V has quad band 3g - and its over 3 years old. Its obviously not a technical limitation....

Quad band? Yes.
3G? Yes.
Quad band 3G? No.

Linuxluver

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#341467 14-Jun-2010 12:06

timmyh: 850 + 900 MHz 3G on the same phone is very new and tricky because the bands are so close. I think only perhaps Nokia is also supporting this?

And remember, it is only NZ and Aus where these two bands are actually used side by side. So how much testing will the device vendors have done on this in these two countries?

I think Canada may have some 850/900 UMTS overlap, too. The canadian picture seems to be very confusing. The same telco will use different frequencies in different regions.

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