HTC Incredible S vs. Apple iPhone 4: Smartphone showdown

Which is the better phone -- HTC's Incredible S or Apple's iPhone 4?

HTC has recently announced that its Incredible S Android smartphone will be available exclusively through Optus for three months when it launches in Australia on 1 May. The HTC Incredible S is a successor to the HTC Droid Incredible; a smartphone that launched in the US market exclusively on the Verizon network.

Read our comprehensive HTC Incredible S review, and check out reviews of other top HTC phones.

Techworld Australia feature: Nokia N9 vs. iPhone 4

The HTC Incredible S has a 4in, capacitive SLCD touchscreen with a 480x800-pixel resolution, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and 768MB of RAM. It also boasts an 8-megapixel camera that doubles as a 720p HD video recorder, and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video calling.

With this in mind, how does the HTC Incredible S stack up against the Apple iPhone 4 when it comes to specifications?

HTC Incredible S vs iPhone 4: Specifications

Feature Apple iPhone 4 HTC Incredible S Verdict?
Operating system (OS) Apple iOS Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Draw
Display size 3.5in 4in Incredible S
Display technology Capacitive retina IPS SLCD iPhone 4
Display resolution 640x960 pixels 480x800 pixels iPhone 4
Multitouch Yes Yes Draw
Camera 5 megapixels, LED flash, autofocus, geotagging 8 megapixels, dual-LED flash, autofocus, geotagging, image stabilisation Incredible S
FM radio No Yes Incredible S
GPS Yes Yes Draw
Internal memory 16GB or 32GB 1.1GB iPhone 4
Expandable memory No microSD card slot Incredible S
Dimensions 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm 120 x 64 x 11.7mm iPhone 4
Weight 137g 135.5g Incredible S
Application store Apple App Store Google Android Market iPhone 4
Processor Apple A4 Qualcomm Snapdragon (1GHz) Draw
3G networks HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100 HSDPA 900/2100 iPhone 4
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n 802.11b/g/n Draw
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP 2.1 with A2DP Draw
HDMI-out No No Draw
Quoted talk time Up to 7 hours Up to 6 hours 20 minutes iPhone 4
Quoted standby time Up to 300 hours Up to 370 hours Incredible S
Adobe Flash support No Yes Incredible S

HTC Incredible S vs. iPhone 4: Design

Like HTC's other new Android phones, the Desire S and the Wildfire S, the HTC Incredible S is a slight upgrade rather than a huge overhaul of the original Incredible. The main point of difference centres around its design: the Incredible S uses HTC's aluminium unibody design, which the company says gives it a tougher and more elegant feel than the original model. It is a very industrial looking design that uses black matte plastic, and its surface feels rubbery and very durable.

The iPhone 4's stainless steel band (which also doubles as the phones antenna) is certainly intriguing, and at just 9.3mm thick, it remains one of the best built smartphones on the market.

The HTC Incredible S Android phone features an aluminium "unibody" design.

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HTC Incredible S vs iPhone 4: Display

The HTC Incredible S has a 4in SLCD display that is larger than the iPhone 4's 3.5in screen. The Super LCD display is claimed to offer a clearer and brighter image, along with enhanced battery life compared to regular LCD screens, but it can't provide the same vibrancy of Super AMOLED screens like the Samsung Galaxy S.

Apple's iPhone 4 uses IPS technology (the same used on the iPad, and thanks to its 640x960 pixel resolution it has been described as a "retina" display, due to the human eye being unable to distinguish individual pixels. The iPhone 4's screen produces excellent sharpness and crisp text.

HTC Incredible S vs iPhone 4: Software

The HTC Incredible S Android phone runs the 2.3 Gingerbread version of Google's Android platform, and features HTC's Sense UI overlay. This consists mainly of home screen widgets and applications, including the handy HTC Friend Stream, which aggregates social networking contacts from Facebook and Twitter, People, which combines all forms of contact with an individual in your phonebook, along with a weather widget that offers fantastic animations, including a windscreen wiper that swipes across the screen to wipe away raindrops. Android 2.3 Gingerbread also means the Incredible S has a revamped keyboard, better copy and paste, improved power management, and a slicker user interface as improvements over previous versions of the Android platform.

The iPhone 4 runs Apple's iOS4 operating system. It offers a familiar swipeable home screen enhanced by folders, and the consistent Apple UI look and feel extending across all of the standard applications. If you have never used an iPhone before, you can expect a device that is easy to pick up and use, a well-populated App Store, and excellent multimedia capabilities. The iPhone's iPod integration ensures it remains one of the best music smartphones on the market, while mobile Web browsing is fast and efficient.

The HTC Incredible S runs the 2.3 Gingerbread version of Google's Android platform.

Though the streamlined iPhone experience has won many fans, Apple's closed platform means the iPhone 4 doesn't offer the same flexibility as smartphones like the HTC Incredible S. The iPhone has an inferior notification system to Android phones, and it doesn't let you customise and display live widgets on your home screen. By the same token, the iPhone interface and overall user experience are far more polished than what is currently on offer from Android phones.

The HTC Incredible S will be available exclusively through Optus for three months from 1 May. Optus has not yet announced pricing details for the Incredible S, but it is expected to be available both outright and on a range of contract plans.

What do you think about the HTC Incredible S and the Apple iPhone 4? Tell us in the comments below!

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