HTC Droid DNA vs Motorola Droid Razr HD
Google promised its customers and fans that it would accelerate the innovation and choice of the mobile computing platforms for the consumer so that they can get better phones at lower prices. Google made this announcement in August when they acquired Motorola Mobility, which emphasizes on their commitment towards customers. The analysts are eagerly waiting for the next smartphone that would come as a combination of Google and Motorola and some even go in to brave conclusions that it would be the next smartphone in the Nexus series. We at DifferenceBetween are keeping an eye on what is happening with the Google Motorola alliance till then. However, today we will be comparing two smartphones; One from Motorola and one from HTC. HTC Droid DNA was announced only recently and comes under the flag of Verizon. Motorola Droid Razr HD has been in the market from the month of October, so some advancement can be expected in Droid DNA compared to Razr. We will carefully peruse these two handsets and try to understand the aforementioned advancements HTC was able to include in Droid DNA.
HTC Droid DNA Review
Usually, each flagship device from individual manufacturers has some unique and innovative feature they use to boast in marketing campaigns. Obviously this feature or features may not be that innovative or unique, but if they can conduct a good marketing campaign, people will perceive them as innovative products. In the case of HTC Droid DNA, however, this is not the case. HTC certainly boasts about the 1080p full HD display panel and that is a very good feature to emphasize in this handset. HTC Droid DNA has 5 inches Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen featuring a resolution of 1080 x 1920 with a provoking pixel density of 441ppi. As we mentioned, this strikes as a controversial step to many analysts out there, and it is worth to check their views on the matter. The argument they are making is that you won’t really feel any difference when you have a screen with a pixel density of 441ppi and a screen with a pixel density of 300ppi. This according to them is a phenomenon of the human eye, but recent researches prove this to be wrong and it is implied that this misconception of the human eye cannot distinguish between a 300ppi screen and a 441ppi screen is encouraged by the announcement made by Steve Jobs when they introduced Retina display. Certain studies carried out implies that the human eye can distinguish a display panel with a pixel density up to 800ppi pessimistically and even more than that if you are optimistic about the calculations. Summing all these technical information in to Layman’s terms, we are trying to imply that 441ppi display panel is not a feature that doesn’t serve any purpose.
Now that we have established that, let us look what more Droid DNA has to offer. HTC Droid DNA is powered by 1.5GHz Krait Quad Core processor on top of Qualcomm APQ8064 chipset with Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM. The operating system in use is Android 4.1 Jelly Bean which will obviously be upgraded to v4.2 very soon. We can’t deny the fact that this configuration itself is very lucrative and bears the characteristics of a smartphone that can reach the top of the market. If you take a close look at the specs, you can see that HTC Droid DNA has the exact raw hardware as of Google LG Nexus 4. The internal memory is fixated at 16GB with 11GB of capacity available to the user without the ability to expand using microSD card. Now let us consider two aspects connected to the massive display panel. To enjoy the true HD display panel, you will need to have the capacity to put 1080p Videos at your liberty. 11GB is still a large capacity, but when you consider all of your other requirements like the photos and recorded 1080p videos, power users may find the memory restriction daunting. The second aspect is more favorable which is the performance of the GPU and CPU needed to recreate vivid graphics on a 1080p full HD screen at such a high pixel density. If there’s any configuration capable of doing that, I’m sure that is the Snapdragon S4 hence HTC’s choice is correct. However, they would have to address the problem of battery draining in powering up such a massive display panel. We’ll get in to that subsequently.
At a glance, HTC Droid DNA is really thin and stylishly attractive. It is also very light compared to the usual phablet range scoring a weight of 141.7g. HTC will release a CDMA edition as well as a GSM edition of Droid DNA while enabling users to enjoy Verizon’s super-fast 4g LTE connectivity. Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n adapter ensures continuous connectivity even when you’re out of range from your LTE network. As usual, it comes with DLNA and the capability to host your own Wi-Fi hotspot to share your internet connection with your friends. HTC has decided to include a 8MP camera in Droid DNA as the main snapper. It has autofocus and LED flash along with simultaneous HD video recording and image capturing. The new video stabilization engine promises better video captures than before with 1080p HD video recording at 30 frames per second. The front camera is also a 2.1MP wide angle camera that can capture 1080p HD video @ 30 frames per second, which would enable you to enjoy your video conferences immensely. The battery is relatively small at 2020mAh, and we are waiting for official announcements on how it would perform throughout the day without draining excessively.
