Motorola Droid vs. iPhone 3GS Pros and Cons

Motorola Droid is the latest attempt by a phone company to knock Apple off its stride with the iPhone. The Motorola Droid uses a Android 2.0 platform and it is slightly thicker than the iPhone 3GS. Out of all the Android phones to have come out so far… Motorola Droid stamps its authority. It is the fastest and has one of the best display screens available.

Display screen [Motorola Droid]

The Motorola Droid just beats the iPhone in terms of the display screen. The Droid has a 3.5 inch screen which is slightly larger than the 3.5 inch screen of the iPhone. The Droid also has a higher resolution: 854 by 480 as compared to the iPhone’s 480 by 320.

Browser performance [iPhone]

According to UMPC portal, the iPhone still boasts a faster browsing speed: 12 seconds page loads as compared to the Motorola Droid’s 20 seconds.

Applications and usability [iPhone]

The iPhone 3GS overwhelmingly beats the Droid in terms of the availability of applications and widgets. The iTune store has over 85,000 applications available for use. I don’t think it will be long until the Android applications catch up though as it is an open source software.

Keyboard [up to the user]

The Motorola Droid offers a streamline QWERTY keyboard while the iPhone 3GS offers a virtual keyboard. The QWERTY keyboard may take some time to get used to but I think it will be easier to use in the long run. However, it is really up to the user. Some people might find it easier to use the virtual keyboard on the iPhone.

Thinness/Weight [no winner]

According to Engadget, the Droid is only 1.37 mm thicker than the iPhone 3GS (13.7 mm vs 12.33 mm). They are also similar weight-wise.

Camera [Motorola Droid]

The Motorola Droid offers a 5 megapixel in-built camera compared to the iPhone 3GS which offers a 3 megalpixel camera. You can take some decent photos with the Droid but do note that it takes a painfully long time to focus and snap photos.

Audio/Speaker [Motorola Droid]

The Motorola Droid offers one of the best audio experiences for a smartphone. It beats the iPhone hands down. The sound in most cases is crystal clear.

Software [Debatable]

The Motorola Droid comes with the recently updated Android 2.0. One should note however the Android 2.0 is not that much different to its predecessors. Some of the major changes includes the integration of Facebook and Gmail services. Visually, the iPhone software is more appealing but I think Android 2.0 wins in terms of the usability.