Droid vs iPhone 3GS vs Palm Pre vs MyTouch 3G: Total Cost of Ownership
After months and months of blogger buzz and a heavy veil of secrecy, the new Motorola Droid by Verizon Wireless is set to launch within days, just in time for the holiday season.
The Droid enters into a smartphone marketplace dominated by the Palm Pre with Sprint and the ever-popular iPhone 3GS with AT&T. But how are consumers supposed to compare the offerings?
BillShrink.com is here to help! While sticker prices are roughly comparable between smartphones, each offers its own particularly generous features. Below is an apples-to-apples comparison graphic that examines the true cost of ownership and select features of each phone.
And, without further ado, we bring you the Droid vs. iPhone vs. Palm Pre vs. MyTouch 3G …(now that’s a lot of smartphones)
(click to enlarge)
Check out previous graphics comparing:
myTouch 3G vs. iPhone 3GS vs. Palm Pre
Android G1 vs. iPhone 3GS vs. Palm Pre
Looks like you forgot a popular smartphone platform - Windows Mobile. After all, you are suggesting that your guide is comprehensive! You should add the HTC HD2 to your comparison table: http://www.htc.com/hd2
Comment by John D — October 28, 2009 @ 1:26 pm
Nice work!
Comment by Dan — October 28, 2009 @ 2:24 pm
I just switched over to AT&T for the new iPhone. I think I should’ve waited. The biggest issue I have is not with the phone itself but the AT&T network. Drop calls and poor coverage have plagued me since day one.
I’m going to have to wait till the contract is up to move back to verizon.
Btw didn’t Apple announce they had over 100,000 apps now?
Comment by Sam G. Daniel — October 28, 2009 @ 2:46 pm
Today isn’t the launch date for the Droid, only the launch date has been released, Nov. 6th.
No MyTouch 3G/G1 T-Mobile comparison?
Comment by Jake — October 28, 2009 @ 2:51 pm
Should have included T Mobile. Beats all three, especially in pricing.
Comment by Anonymous — October 28, 2009 @ 2:54 pm
Wow, this chart really put things into perspective.
Smart phones are cool and all, but over $2,000, or almost $3,000 over the course of 2 years is INSANE for a phone that will no doubt be obsolete in that time. Not to mention it’s “cool factor” will long be gone after 6 months after you get that first diesel scratch down the middle from keeping your phone in the same pocket as your keys.
Comment by Jax — October 28, 2009 @ 3:09 pm
Jake: Thanks. Corrected wording issue with launch date. There’s actually two previous graphics comparing the MyTouch 3G & T-Mobile G1 if you want to check them out :)
They’re at the old T-Mobile contract rate though, the same applies to other rates seen.
T-Mobile’s new Even More plans are definitely competitive, but for those that’s already on T-Mobile, the saving may be negligible depending on their current plan and already factored in corporate/volume discounts. For example, many people are getting 10% corp/related discount from T-Mobile, and if they switch to the Even More or Even More Plus plans, they will no longer receive the discounts on the monthly cell service as the “discounts are already priced in,” says T-Mobile. Factoring in the migration fee, for some people, you won’t really break even and start saving money until 6-12 months later.
After seeing the total cost over 2 years, a lot of people may also tout good prepaid or mobile virtual network operators such as Page Plus, TracFone’s Straight Talk, etc. since $40-50 for unlimited everything is a pretty sweet deal. But if you’re interested, you should know that you’re limited to certain handsets when you consider those plans too (although they’re great value too!).
Comment by BillShrink_Guy — October 28, 2009 @ 3:32 pm
Awesome chart. Makes comparison really stand out. I guess pre is toast. I would have expected Droid to make stronger case if they really want to win against iphone.
Comment by Wilfried — October 28, 2009 @ 3:34 pm
On another note, besides the 93,350 available apps in the iTunes App Store (it was 93,200 last night… FML!)… there’s actually about 102,000 apps approved by Apple but not yet available in the store. Would be interesting to see how well Android 2.0 and its many new features (free turn-by-turn anyone?) will shake things up as developers get their hands on the new SDK.
Comment by BillShrink_Guy — October 28, 2009 @ 3:38 pm
Do you not consider Blackberry phones to be smartphones? Wondering why they are not included. They are very comparable and much cheaper in most cases, even though the Storm is quite buggy. But bugs out less than the AT&T network drops calls
Comment by Bryce — October 28, 2009 @ 3:53 pm
@BillShrink Guy
Ok … http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/index.html#p=default
Comment by Occam49 — October 28, 2009 @ 3:54 pm
Why would i choose the droid when i would have to pay for the same price.
Comment by John — October 28, 2009 @ 4:13 pm
I’d be interested to see a similar graphic with the HTC Hero. Seems to be the best of all three worlds.
Comment by PorkPallace — October 28, 2009 @ 4:43 pm
Does the droid have an accelerometer?
Comment by Anonymous — October 28, 2009 @ 4:53 pm
I think the iPhone has the droid beat by a mile, it has a great touch screen, I type 240 wpm (I used the genius app to get it figured out) and I have had great experiences with it, it’s fun, I have it $30 a month because i have a 5 person family plan and I had a bb before…. Btw I am on my iPhone right now, on wifi, on 5 bars 3G
Comment by Anthony an iPhone customer — October 28, 2009 @ 5:00 pm
I disagree, T-mobile doesn’t belong on this chart. They still only have 3G coverage in 100-something cities at this point, so you can’t compare them to the carriers with mostly nationwide 3G.
Comment by Joe — October 28, 2009 @ 5:06 pm
yes - the Droid has an accelerometer.
Comment by bartman — October 28, 2009 @ 5:20 pm
You forgot the TMo CLIQ.
Tmo should be included. They will have NO CONTRACT plans and likely be the 1st to roll out HSDPA+ access.
Comment by demopublican — October 28, 2009 @ 5:37 pm
iPhone kicks but, period. even though the stats come close to the Droid, the OS on the iPhone runs ridiculously well.
Comment by keegan — October 28, 2009 @ 6:15 pm
To Anthongy an iPhone customer,
lol.. if you’re on wifi, then you’re not on 5 bars 3G!
To All,
All I have to say is that I respect VZW’s 3G coverage, and combine that coverage with wifi… uhh baby… great combo!
Droid for me all the way!
Comment by Luis B — October 28, 2009 @ 6:16 pm
HTC Magic 32A has more ram than all of them mwahahhaa
Comment by james — October 28, 2009 @ 6:17 pm
Pieces and parts of this chart are indeed incorrect. Such as the “5gb plan for AT&T, incorrect you can get a cheap unl. data plan, that’s an upper vs. sprint or verizon. Also technically you can multitask on an iPhone, I will of course agree it can only multitask to a small extent, but simply stating no can be stated as “wrong information”. I’m sure this chart is a tad outdated, but apple officially hit their 100,000 mark for the apps, and surely enough it won’t take very long for the droid to catch up when users start to become familiar with the apps programming. Also after working for sprint (HP) project, troubleshooting palm pre’s and getting to know them. They are no where near comparable to the iPhone or Droid. The new hero that has been released, after playing with one of our demos is truly a decent competitor to the iPhone. Nice chart just a few touches off!
Comment by Anon — October 28, 2009 @ 6:32 pm
The reason you would choose the Droid over the iPhone is coverage. I have had AT&T for the last year and half. I get horrible to no reception at home and at work. My wife has Verizon and she gets great reception at our home. Hence my work is buying me the Droid on Nov 6th.
Comment by Steve — October 28, 2009 @ 7:20 pm
I would like to see three additional rows of comparision — (i)the level of encryption, if any, for data at rest and (ii) ability to synch with MS Exchange, and (iii) can the O/S allow a user to flag an appointment as private AND show up on my Outlook calendar as a private appointment. These are three very important features for business executives who need to use a single calendar for both business and personal appointments.
Comment by Austin — October 28, 2009 @ 7:36 pm
How do you compare Smartphones without the Blackberry being part of the mix? Hello?????
Comment by Itsthewiskeytalking — October 28, 2009 @ 7:44 pm
nice little chart, but the jury is still out on how well the droid will perform. Here’s to hoping its G R E A T !!!!!
