The Ultimate Guide to Every Major Android Phone
Sections of the Guide
- Nexus One
- Acer Liquid
- Samsung Moment
- Samsung Behold II
- Motorola Droid
- Motorola Cliq
- Samsung Spica
- T-Mobile Pulse
- HTC Tattoo
- HTC Hero
- Samsung Galaxy
- HTC Magic
- G1
- Conclusion
Introduction
Android phones have only recently become a reality, and they are rapidly gaining in popularity, to the point where approximately 60,000 of them are being shipped every day.
That means that Android phones represent a significant and ever-growing portion of the overall market, so it’s time to sit up and take notice if you haven’t already.
The Android platform was released by Google not too long ago, and is championed by the companies that have formed the Open Handset Alliance.
This Alliance is now 34 companies strong, and holds some of the biggest players in the market, including T-Mobile, Motorola and Sprint-Nextel.
Android basically consists of a complete operating system, along with some core applications. These include mail, web-browsing, a calendar, maps, contacts, among others, and give a solid base for any smartphone.
A platform for incredibly powerful phones
It is a completely open platform that is incredibly customizable, which means that any company can start building on it to create more and more powerful phones.
The Android Market offers applications to any phone running Android, much in the same vein as the iPhone App Store.
The Android Market, however, is far more open and easy to access for developers, meaning that it is receiving significant growth.
Ultimately the success of the Android Market will depend on the number of Android phones being shipped; while it continues to grow, more and more developers are being attracted to it.
The apps range from social games to more business-orientated options and this range will continue to increase in the coming months.
This guide will take a look at all of the Android Phones that are currently available and being shipped. There are not that many, but the number is constantly increasing and soon it will be impossible to keep up, as dozens of phones become available.
We are seeing constant improvements in both hardware and software when it comes to Android phones, and this has meant a number of phones have been left behind and replaced by their much more powerful counterparts.
Similar phones under different names
Perhaps one of the most confusing parts about the Android phone market is the myriad of very similar phones under different names.
Although this is much the same as in the normal phone market, it becomes even more difficult when there are only a few Android phones.
So whilst the HTC Hero has been very popular, it’s almost identical to the HTC Eris, except with a couple of minor changes and on a different carrier.
We’ll try to look at the major iterations of phones, rather than every single possible model of each phone, because that would run into the hundreds.
Phones are always changing so there’s no such thing as a definitive Android phone list
It’s also important to remember that Android phones are at the cutting edge right now, and so these phones may well change very quickly in minor, yet important, ways.
The Android phone market is filled with phones that are not currently available in particular countries, or are little more than a rumour, and so it becomes very difficult to produce a definitive list of “every” Android phone.
With so many new phones coming out, and with such fast-paced development from the community, the market for android phones is flourishing and is receiving an increasing amount of press attention.
Phones like the Motorola Droid and Google’s Nexus One have proved extremely popular, and as these major companies release Android phones, the overall popularity of the market will continue to increase.
Are Android phones competing with the iPhone?
It would be easy to say that Android phones are in direct competition with the iPhone, and this is true in some ways.
On the other hand, Android is not about one phone or one piece of software, it is a basis upon which a whole market has been created, and so comparisons are difficult to make.
Comparisons should be made between the iPhone and one particular phone, rather than trying to compare a whole market with the iPhone.
Let’s take a look at the phones on offer at the moment, and try to find out as much as we can about the market as a whole.
Nexus One
The Nexus One is easily one of the most powerful and impressive Android phones to date. It is, quite frankly, incredible.
Google executives have said that this phone is not just a smartphone, but a “superphone” and they have told anyone who would listen that this is the future of the mobile market.
Google are masters at creating web services, and they’ve been able to successfully integrate that mastery into the phone market and produce the finely honed Nexus One.
A lot has been written about the phone, and you’ll probably find dozens of videos, hundreds of reviews, and much more, just by taking a quick look online. At the time of writing, this phone is sold exclusively by Google, and was even advertised on the Google Homepage for a short time.
Putting all this together, you’d think that the Nexus One would sell millions of products and become a genuine contender to the iPhone, but that hasn’t quite been the case.
Whilst the phone has achieved moderate success, it hasn’t become a bestseller yet, even with the priceless marketing on the Google homepage.
The question remains, what more can Google do? Well realistically there’s not much, at least not much they can do with the Nexus One. The phone is perhaps just waiting for the Android Market to really take off so that thousands of applications are at your fingertips.
