HTC Droid Incredible vs. iPhone 3GS

HTC Droid Incredible vs. iPhone 3GS

It's been a long time since we've given an Editors' Choice Award to a smartphone, and we certainly weren't expecting the HTC Droid Incredible to be one to snatch up that honor. After all, it's not like the Android-powered Incredible offers any new, groundbreaking features. However, after discovering that the smartphone had a stylish and user-friendly interface, plus blazing speeds, the decision to make it an Editors' Choice winner was a no-brainer. It's simply one of the best smartphones on the market today.

It was also a no-brainer to make the Droid Incredible the subject of a Prizefight battle, but picking its competitor wasn't so easy. There were a number of qualified contenders that could take on the Incredible, including the Motorola Droid and the Nexus One, and we had a hard time choosing, so we left the decision up to you. In the end, you guys voted for the Apple iPhone 3GS, so without further ado, here is your Prizefight between the Droid Incredible and the iPhone 3GS.

Let's keep it a clean fight, fellas. Ding, ding!

Editors' note: The Prizefight scoring system is as follows: Each judge rates on a zero-to-five-point scale. At the end of each round, we will take an average of the three judges' scores. The final score for each phone will be an average of all five rounds.

Round 1: Sexiness

Design and looks count for a lot when you're shopping for a cell phone, so here's where we examine the look, size, feel, and sex appeal of the devices.

player	Bonnie	Brian	Nicole	the winner
HTC Droid Incredible (Verizon Wireless)	5I appreciate HTC's attempt to differentiate itself, with its topographic design on the back and red interior, but at the end of the day, I can take it or leave it. It's really the combination of the slim design and gorgeous touch screen that tips the scales for me	4This phone is just as slim as the iPhone 3GS, but with a slightly bigger screen and superior resolution. The optical joystick keeps it clean, but I don't understand the point of the backside. But this phone screams "sexy!" from the front.	4I think the Droid Incredible has a sleek and slender profile, plus I absolutely love the stunning 3.7-inch QVGA display. I also think the Incredible offers more durability, thanks to its rubberized backing. However, in terms of pure design aesthetic, I'm just more enamored with the iPhone's curves.	4.3
Apple iPhone 3GS - 32GB - black (AT&T)	4I can't deny that the minimalist design and smooth curves make for a good-looking phone, but the hardware on the iPhone is getting old.	5The iPhone is still just as sexy as before, and its clean curvaceous booty still makes me weak. We may be getting a little tired of the design, but it's still the standard for sexy.	4As I said above, I have to hand it to the Droid Incredible when it comes to the display and the durability. But the iPhone wins out in terms of sex appeal for me. I also dislike the touch-sensitive keys on the Incredible and prefer the simplicity of the single home button on the iPhone. So overall, it's a tie.	4.3

Round 2: Controls and user interface

Sexiness is one thing, but are the phones easy to use? In Round 2, we examine the design and usability of their user interfaces, keyboards, and navigation controls.

player	Bonnie	Brian	Nicole	the winner
HTC Droid Incredible (Verizon Wireless)	4HTC Sense really makes Android a more user-friendly OS. I love all the customization abilities and even the smaller details, such as the animated weather widget, of Sense. The touch-sensitive buttons also make it easy to search and return to the previous screen, but the optical joystick is meh. All that said, Sense is a little more involved in terms of setup than the iPhone's OS.	4The best-looking phone OS, thanks to HTC's Sense UI and its powerful processor. Multitouch is here, and the optical joystick is pretty responsive for me. Visually, the OS has so many bells and whistles that the iPhone OS 3.0 can't hang. But there's still a learning curve that geeks will like but my mom will hate.	4I really love the responsiveness of the Incredible's capacitive display, and it's not too difficult to find your way around once you get used to it. However, there is definitely a learning curve involved here; I feel like there are more layers of complexity. I'm not in love with the optical button or the touch-sensitive keys on the front, either.	4
Apple iPhone 3GS - 32GB - black (AT&T)	5It's been said many times before, but the ease of use of the iPhone is unmatched. To riff on the Geico commercials, it's so easy a caveman could do it.	5Still easy as pie and the cleanest OS to use, but power users will get a little tired and will want more control. Multitouch works flawlessly across apps, and cut, copy, and paste is executed the best here.	5Though some bemoan the iPhone's mainimalism and the lack of folders, there's something to be said for keeping things simple. The second you power it on, you know where everything is--no digging around for drop-down menus, etc.	5

