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Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

Summary: We are bound to see a plethora of Google Android powered tablets in 2010 and one of the first is the small Dell Streak. Is this 5 inch display device enough to have you skip an Android smartphone?

Matthew Miller

By for The Mobile Gadgeteer |

As Joel pointed out back in January Michael Dell showed a glimpse of the Dell Android tablet then known as the Dell Mini 5. The device launched this past week on O2 in the UK and is officially known as the Dell Streak. The folks at Engadget picked one up and posted a full review of this 5 inch display tablet. The Dell Streak should be launching here in the US in July for around $500. With my new Sprint HTC EVO 4G sporting similar specs and a 4.3 inch display for $200, I have to wonder if the slightly larger display will appeal to many looking for an iPad alternative.

Key features and specifications of the Dell Streak included:

  • Google Android 1.6 OS (should get an upgrade to 2.2 this year)
  • 1GHz Snapdragon processor
  • 5-inch multi-touch WVGA (800x480 pixels resolution) display
  • 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and VGA front facing camera
  • 3G/WiFi/Bluetooth radios
  • HDMI out
  • 2GB internal storage and microSD expandable memory card support for up to 32 GB

Most all of the specs of the Dell Streak are the same as the HTC EVO 4G (processor, display resolution, HDMI out, microSD card) with the display size, camera resolution, and current operating system being the major differences. Personally, the higher resolution camera and 2.1 Google Android operating system are more compelling to me than the slightly larger display. The display size makes this much less like a smartphone while the EVO 4G is still very pocketable. Engadget shows Google Maps Navigation on the Dell Streak compared to the Nexus One, but I would like to see how the HTC EVO 4G looks instead.

The Dell Streak will be an interesting tablet device, but I personally think making the jump to a tablet over a smartphone requires a display size of at least 7 inches. Is there enough appeal in the Dell Streak over Google Android smartphones?

Topics: Laptops, Dell, Hardware, HTC, Mobility, Smartphones, Tablets, Wi-Fi

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26 comments
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  • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

    Android 1.6? LOL @ Dell
    petemitchell
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

      @petemitchell

      Why the LOL? Dell will be sending an over the air upgrade to Android 2.2 (FROYO) in early September.
      hester_paul@...
      Reply Vote

  • I'd have to get my hands on one, but...

    Seems to me as if it's too big to be a phone and too small to be a tablet. Maybe if Android were a serious contender in the handheld game industry this might work, but they are not (or not yet anyway). And yeah, even if it did work as any of these things, until it did upgrade to 2.x I still would not buy it.
    Michael Kelly
    Reply Vote

  • Re-think the pricing

    Come on Matt. Being the mobile guy you should know better. The EVO 4G is NOT $200. You know full well that $200 is the Sprint subsidized price. I haven't looked but I am guessing the actual price is $599.
    Salonikios
    Reply Vote

    • Agreed

      @Salonikios
      That is what I was thinking. I would like to know the actual price of the EVO 4G or the subsidized price for the Dell Streak, then we can better compare the two.
      The EVO looks pretty neat to me but sprint network is terrible where I live. Even though the screen on the Streak is only .7 inches larger, I think it is a more perfect size for a large smartphone or a mini tablet. I can't wait until it comes to the US. Though I would like the EVO for the higher resolution camera if it weren't for the pore coverage of sprint in the area.
      Marcus_Marcus
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

        @Marcus_Marcus:<br>For my purposes I went with the Incredible over the EVO 4G for a couple of reasons.
        - The 4G just felt too big for an everyday phone.
        - Sprint is ok, but Verizon rules. (I live in the Baltimore/Washington corridor)

        I am holding out for the 7" Streak. I think the iPad is a little too big at 10", while the 5" Streak is not compelling for me since I have a Droid Incredible (3.7"). <br>I really want an iPad but Apple is making it difficult for me.<br>I want to be able to:<br>- Swap batteries<br>- Add memory<br>- Use Flash. (I agree that it sucks, but that is what we have)<br>- Use a USB cable<br><br>For these reasons I am waiting for Android tablets. (Hopefully running Froyo 2.2)
        Salonikios
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G

      @Salonikios Exactly. It's sloppy writing. On that basis, the Dell Streak is free. Free! Of course, you have to spend ?25/month for 24 months, but aside from that, it's free! How can you get better than free? ;)
      andrew@...
      Reply Vote

  • "Goldilocks" comes to my mind...

