Android Wars: Samsung vs HTC vs Motorola

By Branko Miletic

Reviewing mobile phones isn’t what it used to be, especially in the smartphone market.  This is because with smartphones there is a huge growth of apps and, most have very similar specification, which in real terms means that what you’re really comparing is either individual app stores, the operating systems and perhaps a small number of internal phones attributes.

In this review, we looked at three Android 2.2 phones, the HTC Desire, the Samsung Galaxy S and the Motorola Milestone, which meant at least one of the attributes for comparison, the operating system was not an issue.

Being all Android-based also meant that there were no differences in the App Store, so again another variable was eliminated.

In the end, it was the phones themselves that were under the microscope and after subjecting all three to my Shopping Centre Test, in actual fact, there was very little between all three contenders.

Having said that, when all the testing results were collated, it was the Samsung Galaxy S that came out as a clear winner—by a nose in some cases, but a winner nonetheless.

The main reasons for this were its superior battery life and its total ease of use and connectivity in some really bad coverage areas. (I use a shopping centre on the city fringes for this test).

For those that use their smartphone as a storage device, the Motorola has a much higher storage space and for the fashionista stakes, the HTC Desire is a very nice piece of engineering.

However, all in all, the Samsung Galaxy S proved to the real pick of the bunch and considering that it had the best battery life also means you won’t need to carry around a recharger with you as much with the Galaxy.

Check the chart below for test results and overall rating.

 

HTC DESIRE

SAMSUNG GALAXY S

MOTOROLA MILESTONE

 Overall Feel

 

  Sleek, sturdy and
  metallic.

  Feels very much like
  an iPhone.

  Keyboard slider
  feels a bit unusual.

Battery Life

 

  4 days stand- and 1
  full day of use.

  6 days stand- and 1
  full day of use

  4 days of standby
  and just over 1 full
  day of use

Display

 

 AMOLED- crystal
 clear.

 Large AMOLED
 display.

 Slightly smaller LCD
 display.

User Inferface

 

 Touch screen and
 buttons very
 responsive.

 Touch screen and
 buttons very
 responsive.

 Has an extra
 QWERTY keyboard.

 

Overall Usabilty

 

 Easy and fun to use.

 The best to use out
 of all 3.

 Fair- the touchscreen
 was a bit ‘sticky’

Apps

 

 50,000 and growing.

 50,000 and growing
 + some Samsung-
 specific apps.

 50,000 and growing.

 Connectivity

 

 Easy connection with
 laptop- noconnection 
 with in-car Bluetooth

 Easy connection with
 laptop- noconnection
 with in-car Bluetooth

 Easy connection with
 laptop- no connection
 with in-car Bluetooth

Speakers

 

  Loud speakers- can
  be used in a hands
  free capacity

  Loud speakers- can
  be used in a hands
  free capacity

  Ordinary speakers.

 Social Network Applications

 Facebook, Twitter,
 MSN etc.

  Facebook, Twitter,
  MSN etc

  Facebook, Twitter,
  MSN etc

 Dimensions

 68 x 11.8 x 123 mm

 64 x 9.9 x 122 mm

 60 x 13.7 x 116 mm

 Camera

 

 5 megapixel (no
 zoom)

 5 megapixel with 4
 x digital zoom

 5 megapixel with 4 x
 digital zoom

 Memory

 1.5 MB

 16GB

 8 GB

 Operating System

 Android 2.2

 Android 2.1

 Android 2.2

 Connectivity

 

 Wi-Fi, 3G, HSDPA
 HSUPA, USB, GPS

 Bluetooth, 3G, WiFi,
 HSDPA, USB, GPS

 GPRS, WAP, UMTS,
 HSDPA, Bluetooth,
 Wi-Fi

 Ease of Use

 High

 High

 Medium-High

 Conclusion

 

 An excellent phone 
 for daily use.

The pick of the bunch- superior to the other two by a nose.

 A very sturdy phone
 for everyday use.

 Overall Rating

 4/5

 4.5/5

 3.5/5
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