It’s always interesting when a mobile phone manufacturer decides to make phones with different operating systems. Some companies, such as Apple, make devices that run only one operating system. Other companies, such as HTC, have decided to make handsets that support more than one system. So HTC makes both Android and Windows phones. This could be seen as the company competing against itself. On the other hand, it could also be a wise move, since there are potential customers who will favour one operating system over another. But what it really comes down to is which device is a better phone. In order to establish this, we took two HTC phones, both running the most recent version of different operating systems. The Droid DNA runs Android’s 4.1 Jelly Bean system, whereas that Windows 8X rather obviously runs Windows 8. We put these phones up against each other to find out which one was best, and it should come as no surprise that one system was far superior to the other.
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What the Droid DNA Does Well…
Firstly, the Droid comes with double the RAM of the 8X. This means that the device itself is more responsive, and is better at multi-tasking, running multiple applications at the same time far more cleanly than the 8X with less risk of crashing or freezing the handset. The screen on the Droid is also far superior. It’s a larger screen, measuring in at a full five inches, compared to the 4.3 inch screen on the 8X. But the screen is also of a higher resolution, by a factor of around two and a half times, and it has thirty per cent more PPI (pixels per inch). This results in a clearer, crisper and brighter display than that of the 8X, and is a clearly noticeable difference when you see the two devices side by side. The other factors that made us like the Droid are both connected to the fact that it’s an Android phone running an Android operating system. Firstly, this means that you’re connected to the Android App Market, making downloading new apps, games and programmes to you phone both convenient and easy. Secondly, you can run multiple applications at the same time, meaning that you can surf the net and talk on Skype simultaneously, for example. This is something that the Windows system just can’t handle, which is a shame considering how many people use their mobiles for several different purposes.
What the 8X Does Well…
Really, when compared to the Droid DNA, the 8X doesn’t actually do anything well at all. In fact, the only thing that the 8X does better than the Droid is that it weighs less. The 8X weighs in at 130 g as compared to the Droid which comes in at 138 g. And considering how much bigger the screen is on the Droid this is hardly surprising.
A Clear Winner…
HTC really doesn’t end up competing with itself, since it’s clear that the Droid is a far better handset than the 8X. Sure, there are some people who want a Windows phone, but that section of the market is decreasing rapidly, just because the Android system is better. If you’re thinking of getting an HTC, you should definitely be going for the Android phones, and the Droid DNA is a great buy.
Phil Turner is looking for phone deals right now for a smartphone with a decent amount of Internet use.