Wild Mountain Gourmet
Comment by Matt@wildmountaingourmet.com — October 28, 2009 @ 7:59 pm
Wilfried said, “Awesome chart. Makes comparison really stand out. I guess pre is toast. I would have expected Droid to make stronger case if they really want to win against iphone.”
I don’t know how Pre comes out of this chart looking like it’s toast. It’s 33% cheaper than the other phones for unlimited and still about 20% cheaper on average.
This website is Bill Shrink, so I think the one that keeps your bills the most shrunk is the winner.
Comment by Lazy Man and Money — October 28, 2009 @ 8:28 pm
The big key here is that android apps can be developed on a PC. iphone apps require a mac (who owns those?). There will be a tidal wave of android apps now that a phone like the droid is coming out. iphone will fall in the background just like their computers. That is the problem with making everything proprietary. There will always be your die hard apple lovers that will never give up the iphone just like they never will give up their macs, but most of us will leave apple behind. Apple did push the wireless companies into accepting wifi and other useful features in a cell phone. It is not like the technology wasn’t there before. The wireless companies just didn’t want the feature available. Thanks to Jobs for pushing the features.
Comment by bob — October 28, 2009 @ 8:50 pm
The palm pre is absolutely awesome. This doesn’t even mention the best part of the phone. All of your data is stored in the ‘Cloud.’ So if you lose your phone, you don’t lose your contacts. Suck it Iphone and droid phone. Multiple apps too. Video on the way, and WebOS will move mountains in the future.
Comment by Mikey Mac — October 28, 2009 @ 8:59 pm
Ask yourself: is iPhone or Droid $500 better than the Palm Pre? I submit to you no. And I have yet to see a UI that compares to webOS card system.
@Anthony: 240wpm? I don’t believe you. Submit a video on YouTube complete with timer and typing a coherent sentence.
Comment by vara411 — October 28, 2009 @ 9:03 pm
You have to take into account what you are buying as well. I’m switching back to Verizon from ATT because of the superior network. I would say you get more value out of Verizon
Comment by Greg — October 28, 2009 @ 9:44 pm
How is the Droid’s touchscreen? Can you grade it versus the iPhone? I’ve never touched a touchscreen better than iPhone. I love the Verizon network and I hope this Droid is enough to keep from switching. It has wifi, which is huge! As is the multitasking feature!
Comment by winx — October 28, 2009 @ 10:07 pm
The droid has 512 MB of memory, not 16GB. The 16GB is an external microSD card that comes with the phone. The actual system memory is only 512MB and apps can only be downloaded and installed on the measely 512MB of system memory due to pirating concerns.
16BG is false advertising. I almost was going to buy this phone to replace my blackberry that has the same problem of low system memory.
Comment by Jen — October 28, 2009 @ 11:04 pm
| Silly Person, Windows Mobile Isn’t Smart
| Sure it may be loaded into a device that is also a phone
| But let’s be honest, the best thing Microsoft has done recently is Win 7
| Microsoft isn’t smart and in the effort of honesty, Win 7 isn’t great,
| Win 7 just doesn’t suck. Try linux or Mac. Try Android or iPhone
| Then you can be informed and you wont make ignorant statements.
| Oh, and back to smartphones, please recycle that HTC handset so
| The mercury doesn’t poison our tap water. Thanks!
V
Comment by Jackalope — October 28, 2009 @ 11:20 pm
Deja vu… No mention of Nokia… again…
Comment by Anon — October 28, 2009 @ 11:34 pm
Err….
I just checked Verizon’s site - they are now bundling unlimited text with the plan for “unlimited” data. And that plan at 900 minutes a month is 89.99.
Are you including tax or something? Because looking at the plans it seems like the Droid is only $50 total difference from the Pre.
Comment by Josh — October 29, 2009 @ 12:47 am
Being the recent release of “Sraight Talk” from WAL-MART(TracFone/Verizon) for an UNLIMITED PLAN for $45/month(voice/text/web), if Verizon was to release thison the she straight talk service it would be the death of IPHONE as it is not just a super cheap service but it is OPEN SOURCE so the market will FLOOD WITH APPs post release.
Comment by Gadget — October 29, 2009 @ 2:52 am
i have the iphone 3gs, 32 gb. and i multitask all the time. its called jail breaking. and backrounding apps is as easy as holding the home button for 2 seconds. works flawlessly. iphone is hands down the best device ever made. the 2 extra mega pixels on the motorola aren’t going to get you anywhere special. anything your smartphone can do, my iphone can do a thousand times better. no other phone even comes close to the iphone. and thats the truth. if you think any different then your just in smartphone denial. if a phone is released that surpasses the iphone, trust me il be the first to switch. but for now, iphone is king.
Comment by jbking — October 29, 2009 @ 5:08 am
Thank you thank you!! My verizon contract is up in March but I can upgrade in December and I was thinking if I should wait until March and go to AT&T for the iPhone. But when I seen the Droid I was wondering if I should stay with Verizon and upgrade. I love Verizon’s ccoverage. Now with this chart…I have my answer! THANK YOU!
Comment by Krys — October 29, 2009 @ 6:04 am
What about RIM BlackBerry?
Blackberry would smoke iphone or palm pre in terms of value for your money. Blackberry are the world’s number one selling smartphone and yet they are not included in your comparison.
So i will not pay any attention to your article and will think of you as a fool.
Comment by Arjun — October 29, 2009 @ 6:30 am
Just buy one of them unlocked off amazon and save yourself 2,500 or more dollars…
Comment by wada — October 29, 2009 @ 7:02 am
@Anthony, even if you’re counting ty, lol, omg, etc. as “words”, you’re probably still not breaking 100 wpm. The average typist on real keyboard doesn’t break 100wpm.
Comment by Justin — October 29, 2009 @ 7:32 am
@ Mikey Mac : you can keep your droid contacts in sync with your google account (just as calendars, tasks, etc.) in the cloud. I can lose my phone, I don’t lose any data.
@ Anon 11:34pm : Nokia ? Symbian is a dying platform. They’ve tried to open source it, unsuccessfully. Symbian is the past, the OVI store is a joke. They should get over it but it’s hard to admit you spent so much on buying Symbian and failing to compete with the iphone and now android. 55 % market share 1 yr ago. 45 % now. I predict under 25 % within 18 months.
Comment by seb — October 29, 2009 @ 8:04 am
hero = 70 per month
Comment by Anonymous — October 29, 2009 @ 8:07 am
Check the price of the unlimited data plan on Verizon. I believe that the ‘Connect’ plan would give you unlimited voice and data for $129.99. I think the price you show is the price for adding the ‘Mobile Broadband’ option to an existing plan, but the Mobile Broadband is only required for a usb modem or tethered usage. Or I’m wrong and about to be hosed by Verizon … again.
Comment by r2dreamer — October 29, 2009 @ 8:07 am
So glad I’m in the UK.
I have my Nokia 5800, has touch screen, great web acess, voice control, + 99% of features of the iPhone, PalmPre etc, 500 minutes voice calls per month, unlimited texts, unlimited internet access, integrated facebook & msn, email, 3d games, comes with 8gb memory card as standard, GPS, SatNav built in, 3mp camera, wifi, loads of downloadable apps - free and paid for, and loads of other stuff im still discovering.
Phone was free, monthly charge is £25 per month (approx $35 i think).
You guys in the US need to force your providers to lower the charges, I can’t believe how much your monthly fees are.
Then again, I used to be with Vodafone paying £45 per month for my contract, then went on holiday to Greece, and saw that Vodafone were charging £7 per month for unlimited contract! So i Switched to 3 network.
Proves that whether in the US or UK, or any “wealthy” country, the companies will screw us out of as much as possible.
Comment by kef — October 29, 2009 @ 8:35 am
r2dreamer & others: Actually the connect plan and its cheaper unlimited data/email aren’t available for smartphone devices. For smartphone users, they will need to purchase the $29.99 data & email plan for smartphones.
We’re aware that we’re missing some other smartphones, such as the Blackberry (hey I personally sport a Blackberry and find the ~64 MB onboard memory somewhat tolerable hah!). For those curious about the MyTouch, there’s a previous graphics comparing the iPhone and Palm Pre to it. We’ll try to integrate and update this graphic by putting MyTouch along with T-Mobile’s new pricing into the mix, as its definitely competitive pricing.