Motorola Droid Razr HD
Droid Razr HD is a device that can be clearly seen as the successor for Droid Razr. We reviewed Droid Razr M earlier, and this comparison would contain some of the same details, as well. The only difference we were able to see was in the size, screen size and the display resolution. It is powered by 1.5GHz Dual Core processor on top of Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset with 1GB of RAM. Android 4.0.4 assumes the duties of been the operating system and will soon be retired by Android OS v4.1 Jelly Bean. It has the same UI as of Razr M and gives you a taste of Vanilla Android at times. The operation was crisp, and we felt the device was oozing with power. A Dual Core processor is not much of a deal nowadays, but this processor runs on top of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset which makes it more powerful than the rest.
Motorola Droid Razr HD has 4.7 inches Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen featuring a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at a pixel density of 312ppi keeping true to the HD label. The screen looks delightful with vibrant colors. It’s really thin at 8.4mm and score dimensions of 131.9 x 67.9mm and weighs 146g. We have to admit the weight is somewhat in the heftier side of the spectrum although it doesn’t really bother you when you’re holding the handset in your hands due to the relaxing bezel it has at the back. The Kevlar coated back plate ensures the ruggedness of this device. Razr HD comes in CDMA version (Droid Razr HD for Verizon) as well as GSM version (Razr HD) while supporting 4G LTE connectivity in both versions. Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n ensures that you can stay connected continuously while giving the chance to host a Wi-Fi hotspot to share your super-fast internet connection. The handset has a nominal storage of 12GB, and you can expand it using microSD card up to 32GB which is good. The 8MP camera has become a norm for similar kinds of smartphones; following the line, this one can capture 1080p HD videos @ 30 frames per second, as well. The 1.3MP camera in the front can be used for video conferencing. Motorola has also included a beefy 2530mAh battery which may be enough for the power hungry LTE connectivity.
A Brief Comparison Between HTC Droid DNA and Motorola Droid Razr HD
• HTC Droid DNA is powered by 1.5GHz Krait Quad Core processor on top of Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon S4 chipset with Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM while Motorola Droid Razr HD is powered by 1.5GHz Dual Core processor on top of Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset with 1GB of RAM.
• HTC Droid DNA runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean while Motorola Droid Razr HD runs on Android 4.0.4 ICS.
• HTC Droid DNA has 5 inch Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen display featuring a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels at a pixel density of 441ppi while Motorola Droid Razr HD has 4.7 inches Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display featuring a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at a pixel density of 312ppi.
• HTC Droid DNA has 8MP back camera and 2.1MP front camera that can capture 1080p HD videos at 30 fps while Motorola Droid Razr HD also has 8MP camera that can capture 1080p HD videos @ 30fps.
• HTC Droid DNA is bigger, thicker yet lighter (141 x 70.5 mm / 9.78 mm / 141.7g) than Motorola Droid Razr HD (131.9 x 67.9mm / 8.4mm / 146g).
• HTC Droid DNA has 2020mAh battery while Motorola Droid Razr HD has 2530mAh battery.
Conclusion
HTC Droid DNA and Motorola Droid Razr HD both have a common part in their name signifying their carrier Verizon, and Verizon has placed both Droid DNA and Droid Razr HD at the same price line. However, their similarity ends there. HTC Droid DNA features a better processor having Krait Quad Core clocked at 1.5GHz on top of Snapdragon S4 chipset with 2GB of RAM compared to Motorola Droid Razr HD which is powered by Dual Core processor clocked at 1.5GHz on top of the same chipset with 1GB of RAM. What are the implications of this difference? For a light user, the difference would be close to none given any light operation in an Android smartphone up to now can be adequately performed with a decent dual core processor. However, for a power user, Droid DNA is definitely going to pay off given it can be considered as the best smartphone in today’s market. The display panel on Droid DNA is also superior, and so is the optics. On the contrary, Motorola Droid Razr HD offers a juicy battery which may explain why it is heftier than Droid DNA at the first place. Motorola is guaranteeing a talk time of 24 hours on this juicy battery which will be really advantageous if you want your smartphone to last long in a single charge.