HTC has been an early adopter of the google backed Android Mobile Platform. While the initial Android devices were Google branded and had little competition for the iPhone 3G, the latest HTC Android that is customized with its Sense UI is something that gives the iPhone and the Palm Pre a run for its money.
Let me begin straight with the verdict on this one – HTC Hero comes very close to beat the Apple iPhone 3GS, to an extent it does excel in some parts, but the Android platform and the Hero hardware just fall short of being a clear winner in this case. Now whether its the Android OS that lacks something or the hardware has less horse power is your call, but the overall experience with the iPhone is still somewhat better than the HTC Hero. Having said that, the Hero is certainly a lovely device and the looks are stunning! Going forward the Hero convinces me that the next HTC running Android 2.0 might well be an iPhone Killer for sure…
HERO is powered with Android V1.5 (Cupcake), which brings in a lot of things including an onscreen keyboard. The iPhone QWERTY is great and the HTC Hero though very good, is not really a great in that department.
The uniqueness in the HTC Hero comes from the Sense UI which is pretty well structured to go against the iPhone multitouch interface. The iPhone 3.0 OS coupled with all the App store goodies is still heavy for Android to match upto. However HTC has managed to get the most out of Android Cupcake. The HERO integrates Facebook, Twitter and Flickr streams already (though the official Facebook app isn’t out yet). The inbuilt browser in HTC Hero supports Adobe Flash and thats something the wonderful Mobile Safari still cant do. Though we have heard about slow and slugging performance of websurfing on the HTC due to flash, it still looks good.
HTC hero packs in a better loudspeaker and impressive battery life. It also matches up to the iPhone with a teflon quote to the white version and a similar oil resistant oleophobic coating to the LCD. AGPS, Digital Compass, Accelerometer etc its all there! With a better GPU the iPhone 3GS certainly delivers better gaming experience (the App Store is a big advantage).
HTC Hero packs in a 5MP camera which produces stunning results. But both these phones fail to accommodate a flash light. The usual iPhone drawbacks like bluetooth file transfer, non usability of disk space via USB mass storage, memory card slot and non-removable battery gives the HTC Hero some edge.
Hero vs the N97 vs the iPhone
We have already seen iPhone and iPhone 3GS vs the Nokia N97, but up against the HTC Hero and the iPhone 3G S what is the rankings? Well the N97 steals the show with specs, but the touchscreen game of UI and usability goes to the iPhone and the Android. I would rank the iPhone 3GS as the best. Amongst the remaining two HTC Hero is certainly my favorite.
| Feature | iPhone 3GS
| HTC Hero |
| Network | 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 HSDPA 900 / 2100 |
| OS | iPhone OS 3.0 | Android V1.5 Cupcake |
| Display | TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors 320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches | 3.2″, 480 x 320 capacitive touchscreen |
| Camera | 3.15 MP / Autofocus 30 fps Video recodring with audio | 5MP |
| EDGE | HSDPA suppored 7.2 Mbps | HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps HSUPA, 2.0 Mbps |
| Internet Browser | Mobile Safari Full HTML without Flash | Full HTML with FLASH |
| Messaging | SMS (threaded view), MMS, Emails | SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, |
| FM | no | |
| Processor | 600 MHz CPU | 528MHz CPU |
| Battery | Unknown | Li-Ion 1350 mAh |
| Colours | White and Black | Brown, White (teflon coating) |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth AD2P (headset support only) Bluetooth P2P games WiFi | MiniUSB port Bluetooth WiFi |
| Memory | 256MB Ram 16 GB/ 32 GB storage | 288MB of RAM 512MB storage with MicroSD slot |
| Weight | 135gms | |
| Others |
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iPhone / iPod touch downloads
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I think HTC Hero is just next to being the iPhone killer..the only things that separates it is the AppStore and also the touch-screen senstivity on iPhone..
Also additional factors like a flash and better memory are key points to be looked after..
Different strokes for different folks.
If you want an ipod that acts like a smartphone (mini computer) Go Iphone. You want a smartphone that can play music, and is interesting for smartphone related features go Hero (bluetooth file transfer would have been nice though).
There is nothing underpowered about the ability to multitask. However if you hate the extra 2-5 seconds moving from one active app to another caused by running two more apps in the background then the more linear approach of the iphone’s definitely for you.
Me personally I enjoy the extra freedom the Hero offers. The look, ease of use, ability to customize the experience (user interface) suite my needs perfectly.
For me anyway, The iphone comes a distant second for one reason only. It cannot multitask. This in todays age should be mandatory for anyone who actully uses a phone productively. I\’m suprised that this is not mentioned more often. I just love being able to have google talk or msn etc running in the background. I cant remember the last time I even sent an SMS! Anyway besides that they are both very good phones with their own set of strengths and weaknesses.
Rob
If you need to compare,you should compare HTC Hero to the iPhone 3G, not the iPhone 3GS. The iPhone 3GS is on a different price range.
You actually “should” compare the HTC Hero to the iphone 3GS. The Hero is $179 while the iphone 3G is only $99 and the iphone 3GS is $199. I’ve tried the Hero out and I do like the customization and the slick widgets BUT the main reasons I’ll probably return it and go with the iphone 3GS is because of the app store (10X the apps and much better quality) and because the web browser is VERY slow when you attempt to pinch to zoom in our out. The double-tap works fine but the browser experience is very unpleasant next to the iphone though it is better than on such phones as the Diamond, etc. I really wanted to like the Hero because I get much better features with Sprint than I do AT&T (ie: Tv, Navigation, 7pm nights, etc)
The Hero won’t tether with a Mac. I need tethering for my work. iPhone wins. Otherwise, I love the Hero