Phone Comparison: Apple iPhone 3GS vs. Motorola Droid

The iPhone is Apple’s first foray into the production of mobile phones and was released in January 2007. Apple has released three generations of the iPhone since then, which include the iPhone Original, iPhone 3G and the current iPhone 3GS. The iPhone was named the Invention of 2007 by Time magazine and has been hailed as “the best smartphone available”. Amidst all the hype and hoopla surrounding the iPhone, Motorola - the company that invented the first mobile phone - released its own competitor to the iPhone called the Droid in November 2009. The Motorola Droid has also been the subject of intense hype and media reports and reviews. A lot of people are speculating on whether it can knock the iPhone off its perch as the number one smartphone to own and therefore, it is only right that someone compares both phones so that a clear picture of their capabilities can be seen. Enjoy the review.

Firstly, a look at what makes both phones tick.

Operating System: The Apple iPhone 3GS runs on the iPhone OS version 3.1.2 which is similar to the Mac OS X operating system. The Motorola Droid runs on the Google Android version 2.0 which is based on Linux. The Android allows Java applications, Adobe Flash and a host of other technologies to be run on the Droid; while the iPhone OS is not compatible with some of technologies which are currently widely available. The Android allows you to customize your Droid as you want and install whichever applications you like. The iPhone OS requires applications which have been created explicitly for the iPhone. The Android also features multitasking which the iPhone OS has not currently implemented.

Processor: The iPhone 3GS has a Samsung S5PC100 ARM Cortex-A8 processor which runs at 600 MHz. The Droid features a TI OMAP 3430 Arm Cortex-A8 processor which runs at 550 MHz.

Power: Both the iPhone 3GS and the Droid have an internal lithium-ion rechargeable battery. The Droid’s battery is removable and can be replaced by the user. The iPhone’s battery is non-removable and can only be replaced by Apple. The iPhone has up to 5 hours of 3G talk time and up to 300 hours of standby time. The Droid has up to 6.4 hours of 3G talk time and up to 270 hours of standby time.

Storage Capacity: The iPhone 3GS features only flash memory in sizes of 16GB or 32GB.The Droid features flash memory up to 512MB and comes with an included 16GB microSD which is expandable to 32 GB.

Now, to compare what we can actually see.

Screen: The iPhone 3GS has a 3.5 inch LCD touchscreen. The Droid has a slightly larger 3.7 inch WVGA touchscreen. The Droid has an 854 x 480 pixel display (265 pixels per inch) which is higher than the iPhone’s 320 x 480 display (163 pixels per inch). Both phones allow multi-touch gestures using the bare hand. The iPhone has an accelerometer that can detect the orientation of the device in the user’s hand and change the screen display between portrait and landscape modes accordingly.

Camera: The iPhone 3GS comes with a 3.0 megapixel camera while the Droid has a 5.0 megapixel camera. The Droid also comes equipped with flash. Both cameras are equipped with low light capabilities that allow clear pictures to be taken in low light conditions. Both phones also feature video recording and the iPhone has video editing features.

Keyboard: The iPhone 3GS has a touchscreen keyboard which can be used in both portrait and landscape modes. The Droid has a physical keyboard which is revealed when the touchscreen is slid up.

Price: The iPhone 3GS sells for $199 when you purchase it with an AT&T phone contract and sells for $599 without a contract. The Droid sells for $199 when purchased with a Verizon phone contract and sells for $599 without a contract.

Network Carrier: The iPhone is only available on the AT&T network while the Droid is only available on the Verizon network.

Other Features

Both phones feature Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS navigation and voice commands. Applications can be added to the iPhone 3GS by purchasing and downloading them from the Apple App Store which has up to 100,000 applications. The iPhone has to be hacked (called Jailbreaking) before it can accept applications from other sources. Applications can be added to the Droid from the Android Market which has up to 13,000 applications. Other applications from other sources can also be added to the Droid.