Rivals: HTC Touch HD versus iPhone 3G
Anyone from outside the UK, please excuse this comparison which looks at the handset from a British perspective. The general specifications will be the same whichever country you're lucky enough to get hold of it in.
Look & Feel
Size and weight are virtually identical between the two handsets, with the HTC Touch HD measuring 115 x 62.8 x 12mm and weighing 146.4g, with the iPhone 3G measuring 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm and weighing 133g.
Looks wise, they're also very similar.
Screen
The HD is all about screen real estate, and wins out with a 3.8-inch 800 x 480 resolution (5:3 aspect ratio) screen, compared to the iPhone 3G's 480 x 320 (3:2) screen. That will give Touch HD applications much more room to play with.
Keyboard
It's not immediately clear what kind of on-screen keyboard the Touch HD has, though it's bound to have something for text input. The iPhone 3G, of course, has a context-based virtual keyboard.
Camera
The iPhone 3G is still stuck with its static two megapixel affair, while the Touch HD has a main five megapixel autofocus camera on the back, and a secondary VGA camera on the front.
Multimedia
Both handsets play a wide variety of audio and video formats: the Touch HD handles AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV and MIDI, and has a built-in FM radio receiver.
Specifications are vague on the Touch HD's video capabilities, but I presume they are pretty good, given that there's the ability to view photos, video, online TV, and so on.
Navigation
Both handsets have GPS built-in and utilise Google Maps. Presumably, both have similar functionality, with additional features for both handsets being somewhat reliant on how Google develops its mobile application.
Communications
Both handsets feature 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Web Browsing
Both handsets feature full Internet browsers. It's likely that the Touch HD handles embedded Flash and Java in web pages, where Safari for iPhone doesn't.
Operating System
The Touch HD implements HTC's TouchFLO 3D touchscreen control bolted on to Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional. The iPhone 3G uses Apple's OS X.
Storage
The iPhone 3G has fixed 8GB or 16GB memory, while the Touch HD has 512MB of ROM and 288MB of RAM built-in, with a microSD expansion slot.
Applications
The Touch HD should handle applications written for the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, while a standard iPhone will take any applications approved for download from the App Store, plus ad hoc applications.
Business Credentials
Neither handset is directly aimed at the business market, though both would claim some enterprise credibility. Arguably, Windows Mobile devices are more welcome in the business world than the iPhone. It will depend on individual company policy.
Pricing & Networks
In the UK, the Touch HD is available exclusively on Orange until at least 2009. The iPhone 3G is available exclusively on O2.
The Touch HD handset will cost £79.99 when an 18-month, £40 per month contract is taken out.
The iPhone 3G costs from £159 to free, depending on monthly price of 18-month contract, or is available on PAYG from £349.99.
Conclusion
The HTC Touch HD is one of the next generation of higher definition touchscreen phones which potentially show up the iPhone's lower resolution and will probably force Apple to bring out its own "iPhone HD" next year.
Having said that, for a lot of browsing, photo, and video applications, the iPhone 3G is perfectly adequate.
The Touch HD looks to be cheaper for its advanced functionality.
The fly in the ointment, based on Orange's own press release (which we will have to confirm when the Touch HD is released early next month) is that the £40pm contract option doesn't offer unlimited Internet access. Instead, there's a cap of 250MB per month. No mention of free Wi-Fi hotspots either.
Powermat: Revolutionary Gadget Charging
Came straight to this page? Visit www.iphonic.tv for all the latest news.