The Nexus One Display
The display on the Nexus One (AMOLED) is absolutely fabulous. It is vibrant and colourful, giving you solid video playback and some nice eye-candy.
This is probably one of the best, if not the best screens of any Android phone on the market today. It offers you the very latest version of Android (2.1) which proves that there have been significant improvements in a very short time.
The interface is easy to use, visually excellent, and overall exactly what you would want from a smartphone of this kind.
Drawbacks
There are a few minor drawbacks that have been highlighted by some critics. As is standard with Android phones, there is no way of storing the applications on anything but internal memory.
It has also been noted that the media player lacks features and doesn’t particularly impress. At the time of writing, there’s no way of syncing your Outlook Calendar to the phone, but this will almost certainly become a possibility in the near future.
So, whilst this phone does lack a few things, it is overall very impressive. The only things it lacks are not even considered drawbacks on most other Android phones, simply because there are bigger problems.
You won’t find much better bang for your buck than with the Nexus One, which is sold completely unlocked. This is a great example of an Android phone done right.
It stands up against other smartphones with pride, and shows exactly why the whole concept of Android is so powerful in the first place.
Once the Android Market becomes more widely used, and developers begin seeing the potential in the application area of Android, this phone will come into its own.
It’s powerful enough to satisfy even the most demanding user, and yet simple enough for anyone to use it without any real problems.
Acer Liquid
This is Acer’s first attempt at making an Android phone, and they’ve done surprisingly well.
Whilst the market is largely dominated by Motorola, Samsung, and HTC, this phone shows that there is room for other players, and that Android can turn almost any phone into a very functional smartphone.
On the other hand, this isn’t as powerful as some of the competition, and you may find it a bit slow at times, so it really depends what you’re planning to do with it.
Acer Liquid Design
The main reason people will buy this phone is probably because of the design. It really is stunning and incredibly stylish, with a completely flat front-panel and a vibrant screen.
It’s sleek and looks as good as pretty much any other smartphone on the market; it’s easy to see why so many people are falling in love with it.
Acer have clearly spent a great deal of time on this phone, trying to make it as useful and simple as possible. They’ve done this by adding a bunch of extra applications on top of Android that help with handling multimedia.
These are great for playing around with photos, video and music, but ultimately, you can download these for yourself on any Android phone you want.
This is really a case of Acer marketing the device to people looking for a fun, stylish, phone that can also help them keep track of everything that’s going on in the online world.
The phone isn’t officially available in the US, and apparently it’s unlikely that it ever will be available there. You can buy an unlocked version of the phone for around $400 in the US, but that’s a fairly hefty price to pay.
You’d have to really love the design to spend that sort of money on this phone, since it’s really no more powerful than some of the cheaper competition.
The Liquid is sluggish when performing more intensive tasks, and really isn’t one for the power-users among you. It’s going to be a constant burden if you’re someone who uses your phone all the time for various different tasks.
To sum up the Acer Liquid
Overall, this is a solid effort, but it’s nothing to write home about. Its best feature is probably the design, and it’s not going to amaze you once you start using it as a genuine smartphone.
This is a good try from Acer to bring something different to the table, and it will probably do well in Europe among teenagers who are looking for a fun, sporty, smartphone.
However, it’s never going to be a big hit among the demanding masses in the US, or even in Europe.
The screen is nice to look at, but the interface is not going to blow your mind; Acer have clearly tried to make the phone easier to use and more useful by adding the extra applications, but this won’t really interest anyone looking for a powerful smartphone.
Samsung Moment
The Samsung Moment is a solid Android phone which is offered by Sprint, and is much better because of it. It’s got a solid feature set that will please pretty much all customers, and is well designed.
However, there’s not a huge amount here that’s new, and you won’t find yourself saying “wow”, but it’s definitely got some very good features.
The Moment is also well priced and offers you a cheaper alternative to some of the other Android phones with similar feature lists, and so overall is definitely one to consider.
It’s gained a great deal of traction in the US Market, although still hasn’t received the kind of attention that the Motorola Droid or the Nexus One have been able to get.
Samsung Moment Design
The screen on the Samsung Moment is vibrant, responsive, and easy to use. It’s well sized and so it doesn’t feel like things have been cramped onto the screen.