Comment by BillShrink_Guy — October 29, 2009 @ 8:55 am
@Bob,
one you really need to keep up on your tech news. Apple is starting to come out of its “not enough RAM to shut down” phase and offer competitive computers.
Apple may still be a niche market when it comes to their computer lines, but consider that of late, it has risen to double digits in its market share, something that hasn’t been seen since the Apple 2.
Also, you can develop apps on a PC for the iPhone, ever here of emulation software or double operating systems?
Also consider that motorala will even admit that they don’t think that the droid is a true iPhone killer. Most companies state that they are still trying to catch up to the first iPhone.
Not to say that Apple and the iPhone don’t have their faults because there are many. But don’t knock it because your too lazy to look up the facts on a company that’s starting to shake up silicon valley.
what other company is offering a computer bundled with quad-core processors 8 GB of RAM a 27 in LED LCD monitor and included productivity suite for just over $2k? They are far and few between.
But besides that, definitely getting a droid, AT&T sucks in my area and the storm sucks more than a street corner ho.
Comment by SDSU Yo — October 29, 2009 @ 9:03 am
Few things here…first of all, the droid is a smartphone.
Verizon’s connect and premium plans do not apply. It is
29.99 a month on top of a select or basic plan which is why
it is more expensive.
Second, the 5GB a month is only on mobile broadband cards or tethering your phone.
Verizon gives you unlimited data usage with the 29.99 plan.
Comment by Joe — October 29, 2009 @ 9:08 am
Anyone can get a new line of service at Sprint with 500 minutes, unlimited text and 5Gb of data for $59/month through their employee referral program. Sprint’s VP of strategy has provided his info for anyone to get in: Russ.S.McGuire@Sprint.com ID#383
http://delivery.sprint.com/m/p/sprint/epc/epclanding.asp
If you are a current Sprint customer (or a new customer looking for a better price than $59/month), Sprint has some of the best employee discounts. Employee’s for a number of companies can get 10-25% off their monthly bill. The 450 minute plan with unlimited text and 5Gb of data is about $53/month after a 25% discount.
Here’s a list of companies: http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/245535
You can also send your email to Sprint to see if your employee offers a discount on Sprint service. Even if they don’t, Sprint will send a coupon for $25 discount on hardware. You can enter your email here: http://sprint.p.delivery.net/m/p/nxt/ais/wdyw.asp
Both the Employee Referral plan of $59/month and the 450minutes +text/data for $53 to $70/month work will Sprint’s latest phones.
Comment by Z — October 29, 2009 @ 9:49 am
My pocket matter the most. Sprint Wins
Comment by Aaron — October 29, 2009 @ 10:53 am
Unfortunately the raw stats (even if accurate) don’t give the full picture. I’ve used the iPhone and I much prefer the Palm Pre for what I need it for. It’s a perfect phone for the prosumer category. It manages my personal and professional data very nicely, the multi-tasking and card-view UI is very intuitive, and it simply makes me more productive.
Comment by Donald B — October 29, 2009 @ 11:05 am
On Sprint plan, you didn’t add that it also includes free GPS navigation and that it has voice turn-by-turn directions.
Comment by xeno — October 29, 2009 @ 12:35 pm
The chart doesn’t mention if Turn by Turn Navigation on the devices is extra or not. On the Palm Pre, it’s free with your Sprint plan. On the Droid, it’s included as part of the new version of Google Maps. On the iPhone, you can get it, but you have to pony up some $$ for the TomTom app, or subscribe to TeleNav. The MyTouch will probably get the new version of Google Maps eventually, but right now, you have to buy CoPilot or a similar app.
Comment by StormD — October 29, 2009 @ 12:55 pm
I agree with Aaron and Donald B - and I would add that if you search you can easily get the Pre for $80 or less.
All that, and it does not feel like you are carrying a brick in your pocket.
Comment by Jefferson — October 29, 2009 @ 12:56 pm
1. A new user on Verizon Wireless is $89 a month: 900 mins Voice, Unlimited Txt/Pix/Video messaging, Unlimited Data(3G Network)
2. Verizon Wireless 3G coverage in the U.S. is unrivaled, you might be a lucky person that gets good 3G/signal for an iphone. But the majority of iphone users get poor signal.
3. Since Droid is using andriod, it has free tethering through apps.
4. Droid comes with Free Turn-by-Turn Navigation, thanks to Android.
5. Iphone can multitask but jailbroken… Droid comes with multitasking.
6. Droid has 512 MB of RAM, Iphone has 256 MB.
7. Not as important but Droid is fully customizable thanks to android. Iphone has little to no customization…
8. Droid has well over twice the pixels: 720×480 = 345600
Iphone: 480×320 = 153600 = 44% of Droid
9. Droid has external memory, MicroSD, who doesn’t already have a MicroSD card. Well you can use it for extra storage now.
imo Droid wins, due to Network/More free stuff.
Comment by Corvinex — October 29, 2009 @ 1:50 pm
May I suggest adding the nokia n900 to the list? It is a smartphone / “mobile computer” with a linux based OS. It is not yet out. Specs : http://maemo.nokia.com/n900/specifications/
It is also only being sold unlocked in the US and can work with edge on AT&T but 3G is only on Tmobile. Its current app stores are
Open Source Software http://maemo.org/downloads/Maemo5/
Maemo Select http://maemo.nokia.com/maemo-select/
Comment by G — October 29, 2009 @ 1:59 pm
I’m not really biased either way - trying to decide actually, but comments like that of Anthony suggest to me that owners opinions are not the best thing to go on:
“I type 240 wpm (I used the genius app to get it figured out)”
either the genius app is not so genius or you can type on an iPhone about as fast as I can read! (also close to twice the world record for typing on a qwerty)
Comment by @Anthony — October 29, 2009 @ 2:08 pm
#JohnD. I though you were just looking at the smartphones, so it is natural not to include and windows CE phones.
The iPhone comes in 32gb as well, I guess that would make your graph ugly.
Nice comparison though, thanks.
Comment by cak — October 29, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
geez I feel sorry for people payin through the nose to keep that iphone running.
After experiencing multi tasking on the Pre, there’s really no way I’d go back to any phone that doesn’t have that capability. Its effortless and painless and just never gets old flipping from the browsr to the music to the messages and then to google maps, all with the flick of my finger. And iphone owners can talk up that virtual keyboard all they want but lets get real, its really not the same as a physical keyboard, not at all.
I pay 69.99 on sprint with unlimited everything, except for calls to landlines, I only get 450 minutes for that, I probably use like 50 of those a month..
sprint wins hands down in the value department.
Comment by Ricardo — October 29, 2009 @ 3:45 pm
ok si i’m not the tekkiest person on here for sure, but a quick question if anyone can help out, since i’ve been following this release for a couple weeks:
what are the Droid’s capabilities as far as document/spreadsheet creation on android 2.0?
Comment by CG22 — October 29, 2009 @ 4:21 pm
Well you forgot to take into account the 3G coverage maps of the iDon’t on AT&T vs the Droid on Verizon wireless where you get an INSANE amount of coverage on Verizon vs the rest. So the cost might be the same but you have a FAR more reliable network on one over the other so if I’m gonna pay the same I think I would rather go with the one that is going to actually let me enjoy my phone just about anywhere I go and not just in some spots. Plus the droid has far better features than the iphone so in the end the smart choice is the Droid.
Comment by Brian — October 29, 2009 @ 5:54 pm
@kef
I think 25 GBP is now closer to 40 USD due to the ever increasingly shrinking value of the dollar.
I sound like a veritable Luddite when I say, smart phone? Yeah, that would be nice, but three large for 2 years? Come on.
Comment by Andy — October 29, 2009 @ 6:16 pm
3 million Macs in the 3rd quarter - I’ve used them since they first came out. Compare VISTA with Snow Leopard. That is the IPhone advantage - elegance - and that is crucial for Smart Phones. Opening up a sliding keyboard when standing up? Awkward! A ton of these will be dropped. Better get an Otter
made for it!
But how can you with the sliding keyboard??? You need a table!
I love the IPhone. I simply works well and almost thinks for you.
Comment by MacJohn — October 29, 2009 @ 6:46 pm
I’ve yet to see the statistic that matters most where consumer dollars are concerned, probably because it is too hard to quantify and therefor off the radar of folks for whom stats mean everything: what happens when you put the phone in the hands of a consumer?
