For day three I managed to track down a Nexus user in Cincinnati through Twitter. Tim was kind enough to meet up for the opportunity to check out the Incredible while I checked out the Nexus.
These two phones are both HTC phones, and very similar in specifications and size.
Controls
Both phones sport the touchscreen buttons that seem to be the thing anymore. I was surprised to see them in a different order. Nexus arranges them Back-Menu-Home-Search while the Incredible arranges them Home-Menu-Back-Search. Not a big issue, unless you get to test lots of phones. I really wish they would settle on a standard order for buttons.
The Nexus has the same physical “track ball” that my G1 has while the Incredible using an optical one. I assume the move away from physical buttons and navigation controls is to make the devices more rugged. I miss a physical call and hang up button though, especially when it is cold and I have gloves on.
Memory
The biggest difference is that the Incredible comes with 8 GB of storage, but not as an SD card. It is actually built into the phone. In addition, you can add an SD card. The only issue with this strategy is that you need an SD card for many applications. It will be interesting to see if they rewrite applications (like QIK) to work with the built-in memory instead of requiring an SD card. The huge plus is that you have 8 GB built-in. When you decide you want more memory you add an SD card without losing the original 8. Since this supports up to a 32 GB SD card, that mean you can get 40 GB on this phone.
Well, almost 40 GB. Of course you lose some in the formatting, and if you look at the right screen, there is only 6.6 of the 8 GB available. Also, I noticed that the Phone memory is listed as 748 MB, but the specs say 512 MB. Not sure where that is coming from, perhaps that is where some of the missing 1.4 GB has gone?
Camera
Another difference is the camera. The Incredible comes with an 8 megapixel camera with 2 LED flashes. I have not put it through a lot of tests, but I have been surprised at how well it works, Typically you lose light sensitivity as pixels increase, but this does quite well.
Here is a shot with the flash:
Here is one without the flash:
And one more shot, I pulled over to the side of the road to grab this quick picture, proving yet again that the best camera you have is the one with you:
I think all in all the Incredible is a great upgrade over the Nexus. Nothing earth shattering, but a nice evolution. I am also a big Sense UI fan, so that is a big add for me. Of course, that’s for another post…
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Bryan, I really like what the Incredible has to offer, but have heard the Amoled screen washes out badly in the sunlight. I went to a Verizon store, but they would not allow the only one on display to be taken outside. Can you comment on this and should I stay with Verizon Customer No Service or wait for the Sprint EVO to come out later this summer?
If you set the brightness to 0 is unreadable in bright sun light. I had no issues with it otherwise. It has an auto setting, and with that on I can see the screen fine in bright sunlight. It is not as bright as indoors, but very readable.
As far as stay or go, I have no clue. I think that depends on your area, with all the talk about who has the best network, I think location makes all the difference. I have been very happy with the coverage on the phones Verizon has let me test, but unless you are in Cincinnati, that information doesn’t do you much good.
The Sprint EVO looks great. It will be a little bigger, not sure if that will be a good thing or not. Since I have none to compare, I can’t say much else.