You won’t be using the screen to type, as there’s a full QWERTY keyboard, so overall you can’t complain about the screen, which offers good video playback also. The colors are excellent and overall the interface is easy to use.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of the Moment is the fact that it comes with Sprint’s Everything Plan, which gives you a great calling plan for a good price.
This means the Moment is an excellent option for those looking for all the functionality of a smartphone, but one that does the basics well and doesn’t break the bank.
Performance of the Samsung Moment
There are, as always, a few drawbacks. There is no photo editing, as is so often the case with Android phones, and call quality isn’t great, especially when using speakerphone.
So while the Moment has been marketed to those looking to do the basics, the phone itself perhaps lacks quality in that area.
Although the touch screen is responsive, the processor on this phone seems to struggle at times and every so often can be quite sluggish when performing tasks.
Although this isn’t a major problem, it does ruin some of the fluidity that most people love about smartphones of this type.
The phone is well designed and reasonably sleek. It’s not exactly “fabulous”, and it looks much the same as you’d probably expect if you just read a review without seeing any pictures.
What perhaps lets it down the most in terms of design is the interface, which just isn’t particularly pretty.
The verdict on the Samsung Moment
Overall, this is a solid effort and is saved by Sprint. If you’re looking for an Android phone that doesn’t break the bank, then this could be the one for you.
It’s got an impressive set of features, is well designed, and is fairly stable, so is definitely worth your consideration.
On the other hand, it’s definitely being marketed to those people looking for an entry level smartphone, and it can sometimes feel sluggish when you’re trying to perform more intensive tasks.
Samsung Behold II
The Samsung Behold II available onT-Mobile has basically made the original version of the phone completely redundant, which is no great loss.
It is a massive improvement on the Behold I mainly because it makes it into an Android phone, which is why it’s on this list. It’s received some good reviews but the biggest problem most people have argued is the price.
The Behold II is very expensive for what you get and doesn’t really give you anything more than some of the other powerhouses in the Android phone market.
You’re realistically going to have to look very hard indeed to find reasons to buy this phone ahead of, for example, the Motorola Droid or the Nexus One.
Although it’s got a decent interface, the TouchWiz UI doesn’t seem to really add that much to Android. It hasn’t got any “killer” features and just doesn’t seem particularly useful, apart from adding a different design.
The phone has been available for about 4 months at the time of writing, and hasn’t really picked up a great deal of traction, which isn’t surprising given the price.
The phone also runs Android 1.5, and whilst this is the same as a few other phones on the market, it can be slightly unstable and has a number of reported bugs.
Whilst this probably won’t become an issue, for the price you are paying, you really need to be getting an extremely stable device.
Behold II Design
The excellent AMOLED touch screen is capacitive and highly responsive. This definitely one of the best screens on the Android Phone Market right now, and you’d be hard pushed to find something that offers better color and video playback.
Perhaps the best parts of the phone are its multimedia capabilities that make it a powerful option for playing video, music, and taking photos. The 5 megapixel camera is head and shoulders above most of the competition, and can take some excellent photos.
Overall, the phone is well designed and reasonably sleek. The buttons are solid and the feel of the phone is good. It’s not too heavy, and feels robust enough to withstand some pretty intense use.
Any phone would look good with this screen, and Samsung have always done well in terms of design, so this is definitely one that you’ll enjoy using and having in your pocket.
Summary of the Behold II
Clearly the Behold II is an excellent Android phone. It has plenty of features, with a great camera and powerful hardware. Even the most intensive user will struggle to bring down the Behold, but ultimately, the biggest problem is its price.
Android 1.5 is now looking outdated and isn’t as stable as recent releases, while the phone doesn’t really offer anything more than other competitors, that are at lower prices.
If you really want to own a Samsung phone, and you love the TouchWiz UI, then you’ll love it, but swallow hard when you start paying for it.
Motorola Droid
The Motorola Droid was the first ever Android phone to be released on Verizon, and received a huge amount of hype. It is probably the first phone that received attention from the masses, rather than just from the technology crowd.
It has arguably the most complete feature set of any Android phone on the market, and it really is a very impressive product overall.
The Motorola Droid Design
The phone provides you with a sliding QWERTY keyboard that’s easy to type on, if not visually particularly creative.
This phone has been built with the power-user in mind, and so they’ve really tried to make it as easy as possible to send lengthy e-mails and browse the web with speed.
The screen is colourful and vibrant. Although perhaps not as “stunning” as some other products, it is certainly very well equipped and is responsive to touch in a precise manner.
