A look at two competitively priced smartphones: the iPhone 4 8GB and the HTC Sensation
In an effort to make its phones appeal to a wider audience, Apple has chosen to release its famous iPhone 4 model in an 8GB version. With the iPhone 4S probably cornering the more premium end of the market, this phone is expected to appeal to the consumer looking for a more attractively priced phone. Here we take a look at the iPhone 4 8GB and compare it to the HTC Sensation, another model that will drop in price thanks to the introduction of the new Sensation XE.
The HTC Sensation runs on the Google Android operating system and comes with version 2.3 installed. This platform is very easy on the eyes with the now familiar seven page home screen and colorful icons. The operating system is overlaid with the latest version of HTC Sense UI. Sense UI is widely considered to be the best system of its kind and boasts great social networking facilities along with a functional notification system. The 8GB iPhone 4 has undergone an overhaul to the effect that the phone can now be upgraded to iOS5, the operating system designed for use on the iPhone 4S. This upgrade puts the model ahead of the Sensation in this department thanks to great facilities like the iCloud system that backs up your data remotely. This feature gives your phone a true PC-free experience, allowing your phone to update without USB cables. By moving away from the software and focusing on the hardware aspects of these models, it’s clear that the Sensation may have the upper hand. This model packs a powerful 1.2 Ghz dual core processor under its hood. This ensures that the phone’s operation is lightning fast and superior to most phones available today. However, the 8GB iPhone 4 gives the Sensation a good run for its money, despite only offering a 1Ghz single-core chip. Thanks to the power-saving properties of Apple’s multitasking, there’s less strain on the chip, and it certainly competes with many of its dual-core counterparts.
Both the iPhone 4 8GB and the HTC Sensation offer a high level of multimedia features. In the imaging department, the HTC takes a beating thanks to a digital still camera capable of shooting images at a resolution of 8 million pixels, which is 60% higher than what the Apple device can offer. Things are a bit more even when it comes to video capture with both phones offering a high-definition standard at 720P resolution. The area where the iPhone has always excelled is in audio playback, and once again, the music side of the Sensation can’t compete with the excellent iPod software offered on the iPhone. The cover art looks glorious in the carousel model and there are a multitude of sorting systems that allow you to quickly and easily find the track you need. Both models offer a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can listen to your music on the go, and bluetooth is also built in for wireless streaming to compatible devices.
If you ignore the shiny new models that are available, there are some real bargains with slightly older generation models and these two phones are two good examples. The 8GB iPhone 4 has the edge when it comes to screen, style, and operating system, while the Sensation offers more power along with a superior still camera. After all, these are two very similar models.