It's hard to underestimate the value of brand loyalty. Just ask Verizon Wireless. It's with satisfied
Incredible and
Incredible 2 owners in mind that the carrier is promoting the
Droid Incredible 4G LTE, a 4-inch, $149 device that -- as you may have guessed -- rides along VZW's fast LTE network.
Interestingly, the Incredible 4G LTE is landing at a time when many consumers might have preferred, say, the
HTC One X.
In fact, though, Verizon's decision to instead update the Incredible
(also made by HTC) introduces a rather enviable proposition to Verizon
customers. Remember that in a short matter of time, the
Samsung Galaxy S III
will soon make its debut at Verizon, at which point, it's expected to
become the network's premiere smartphone. Still, its large size will
deter many shoppers, and when viewed through this lens, the Droid
Incredible 4G LTE begins to make sense. Put simply, it's a compact
handset that stands as the antithesis to the assumption that size equals
power. While the handset doesn't quite approach the capabilities or
elegance of the
One X (or the
One S,
for that matter), the latest Incredible is a worthy successor and
deserves consideration as your next smartphone -- regardless of your
current provider. Read on to learn why.
Go ahead and raise your hand if you were surprised that the
Rezound
wasn't christened as part of the Incredible lineup. Given the cosmetic
similarities, you'd be forgiven. Perhaps it was the phone's larger
4.3-inch display that ultimately dictated its fate, but Incredible fans
will be pleased to know that the industrial design of the Droid
Incredible 4G LTE is remarkably similar to its forebears. The phone
maintains roughly the same dimensions and weight as the previous
iterations, and features bold, beveled lines around back. Purists will
appreciate that the original Incredible's red accents have returned,
which are evident on the front speaker grille, the power button and
camera pod.
Thankfully, the latest Incredible is remarkably more
comfortable to hold -- especially in comparison to the first generation
-- as the beveled edges now flow into gentle curves along the side that
allow the phone to fit naturally in one's palm. The soft-touch rear
cover has also gained a nice textured finish, which adds to the overall
visual appeal and makes the handset easier to grip. HTC has also updated
the capacitive navigation buttons, which now fall in line with the
scheme of the One lineup.
While the external changes to the Droid Incredible 4G LTE are rather
modest, the real story lurks within -- and it's a thriller. Based on the
Snapdragon S4 from Qualcomm, the phone sports a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU
and an Adreno 225 GPU. We'll discuss performance details a bit later,
but quite simply, the phone offers a lot of power in a little package
and feels every bit as snappy as the dual-core One X and Galaxy S III.
It's very impressive.
Naturally, a smartphone is only as good as
its display, and the Droid Incredible 4G LTE doesn't disappoint. While
some may be put off by its smallish size, just as many will view the
4-inch screen as the phone's most compelling feature. Like the HTC One
S, the Incredible offers a qHD (960 x 540) display, and while the
resolution isn't exactly cutting edge, it's a great fit for a screen of
this size. The end result is a pixel density of 275ppi, which is
slightly better than the One S. Thanks to the S-LCD screen, text is very
sharp and crisp, viewing angles are admirable and color reproduction is
solid. The display is also reasonably usable in direct sunlight. Only
in comparison to the S-LCD 2 screen of the One X does the new Incredible
appear to be anything less than excellent.
Sadly, you won't find anything like the Infinity screen on the One X
and One S, which gently drapes over the phone's edge. Here, your fingers
will rub against the phone's frame. While the Droid Incredible 4G LTE
is a solidly built phone, small touches like this reinforce the
impression that it doesn't reach the fantastic engineering heights of
the One lineup. That said, the design is also more functional, as the
device offers an accessible 1,700mAh battery and removable microSD
storage. Users will need to handle the rear cover gently, however, which
includes a built-in NFC antenna along with raised contact points that
appear somewhat fragile. While the stock rear cover doesn't support
inductive charging, the phone contains the necessary contact points. FCC
documentation also hints at the functionality. So, perhaps we'll see
HTC introduce a separate cover to make inductive charging possible.
In terms of amenities, you'll find the power button, 3.5mm headphone
jack and a secondary microphone up top (which allows users to record
sound in stereo), a volume rocker on the right-hand side, the primary
microphone on the bottom and an MHL-capable micro-USB port situated on
the left-hand side. There's also a handy charging / notification light,
which is hidden just above the Verizon logo on the face of the phone.