Iwant to see real-world statistics on the following: with the new r the consumer, how long will it take for the consumer to add a contact to the address book, set an appointment, find the location of and bus dirctions to a specific restaurant, send an email to the intact with the restaurant info, purchase download & use a new app, and finally synchronize the phone with a computer to back it up and load 2 new applications purchased on the computer.
These things, not megapixels nor storage nor Anthony else are what matter to consumers the most by far. And I’m sorry, but in my boat motorola has never been known for “ease of use” in this regard (let’s not even talk Samsung).
And @you Pre flks out there… keeping all your contacts on the cloud sounds like a total shazamm thing, but doesn’t last month’s Microsoft/ Danger fasco kind of take the edge off that as a selling point?
I think we’d all be surprised at the results of such a study. I may love my iPhone to pieces, but I wouldn’t besurpised if a Pre topped itinerary ease of addng contatcs or if an Android phone beat it out searching for the restaurant info.
Comment by Soundeziner — October 29, 2009 @ 7:14 pm
Got a HTC Hero two weeks ago, with Android. It’s extremely cool and I’m very happy with it. Don’t believe the fanboys spreading the rumor that there’s lag on this unit, there’s none; I haven’t experienced any. And no drop calls either. The phone cost $179 (with rebate) and my $59.99 / month plan includes the following:
* 500 anytime minutes
* Nationwide long distance included
* Roaming included
* Unlimited calls to any mobile, anytime
* Unlimited SMS text messaging
* Unlimited picture mail
* Unlimited data usage
* Sprint Navigation (with voice) included
* Sprint data pack
* Unlimited night and weekends from 7 pm to 7 am
* Sprint TV included (yes, the cell even plays TV, with several channels avail.)
Meanwhile, iPhone users pay $90 for a basic plan and can’t use the phone. A similar plan from AT&T would cost at least $180 / month, with poor coverage and weak signal inside buildings, dropped calls, no streaming allowed, no Google Voice allowed, etc. AT&T charges $10 for navigation and another $20 for unlimited messaging/texting alone. What good does it do to have an iPhone if you can’t use it because is either too expensive or has poor coverage? Please, jailbroken units are nothing but trouble and can’t get 3G, so what’s the point? I can multitask, text, stream, IM, upload pictures, use navigation, watch TV, talk, Google Voice, etc, until I drop for just $59.99. Oh, and the HTC Hero is just gorgeous. Compare that to your iBaloney.
Comment by JC — October 29, 2009 @ 7:47 pm
All I have to say is my 32 gb iPhone S will cost the same as the droid and it has twice the memory. I have over 16gb of music so the droid would be out for me. Everyone now a days has a claim to beat the I phone. The facts are the iPhone has twice the memory probably a ton better support with the apple stores. Who needs a real keyboard just something else to go wrong with the phone. Who needs 5 mega pixels my I phone takes better pics than my real cam. We will see how it really works when it comes out untill then I’m not buying the clams.
Comment by Riotke230 — October 29, 2009 @ 8:05 pm
read about the phone before you ask these questions. this chart doesn’t mention any technical info for either phone. fyi I refer to the only 2 that matter. iphone was the leader, they have forever changed the face of wireless in insane ways. I must say though I’m switching to droid as it wins for me. but, I can’t wait for apples counter strike for being knocked down to second place. it serves them and rim right for releasing second version phones thatare near unchanged…
Comment by tdjzzle — October 29, 2009 @ 8:52 pm
What! The iphone 3gs does not have that kind of standby time! I couldn’t get mine to last more than a few hours!
Comment by Gary — October 29, 2009 @ 8:52 pm
> $3,000 over the course of 2 years is INSANE for a phone
> that will no doubt be obsolete in that time
You aren’t paying for the *PHONE*. That’s the carrier.
And no phone is “obsolete”. Most of my friends are still using 5 year old phones.
You are free to replace (or not replace) your phone… any time you want.
Comment by Alice — October 29, 2009 @ 8:58 pm
I am in no way a technically oriented person, which is one reason I have owned a Mac for years. Apple is known for being user friendly and appeals to those of us who don’t have an engineering degree. I jumped all over the iPhone when it came out just because of Apple’s easy to use products. Sure enough, the iPhone is easy enough for anyone to figure out how to use it right out of the box yet cool enough to appeal to the most tech oriented person out there. Will there be other competition to the iPhone? Absolutely. However, Apple has name recognition, reliability, a huge fan base, and is always on the forefront of new and innovative products. Let’s not forget how soon after the colored iMacs premiered other companies were quick to “color” their products too. There will always be those who want to downplay Apple every opportunity they can but there are just as many, if not more, who won’t be swayed.
Comment by NonTechie — October 29, 2009 @ 9:53 pm
Well With this chart I’m not quite sure where the statistics come from, but I know with Sprint I pay $125/month for 2 palm pre’s, that have unlimited data, unlimited calls to any mobile phone on any network, unlimited night/weekends, and another 1500 minutes to use on landlines. So I think this chart is a incorrect saying 5GB of data usage. This is also why I think that palm on Sprint is the best.
Comment by Wisty — October 30, 2009 @ 12:17 am
The Droid’s meager 512MB of built-in system memory is a deal breaker. Practically speaking, it means you will NOT be able to load and store (much less open and use) many Apps on this (or other Android) phones. So, Android phones do multitasking but they don’t have enough storage and memory for the Apps? What good is a 10,000 App catalog with such a limit? Are these companies kidding? This is an Android 2.0 OS issue (which is just now being released). Maybe Google will fix this with OS 3.0? 4.0? Who knows?
Beware. Android phones will prove to be seriously crippled until Google solves this problem. Meanwhile, Verizon better update that silly commercial to add…
“iDon’t have enough memory and storage for the OS and Apps.”
As for the iPhone, it does do multitasking with several of Apple’s built-in Apps AND users even can surf the Web and talk on the phone at the same time on the AT&T network. You can’t do that on CDMA (or Sprint/Verizon).
Comment by HD Boy — October 30, 2009 @ 12:24 am
“…Looks like you forgot a popular smartphone platform - Windows Mobile. After all, you are suggesting that your guide is comprehensive! You should add the HTC HD2 to your comparison table…”
- Comment by John D — October 28, 2009 @ 1:26 pm
They’re reviewing modern (post iPhone), copy cat, touchscreen smart phones. The author did NOT say the guide is comprehensive. Besides, with no credible, competing product, Windows Mobile is irrelevant to this particular discussion. And at this point, I’d hardly call Windows Mobile popular.
Comment by HD Boy — October 30, 2009 @ 12:36 am
I have been a long time Windows Mobile / Verizon user who switched to the Pre about 4 months ago. I have a few items that really make the differences even more dramatic.
1. I do not believe that this chart includes Verizon’s smartphone data charges. Their basic unlimited data plan which is REQUIRED on smartphones adds 24.95 per month to these numbers. That adds an additional $600 to the numbers. This is the main reason I switched to the Pre.
2. WebOs is simply the best at synchronizing data. I can’t believe that Palm / Sprint do not market this more heavily. On the Pre all you do is enter you Exchange, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn account information in and WebOs synchronizes it all. That’s right, one calendar that shows all of your google and Exchange calender information clearly identified with separate colors. On contact list for all accounts. There is one contact with a profile for each account.
3. When you roam on Sprint you use the Verizon network. That’s right you get Sprint’s leading 3G coverage and when that coverage doesn’t dominate you use Verizon’s.
This has been the first setup that truly gave me the data in one clean location that I have been striving for over a decade. LONG LIVE WEBOS! LONG LIVE SPRINT!
Comment by Anonymous — October 30, 2009 @ 4:05 am
All your information about the usage data is incorrect for the palm pre its not 5GB, Its unlimited.The lowest plan for the Pre is actually $69.99 with Sprint unl cellphone to cellphone unl text and unl data. Average for two years $1680 Total. A lot cheaper than any other carrier and that’s everything included.
Comment by chris — October 30, 2009 @ 6:17 am
I buy a smartPHONE for how it is usable as a PHONE. Went with Pre because I refuse to be locked down by Apple or AT&T (I mean cingular, no wait - Bell Mobile, er I mean Ma Bell). There are plenty more apps available to Pre than just the catalog and Palm just announced means of installing without going through the catalog - ahhhh, open and actually usable. Iphone did not have thousands of apps day 1, neither did Google.
