Whether you have an iPhone or some other phone, now is a great time to move up to a new smartphone like the new Apple iPhone 4, new Android based smartphone like the HTC EVO 4G or HTC Incredible, or even a new BlackBerry, Samsung, LG, or Motorola smartphone. However, before we get into our iPhone 4 vs. Android and others evaluation, we can probably save you some time by offering this recommendation: if you have an AT&T phone then an iPhone 4 is the obvious choice especially if you already have an unlimited data plan. Otherwise, the HTC EVO 4G on Sprint or the HTC Incredible on Verizon is a very tempting alternative to the new Apple iPhone 4. Here's our analysis based on what we feel are the most important considerations.
Screen Size, Pixel Density and Multitouch
Apple has squeezed 640 x 960 pixels into the iPhone 4’s 3.5-inch display which should make for finer details, smoother text, and amazing image quality. The HTC EVO has a larger, 4.3-inch screen with a respectable 480 x 800 resolution which makes for a great viewing experience whether you’re watching videos, browsing the web or looking at a list of tweets. The HTC Incredible offers 480 x 800 resolution in a 3.7-inch OLED display. The rumored BlackBerry Bold 9800 will be a very tempting alternative. It will help keep RIM the king of hill for messaging devices with both a slider QWERTY keyboard and touchsrceen 3-inch (480 x 320) display. Apple is still the king of the soft keyboards and early reviews of the iPhone 4 indicate that Apple will continue to do multitouch and soft keyboards better than Android however, some say the new Android 2.2 version offers some improvements in the touch department and for now, there are some good third-party Android keyboard alternatives like Swype.
Long Live Your Battery
Apple claims to have extended the iPhone 4’s battery life by 40% over the iPhone 3GS for talk time. We'll reserve judgment until we get some real-world reports from users but if the claims turn out to be true the iPhone 4 could raise the bar on smartphone battery life especially in light of the criticisms HTC phones like the EVO have been getting for their less than stellar battery life. However, we can say from personal experience it's possible to dramatically extend the EVO battery by judiciously turning off apps and "radios."
You Can't Beat a Replaceable Battery
Despite Apple's work on longer lasting batteries, you still can't swap out the battery with a fully charged spare. The EVO's back cover is easy to open and you could be up and running on a fresh battery in minutes.
Camera and Camcorder
We are tempted to call the camera/camcorder duel a draw. Both the iPhone 4 and some new smartphones like the EVO offer lots of megapixels, tap to focus, a front facing camera, 720p video and a flash. The EVO has an HDMI port for watching the HD recordings on your HDTV but the iPhone will have some impressive on-board editing with a special $4.99 version of iMovie. We'll be interested to see how the cameras' image quality compares as the Apple ipPhone 4 might have an edge with a better sensor.
Cool New Smartphone Features
Apple has added some very cool new features that could have your friends and co-workers drooling over your new iPhone. The gyroscope adds one more sensor along with the current iPhone’s compass, accelerometer, proximity, and ambient light sensor. The gyroscope will literally add new dimensions to apps especially game apps, game controllers or other remote control application. FaceTime, Apple's new video conferencing app could make social interactions (with other iPhone 4 owners only) more fun and intimate with Apple's knack for making applications easy-to-use. On the other hand you'll find cool features on other smartphones too. We like the kickstand on the EVO, the navigation buttons on Android phones and many of the useful interface features found on HTC's Sense user interface like the pull-down notification page.