The body is fully metal and overall it is an extremely sturdy phone that will put up with some fairly heavy use. It’s only very slightly thicker than the iPhone, and overall is extremely sleek, so it transcends towards more stylish boundaries.
The real power lies in the processor, which is powerful enough to handle intense tasks smoothly and quickly. This is probably one of the most powerful Android phones around right now, and is definitely worth looking at if you want to use it for hours on end.
The Droid comes loaded with Android 2.0, which is a solid and impressive version that is greatly improved from old versions. This means it’s got a much faster web browser, excellent contact management facilities, and much more.
On a more basic level, the Droid offers excellent call quality that you simply don’t get from a lot of Android phones. Once again, it proves that you can create a phone that does the complicated stuff well, and does the basics excellently.
The Downsides
The downsides are few and far between. Some critics have said that the keyboard isn’t tactile enough and is difficult to type on.
This is more personal preference really, but if you like keyboards that aren’t so flat, then this might be an annoyance for you. Others have said, quite rightly, that the multimedia capabilities of the phone are lacking somewhat, whilst Bluetooth voice dialing is not available.
Summary of the Motorola Droid
The Droid is a fantastic smartphone that will please almost anyone that comes to use it. The design is good and under the hood it’s probably as powerful as current technology allows.
On the other hand, the Droid does have some faults, but it’s up to you whether they are enough to turn you away. Every phone has faults, and the Droid is no exception, but it’s definitely one of the most impressive Android phones that you’re going to find.
Motorola CLIQ
The Motorola CLIQ is definitely one of the best and most powerful Android phones on the market right now.
It boasts a highly impressive feature set and is incredibly easy to use, making it great for both power users and average consumers. It’s available on T-Mobile.
This is where the true power of Android is unleashed, because you can get a phone that is completely customizable and can give you extraordinary power once you add applications, but is initially just a very powerful smartphone that anyone can use.
The CLIQ will attract a wide range of customers, from teenagers looking to keep track of their online-lives, to business people looking to constantly stay connected.
Motorola Cliq Design
The CLIQ is brilliantly designed and has one of the nicest displays that you’re going to find on an Android phone. Motorola have spent a great deal of time tweaking this phone and the attention to detail is there for all to see; straight out the box, this is a very stable and visually stunning phone.
The pull-out QWERTY keyboard is easy to use and fast to type on. It’s not as cramped as other Android phones sometimes are, and is fine for sending lengthy e-mails.
Of course, if you’re not a fan of the pull-out keyboard style of phones, then you may not be too happy with this, but it has to be said that it is not only very practical, but it also looks great.
Sometimes the keyboards on phones like this can ruin the overall design and feel of a phone, but the CLIQ isn’t like that at all.
Drawbacks
The drawbacks are few and far between, but they are noticeable depending on the way that you want to use the phone. Its handling of files isn’t all that great; there is no built-in file manager for example.
It also doesn’t seem to be particularly good at organization, and you’re probably going to need to get some apps to help you out on that front.
Elsewhere, there is no flash on the camera, and the interface can sometimes feel quite sluggish. Another problem is the fact that you can’t store apps in external memory; they have to be stored internally, which limits the amount you can use.
The interface is solid but not fantastic; it can sometimes be a bit confusing once you start piling on apps and features, and it doesn’t seem to handle every task equally, but it’s not too much of a problem.
As usual, the interface doesn’t match up to HTC’s Sense, but it’s good enough and reasonably flexible.
Summary of the Motorola Cliq
Overall the CLIQ is an excellent device that rivals nearly all of the other Android phones on the market. It allows you to use the Android operating system in any way you want, up to pretty high levels of usage.
Originally it was thought that this phone was just going to be an entry-level device designed to entice teenagers into the Android market, but Motorola have upped their game and produced a powerful device that will keep everyone happy.
There are some performance issues, and it’s not the perfect device by any means, but overall it’s a solid offering.
Samsung Spica
The Samsung Spica was always supposed to be a smaller, more lightweight version of Samsung’s first Android phone, the Galaxy. However, this didn’t turn out to be the case.
It’s actually slightly larger overall than the Galaxy, but it does look like it’s been made for a slightly younger crowd.
It’s got a sleek design and won’t look too bad when up against some of the other competitors in the market; on the other hand, the buttons are a little bit crazy and the camera isn’t exactly powerful.