    ....oh, the screen's too small, oh, the screen's too big. I wish the Dell Dude was still around, to tell me just what he wants me to believe, like Steve does for Apple.
    Feldwebel Wolfenstool
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

    I always thought the tablets were TOO large & heavy and the phones were TOO teeny. The Dell streak is the perfect size for both.
    Sarah999
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

    I have been using the Streak over the weekend. It does fit in my trouser pocket and in my shirt pocket and in my wife's little purse. Thanks to it being incredibly thin, it doesn't feel that big in the trouser pocket - though it makes the shirt pocket sag a little. In Houston, I swapped in a T-Mobile SIM card - it quickly jumped onto the T-Mobile network. I see the H instead of the 3G and download speeds were about 1Mbps. I guess this is T-Mobile's new 3.5G HSPA network. Google maps and google navigate were a pleasure on the large screen. You need two average sized hands to dial a phone number. Not easy while driving a car (yeah, I know my mom told me not to do that....). Voice recognition was decent for an Android 1.6 device. In online reviews, people complain that it is akin to holding a waffle to your ear, etc. but my office desk phone receiver is bigger. Thanks to the size the microphone is located right where your mouth is and I expect my voice to carry over louder drowning the background noise. Don't see a second noise canceling microphone. The device came with corded 3.5 mm ear phones and it rapidly synched with my car bluetooth hands free. Speaker phone quality is also good. Battery life has been decent....lasts me over a day with about an hour of browsing and a couple of hours of speaking on the phone. Battery life can be significantly extended by using 2 great free android Aps: Advanced Task Killer and Apndroid. Apndroid allows a one touch switch (widget on the home screen) to turn on or off the internet. And it does it within a reasonable couple of seconds. This way I use the blazingly fast internet and fantastic screen only when I need it. Advanced task killer kills battery draining aps that I don't need all the time. On the whole I am glad I got this phone/mini tablet. Unfortunately Documents to Go ap does not work in edit mode on this yet. I hope they support it in the near future. Dell installed the k9 email as the default email. It does pull up attachments. Quickoffice comes with this device for Word/Excel/pdf reading but no editing.
    steve642
    Reply Vote

    • tmobile

      @steve642
      Hey Steve, I am on tmobile as well. Can you tell me if 3g, 2g and voice are all working properly? Thanks in advanced.
      randel77
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

        @randel77 <br><br>Yep! I tethered my laptop today using the Pdanet ap and got 1.5 Mbps download speed on HSPA in Houston. Speakerphone is much better than G1. Voice quality is decent for phone calls. 2g EDGE works. Yesterday I was in a tall building in the Medical Center where only 2g worked.

        @randel77. You raise some good points. The phone came with one charger cable that doubles as USB cable - just like iphone. Since it is a custom cable and not readily available, it is a pain to carry the cable from home (where I charge and synch to my computer) to my car (I drive around 3 hrs/day and talk so good idea to charge). The gorilla glass and back appear to be relatively stain resistant. I CAN'T WAIT TO GET ANDROID 2.2. If you are watching a movie, headphone jack is on the top as you are seeing it portrait mode. When you are on the phone it is on the side - next to the volume switch. I miss the phone and end call buttons on my G1. I need to click on the phone ap to make a call. I was able to finally get Documents to Go to work in the edit mode. It is a pleasure to work on a large screen for excel docs. PDF appears nice.Camera is a delight.
        steve642
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

        @randel77 Steve, same as i want to know. <a href="http://www.paperprofs.com/writing-types/research-papers/">researchpaper</a> | <a href="http://www.paperprofs.com/writing-types/book-report/">book report</a> | <a href="http://www.paperprofs.com/writing-types/admission-essays/">Admission essay</a>
        linasmith
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

