Keyboard showdown: Droid 2 vs. Epic 4G vs. BlackBerry Torch

1 of 29

  • For those who still prefer a hardware keyboard on their smartphone, here are comparison photos of three great devices: Motorola Droid 2, Samsung Epic 4G, and BlackBerry Torch 9800.

    Check out the close-up photos at the end of the gallery for a description and critique of each of the three keyboards. You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • The Epic 4G has the most versatile keyboard of the three. It has a dedicated row for numbers and several special keys (search, back, home, smiley, etc.). The keys themselves are chicklet-style, reminiscent of Apple Macbooks and Sony Vaio laptops.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • The BlackBerry Torch has the traditional BlackBerry qwerty that has been around on high-end devices since the BlackBerry 8800 World Edition. It is a top quality keyboard with a nice weight to it and typically has a low error rate. Those who are already familiar with BlackBerry will love the standard feel.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • The Droid 2 keyboard is the worst of the three. The keys are too flat and non-distinct and there are no special keys other than the arrow keys. The Droid 2 keyboard is better than the original Droid keyboard, but that's not saying much. Most of the people I know who have a Droid bought it at least partly because of the physical keyboard. But those same people report that 90% of the time they never use it, since it's so bad.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

1 of 29

For those who still prefer a hardware keyboard on their smartphone, here are comparison photos of three great devices: Motorola Droid 2, Samsung Epic 4G, and BlackBerry Torch 9800.

Read More Read Less

For those who still prefer a hardware keyboard on their smartphone, here are comparison photos of three great devices: Motorola Droid 2, Samsung Epic 4G, and BlackBerry Torch 9800.

Check out the close-up photos at the end of the gallery for a description and critique of each of the three keyboards. You can also read the companion blog post.

Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic

Caption by: Jason Hiner

1 of 29

Related Topics:

Mobility Blackberry Smartphones Mobile OS Security Hardware
Add Your Comment
Add Your Comment

Related Galleries