Slashgear, Engadget, and Gizmodo got their lucky hands on HTC’s Droid Incredible and have shared their expert opinions about Verizon’s slickest new Android 2.1 smartphone. Let me save your invaluable time and summarize their reviews –who wants to read several thousand words anyway? You’re welcome.


Slashgear: Vincent loves the more accurate touchscreen compared to the Nexus One, whose AMOLED display also lacks the “brightness range” of the Incredible’s. However, the Motorola Droid, Verizon’s other super-phone, has an LCD panel that is more suitable for outdoor use. The Incredible’s responsive capacitive touch translates to better on-screen keyboard inputs too. While video capture (capped at 480p) is only OK, the 8 megapixel camera with bright dual-LED takes sharper pictures than the Nexus One and the Droid.

Not everything is peachy though, as the Incredible’s battery life is sub-par, not lasting a single day under general usage. Even the monster 1GHz Snapdragon cannot keep up with some Flash Lite 4.0 videos (Adobe is pitiful). Because the Nexus One has voice-canceling microphones, its voice quality is superior to the Incredible, which in turn betters the Motorola Droid. Until the Evo 4G arrives, Vincent believes that the Droid Incredible is the Android 2.1 smartphone to have, unless you travel overseas often and require 3G outside of the States.

Engadget: Josh was multitasking over the weekend, penning a thorough review and blowing the whistle on the supposed iPhone 4G “leak.” The Incredible’s design and build are commendable. Joshua also thinks that the touchscreen on the Incredible is an improvement over the Nexus One, but the overly saturated hues and low brightness make AMOLED user unfriendly in daylight. Like Slashgear, Engadget digs the 8 megapixel camera. Contrary to Vincent, Joshua despises the Nexus One’s “tinny” voice quality and prefers the Motorola Droid. He is pleased with the Incredible’s voice quality. HTC’s revamped and fully polished Sense UI is a delight, being fast, useful, and beautiful –it transforms Android 2.1 from a very good to a great OS. Flash Lite is painful and has serious compatibility issues (blame Adobe). Joshua’s conclusion is that the Droid Incredible is the best Android 2.1 smartphone in America.

Gizmodo: Matt is amazed by the “almost shockingly fast” and intuitive Sense UI but is unimpressed with the Incredible’s “chintzier” than iPhone and Nexus One physical looks and construction. Basically, all three reviewers note that the AMOLED display has its ups and downs, and that the camera is awesome. Particularly sweet is that it takes just 2-seconds to go from homescreen to snapping a photo. Gizmodo gives the Droid Incredible a thumbs up for Verizon customers.

Summary: Several things about the Droid Incredible are disappointing: HTC/Verizon failed to include a microSD card; the AMOLED display is the same problematic panel used in the Nexus One (according to Engadget); the case is not as well built as the Nexus One (by Gizmodo’s reckoning), and the battery life is poor. Nevertheless, the Droid Incredible trumps the Nexus One and all other Android smartphones in terms of software (latest Sense UI), capacitive touch sensitivity, and photographic picture quality. The 1GHz CPU ensures that the Droid Incredible keeps pace with the fastest rivals out there, and Verizon’s network is fabulous.