Ask any person on the street whether IPhone or Droid is superior and you are bound to get an answer and a strong opinion from anyone who owns one of these devices. Droid people think Apple products stink and the Droid is superior. Apple people are still mourning the loss of Steve Jobs, but still can muster up a few comments about their phone superiority. No one is neutral in this fight.
We have all seen the commercials. Droid has 4G LTE technology. IPhone has Siri. Both of them seem to have GPS and Angry Birds. All major carriers with the exception of T-Mobile carry both of them. Both phones have apps, voice, to text, music players, and do just about everything. So what is really the difference between the two? Is this destined to go down as a Ford vs Chevy debate. One that really means nothing to anyone who doesn’t own one of the vehicles, but if you do, you are passionate about the one you support.
Both phones have WiFi, Bluetooth, and the ability to tether a laptop to the phone. Droid wins the tethering battle because for an extra $20 a month, you can connect up to 5 devices to your Droid. IPhone can only connect one for the $20 per month. Winner: Droid
Droid wins on screen display size, as most Droids have over a 4 inch screen, and IPhone is only 3.5 inches. IPhone has a better picture despite the smaller screen and video playback looks better on the IPhone. Winner: IPhone
IPhone has the ability to use Facetime, video conference calling, but only on Wifi. As far as I know, Droid doesn’t have this feature at all. Winner: IPhone
Droid does have a HDMI port, where you can hook up a HDMI cable. IPhone doesn’t have this feature. Older IPhones are limited to 720i HD and the new Droids have 1080p. You need a 4GS to hit 1080 with the IPhone. Winner: Droid
Data transfer upload and download speeds are pretty close, although it seems like in New Orleans, IPhone loads pages significantly faster on the AT&T network, and just slightly faster on the Verizon network. The new Droid RAZR does run on 4G, but I haven’t met anyone with a 4G phone that seems to be getting that speed here in NOLA yet. Therefore, no edge to the Droid yet. Winner: IPhone
After looking at photos taken with both cameras, I believe the IPhone keeps images in better focus than the Droid, despite the increased megapixels in some of the Droid phones. Winner: IPhone
I listened to several songs on both devices, and believe that the Droid has the better sound. Bass sounds tinny on the IPhone, and the Droid seems to be able to handle highs and lows better. IPhone does come with ITunes, which is convenient, but with the proliferation of Web based music such as Rhapsody, Rdio, Pandora, IheartRadio, Spotify, and others, you don’t need ITunes to listen to your favorite songs. Winner: Droid
I believe after looking at all of the features in both phones here in the New Orleans market, they are both so similar it is hard to put one phone ahead of the other. The IPhone is beautiful and the design is amazing. The Droid might not be as pretty as the IPhone, but it outperforms the IPhone in many categories and the new RAZR Droid is a great looking device. I’m going to give the edge to IPhone as of today, and that might be because I own one and am more familiar with the features. I will admit that if the New Orleans market gets the 4G LTE Verizon network up and running with better stability, the Droid will be the clear winner. This means that despite my best intentions, I can’t settle this debate.
I look forward to your comments and arguments telling me why I am wrong and why your phone is superior!
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Nikki Randolph is a LSU grad with a degree in political science. By day, she is a minion to the man; by night, she is a Faulkner wannabe. You can follow her on twitter @nolajeepgirl
