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 remarkably close to beat the Apple iPhone 3GS, to 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, it’s the Android OS that lacks something or the hardware have 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! Moving 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 darned good, is not actually 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 up to. 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 that’s something the wonderful Mobile Safari still cant do. Though we have heard about slow and slugging performance of web surfing 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 nonremovable 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 NetworkGSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 19003G NetworkHSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900HSDPA 900 / 2100 |
| OS | iPhone OS 3.0 | Android V1.5 Cupcake |
| Display | TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches | 3.2″, 480 x 320 capacitive touchscreen |
| Camera | 3.15 MP / Autofocus30 fps Video recodring with audio | 5MP |
| EDGE | HSDPA suppored 7.2 Mbps | HSDPA, 7.2 MbpsHSUPA, 2.0 Mbps |
| Internet Browser | Mobile SafariFull 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 |
WiFiMiniUSB portBluetooth
WiFiMemory256MB Ram16 GB/ 32 GB storage288MB of RAM512MB storage with MicroSD slotWeight135gms Others
- Water and Oil resistant oleophobic coating
- Digital compass
- Spotlight Search
- Landscape keyboard in all apps
- VoiceOver (Voice Controls)
- iTunes App Store
- Shake to change music
- 3.5 mm audio jack
- Digital compass
- 3.5 mm audio jack
- Android Market (apps)
- Sense UI
- Handwriting recognition