Iphone = status symbol toy, at least with Pre and Andriod (read that as Sprint and Verizon) I can use my phone and not worry about dropped calls.
Comment by Simon — October 30, 2009 @ 7:01 am
There’s certainly a “sticker shock” effect when you see the total cost, but in reality, I need a mobile phone and my choices include:
A) Free, basic phone
B) Smart phone (I’m going to use the Droid as I want to stay on Verizon).
To figure out the difference, I’m going to assume I just need to add a $30 a month data plan and I’m set. I don’t do texting, and I’d use Google Voice if I did.
In my case, the difference is $200 (buy the phone) + $30*12, which comes out to $560 over 2 years.
So now I decide if I want to pay an *extra* $560 to have a smart phone instead of the ultra-basic phone.
Comment by Phil McThomas — October 30, 2009 @ 7:30 am
@HD Boy
I read on another blog (so it may or may not be true) that nearly every Android app comes in at under 1 MB. The on-board memory should have enough to store > 200 apps and still leave plenty of room for the OS.
I’ve not heard existing Android owners screaming that they are hobbled by this approach.
Granted, there may be app developers are put-off developing epic games that might have a footprint of > 100 Mb.
I also suspect (personal opinion) that the location of the memory card, being under the battery, is a hint that the OS will soon allow apps to be stored on there.
Comment by Phil McThomas — October 30, 2009 @ 7:35 am
For those who are complaining about the omission of Windows Mobile and BlackBerry, lighten up. I would put those two categories into a separate class from this category, even though the title says “smartphone” — which is probably too broad a term for the comparison happening here.
I think of the iPhone OS, WebOS, and Android as serious competitors to one another, but the three of them are very different from Windows Mobile and BlackBerry. It’s much easier to compare the iPhone to the Pre to the Droid, than it is to compare the iPhone to any BlackBerry device, or to any Windows Mobile device for that matter, because the platforms — what features and integration they offer — are so different.
On the other hand, the only Windows Mobile devices I would ever consider would be those made by HTC (Touch series, etc.), and now that HTC is making Android phones, I think of Windows Mobile as fairly irrelevant to most consumers who are choosing a phone for themselves (i.e. not enterprise customers).
Comment by Saif — October 30, 2009 @ 7:37 am
I adore my Palm Pre, I think the point is that it’s different for everyone. My Pre is just what I need, I can check email, search the web, text, etc.
As far as whether it beats the iPhone, Sprint definitely has room for improvement, but I think it’s a close match. I’ve played with the new iPhone, and to be honest, the only thing I’m jealous of is the fact that the Pre doesn’t have a ton of Apps. The keyboard was the deal breaker for me though, because I’m really not good with the touch keyboards. Sprint has definitely come a long way from the Instinct…I’m happy with a Pre..
From a consumer.
Comment by Becky — October 30, 2009 @ 8:22 am
@(all the RIM fans): I moved from BlackBerry to iPhone, and can tell you first hand what he’s comparing here are not “phones” of aclass to which BlackBerry belongs. BlackBerries are wonderful communication devices, but they are PHONES. These devices make phone calls, but that is almost secondary to the immense amount of capability they offer above and beyond simply calls and texts. If BlackBerries even came with a decent web browser, you might be in a better position to complain, but as it stands, iPhone/et.al. vs. BlackBerry is Apples and oranges.
Comment by OneMonkeysUncle — October 30, 2009 @ 8:23 am
Any information on ‘tethering’ on these devices?
Comment by Anthony — October 30, 2009 @ 9:03 am
Nice chart…but one thing is missing. You can get the Palm Pre for $99 at Walmart.
Comment by RottNKorpse — October 30, 2009 @ 10:05 am
The cost is insane, but luckily for me, I only have to pay $35 a month for unlimited texting, internet, etc. It pays to have a relative working for Verizon! I am so looking forward to getting this phone!
Comment by Swifty — October 30, 2009 @ 11:17 am
>
Besides, with no credible, competing product, Windows Mobile is irrelevant to this particular discussion. And at this point, I’d hardly call Windows Mobile popular.
-Comments by HD Boy
>
How many billboards did it take to sell 20 million Windows Mobiles in 2008? Windows Mobile users are business folks doing real work- tethering their laptops to their smartphones, running Word, Excel and Powerpoint, Flash 9 on their Windows Mobile smartphones all at the same time, instead of drinking the i-am-an-overhyped-fashion-feature-Phone kool aid, “oh I broke my nail tapping on my iPhone, wawawawa” “As for the iPhone, it does do multitasking”- I laugh at that one- yeah listening to Lady Gaga and using Google Maps at the same time, haha, that’s pretty much all the tasking that the iPhone can do. iPhone=weak sauce fashionista featurephone.
Comment by timjones17 — October 30, 2009 @ 11:35 am
Yeah, where is the TP2 on Sprint SERO? $200 for the phone, and $30/month for all-in 3G internet, unlimited texts, TV, and tethering. 2-year contract makes that $920, which makes all the other “smart” phones look sick. No wonder Apple/Verizon et al blanket the airwaves with marketing… they can afford to pay for that out of the huge mark up their users are willing to pay for.
Comment by sprintluvr — October 30, 2009 @ 11:44 am
Pretty accurate chart. The Palm Pre does offer the best ROI between these devices. The iPhone is a toy with the 93k + apps, most of which are useless. Of the ones that are of use, you’ll see them on the Pre soon enough. Droid does NOT use an accelerometer as they didn’t challenge Apple on the patent like Palm did. To add to this, Pre will be the first smartphone that will support flash, giving unprecedented access to flash web content on a smartphone.
Comment by G.W.James — October 30, 2009 @ 11:50 am
I don’t see anything about screen resolution. The Droid rocks in this spec….
Comment by gkreis — October 30, 2009 @ 12:20 pm
I expect there’s no row comparing RAM because different OS’s have different RAM demands, so it’s not apples to apples. BUT: the iPhone 3GS has 256MB RAM, the 3G has only 128MB…and people are complaining about Droid’s 512MB? Seriously?
My only hope is that there’s a way for users to extend the Droid’s standby time. And that the keyboard will accommodate my pudgy digits.
Comment by Brian — October 30, 2009 @ 12:37 pm
-iPhone has aslo 32 GB of memory!
-In the AppStore is 100.000 App’s
Two mistakes :P
Comment by tom — October 30, 2009 @ 1:06 pm
Looks like this comparison forgot a very important comparison point … free Turn By Turn GPS !! Thats a $100 feature and skews this whole.
Comment by Roshan — October 30, 2009 @ 1:13 pm
not quite accurate for the TMO phone.
google voice (free) + freelancer’s union 10% tmobile discount + 300minutes myfaves + data plan only + Mytouch = $66/mo (after taxes), unlimited text, unlimited data, unlimited voice. Yes, unlimited data. Android doesn’t have a 5GB max data plan, they just throttle after 5GB. All calls come through google voice # (both send and receive no matter who you call) = myfaves minutes.
That = $1584 over 24 months +199 phone.
Oh, and android has way more than 10k apps and does allow video editing. They just don’t have a million fart apps.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/cell-phones/?p=1728
Comment by Matt — October 30, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
What about comparing these 4 to a Blackberry? Perhaps the Tour or Storm2?
Comment by charleshb — October 30, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
Oh yeah, 100,000 apps for iPhones: 30,000 flashlights, 30,000 tip calculators, 20,000 pull-my-finger type of apps, 10,000 news widgets…but noooo free GPS navigation system or live streaming through Ustream or Qik. Watch out for that texting because you almost reached the 200 texts allowed per month. AT&T awaiting for you to pass the number allowed, so it can rape you with a $200 oh-so hip iPhone bill. LOL
Comment by JC — October 30, 2009 @ 2:40 pm
Forgot one row…
Dropped Calls:
iPhone/ATT = every other call
droid/Verizon = rarely
Comment by AnonCow — October 30, 2009 @ 2:53 pm
The Sprint 5GB limit does not apply to smartphones. There is no limit for DATA connections on Smartphones.
Comment by Fernando Disla — October 30, 2009 @ 3:31 pm
@ the 240 wpm guy and those that responded to him…
He probably typed that on his iphone, thus explaining his typo — and if it wasn’t a typo, explains his delusions.