Positioned to the right of the camera pod on the rear is a speakerphone.
| | HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE |
| Pricing | $199 on-contract before $50 mail-in rebate |
| Dimensions | 4.8 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches (122 x 61 x 11.7mm) |
| Weight | 4.66 oz. (132g) |
| Screen size | 4.0 inches (102mm) |
| Screen resolution | 960 x 540 pixels (275ppi) |
| Screen type | Super LCD display |
| Battery | 1,700mAh |
| Internal storage | 8GB (5.21GB available) |
| External storage | MicroSD, none included |
| Rear camera | 8MP, AF, LED flash |
| Front-facing cam | VGA |
| Video capture | 1080p |
| NFC | Yes |
| Radios | CDMA 800 / 1900MHz; LTE 700MHz |
| Bluetooth | v4.0 |
| SoC | Qualcomm MSM8960 (Snapdragon S4) |
| CPU | 1.2GHz dual-core Krait |
| GPU | Adreno 225 |
| RAM | 1GB |
| MHL | Yes |
| WiFi | 2.4GHz: 802.11b/g/n; 5.0GHz 802.11a/n |
| Operating system | Android 4.0.3 |
Performance and battery life
Don't be fooled by the small size of the Droid Incredible 4G LTE,
because this one runs with the big dogs. Like the US variants of the One
X and Galaxy S III, the phone includes a wicked fast Snapdragon S4 from
Qualcomm. Granted, the dual-core CPU within the latest Incredible runs
at 1.2GHz -- compared to 1.5GHz in its larger brethren -- but it
contains the same Adreno 225 GPU and real-world performance is
comparable.
Benchmark tests reveal a similar story. For example,
within Quadrant, the new Incredible's slower CPU is evident, but it also
boasts significantly faster memory that helps it best even the mighty
Transformer Prime
tablet. In Vellamo, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE outperformed the
quad-core HTC One X -- which features NVIDIA Tegra 3 internals -- and
fell just behind the dual-core One X and Galaxy S III.
| | HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE | HTC One X (AT&T) | Samsung Galaxy S III (AT&T) |
| Quadrant | 4,247 | 4,784 | 5,084 |
| Vellamo | 2,045 | 2,259 | 2,153 |
| AnTuTu | 6,001 | 6,956 | 6,713 |
| SunSpider 0.9.1 (ms) | 1,871 | 1,453 | 1,926 |
| GLBenchmark Egypt Offscreen (fps) | 56 | 56 | 54 |
| CF-Bench | 7,778 | 9,479 | 9,439 |
| SunSpider: lower scores are better. |
As we've alluded to, the real-world performance of the latest
Incredible is buttery smooth: boot times are quick, apps are summoned
without hesitation and the web browser is utterly fluid. Put simply,
it's a joy to use.
The story with Verizon LTE is generally
consistent and two-fold: excellent data speeds and miserable battery
life. While we never experienced the insanely fast speeds that many have
come to expect (performance averaged 13Mbps down and 6Mbps up) the
latest Incredible offers battery life that's a refreshing departure from
the norm. In our standard rundown test, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE
eked out a solid seven hours and 15 minutes of runtime, which matches
the excellent longevity of the
Droid 4.
Similarly, the phone managed to get 52 hours of uptime from a single
charge with moderate use. While the Incredible's battery life doesn't
approach the high mark set by the
Droid RAZR Maxx, it offers a respite from the constant search for power outlets. And at the end of the day, that's all that really matters.
The Droid Incredible 4G LTE is a remarkably solid performer as a phone.
While it doesn't quite approach landline quality, it's easily one of
the better experiences we've had with a mobile device in quite some
time. In all cases, voices were remarkably clear -- even at low volume
-- and we were able to carry on a natural conversation without straining
to hear the caller or struggling to properly position the earpiece.
Similarly, others commented on the clarity and depth of our voice.
With respect to navigation, we're happy to say that the latest
Incredible was able to detect GPS satellites nearly instantaneously.
Software
If you're familiar with Sense 4, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE offers
very few surprises. The skin was developed by HTC independent of
Google's work with Android 4.0, and while it remains a significant
departure from Ice Cream Sandwich, the overall experience is attractive,
intuitive and responsive. For the purposes of this review, we'll focus
on the software that's specific to the latest Incredible, but if you're
unfamiliar with Sense 4, be sure to check out
our full review of HTC's latest skin.
Upon first boot, you'll be greeted by a setup wizard that prompts
first-timers to select their default language, configure Verizon's
Backup Assistant Plus service (a freemium offering, which can be
skipped), setup various email accounts and enable their Google account.
As you'll see, the setup wizard also beats users over the head with the
fact that their phone can be used to track location. Indeed, in the next
step you'll be asked to configure which location services -- Verizon,
GPS and Google -- to enable. Lastly, users are given the option to view
basic tutorial videos. Once that's out of the way, you'll be delivered
to the home screen, where the default wallpaper is quick to remind users
that this is, indeed, a Droid. As you'd hope, you can easily switch to
HTC's own themes, but by default, it's all rather heavy-handed with
Verizon's own brand. The phone even goes so far as to play the familiar
"Droid" sound with each new message. It's a not-so-subtle way of turning
users into walking advertisements.