This is probably a great phone for those looking for their first crack at Android, or even just a smartphone in general, but it’s probably not one for the power users among you.
Samsung Spica Design
The Spica has a 3.2 inch touch screen that is capacitive and highly responsive. It’s nice to use and you definitely don’t have to be too rough with it to get stuff done, it’s comfortable to use.
One of the drawbacks to the Spica is the 3 megapixel camera. It’s a 2 megapixel step down from the Galaxy, and isn’t exactly a generous offering when you compare it to other competitors.
On the other hand, the chances are that you’re not going to be looking to take too many high quality pictures with your Spica.
The virtual QWERTY keyboard is, naturally, quite cramped, and not particularly easy to type on. Again though, this is an Android phone that’s primarily for texting and short e-mails, not long correspondences.
The internal memory on the phone is low, very low. It’s just 180MB, so don’t expect to start uploading your music to it any time soon. However, if you want to spend the money, you can increase the external storage up to 32 GB with a Micro SD.
One particular plus this phone brings to the table is a strong battery life that will keep you going for around 3 days. This is something smartphones aren’t particularly renowned for, and if you’re looking for something that won’t need charging all the time, the Spica might be perfect for you.
It has to be said the major advantages of this phone are the way it handles media. It has full support for DivX and Xvid. The Spica will play your Divx files with a resolution of up to 720×480, the same is true for Xvid files.
The videos are high quality and the phone delivers bright, vivid colors. This is something that Android phones overall have struggled with because it has never been part of the operating system, and so Samsung have done a great job to get this functionality into their phone.
Summary of the Samsung Spica
Overall the Spica is a solid effort that will keep most users happy. It’s been well designed and marketed towards a younger crowd, and whilst you won’t get much joy out of the camera, its multimedia capabilities are definitely impressive.
If you’re looking for a more visually pleasing interface, your only better option is probably an HTC with the Sense UI.
T-Mobile Pulse
The T-Mobile Pulse is actually a branded version of the Huawei U8220, and is currently only available in Europe. It’s seen limited distribution, but it’s early days yet and it will almost certainly hit the US market before the end of 2010.
It’s not been a hugely popular phone in the European market, but it’s possible they’re still working out some kinks and trying to put together a proper marketing plan to start selling it in large volumes.
Design
The Pulse is a nice looking phone with rounded edges that make it look a little more “friendly” but slightly less professional, at least that’s what some people might say.
It’s definitely not going to be one for the power users, as this phone doesn’t have a huge feature set, but it’s low priced and reasonably stable, so will probably be popular with the lower end market.
The problem it perhaps has right now is that it’s not being seen as a significant entry into the Android market. T-Mobile themselves aren’t making a big deal out of the fact that the phone is built with Android, and it’s hard to say why.
We’ll probably find out more about their plans for the phone in the future when it is released to the US Market, which has a much larger customer base for Android phones.
The large screen is vibrant and responsive, giving you good control over the keyboard and precise scrolling.
On the other hand, the keyboard isn’t always fast enough to handle quick typing; it feels sluggish at times and this can be frustrating when you’re trying to quickly send off an e-mail or text.
It’s reasonably spacious though, and so is definitely easier to type on than some other Android phones.
Drawbacks of the T-Mobile Pulse
One other slight drawback is the time it takes the phone to get going when you turn it on. It’s unlikely you’re going to be turning it off that often, but when you do, be prepared to wait a minute or two for your phone to be ready to use.
Another problem that some have had is with the trackball that can be a little bit loose, and certainly doesn’t feel as stable as it could be.
Perhaps worst of all though, is that many users have complained of poor call quality. Although smartphones offer you a great deal of functionality, if they can’t get the basics right, then they simply aren’t worth the expense.
Hopefully T-Mobile will look at this and get if fixed before the phone receives a wider release.
The Pulse is definitely a great alternative to buying a standard phone. It’s clearly not being targeted at smartphone users, but those who are content with the capabilities from their current mobile, but are interested in Android.
It’s offered at an excellent price and provides a great deal of functionality for those on a low budget, so it should sell reasonably well.
It won’t, however, create a huge amount of hype, primarily because it’s just a low budget smartphone with almost nothing new to bring to the Android table.
HTC Tattoo
The HTC Tattoo is this company’s 4th effort and is yet another solid offering. It runs the HTC Sense UI, as you would expect by now, and has an impressive feature set.