      @steve642
      I had to ask as everyone else seems to already know. Are you confirming that there is already a Dell Streak with AWS (Tmo 3g). Thanks. I have been trying to find out any news if it will be available when dell launches the phone in the US.
      lpaddikt
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

        @lpaddikt Thanks for the shared with us your resource. <a href="http://www.paperprofs.com/writing-types/thesis/">thesis</a>
        linasmith
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

      @steve642

      Hello,

      Thank you for sharing your experience with this device. I have been anxiously awaiting news of when--or if at all--a version will be released that works on the T-mobile USA 3g bands (1700/2100). Are you saying that with the version currently available, you have acheived upwards of 1.5 mbps download speeds with a T-mobile sim card? How did you measure the speeds? If you by chance read this response, could you share more details? They would be much appreciated.

      Thanks!
      scitamehtam
      Reply Vote

  • hhmmm

    Thanks Steve, it always helps to hear from someone who actually has the device. I really want to swap my n1 for one of these but I have a few doubts.
    1. custom ui = slower updates
    2. no search button. I use that a lot for nav and the web.
    3. no second mic. I hardly ever use my keyboard anymore so, good voice recognition is a must.
    4. proprietary jack. c'mon really?
    5. headphone jack is on the side. Why would they do that?
    6. maybe it IS too big. This is why I really want this phone because the phone function is probably third or fourth on the list of how I use my phone but did you see when that guy put the streak up to his head? LOL it looks ridiculous.
    That said I will probably still get this because it fits my needs and the gorilla glass is another huge plus. you should see the video on that, very impressive.
    randel77
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G

      @randel77 The UI is barely customised. It mostly looks like 1.6. Whether this will be the same for the update, I dunno. Not sure what a "search button" is but there's a Google search bar on the home screen by default. The port carries HDMI info, so microUSB won't do. Besides, doesn't every Apple product have a proprietary port? ;) And yes, the headphone jack on the long side (top, side, it depends) is a bit irritating when watching a film - you have to wrap the lead around the back, which is more than some people can bear apparently... and it is big, but it is only 9mm thin - all the extra size is put to good use with that lovely screen.
      andrew@...
      Reply Vote

      • I know but..

        @andrew@...
        Well My hope is that since dell is a computer company that they might be a little quicker to get updates out. But chances are I"ll have to rely on the guys at XDA to get the latest version of android. I Have a Nexus One and the difference between 2.1 and 2.2 is a BIG one so I hope Dell plans to go straight to 2.2.
        Most Android phones have four dedicated "hard" buttons; back, menu, home, and search. When you long press the search button it brings up the voice recognition prompt where you can say "navigate to xxxx" or "get maps of xxxx" or you can just say the name of something and it and it will bring up web results. At the Google I/O they showed them using this for direct calling to places that are not in your phone book, right now you can only use it to call people in your phone book. I know you can add a shortcut to this but it would have been better to have a dedicated button, there is defiantly room for it.

        "Besides, doesn't every Apple product have a proprietary port?"
        Exactly!! and their not the only ones, Samsung comes to mind. Once I can stream music/files from my pc to my phone this becomes less of an issue but you can buy a micro usb car/wall charger from just about anywhere and they are dirt cheap.
        Don't get me wrong I still want this..bad. I just can see some things I would have done different (trackball).
        P.S. I know you can stream music/files with third party apps but I haven't found one that as well as I would like.
        randel77
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Engadget's Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

      @randel77. You raise some good points. The phone came with one charger cable that doubles as USB cable - just like iphone. Since it is a custom cable and not readily available, it is a pain to carry the cable from home (where I charge and synch to my computer) to my car (I drive around 3 hrs/day and talk so good idea to charge). The gorilla glass and back appear to be relatively stain resistant. I CAN'T WAIT TO GET ANDROID 2.2. If you are watching a movie, headphone jack is on the top as you are seeing it portrait mode. When you are on the phone it is on the side - next to the volume switch.

      I miss the phone and end call buttons on my G1. I need to click on the phone ap to make a call.

      I was able to finally get Documents to Go to work in the edit mode. It is a pleasure to work on a large screen for excel docs. PDF appears nice.

      Camera is a delight.
      steve642
      Reply Vote
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