iPhone 4 vs HTC Desire S
A year is a long time in the world of the smartphone, and lots can change, but something about the way Apple develops a device keeps them ticking over long after other devices have gone obsolete, which is why we've taken it upon ourselves to see just how well Apple's box of tricks, the iPhone 4, measures up against one of HTC's latest Android superphones, the Desire S. Will the new phone wipe the floor with the seasoned iPhone 4, or will it be a case of seniority prevailing? Let's see!
Display - The iPhone 4 boasts one of, if not the, best screens in the smartphone world. its 3.5-inch LED-backlit IPS display is simply brilliant. Colours look rich and vivid, movies look sharp and stunning and responsiveness is second to none. It's a tough ask to expect the Desire S to win in this category and unfortunately it doesn't. Its 3.7-inch Super-LCD screen is good, but just not good enough to beat the Apple's stunning Retina Display.
Winner - iPhone 4
Drive Train - If you're a fan of smartphone's with plenty of muscle then you'll love the HTC Desire S. It's powered by a 1GHz Scorpion CPU and also features an Adreno 205 GPU, 768MB RAM and 1.1GB ROM. There's no discernible lag or slow-down when multi-tasking and the phone feels snappy and fast across the board. The iPhone 4 weighs-in with a similar spec and its 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 chip does a fine job of powering the device and, as you'd expect of Apple, there's no issue with slowdown and its job is well augmented by the 512MB RAM installed. We'd love to compared the two devices whilst multi-tasking but, alas, the iPhone 4 lacks that capability, which all but hands this round to the more powerful (and capable) Desire S.
Winner - Desire S
Optics - Both of these devices would suit the casual snappers among you as they both feature pretty capable 5-megapixel cameras with LED flash capability. Video is captured in 720P by both phones too, and the results are, on the whole, impressive. Shot for shot the iPhone 4 produces better images though, as the Desire S suffers somewhat from the same over exposure as its predecessor when the LED flash is used.
Winner - iPhone 4
Build and Design - You can rely on HTC to produce good hardware and the Desire S serves as a great example of the company's diligence and dedication to high quality craftsmanship. The design is minimalist and sleek and the device feels of re-assuring weight and balance. Apple, similarly, have a good track record for producing good looking, solid devices and the iPhone 4 doesn't besmirch that reputation. We're sure you've heard of the dreaded death-grip business though, which means you have to insulate your iPhone 4 with a rubber bumper if you wish to ensure a signal when holding the device a certain way, and while it isn't the end of the world it does interfere with the overall aesthetic of the phone. That aside the iPhone 4 is a really eye-catching piece of hardware and it looks and feels premium.
Winner - Desire S
Value - One drawback with Apple's devices is price and as you're doubtless aware, they don't come cheap. Thankfully, owing to its age, a number of good deals can be had which will put an iPhone 4 into your hand for very little outlay though, and the most impressive of these is courtesy of Three; which will set you back £69 for your iPhone 4 but will give you 2000 minutes, unlimited texts and truly unlimited data (plus the empathic folk at Three will give you a free bumper and 5000 Three-to-Three minutes too). It's a 24-month plan though, so think about it before you take the plunge. The HTC Desire S enjoys a far more wallet-friendly price-point and one can be yours for free on a 24-month plan with Orange, which will give you 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 500mb of data! If buying the device outright is more your thing you can pick up the 16GB iPhone 4 for an eye-watering £765 or the HTC Desire S for a slightly more palatable £409.99 (prices include VAT).
Winner - Desire S
Not a bad showing from the year-old iPhone 4, but it really does look its age when you hold it up to the Desire S, a device which takes all of the features that made the original Desire such a success, and expands on them where it matters. In terms of value, hardware and overall experience Android really is proving very difficult to beat these days!