It’s got a great design, a well-sized screen, and has been given quite affordable pricing plans, so is set to be very popular among mid-level consumers.
On the other hand, it’s probably not going to keep you satisfied if you’re planning on spending hours a day using your phone to upload video, photos, and maintaining your online-life.
It’s definitely one for the more casual user, and that’s fine, just don’t moan when you realise that you’ve had to sacrifice some functionality for the lower price.
The phone provides you with a 3.2 megapixel camera, the option for expansion through Micro SD, and a 3.5mm headset jack.
The camera is hardly going to have you running for the hills, but this phone is currently free on a 2-year contract, so what do you expect? Apart from that, you get everything you expect from an android phone from HTC.
Design
The interface is stunning and highly customizable, and so is the phone, with interchangeable covers allowing you to style it how you wish.
The battery life is fantastic and will keep you going for days on end, but this probably has as much to do with the smaller display as anything else. The QVGA display is just 2.8 inches and the portrait-mode QWERTY keyboard is very difficult to use for anything longer than a text message or very short e-mail.
The keyboard is also a little bit slow at times, which further increases the frustration when you’re trying to type.
The screen isn’t too much of a problem initially, but many of the Android apps that have been tested on it have not been suited to being used on such a low-resolution, so if you’re looking to download hundreds of different apps, this might not be the Android phone for you.
Drawbacks of the HTC Tattoo
The Tattoo gives you the option of designing your own covers, something that might interest younger consumers, but ultimately there is very little “new” about this offering.
The best part about it is probably the price, which will allows you test an Android phone and see if you want to move onto a bigger and better version for very little cash.
It’s small, which is a bonus, but there’s only so small a Smartphone can be before it’s no longer particularly useful as a Smartphone, and the Tattoo definitely pushes that boundary.
This is essentially a low budget offering that HTC have pushed out the door to try and attract a different type of customer. Many people are sceptical about Android phones (especially those produced by HTC) because they can be somewhat pricey, and they simply don’t know that much about them.
HTC is trying to attract people who are just looking for a normal phone with a little bit more capability, and then trying to show them the true power of Android, which this phone can give you, but only in short bursts.
HTC Hero
Although HTC’s Hero is almost exactly the same as its Magic offering in terms of hardware, it is the operating system that makes it stand out.
One of the first phones to take on board HTC’s Sense operating system, the Hero has become a widely popular option for those looking for a mid-range Android phone.
The Sense OS allows for much smoother and natural use of the phone, allowing your contacts to be integrated with the apps you use. It is also highly customizable, not to mention visually stunning. Noticeable improvements upon past Android offerings include full e-mail and calendar integration.
The Hero also boasts a 5 megapixel camera that sets it ahead of some of its competitors.
HTC Hero Design
In terms of design, it’s definitely far sleeker than HTC’s other Android offerings like the Dream and Magic. Offering a beautiful touch screen and, at last, a 3.5mm headphone jack for music lovers, that will become even more important as music apps take centre stage in the near future.
Drawbacks
There are few downsides to this phone, but it definitely seems to be lacking some of the power that recent products have been able to give us. The phone can sometimes be quite sluggish, whilst the web browser isn’t as stable as it perhaps could be.
Other criticisms levelled against the Hero include the fact that there is no built-in file manager or software media syncing.
The full QWERTY keyboard on the hero is pretty good, but given the size of the phone, can be somewhat cramped, especially when using it in portrait mode. However, the people buying this phone probably aren’t going to be spending hours typing up e-mails on it.
One of the best things about the Hero is its ability to follow multitouch gestures. Much in the same way as the iPhone, or the Palm Pre, you can use multitouch to zoom in and out of pages in the web browser, or any images on the phone.
The screen is capacititive, which essentially means it only responds to the touch of your finger, and not that of a stylus or other random material.
It’s a fairly responsive screen that does the job well, allowing you to scroll through long lists with just one flick of your finger, whilst the more precise method would be to stroke your finger along the screen instead.
It has to be said that build quality of the Hero is top-class, and it should withstand some pretty heavy use. It’s fairly small and is just 4.46 inches tall, with a width of just 2.2 inches, so if you’re looking for a highly-compact smart phone, this may be the one for you.
It’s also nice to hold, finding that nice balance between slick and rubbery, allowing you to use the phone very comfortably.
