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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Ross Catanzariti

Ross Catanzariti

Good Gear Guide
Topics: Apple, htc, mobile phones, smartphones, iphone 4, HTC Incredible S
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