Comment by kftgr — October 30, 2009 @ 6:46 pm
Archos 5 Internet Tablet (8GB) is much better hardware than all those, supports VOIP over 3G Bluetooth tethering, total cost of ownership is $249 or below $200 street price.
American consumers are real morons to fall for upwards $4000 phone contracts.
I find it really hard to laugh about the really sad fact that so many people don’t seem to have a problem giving apple, motorola and the carriers so many thousands of dollars for a gadget that costs $100 to manufacture and a spectrum for wireless Internet that should be free and owned by the people.
Comment by Charbax — October 30, 2009 @ 9:05 pm
HD Boy: The Droid comes with a 16gb SD memory card and it is upgradeable to 32GB memory. Try that on an Iphone 3GS..
AC
Comment by Attackcenter — October 31, 2009 @ 1:43 am
droid is gonna be amazing, a better camera than the iphone, it has a removable battery (the main drawback of iphones), verizon has better coverage, android kills apples OS (if youve tried it then you know), the memory is better (removable mem means endless amounts of memory), even the UI is better, plus, on top of all that, the apps are better and free, the idea of paying for every app is just ridiculous, even apple has considered going open source, so if ur gonna put the droid down cuz of your brand loyalty or maybe one or two down sides of the droid, please consider not only all of the downsides listed on the droid comm. but also the ones you have experienced yourself in having an iphone
iphones lost the the whole “omg” initial shock that it had on release, now we’re down to the reality of it….
iphones just arent that great
Comment by jones — October 31, 2009 @ 5:50 am
Matt: Tmobile doesn’t offer myfaves anymore. Nor do discounts apply to those latest Even More plans. Most people griping about how the plan prices above are inaccurate probably didnt bother checking the latest available offering to new customers (and they probably dont read fine print about how much data they really get for their ‘unlimited’ plans either). Although thats a moot point, hitting 5 GB on any network’s “blazing fast” 3G is pretty difficult heh.
Its pretty clear that they were just trying to pick matching plans, obviously you can save a bundle more by going for cheaper plans or forgo some other services such as unlimited text etc. Many of these phones are very nice but I think I’ll just stick with my el cheapo Straight Talk phone and its slightly more reasonable monthly rate…
Comment by PhoneFan — October 31, 2009 @ 6:29 am
***WARNING*** This only applies in the US. Data rates in Canada are absolutely ridiculous. Case in point: I just received my first bill from Bell with the ‘Unlimited Browser’ plan. It’s a darned good thing that I didn’t use my browser much, as they are charging me $51.20 per MEGABYTE! I talked to a dealer and he told me of a guy whose first bill topped $30,000!!! Apparently, ‘Unlimited Browser’ means just that; they aren’t charging me to use it. What they don’t mention anywhere that I could find is that that doesn’t include data transfer. Needless to say, I’m cancelling my contract and am going to go with a company that isn’t going to be so blatant in ripping off its customers.
Comment by DeadlyDad — October 31, 2009 @ 11:55 am
RE: RIM, AutoPC/WinCE/WinMobile/WhateverTheyCallItNext those are “also rans” with dwindling market share.
RE: Droid vs. iPhone … this is not the final battle. The Droid is just a sample of what’s coming down the pipe. Samsung, LG & Motorola combined are releasing between 4 and 5 new Android models per month!
Jax: The Andoid phones will not be obsolete within 2 years, anymore than a computer with Ubuntu installed now will be obsolete in 2 years. Its Linux, meaning FREE upgrades forever.
It will take time, but the number of OS developers on Android will exceed the combined staff of RIM & Microsoft & Apple combined. By that time, none of the proprietary vendors will be able to compete with open-source.
And the number of APPs on Android will be an order of magnitude greater than all competitors.
Its inevitable. But for now, Apple will cash-in while it can still compete, the lawyers will embrace their Crack-berries, and Windows users will wander like zombies, oblivious to any options (better or otherwise).
Comment by bempey — October 31, 2009 @ 6:02 pm
STILL no GSM option from Verizon? I was getting excited about getting DROID until I saw this. VERY disappointing. :( Even if Verizon doesn’t have a GSM network in the USA, it would be nice to have the option to switch over when I go overseas. When will Verizon catch up to the rest of the world?
Comment by Brian — November 1, 2009 @ 10:09 am
This makes me ridiculously happy to live in Europe. I got my G1 for free on a one-year contract with unlimited data, unlimited texts, and 300 minutes a month. This is all for 20 euros (about 28 dollars) a month. So for the entire thing I’ve payed about 300 dollars at the end of this year.
Comment by CaptainLove — November 1, 2009 @ 1:07 pm
Yeah European, you have a crappy G1 for $20 / month, but what about that 60% socialist tax haircut on your paycheck, plus having to live in a 200 sq ft (18 m2) studio with no A/C, and a collective bathroom in the hall? Europe is soooo overrated. Danish, Latvian, and Swedish girls are soo hot, though. I’m glad lots of Swedish and Eastern European girls are moving to Miami Beach, where I live. It’s always refreshing to see them topless in front of my condo.
Comment by josh — November 1, 2009 @ 6:49 pm
the graph ignores the fact hat droid has a keyboard while others dont. i do not know about you but i find it essential due to emails. i cant stand on screen keyboards.
Comment by zubair — November 2, 2009 @ 2:32 am
For everyone saying you cannot load apps on the microSD card on the Droid, you are incorrect.
As of Android 2.0, you can load applications onto the SD card.
Comment by Too Lazy to read the rest of the comments — November 2, 2009 @ 8:37 am
This is to clear some previous Verizon misconceptions:
Verizon’s Premium and Connect Plans allow some smartphones known as Enhanced Multimedia Phones. For the Blackberries, Palms and Smartphones you need a Basic or Select requiring the Unlimited Data plan for $30/month (basically a $1 a day).
Verizon’s Global devices do carry pre-installed SIM so when you do go overseas, you’ll have BOTH GSM and CDMA.
Verizon also has an employye discount plan for its customers. They network with alot of companies. You can get anywhere up to 50% depending on your company employer.
I’m an Alltel customer so I’m grandfathered into the network but at competitive pricing. I’m glad I get the best of both worlds. Anticipating the Droid’s release!!
Comment by I'monDroids — November 2, 2009 @ 11:59 am
@ those of you who are obviously very confused about the difference between RAM and Memory in smartphone lingo:
First:
The iPhone 3gs has 16GB of built in Memory
The Droid has 16GB of removable Memory (micro SD I believe)
This means that the Droids memory can be upgraded to whatever the latest flavor of Micro SD is available, be it 32GB or larger.
Secondly:
The iPhone has 256MB of system memory aka RAM
The Droid has 512Mb of system memory aka RAM
This should need no further explanation.
I would also like to join in the laughter at the iPhone’s “over 100,000 apps” …really, all that useless crap impresses you? Words fail me when adult professionals giggle as they make fart noises, gunshots, and various slurping noises emit from their “smart” phones.
I think I’ll be toting a Droid by this time next week.
@ the Palm Pre users. I really am glad that you seem to be having a positive experience with a Palm product. I simply cannot force myself to own another Palm after suffering with an employer provided Treo 755p for the last 1.5 years. I’m just not opening myself up to that kind of abuse again ;)
Comment by Sprdave32 — November 2, 2009 @ 5:40 pm
This is a no good comparison. Why would you put up the Palm Pre for Sprint when the Hero is their best phone and the strongest iPhone competitor on the market? Also, Sprint’s everything data plan is $70 a month for unlimited calls to ANY cell phone provider, unl internet, email, and text. You can’t beat that, period. The Hero is better than the iPhone and I actually HAD the option for either and chose the Hero. Which I could still take back but won’t be, because despite what the kids think. The Hero is better, browser is on par, upgradeable memory, open source OS, customizable, cheaper rates, better service, and since these are supposed to be PHONES first and foremost…then the Hero wins since it has better call quality on a better network. Sorry kids, but Apple’s on its’ way out because that’s who iPhone’s are for……kids ;-)
Comment by James D — November 3, 2009 @ 12:21 am
Oh yeah, and I get 22% off of my monthly bill with sprint and the htc hero. better phone on a better network for cheaper? damn. that’s a real hard decision
Comment by James D — November 3, 2009 @ 12:27 am
My only problem with the Iphone Apps is that yeah they have 100,000 but most of them are stupid and useless. Some are great, don’t get me wrong but 99,000 or so are useless. I want something with substance to it.
