Since I use and write about the Dell Streak and HTC EVO 4G every weekday on Streak Smart and Good and EVO, respectively, I've been getting a steady stream of requests to compare the devices with the iPhone 4. I've been planning to write something similar to the iPod touch vs Cowon S9 vs Samsung P3 article I did last year for the past few weeks, but with a 7-month-old baby girl, 3 websites, a forum, and a human need for sleep (not to mention a husband and an offline life), it never gets crossed off my daily to-do list.
I don't think it ever will be either. But rather than hold on to the specs chart and photos I took of the three devices (proof that I really was planning a comparison article) until they're obsolete, I thought I'd just go ahead and share them now.
Click the chart to see a larger version
One of the sections in my comparison was going to be about color reproduction/accuracy, so here are some photos of the devices displaying the same images. The first photo below shows the three phones with an all-black image on their screens.
I use various third-party keyboards on the Streak and EVO, but since the iPhone is deprived of such luxuries, here's a look at the stock keyboards.
I know that a lot of people like to see a "winner" in head-to-head comparisons, but I'm not interested in doing that for several reasons:
- I don't have the time, energy, or patience to deal with fanboys or flame wars.
- Mobile tech is about personal choice. Who cares which phone someone you probably don't know in real life says is the best? All that matters is what's perfect for you.
- Each phone has its pros and cons. Many are largely subjective; what's a pro for one person could be a con for another person.
The Streak, EVO, and iPhone have replaced my previous smartphone harem and will be joined by the Samsung Captivate when it's released tomorrow. I won't know what I think about the Captivate until I have it in my hands, but I do know that I'm really pleased with my current trio.
Which one is my favorite depends on my mood and what I want/need to do. I pick up the iPhone 4 more often during the day to check email and play Words with Friends, but I tend to use the EVO and Streak for longer stretches of time. There's something about Android that always makes me want to go a little deeper, which makes it less of a quick-use OS for me.
Visit Streak Smart and Good and EVO for continuing coverage of the Dell Streak and HTC EVO 4G.
Great picture of the Black Level!
Does the Streak really not support WiFi ‘n’? Some people are posting it does, some are saying it does not; ‘n’ would be required for a tablet … imo
FYI, the Evo does support ‘n’
http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/23/evo-4g-gets-802-11n-wifi-by-changing-two-lines-of-code/
first off, you are awesome!!!! i detect no fanboi/girl-ness from you at all just a true gadget lover like myself.wow!!!! thanks , hope you get to take’m head to head in video with u.s. version streak with eclair
There isn’t a winner but the Streak is definitely the loser.
I know which one is the winner. (Hint – it’s the smallest one
So you’re looking at a Captivate, Jenn? What has you drawn to that when you already have the three top devices currently available? Is it the Hummingbird?
When I found out there was no front-cam or camera flash, I lost interest in the Samsung real quick. Even though I wouldn’t necessarily need those features, the bar has already been set with the Streak, EVO, and iP4.
It’s about personal choice, excellent quote! The streak seems to fit my lifestyle, I have been on the EVO since launch day and on iphone4 and have to admit that a slightly larger screen would be ideal for my tired eyes…I’d take screen real estate over pixel density any day, but hey that’s my take.
Hey there, Jenn! I am anxiously awaiting the US Streak release. I miss my HTC Advantage and it’s big screen. So excited to have 5″ of viewing and Android (using a Nexus One now.) Just subscribed to your Streak blog and will be reading up while I wait for mine. Happy Saturday!
If you get the Captivate, could you test it’s video playback capabilities? Especially MKV files with subtitles. I like watching my Asian dramas
. I’d get the Archos but it’s too big for me. Thanks!
… one more question …
The photo of the phones with the red rose … can you turn the two bars off on the Streak, like on the Evo? The actual picture on the Evo, clearly shows the Streak is missing the about 20% of the rose (cutting out 10% on both sides of the rose) …
The photo show the Streak picture is wider, but it is actually narrower, when you take out those bars … and have just measured them on my monitor (I am a geek) … the Streak and Evo have the same Square Inches of usable picture … and the Evo give you the entire image?
Yep, I want the Hummingbird. My Snapdragons want a playmate. Front cam and flash are no big deal to me, plus I think the Captivate is the best-looking Galaxy S phone.
Out of the box, the EVO and Streak both do not support 802.11n. I am not sure if anyone confirmed that the Streak has the right hardware; if it did, someone would have made something to enable it on rooted phones.
The lcd resolution on the iphone4 is crazy high. Streak is definately the loser.
The Streak’s browser doesn’t have a full-screen mode (the rose photo is a web image), so the URL bar is always there. The Android status bar is always there too.
The small scroll bar disappears if the entire image is displayed.
Oh there is some definite winners and losers for me. I need a GSM HSDPA phone which is unlocked and no contract. Evo is the immediate loser here, as this is CDMA and USA only. iPhone while it’s nice, is just prohibitively expensive unlocked and no contract. So that just leaves the Streak, which most likely will be my next phone.
It’s definitely a personal choice depending on how you prefer to use the device. For me, the Streak fit’s perfectly. I’ve been waiting for a convergent all-in-one device that is truly portable. The Streak allows me to have truly practical portable internet connectivity for both voice and data and I’ll only need to pay for one data/voice plan. That’s huge going forward because the monthly plan is the biggest expense ultimately.
Thanks!
Love the fact that you don’t need to hold the Streak inches from your face as opposed to the ip4
While I’m a fan of the Streak, I can’t help feeling that its a little bit too big to be a phone, and a little bit too small to be an effective tablet like the i*ad. That said, the additional screen size is beautiful to use, and is fantastic for watching movies.