It wasn’t that long ago when your choice of Android-based devices was limited to two or three models. Nowadays each carrier has at least two (AT&T: 2, T-Mobile: 6, Sprint: 3, Verizon: 5). And HTC is leading the charge with the likes of the Nexus One, Hero, Evo and now, the Droid Incredible for Verizon. I’ve had one for the last few days and I can say that it truly is incredible. Assuming you’re on Verizon and you’re looking for an Android device.
With a 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen, Android 2.1, 8-megapixel camera, Sense UI and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, the Incredible is another impressive Android device from HTC. In fact, it’s probably the best Android device available on the market right now.
(More on Techland: Nexus One Review)
It isn’t perfect but is anything ever perfect? No.
Hardware
The Incredible is an unassuming piece of hardware until it’s flipped over and undressed. I’m not sure which shade of red HTC went with, but it’s real nice. You notice hints of it around the camera lens and on the front headset speaker grill. The rubber battery cover is contoured to the internals of the device giving it a bit of extra flair.
Unlike the Nexus One, the Incredible sports an optical joystick rather than a trackball. I can’t say that I like it, but I honestly can’t say that I hate it. I used it pretty sparingly.
Let’s talk about the screen for a second. I imagine the surface of the sun is just as bright as the 3.7-inch AMOLED screen. But it’s a shame when they go head-to-head and the fiery ball of gas wins. With screen brightness cranked all the way, the Incredible is usable under direct sunlight, but not great.
I’m going to throw call quality under hardware for this review. It makes and receives phone calls with both parties hearing one another just fine.
The FM transmitter works pretty well, but you’ll have to plug in headphones for reception.
Battery Life
This can be hit or miss. The first day off a full charge didn’t last very long – about 10 hours. And that didn’t include Exchange ActiveSync. The second go around was much, much better. With Exchange ActiveSync running, screen brightness cranked all the way up and sporadic use of Wi-Fi and GPS, the Incredible managed to go a full day with moderate Web browsing, Twittering and random phone calls.
As is the case with most 3G smartphone devices, your mileage will vary. And lest we forget that Android runs apps in the background.
(More on Techland: Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G Has Kitchen Sink Appeal)