Comment by Bobby — November 3, 2009 @ 8:43 pm
The iPhone does do multitasking silly, it just isnt available to 3rd party developers. You can make a phone call and browse the web quite easily at the same time.
Comment by Daedalia — November 4, 2009 @ 4:46 am
I was with Touch Air prior to ATT and total time was 8 years. I switched to Verizon and have never been happier, no more dropped calls and awesome customer service. I like the Iphone and was hoping they would come to verizon but, it doesn’t look like it. I’m not willing to trade great service for the iphone, so I will probably try the droid. atleast I won’t have dropped calls.
Comment by Ken — November 4, 2009 @ 11:36 am
240 wpm? No freakin way! I’ve entered typing contests and the fastest I typed was 120wpm.
Comment by dfrano — November 5, 2009 @ 12:10 pm
is anyone considering the fact that all you need to do is purchase verizons cheapest monthly plan with 5 favorite numbers, then just purchase a data plan, at 29.99 + 49.99…..
this would allow you to make unlimited calls, and texts for 90/month……
Comment by jcock — November 5, 2009 @ 6:12 pm
I find it funny how people are mixing things up. I have an iPhone works good i’m happy with it even though it has crashed on me several times and deleted all my data in it once.
The big mistake i see people making is not that what phone is better or not, the main concern for most people is “AT&T” bad network (dropped calls, no reception) what good is a phone that cant be used to make calls? if you cant make calls or anything you would be just better off with the iTouch and enjoy the wifi, no monthly payments on it.
I’m still in contract, after that or sooner i will change phones and provider, and my iPhone will become an iTouch for me. If Apple expands to Verizon or other companies their sales will go up faster cus the draw back is the AT&T not the phone itself.
Comment by Carlos — November 6, 2009 @ 8:27 am
You forgot one of the most important expenses. APPS!
They’re free on the Droid, unlike the Apple store. Big difference.
Comment by SG — November 6, 2009 @ 8:51 am
Users are saying that pictures in the dark come out murky. Wasn’t this the major selling point? The much better camera? Apparently the camera software is subpar.
Unfortunately, I refuse to get these phones until Verizon and AT&T compete on price with T-mobile and Sprint.
AT&T and Verizon have the better networks and better phones, but they have sternly refuse to lower their prices even in the face of Sprint and T-mobiles truly unlimited plans (no faux unlimited like AT&T and Verizon).
I’m not getting these until service plan is lowered. Period. I can get unlimited for 49.99 somewhere else, why would I pay 100?
I don’t get why this is so hard for them to understand. AT&T and Verizon would all but eliminate Sprint and T-mobile if they simply cut their prices.
I don’t even need unlimited voice because I never go over the base because of my roll over, and unlimited nights and weekends. Just unlimited data (including texts, which should be part of the data plan, not seperate, it’s BS)
Comment by Nicey — November 6, 2009 @ 9:44 am
Thanks for the nice comparison. For me, the main feature is the web browser — and I prefer those web browsers that are standards compliant. I want to see websites properly rendered, with full JavaScript support. Windows Mobile and Blackberry are not in that category (though you can, theoretically, use Opera on the Blackberry — right?). Thank you for not including those “smartphones” in your comparison.
Comment by web surfer — November 6, 2009 @ 1:46 pm
Wow My Iphone 3GS has 32GB of storage yet your list says 16gb why use the lesser model Iphone against the best of the others? Kind of makes one wonder about the fairness when the first thing on the list is not really fair
Comment by Dreadnutz — November 6, 2009 @ 4:38 pm
No insurance for the iphone… How about the Droid? Thats a huge issue if you break the iphone
Comment by Anonymous — November 6, 2009 @ 4:56 pm
I read thru these posts and I rarely see those who separate phone vs network arguments.Although I recognize they are related,one must consider them separate when arguing capability features. Initial price is negligable when compared to service, which I believe is the most important aspect of any phone smart or not.As to service,well allow me to say that I have had cell service for 16 years-9 with contel/gte/verizon,2 with att and 5 with nextel/sprint back and forth for the last ten yrs playing the new phone best deal game. During that time I have never been happier with quality of service with verizon-hands down. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong. I’m not saying they’re not all crooks,of course they are. Like why do they have phone proprietary to each of their networks: profitability rules. But until people demand universal services and products: it still beats two cans and string
Comment by rockon dave — November 6, 2009 @ 5:50 pm
I’m surprised that many people are saying that iPhone is better than Droid. I own an iTouch - and I really like it, but the iPhone as a smart phone has too many limitations (eg. no multi-tasking, low res screen, low res camera, no pluggable memory).
On the other hand, the Droid has done a great job of merging a phone and a computer. The screen resolution and camera resolution are a big selling point to me over iPhone.
Having said that, Motorola have had some of the worst quality control i’ve ever seen in my life (units going back time and time again) - so i’m waiting to see if Motorola have learned their lesson. If I knew that Motorola would produce a reliable product, I would have bought one already.
My crystal ball tells me that Apple is going to lose a big market slice to Android devices :)
AC
Comment by AC — November 7, 2009 @ 2:32 am
There is no way you are going to shrink your bill by paying $2300-$2800 over two years. Never in the history of mankind have people paid so much just to talk to each other.
Comment by Jon — November 8, 2009 @ 4:04 pm
Hi Bill
Cool chart! For me, one of the things reviewers often miss WRT a disadvantage of the iPhone, is what for me is THE REASON I will never buy one.
MUSIC!
With the iPhone, you have to use quicktime, itunes, a proprietory cable. You cannot drag and drop folders of music to and from your phone.
I detest all of that (and I own two mac computers of my own). I like being able to plug in to a generic USB, on ANY computer anywhere, and just add or remove or copy music to and from the device as much as I want, no interference from a freak controlling Apple.
This would make iPhone (or an iPod for that matter) completely unacceptable to me.
Mark UK.
Comment by Fredphoesh — November 9, 2009 @ 5:30 am
Not to nitpick or sound like an Apple apologist, but tech writers keep getting the multitasking thing wrong. The iPhone multitasks just fine, just not with any third-party apps. You can debate the relative merits of this decision by Apple but it doesn’t change the fact that the iPhone can and does multitask with built-in functionality.
Frankly, from what I’ve seen, it was designed so well, pops in and out of apps so quickly (all of which save their state when quitting) that for most users, the experience is equivalent to multitasking anyway.
Comment by Andre Richards — November 9, 2009 @ 9:30 am
Left Verizon and bought two iphone 3gs two weeks ago at Best buy. Will go back tomorrow and return both. WHy,
Dropped calls. I am not a techie. I just want a phone that works. My apartment in Northern CA, just four blocks from ATT store and 1.4 mile from tower only works when standing out in parking lot. I see lots of blogs on ways to improve reception. SO many blogs I recognize that the problem is not unique. Phone calls to ATT technical were of no help. First person at ATT store said “NO, We know of no known reception problems in our local area. Second person a week later at same store said ” Yeah, we have a lot of reception problems in this area, despite it showing on our maps its a good area.
Point is: ATT stores are full of SALES PEOPLE, who probably came from used car field. Once you are off the lot, buyer beware. Compare features all you want, argue platforms and ecosystems till your ears turn blue, I just want a phone that works, and its painfully obvious I phone wont work for me. Leave it to the urban valley girls.
Comment by Long haul trucker — November 9, 2009 @ 11:44 am
One question: Does the Droid’s web browser support Flash? And an addition: It would have been nice to see a comparison of weights, physical dimensions and display sizes. For example, the iPhone display is 320 x 480 pixels, while the Droid’s is a whopping 480 x 854. Huge difference.
Comment by Shawn — November 9, 2009 @ 3:04 pm
The iPhone beats all the phones apps. Let’s not forget the awesome customer service that you get from Apple! You can’t put a price on that.
Comment by iPhone Fan — November 9, 2009 @ 3:30 pm
You didn’t compare screen size, display quality, weight, thickness, availability of multi-touch or maximum storage capacity all of which are important topics when it comes to smart phones and all of which would put the iPhone in a much better light compared to the others.
