Head-to-Head: HTC HD2 versus iPhone 3GS (1)

To find out the answer, we have pitted the HD2 and the iPhone in a head-to-head contest.

 [1] Size and Weight:  The HD2 measures 4.74x2.64x0.43inches (120.5x67x11mm) (LxBxD) and weighs 157gm (5.54ounces) whereas the iPhone 3GS measures 4.5x2.4x0.48inches (115.5x62.1x12.3mm) (LxBxD) and weighs 135gm (4.8ounces).

 Winner:  Tie. There is not much difference between the form factor of the two smartphones except for the fact that the HD2 is slightly, but unnoticeably, heavier and bigger because of the bigger touchscreen it accommodates.

 [2] Display:  The HD2 boasts of a whopping 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen with 480x800 pixel resolution display while the iPhone has a 3.5-inch touchscreen with 480x320 pixel resolution display.

 Winner:  The HD2. The HD2 sports a whopping 4.3-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen with 480x800 resolution display (larger than the one featured by its predecessor HTC Touch HD, which itself boasted of a generously-sized display). In other words, things like web browsing or watching YouTube videos are, not surprisingly, more enjoyable on the HD2 than what one could expect from iPhone's smaller 3.5-inch capacitive multitouch screen with 320x480 resolution display.

 [3] Camera and video recording:  The HD2 boasts of 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash and video recording (@30 fps) while the iPhone boasts of a 3.15-megapixel camera with autofocus and video recording (@30fps).

 Winner:  The HD2. On paper, the HD2's camera looks far superior to the iPhone, especially because the latter's camera is not accompanied by a flash. However, the video recording quality of both are similar.

 [4] Connectivity and Wireless:  Both the phones are quadband and GSM-based. Both the phones boast of 3G, WiFi, EDGE, GPRS and Bluetooth and both lack infrared port. However, the HD2 has a microUSB port which the iPhone lacks.

 Winner:  Tie. There's nothing to differentiate the two phones as far as connectivity and wireless features are concerned.

 [5] OS:  The HD2 runs on the latest Windows Mobile 6.5 platform whereas the iPhone runs on the proprietary iPhone OS 3.0.

 Winner:  The iPhone. The biggest drawback of the HD2 is simply its OS - Windows Mobile 6.5 browser.

The HD2 has no "real" multitouch feature though it boasts of being the first Windows Mobile-based device to do away with a stylus for navigation and control. One still needs to use a stylus for certain application, such as Windows Media Player. This is rather, unfortunate, considering that Windows Mobile 6.5 release was meant to be a move-away from the use of the stylus and toward more touch-friendly icons and buttons.

In fact, there isn't really much more to Windows Mobile 6.5. It's really just the same old Windows Mobile 6.1 with a smoother interface, touch-based navigation and some updated programs. Perhaps that's why Microsoft's Steve Ballmer recently referred to the OS as a "stop-gap."

On the other hand, the iPhone OS 3.0 allows you to experience full multitouch and gestures.

 [6] Processor:  The HD2 runs on the ultra-powerful Qualcomm 1Ghz Snapdragon processor while the iPhone is powered by ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz processor. Both also have dedicated graphics that allows one to enjoy games and

 Winner:  The HD2. Thanks to a faster processor (almost two times faster than the iPhone's processor), not only do apps open faster in the HD2, they respond faster, too. The application switching lag, update downtime and the occasional freeze noticeable in the iPhone are absent in the HD2. Moving around from one complicated webpage to the next also feels downright breezy, not cumbersome in the HD2.

 [7] Browser:  The HD2 offers a choice of two built-in web browsers - the speedy Opera Mobile as its default choice and the Internet Explorer. On the other hand, iPhone comes with Safari browser.

 Winner:  The HD2. The HD2 can support Flash-based web pages, thanks to Internet Explorer, unlike the iPhone. In other words, with the HD2, you can see Flash-heavy websites like Hulu and Webkinz and view rich web content as their designers intended.

To read on, click   Head-to-Head: HTC HD2 versus iPhone 3GS (2)  .