While the HTC Evo 4G is a formidable Android phone, it didn’t really have any competition when it was first released. It set the bar pretty high for what a smartphone should be capable of. Now that the iPhone 4 has been announced, the first thing we want to know is how they match up. How do the two best phones from Android and Apple compare? The Evo 4G and the iPhone 4 are pretty evenly matched except for a few key areas. These are the camera capabilities, battery life, and the displays.
The Cameras
The iPhone 4 bumped the camera from 3 megapixels up to 5 megapixels over previous versions. It also includes a backside illuminated sensor and Jobs points out that the size of the sensors was not decreased in order to boost the megapixels. This is all in an effort to increase the number of photons that are captured by the camera, thus increasing photo quality.
The HTC Evo 4G has an 8 megapixel camera. This should mean it takes better photos, but all this talk about the sensors from Apple casts a shadow of doubt. Is it really all about the megapixels, or does Apple know something we don’t?
Both phones have secondary cameras and are capable of recording HD video. The difference here is in the software capabilities of the phones. You can get iMovie for the iPhone 4, which lets you edit your HD movie right on the phone and then publish it wherever you need it. Both phones offer some form of video calling, but the iPhone is limited to WiFi-only in this department.
Battery Life
The HTC Evo is known to have serious battery life issues. According to Matt Burns at Mobile Crunch, this is the deal breaker. Even with features like 4G WiMax turned off, the battery life is apparently still miserable. Even the HTC CEO agrees that this is an issue.
The iPhone 4 made more room in it’s design for a bigger battery. The A4 processor it uses is also very good at power consumption. This makes for a device with some pretty competitive battery life stats (7hours 3g talk time). We won’t know until more people get the device in their hands, but I suspect the iPhone 4 won’t have a problem outlasting the Evo 4G.
The Display
The HTC Evo 4G, with a display size of 4.3 inches, definitely has a bigger display than the iPhone (3.5 inches). It’s not all about size, though. The iPhone display has a resolution of 960×640 while the Evo comes in at 800×480. Higher resolution means better viewing quality and Apple has also added Retina Display technology, which puts 78% of the pixels you would find on an iPad right in the palm of your hand. Which display comes out looking the best is probably a matter of opinion given the 1-inch size difference.
Given the engineering and technology involved in these devices, it’s difficult to simply compare them on paper. Once we see them being compared in the wild, I’m sure their individual quirks will become clear. For now, it looks like the iPhone 4 may have a slight lead. Of course, we also have to keep in mind the existing issues with the AT&T network. Worst case scenario, you either end up with a device that can’t hold a charge or a device that can’t keep a data connection.
photo via Engadget