Comment by Andre Richards — November 9, 2009 @ 4:45 pm
iphone cant be beet
Comment by Anonymous — November 9, 2009 @ 6:12 pm
the review needs to compare memory in addition to storage. they’re are two separate categories.
Comment by dnice850 — November 9, 2009 @ 7:46 pm
I wish Apple drones will identify themselves before they put any comments. If you are an Apple Drone you will buy an iPhone no matter if it is $1000 can only be used on Tuesdays from 1Am to 2AM standing at the cell tower in freezing weather. They will always think Apple products are great no matter what.
NO the iPhone does not multitask. PERIOD.
the iPhone does NOT have a physical keyboard
the iPhone does NOT have a flash
Apps for the iPhone need permission from Apple to be developed.
All created by the most controlling company in the universe.
Comment by Jimmy — November 9, 2009 @ 8:57 pm
why does Verizon continue to brag about having more high speed data in rural areas?
is this because that’s all they really have over at&t?
even when most rural iphones users have wifi connection, so not having 3g in those areas is a non issue…
You cant access the internet and talk on the phone at the same time in rural areas without 3g…. BUT YOU CANT EVEN DO THAT WITH VERIZON. PERIOD
the droid looks like a glorified instinct!!
says my friend Rob
Comment by cb3620 — November 12, 2009 @ 8:25 am
I am pretty techie as I work with videography and Photography. Most of you guys are missing the big picture here. NO ONE complains about the iPhone (with the exception of the service. Read ATT, not Apple).
Is Apple controlling? You betcha. They control hackers that could develop the best trojan horse fart app. (by the way they have fart apps on the Droid too.) They check the apps that they put in the app store.
Most phone customers don’t even know that their phone has a micro SD card in it. I see this every week. They have no clue about getting the pics off their phones. Most think Blue Tooth is the thing that They stick in their ear and not the ability to send files etc.
Many of us here like to spend hours figuring out how our devices work. Most just want to swipe tap and be doing things. Also they just want to plug in and hit synch and have all their latest podcasts, apps, music and contacts updated on their computer. That is the real benefit to the iPhone. Saving time, and having the web at your fingertips.
As for me the question is a Droid now or wait until next summer when verizon gets it. Maybe with 4g lte built in? If that is the case I will snatch up an iPhone and wait until Big Red rolls out the fat wireless pipe in my area.
Note that Moto’s comercials are the Droid Does ones. While Verizon’s are the ones that state there’s a map for that. A map for that with an app for that… I can hardly wait.
Comment by marcello — November 12, 2009 @ 8:34 am
Gadget drones, carrier cheerleaders, and the IT press’ feature list magisterium are giddy about Android, and even more so, oddly, about Flash. Yes* (correct answer, with an asterisk) iPhone OS multi-tasks. AAPL sells experiences first, and the market world-wide has confirmed iPhone’s design wisdom. Apple decided not to enable an open conduit for malware on the iPhone, another win for its customers. Who is Google’s customer?
Also, if you support an open Internet, you’ll be wary of Flash.
Comment by kazimir — November 12, 2009 @ 9:09 am
@Jimmy
“I wish Apple drones will identify themselves before they put any comments.”
I wish the Apple haters would do the same.
“NO the iPhone does not multitask. PERIOD.”
Yes it does, just not for all applications. I can make a phone call and browse the web, look up contacts and email simultaneously. What do you call that? Know what you’re talking about before posting next time. It would be less embarrassing for you.
“Apps for the iPhone need permission from Apple to be developed.”
There’s no permission involved. The SDK is free to download, as are all of Apple’s dev tools. Apple puts all applications through a quality control process before posting to the App Store. That’s not asking permission. That’s maintaining a level of quality. If you’re a lazy developer who can’t meet some simple guidelines from Apple (and I know what those guidelines… they’re not nearly as draconian as some believe) you should probably go elsewhere.
BTW, Apple has stated their reasoning for doing this and they are right. Maintaining that level of quality control has ensured that there is no malware for the iPhone. Look at the jailbroken iPhones… already there are viruses circulating. Hard to make a silly argument like yours stick when the reality of the situation is staring you right in the face.
Comment by Andre Richards — November 12, 2009 @ 12:16 pm
I switched BACK to verizon from owning an iPhone for two months. Too many dropped calls. However the iphone is a slick and elegant OS. But verizon’s win back department will give you lots of $$$ incentives to come back. And iphones are selling like hot cakes on ebay. I actually made a good bit of cabbage switching back. AND I don’t drop calls anymore. woot!
Now droid users must unite and build a strong following to spur on this great brand.
Comment by Steve Jobs — November 14, 2009 @ 6:25 pm
Quality control to get apps into the app store is still approval. Apple routinely rejects apps that are too similar to features they plan to release on upcoming phones. Or they limit your access to those apis. It’s a semantic argument. But it’s control anyway you slice it.
Owned an iphone, now I own a droid. I can write an app and install it tonight, and sell it tomorrow. And nobody will take 30%.
Comment by carl — November 14, 2009 @ 6:29 pm
The droid? As a smartphone? You mean those new “smartphones” made mostly by the junk-phone-maker motorola, the ones that don’t have free turn-by-turn nav, the ones that keep loosing their battery covers, the keyboard peels off, the camera constantly crashes, the UI looks and acts like Windows 3.1, the ones that don’t even have pinch zoom & multi-touch, and so on? Those droids?
Yeah, no, these droids are not the smartphones you seek.
Comment by IdiotSavantePhone — November 14, 2009 @ 9:10 pm
I personally own a Droid, and I love it!! Coupling that with the coverage i get from Verizon, I’m pretty happy. I have owned an Iphone, and it would be much better if it wasn’t on such a shitty ass network. The question really is, how much multitasking can you do on that Iphone, plus if anything goes wrong including the battery, it has to be serviced. For me it was more along the lines of small inconveninces, consistently dropped calls, servicng (I don’t feel like having to drive all the way to the apple store to have a technician do little things I can easily do myself in my own home), I can’t put insurance on it (so if it break I’m f&*^ed), I can name many more. What I really like is that if I just happen to lose my DROID, and I activate a new one, everything from my old phone minus my apps transfers to it instantaneously. I’m sorry, but I’m a stickler for convenience.
Comment by Stephanie — November 15, 2009 @ 8:22 pm
My partner and I were about to buy new iPhones… Then, when we were in Best Buy the other day… We were able to play with a new Motorola/Verizon/Google Droid. We played with the Droid — especially the web-browsing — for like an hour… WOW! The Droid is awesome! We will be buying two new Droids instead, for sure! It seems like they have fixed all the problems that everyone complains about with the iPhone…. starting with AT&T’s horrible service…. and removable battery, better flash camera, flash video,
Comment by Bruce Wagner — November 16, 2009 @ 7:29 am
My opinion is to get the droid. If i wanted to, in a year or something the iphone is going to be available for every network. so really, i go with verizon.
Comment by Donny — November 17, 2009 @ 7:47 pm
I’m buying a Droid tomorrow. The guy at the wal-mart verizon/at&t desk owns both the iphone and the droid. He’s pissed because he paid 3.99 for alot of apps on the iphone that he could get for free on the Droid. I’ve ran Linux for seven years and it’s NOT ready for the desktop. But the Droid (Android) is the best use of it yet other than servers. Google’s Chrome OS could be interesting to see next year as well. I almost got an iPhone recently. Glad I waited. Apple has always been good quality but over priced. Apple’s crowning mistake….??? PUT YOUR @^#%$? OS out for PC’s as well as these new PC/MACs. Hackintoshes don’t could. Apple just killed alot of them with a new update. They need to sell OSX for PC’s if they wan’t market share ( which they need). Microsoft doesn’t build PC’s (thank god). But neither should apple as long as their OS is exclusive on them. Apple is stupid. Linux has far more potential IF some devs do as Google and work on being more user friendly and PLEASE talk to developers about commercial apps like games… enough of doom 3 and Rage. Bottom line, open source is clearly better with help from Google. Apple is just too closed. Anyhow, I’m going crazy waiting for tomorrow to come to get my Droid. Sorry about the Open Source lecture. But Apple does need to get serious.
Comment by linux.is.skynet — November 19, 2009 @ 3:40 pm
* hackintoshes don’t count
Comment by linux.is.skynet — November 19, 2009 @ 4:19 pm