HTC Incredible S - Android™


The latest Android™ smartphones from HTC started seeing great success after HTC Desire. The most recent 2011 additions to the SEA lineup are HTC Desire S and HTC Incredible S, continuing on the success of HTC Desire Z and HTC Desire HD. Then there was the small form Androids, HTC Aria and Wildfire which came before HTC Desire along with HTC Legend earlier this year in 2010, which added to the earliest line-up of Dream, Magic, Hero and Tattoo.
HTC Incredible S is actually the 11th incarnation of HTC Android phones. Incredible S is actually built for Gingerbread (Android 2.3). However, the release version is Froyo, and schedule for FOTA update to Gingerbread. Since Google decided to choose Nexus One's original planned manufacturer, Samsung, to manufacture the 2nd Google phone,Nexus S. Sounds familiar? That is because Samsung is trying very hard recreate what their success of the Galaxy S onto the Nexus S. It is apparant that this wave of Androids decided to tag an "S" to the name. As a matter of fact, Incredible S is not the first of its kind, the Incredible S is an incarnation of the U.S. only version, Droid Incredible, which looks almost exactly like the Incredible S.

So what is the difference between HTC Desire S and Incredible S?
In a nutshell, the Desire S is a direct successor of the Desire. Desire S retains the 3.7" screen, gains a front VGA camera, improved RAM to 768MB, HD video recording and 1.1GB of internal storage. Incredible S is not really a replacement for the Desire HD, since the only subtle differences is the 4" screen and front 1.3MP camera. Incredible S gets an 8MP camera with dual LED flash, 768MB RAM, HD video recording and 1.1GB internal storage.

HTC Incredible S
c/w Android™ 2.2 Froyo
S$298
HTC Incredible S has a 4.0-inch Super LCD capacitive multi-touch display with a 480 x 800 WVGA resolution. Incredible S is built around a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with a faster 768MB RAM and Adreno 205 GPU. Incredible S comes with 1.1GB of internal storage. HTC Sense™ UI (user interface) and HTCSense.com completes the Android™ experience. HTC Incredible S is shipped with Android™ 2.2 (Froyo). Equipped with an 8MP auto-focus camera and dual-LED flash. The camera also supports 720p HD video recording. The ambient light sensor helps the smartphone moderate power consumption. Other standard HTC Android™ features include: G-sensor(accelerometer for orientation detection), 3.5mm stereo audio jack, Adobe Flash 10.2, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth (improved with file transfer and object push protocols for file transfer), tethering via USB and WiFi (internet sharing via USB) as well as micro SDHC card support up to 32GB (Incredible S is shipped with Sandisk 8GB SDHC).
HTC Desire HD also comes preinstalled with Facebook for Android™, FriendStream (one app that consolidates all social network updates), Android™ Market, Google Maps and a whole lot more package of Google-related applications.
Switching from Android to Android is easy, since contact lists and calenders are stored on Google account on the internet. All other data are stored on the microSDHC card. You can easily switch to another Android phone with the hassle of moving information over.

Unboxing of HTC Incredible S
What looks like the standard Android™ packing layout, but it is not. Interestingly, Incredible S is the first to be shipped in a black box. The box is no longer cardboard, but is actually folded card. It is apparant that HTC is making efforts to cut cost in packaging and a move to be more environmentally friendly.
Incredible S sits in a tray with the shape of the contour rear shell. Papers are packed neatly into a black envelope.
Incredible S shares the same travel charger as Desire HD, a neater and smaller travel size.

HTC Incredible S
First impression of Incredible S looks like another Desire HD. The front appearance looks almost like DHD, with grilled earpiece and touch Android buttons.
The rear of the Incredible S is where it stands out unique from other HTC. The Incredible comes with a contour design making grip more secure and the overall form, sleeker and slimmer.
The rear of Incredible S sports the 8MP camera, dual LED flash, loudspeakers.
The left side is where the mini-USB and volume control buttons are located, while the 3.5mm earphone jack is located on the top.
The front earpiece and notification light are hidden under a black grill. The 1.3MP front camera is located on the top right-hand corner.
Inside the Incredible S, the hot-swappable micro SD card is inserted via the side.

Comparison
From left to right: HTC Desire HD, HTC Incredible S and HTC Desire.
Incredible S with Desire
Incredible S with Desire HD

Comparison
Desire HD and my other toys

Verdict
This is my 4th Android™ phone from HTC. Why have I not switched to the dark side? Formerly, I chose to steer away from the Apple camp because of Android™ being the unique, up and coming OS. Nowadays, Android™ is becoming more popular and can be found in many types of devices. Android™ has become mainstream. Though Android™ still has some decent gap behind Apple in terms of apps and accessories, Android™ has surpassed the iPhone 4 in terms of specifications. The next generation Android™ will propel the capabilities of the Android™. I will still stay with Android™ because I can do more computing on an Android™ than on the iPhone. Of course, you only get Flash support on Android™. I now do majority of my photography and blogging via my HTC Desire HD Android™ device. In fact, my photography gear rarely see light now. That is because I prefer to shoot and post immediately on-the-go.

Why HTC Incredible S and not Samsung Google NEXUS S or LG Optimus X2?
Along with the release of Incredible S, Samsung released the Google NEXUS S and LG released the Optimus X2.
In a nutshell, Samsung NEXUS S sports a 4" Super AMOLED contour display, Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread OS, 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 Hummingbird processor, 512MB RAM, 16GB internal storage, no micro SD card support, 5MP camera with LED flash, VGA front camera. NEXUS S gets branded with a Google label as the second Google phone.
LG Optimus X2 is the phone that makes news in the Android™ industry. Optimus X2 is first to release an Android™ with a dual core processor. Inside the Optimus X2 is the NVIDIA Tegra 2 System-on-chip which is essentially a Dual Core 1GHz Cortex-A9 CPU cores with 8 GeForce GPU cores with HDMI and dual display support. Optimus X2 sports a 4" LCD, Android™ 2.2 Froyo, 8MP camera with LED flash, 1.3MP front camera, HDMI output port, 8GB internal storage with micro-SD card support. Optimus X2 allows video recording at 1080p full HD. The Optimus X2 runs your 3D games smoother than any other phones, attributed to the processor.
HTC Incredible S sits between NEXUS S and Optimus X2, with the latter being the obvious leader. Incredible S also placed its price below the other two. The specs of NEXUS S just did not do the second Google phone any justice. Incredible S outshines the NEXUS S, though not in miles. On handling, NEXUS S feels like another Galaxy S. The plastic shell does not give confidence of a strong built. Optimus X2 is definitely the leader of the pack at the moment, in terms of hardware. If you want the best Android™ phone for really hardcore gaming, go for the Optimus X2. So what if there is HDMI support to hook up to your home theatre? I believe the industry prefers wireless connectivity. If you are like me, pampered by HTC Sense OS, I believe you will still continue to choose HTC Android™ devices. HTC has got their formula right and they continue to make it right!

So what are some other Android™ devices to consider?
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ arc is a pretty decent phone. Motorola Milestone 2 is another option to consider.

In summary, HTC Incredible S is yet another affordable and reliable Android™ device. If you believed in HTC Desire, HTC Incredible S will address your grumblings and become your most dependable mobile device. Incredible S is impressive from every angle, simply incredible!



DISCLAIMER
Please respect the copyrights of the photographs and content in this post. Please support my work by linking back to this post via this address: http://mybearbrick.blogspot.com/2011/04/htc-incredible-s-android.html

This is an individual and independent user review, for more information on the official product, please refer to: http://www.htc.com/sea/product/incredibles/overview.html

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