Although there are definitely more powerful Android phones out there on the market, this remains a great option if you’re looking for a mid-range yet stylish option that includes HTC’s Sense Operating System.
Samsung Galaxy
Everyone got somewhat excited when Samsung initially joined the Open Handset Alliance. Here was a company renowned for making very stylish and functional phones such as the Omnia or the Instinct, and finally they were going to be playing with Android.
The potential was hyped to massive levels, and it’s easy to see why, were we finally going to see the iPhone killer that everyone was waiting for? Samsung announced on April 27th 2009 that they would be releasing the i7500, or the Galaxy.
The Galaxy is impressive, that’s for sure, but it’s perhaps not seen the kind of popularity that many had predicted. It’s a very sleek and well designed phone, but it doesn’t really have that “wow” factor that some phones give you, and this has perhaps turned it into “just another Android phone” to many.
It has to be said, however, that Samsung have clearly spent a great deal of time on this product, which bodes well for future offerings.
The attention to detail is great and it’s got an impressive feature set. With a 5 megapixel camera and 40 GB of combined internal and external storage, this phone is definitely one that even the biggest power user will be able to enjoy.
The Galaxy was the first Android phone to give you a 3.5 mm headphone jack, which has now been adopted by a few others. If you’re the type of person who wants to use their phone for music, this is almost a necessity.
Combine that with the impressive storage capacity of this phone, and carrying around large amounts of music becomes more of a possibility.
The battery power was supposed to be far better than it actually is. Everyone was looking forward to something that would allow you more freedom when it comes to using the Galaxy for things like video or music, but this never materialized.
Instead it seems that Samsung was giving slightly stretched figures for battery life, probably based on minimal usage.
Ultimately, you’re going to need to charge your battery fairly frequently, but it shouldn’t become too much of an issue if you’re used to typical smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy Design
For such a powerful device, the Galaxy is fairly compact, at just 11.9mm thick. It’s reasonably lightweight and the 3.2 inch AMOLED touch screen gives you great colours and good response.
Drawbacks of the Samsung Galaxy
The Galaxy isn’t unstoppable. It has a fantastic feature set that would get anyone excited, but it also has some annoying bugs. The phone runs Android 1.5, which hasn’t been 100% stable recently, while the headphone jack has been prone to be temperamental.
It’s definitely a good looking phone, but it’s also quite run-of-the-mill in terms of design. It’s hard to distinguish the Galaxy from other Samsung phones for instance.
If you’re prepared to put up with a couple of annoyances then this phone is fantastic. The screen is vibrant and responsive, while it offers you all of the features that Android can provide on top of a powerful processor.
At the time of writing, the Galaxy is only available in the UK, but will hopefully be released in the US some time soon.
HTC Magic
The HTC Magic was the second Android Phone to be released, and was initially launched on Vodafone in May 2009.
The phone was not that much different from the G1 under the hood, but made dramatic improvements in terms of design and visuals, which gave Android a real boost when many had consigned it to the realms of “only for geeks” technology.
Design
They’ve lost the QWERTY keyboard from the G1, which a few have said make it less useful for typing, but by now this is not a concern. If you want a QWERTY keyboard on an Android phone, there are plenty of options.
If you don’t really care, then the HTC Magic remains a solid option.
Although the Magic has been taken over by a number of more powerful, more impressive, Android phones, it still remains a good option for those looking for a simple and stylish smartphone, with all the power of Android to back it up.
The Magic ushered in a number of new features to the Android phone market, including video recording and, of course, being completely touch-screen.
So whilst these features were excellent when initially released, they have now been superseded by more impressive, powerful, offerings from other brands, and HTC itself.
With phones like the Hero, Nexus One, and the Motorola Droid around, it’s hard to see why anyone would choose the Magic, but it’s still selling, and so people obviously are.
It’s a reasonably priced option that is primarily being bought by teenagers or young adults who are looking for some social networking capabilities on their phone.
The Magic was initially marketed heavily to those who wanted to use Twitter and Facebook, and it appears people are still buying it because of that capability.
Drawbacks of the HTC Magic
The Magic deserves credit for being a major iteration and showing once again the true power of Android. However, it’s become slightly outdated already, and there are better options out there.
It removed many of the problems that the G1 had, and so if you were enticed by that, then you are probably better off buying the Magic instead.
A major drawback is the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack, which has now become much more popular among Android phones.
