Hands-on with the HTC Droid Incredible 2, significant improvements with same great looks
I took a look at the HTC Droid Incredible in April 2010 and thought the device was the best in the Verizon smartphone lineup at the time. There are quite a few more smartphones on the Verizon network this year and HTC just launched the new Droid Incredible 2 that improves on an already great device.
I've spent a few days with the HTC Droid Incredible 2 and posted several photos of it in my image gallery with a hands-on video and more detailed thoughts below.
| Image Gallery: Check out product images, screenshots, and photos taken with the HTC Droid Incredible 2 on Verizon Wireless. |  | |||||
In the box and first impressions
I can't say much about the retail packaging experience since the evaluation unit was sent in a plain white box. According to the Verizon website, you will find the Droid Incredible 2, lithium ion battery, micro USB cable, A/C adapter, 16 GB microSD card (preinstalled in the device), preinstalled SIM card, and some literature.I loved the feel and unique design of the Droid Incredible so I was pleased to see that HTC kept the unique back, narrow width, and exceptional feel in the Incredible 2. The Incredible 2 is rock solid and attractive and I am sure will appeal to lots of people.
Specifications
Specifications for the HTC DROID Incredible 2 include the following:- Android 2.2 with HTC Sense experience
- 1GHz Qualcomm second generation Snapdragon processor
- Quad-band GSM, dual-band UMTS/HSPA, and dual-band CDMA for world phone usage
- Integrated 8GB flash drive with microSD expansion card slot
- 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash
- 1.3 megapixel front facing camera
- 4 inch WVGA (480x800) Super LCD capacitive touch display
- Dedicated, touch-sensitive Home, Menu, Back and Search keys
- Proximity sensor, light sensor and digital compass
- Integrated GPS
- Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
- 3.5 mm headset jack
- 1450 mAh lithium-ion battery
- Dimensions: 4.75 x 2.52 x 0.48 inches and 4.77 ounces
As we look at the Droid Incredible from last year and note that the form factor is very similar, we see these improvements in the Droid Incredible 2:
- World phone GSM capability
- Super LCD display instead of AMOLED that was a bit harder to see in sunlight
- Larger 4 inch display compared to 3.7 inches on the Incredible
- Larger 1450 mAh battery vs 1300 mAh one
- 768 MB RAM compared to 512 MB
- Front facing camera for video chatting
- DLNA support
The Incredible 2 is 0.14 inches longer, 0.22 inches wider, 0.01 inches thicker and just 0.18 ounces heavier. The only noticeable difference to me was the width was a bit more while the rest of the physical differences were really too small to notice.
Walk around the hardware
The front of the Droid Incredible 2 is dominated by the 4 inch WVGA Super LCD display that looks great and should appear better in sunlight than the AMOLED one used on the Droid Incredible. Below the display you will find four hardware "buttons" that are touch sensitive areas similar to the Nexus One.There is nothing along the right and the only thing on the bottom is the microphone opening. The microUSB port is found on the lower left side with the long volume button appearing in the upper part of the left side. The power button and 3.5mm headset jack are found on the top of the HTC Droid Incredible 2.
The back has that same unique shape seen on the first generation Incredible with three different levels of plateaus covered with soft touch black material. You will find the lens cover for the 8 megapixel camera on the left upper back with two LED flash lights towards the center and a speaker opening farther to the right. The entire back comes off the Droid Incredible 2.
I loved the hardware of the original Droid Incredible and thus find the Incredible 2 to be even better nearly the same form factor and a larger display with better internal specifications.