Fortunately, Verizon
exercised restraint with its bundled apps. That's not to suggest that
the phone is pristine, however, as you'll discover a few applications
that essentially amount to advertisements. These include two games,
Let's Golf 3 HD and
Real Racing 2,
along with Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3, Slacker Radio and Slingbox. With
respect to the games, these are merely shell apps that weigh in at less
than 1MB and immediately prompt users to download approximately 600MB
worth of data. As a bit of an insult, both games are merely playable
demos, so it's hard to argue that they add any value to the phone.
Slingbox is a similar story, as the included "app" merely prompts users
to sign up for the paid service and download the software.
With respect to Verizon's own software, you'll find My Verizon Mobile
for quick account access, NFL Mobile, V Cast Tones (for those who still
pay for ringtones), Verizon Video, visual Voicemail -- a $1.99/month
service -- and VZ Navigator. There's also a Mobile Hotspot app, which
more or less exists for those who can't find the toggle within the
settings menu. Those who need to keep close tabs on their data usage
will also find a small widget from Verizon for this purpose, which links
to the My Verizon app.
None of the bundled apps can be
uninstalled, but HTC's software allows users to selectively disable
unwanted titles, which keeps them out of the launcher. In this sense,
it's rather unoffensive as each application's footprint is so small, but
several of the apps are annoyances just the same.
Camera
We've good news and bad news to share with respect to the camera in the
Droid Incredible 4G LTE. First, the bad: this phone's camera isn't the
same as you'll find on the One X and One S. It's inferior. On the
upside, however, the camera is still quite excellent in its own right.
While the One X features an f/2.0 lens, you'll find an f/2.2, 28mm setup
here. Both 8-megapixel cameras contain backside illuminated sensors and
are rather comparable with respect to daylight and indoor photography,
but the One X is noticeably better when it comes to low-light scenes.
All told, the camera captures an impressive amount of detail with
admirable color reproduction and delivers fantastic results at the press
of a button. Most users will be rightfully thrilled by this camera, and
our only nitpick is an excessive amount of sharpness that's discernible
when images are viewed at full size.
The greatest differentiator
between the camera of the Droid Incredible 4G LTE and the One lineup is
the exclusion of HTC's ImageSense processor. While you'll find roughly
the same set of software features, the real magic of HTC's imaging
capabilities happen on the processing level, and it's absent on the
latest Incredible. Not only does ImageSense affect overall image
quality, but it has a bearing on the camera's real-world functionality
as well. For example, while the Droid Incredible 4G LTE can capture
roughly three images per second, the HTC One series can process twice
this in the same amount of time -- all thanks to its hardware. In terms
of software, you'll find the same set of shooting modes, which include
the ability to capture HDR imagery, gyroscope-assisted panoramas,
close-up and low light scenes, along with landscape, portrait and a few
others. You'll also find the ability to apply Instagram-like filters to
images, along with basic crop and rotation tools.
The Droid Incredible 4G LTE once again impresses with its 1080p video
capture, which records at a smooth 30fps with stereo sound. We would
like to see more refinement with respect to the image stabilization
feature, however, and while the auto-focus during recording is a nice
feature, you'll likely need to tap-to-focus during the clip in
situations where you transition between close-up and distant subjects.
Like with the One X and One S, you'll find the ability to easily capture
widescreen (3,264 x 1,840) images while recording 1080p video.
Wrap-up
At first blush, it's easy to say that Verizon made a crucial misstep by
excluding the One X from its lineup. While it's difficult to quickly
dismiss that claim, the Galaxy S III will no doubt satisfy a large
number of customers in search of a large and powerful smartphone. And
besides, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE is a strong addition to Verizon's
lineup, as it offers nearly all of the power and functionality of a
premiere Android superphone, except in a smaller form factor.
As
is, the purchasing decision for Verizon customers is now clear and
distinct: those who want a best-of-breed smartphone with a large display
should choose the
Galaxy S III,
while those who want nearly the same level of performance within a
smaller enclosure should choose the Droid Incredible 4G LTE. Naturally,
the
Galaxy Nexus remains a solid option for those who insist upon stock Android above all other considerations, and the
Droid RAZR Maxx is a competent performer for those who demand maximum battery life.
While the One X would still be a welcome addition at Verizon Wireless,
the carrier now has an incredibly strong portfolio of Android
smartphones that cater to a wide variety of desires. If you're currently
on the hunt for a compact smartphone that offers world-class
performance, you've reached your destination.