If you want to listen to your tunes on the go, and you don’t want to have to fiddle around with annoying adaptors, then you don’t want to be going anywhere near the Magic.
This phone received great reviews when it was first released, and deservedly so. It offered people everything they were looking for out of an Android phone, and to an extent still does.
It’s really not that old at the time of writing, it’s just that the market has moved on so quickly that there are now far more impressive products on offer.
Buying the HTC Magic would not, however, be a bad decision. It’s an excellent phone; it’s just not an excellent Android phone, simply because there are better options.
G1
The G1 is the original Android phone, and whilst it’s beginning to look a bit dated, it is still highly popular.
It caused quite a storm when it was first released, and had a lot of people turning their heads and wondering what Android was, so for that, it will always be a legend.
The G1 Design
The design isn’t exactly stunning, which is why it has dated so fast, and it is only running Android 1.5 (Cupcake), but it’s definitely worth a look.
The G1 does suffer from not having particularly great battery power, much in the same way as the iPhone used to have, and in a way still has.
If you want to make it last a whole day, you’re not going to want to use it a great deal on the web or for video, photos, etc. Of course, the interface is incredibly customizable and you can throw as many apps onto it as you want, and it will still hold up reasonably well.
It is actually much less sluggish than other Android phones on the market today, despite its relative age.
The G1 is produced by HTC, and is reasonably sturdy. The biggest problem it has in terms of exterior is probably the “chin” which sticks out at the bottom for the buttons. It’s not particularly attractive and makes the phone look quite plasticky.
Don’t be put off by this though. It’s still a far better phone than most you’ll see on the market, and it proves why Android is the future. Whilst the phone may age, Android allows you to do some incredible things in terms of applications and multimedia, and so you can still stay reasonably up-to-date.
This was the first foray into the Android phone market by anyone, and it was a very good effort. The fact that people are still buying this phone today shows just how good it was and continues to be.
It’s got a powerful processor, the screen is reasonably vibrant, and having Android makes it potentially a very powerful smartphone.
Whilst this probably won’t be one that you consider if you’re looking for the latest cutting edge technology and visuals, if you’re just looking for a solid effort that won’t break the bank, the G1 could be perfect for you.
Drawbacks
The biggest problems still remain the design and the fact that Android 1.5 is now a little bit outdated. This phone was created primarily to show what Android could do, and it achieved that goal admirably.
It will forever hold a small piece of history and is well loved by many Android phone lovers. The fact that the phone is only 2 years old at the time of writing shows just how much progression there has been in the market.
Conclusion
The Android phone market is finally coming to the masses. Whether that’s because of the improvements in hardware, or just because there is now an increasing number of applications available, remains to be seen.
One suspects that it is the latter, because while improvements have been made, most of the applications could be run on any of the phones listed above reasonably well.
In the very near future it is likely that application growth will explode, and we’ll see just how far Android growth will continue.
It is likely that other phone manufacturers will start exploring the opportunities that Android is presenting, because it will allow them to focus almost solely on hardware and design, which will be an attractive option for some companies that are struggling under the weight of maintaining their own operating systems.
Android will flourish if the applications continue to improve along with the hardware.
For now, the hardware is racing ahead of the demands of the applications, and as long as it remains that way, which it almost certainly will, there shouldn’t be any major problems for the growth of the Android phone market.
If you’re looking for an Android phone, there are now more choices than ever before, and all of the phones listed above give you genuine options. They come in a variety of different price ranges and with any number of customizations, so there will be something to suit your needs.
Whether you’re just looking for a cheap and cheerful phone that also has the capability of high-quality web browsing, or if you’re looking for a serious contender to the iPhone, there will be an Android phone to suit you.
This whole range of possibilities gives the Android phone market a nice round structure, and allows almost any consumer to enter it with ease.
As long as they maintain this balance between simplicity and power, more and more people will be tempted to move towards Android.
The great thing about Android so far is that improvements have been so dramatic.
It’s only been a couple of years but the phones currently being released are massively more powerful and stylish, while the Android operating system will continue to improve at a fast pace, primarily because it is so open.
If it continues to grow at this pace, the demand for Android phones will quickly outstrip that for the iPhone, and the market will be much better for it.
The improvements and popularity of Android surely won’t stop any time soon, and it can truly be said that Android is one of the best things to happen to mobile-consumers in a very long time.
We’ve now got more choice, more quality, and better prices – how can you argue with that?
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