Round 3: Features

What do these phones offer under the hood? Here we examine the features in each device and rate which phone offers more.

player	Bonnie	Brian	Nicole	the winner
HTC Droid Incredible (Verizon Wireless)	5When it comes to main stuff, the Droid Incredible and iPhone 3GS are pretty evenly matched, but the Droid Incredible edges ahead with an 8-megapixel camera, free navigation, voice-to-text integration, and more.	5Both phones bring 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. Voice search and commands, and voice-to-text message integration are unmatched. Turn-by-turn directions, multitasking, and its customization will make iPhone users jealous.	5No question about it, the Incredible wins the features race. It goes toe-to-toe with the iPhone with the media capabilities, and it totally trumps it when it comes to multitasking and a fabulous 8-megapixel camera. No contest.	5
Apple iPhone 3GS - 32GB - black (AT&T)	4See comment above.	4We know more is coming, but right now it's about iPhone OS 3.0. Voice commands are here, but not on the same level. Multitasking extends to listening to music and one other task. It has all the core features, but not the extra gravy like the Incredible. The App Store makes this more than a phone, but Android is closing the gap.	4Like I said above, even though the iPhone may have a lot of the same features, the Incredible just outshines it with the multitasking and the camera.	4

Round 4: Web browsing and multimedia

These handsets do a lot more than just make calls; they also have Web browsers and multimedia players. We tell you which phone offers a better media and Web-browsing experience.

player	Bonnie	Brian	Nicole	the winner
HTC Droid Incredible (Verizon Wireless)	4Multimedia has never been a strong suit of Android's, but once again, HTC Sense comes to the rescue and offers a more attractive and usable interface in the media player. Plus, DoubleTwist takes care of the syncing issue. Sound quality and music and video playback were also strong. The WebKit browser is quite capable and offers pinch-to-zoom support, and Verizon's 3G network delivered great speeds.	5The Incredible's Web browser has smooth-running multitouch and a multiple-page interface that takes cues from Cover Flow. It's on the level of Safari. It supports Flash Lite content. The Amazon MP3 store is here and DoubleTwist takes care of media syncing. Its higher-res display is crisp and it does movies justice. Then add an 8-megapixel camera, and dual-flash LED with video capture. Incredible indeed.	4I have to give this a tie score. The Incredible has a very polished browser that performs just as well as Safari. The music and video player is very impressive as well, though I did miss having a podcasts category in the default player.	4.3
Apple iPhone 3GS - 32GB - black (AT&T)	4Obviously, the iPhone is well-known for its great multimedia and Web-browsing capabilities, but I do have to say that its losing some of its competitive edge. This round is a draw for me.	5Safari is still one of the best Web experiences, even without Flash. You can love or hate iTunes, but its integration makes this device special. Podcast support is extensive. Its media player and movies still look great, and its 3-megapixel camera is serviceable.	4The iPhone does better in the podcasts and audiobooks category, but everything else is on par with the Incredible.	4.3

Round 5: Call quality and general performance

Cell phones aren't worth much if they don't make good calls and can't keep up with your demands. In the final round, we check out just how well devices work as a phone and everything in between.

player	Bonnie	Brian	Nicole	the winner
HTC Droid Incredible (Verizon Wireless)	5The Droid Incredible delivered excellent call quality and it never dropped a call or was unable to connect. As far as general performance, this is easily the fastest smartphone I have ever used.	5Call quality is excellent. I've heard warmer call quality before, but I had no issues with drops or static breaks. This phone is a screamer; it's the only phone I've used that feels faster than the 3GS.	5The Incredible has excellent call quality. Callers' voices came through loud and clear, although the voice quality was a tiny bit on the harsh side. The performance is very fast, as well.	5
Apple iPhone 3GS - 32GB - black (AT&T)	4The iPhone's call quality was good but not quite as pristine as the Droid Incredible's. Also, there were a couple of instances where my calls wouldn't connect. Generally speaking, I found the iPhone to be pretty snappy, but there were also times it got a bit sluggish.	3The iPhone 3GS lives and dies with AT&T. Depending on where you live, you'll get mixed results. As a California commuter, its disappointing, but in Hawaii, it's perfect. It's still a great-performing phone and snappy for the most part, but it's behind the Incredible now.	4I actually thought the call quality of the iPhone was very good. Calls sounded clear, and the volume was loud enough. Callers sounded very natural as well. However, the volume is a tiny bit softer than the Incredible's, and we absolutely hated all the dropped calls we encountered.	3.7

The winner is...