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About a week ago, Verizon Wireless unveiled the Droid Incredible 2 by HTC, a follow-up to the original Droid Incredible we reviewed last year. Although the hardware and software have not changed much since last year, it brings plenty of additional polish to attract buyers who might have swayed away to avoid being an early adopter. The friendlier look, some extra RAM for faster multitasking, a front-facing camera for video chat, and more powerful battery are just a few improvements. Unfortunately, the brand new Droid Incredible 2 comes with many drawbacks worth addressing.
Hardware
For starters, the rubberized plastic black matte finish offers a great grip and wards off most fingerprints. The curved sides make the Droid Incredible 2 easier to hold than its predecessor. It is definitely more compact than the somewhat over sized HTC Thunderbolt. Although the latest Summer 2011 smart phones will pack dual-core processors, this phone still runs on a year old 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. I was also disappointed to find that there is only 1 GB of on-board storage while the original Droid Incredible had 8 GB. Even though HTC makes microSD expansion possible on both devices, the Droid Incredible 2 can only reach a maximum combined total of 33 GB while its predecessor could hold up to 40 GB. For those looking to jump onto Verizon Wireless 4G LTE, this phone sadly is not compatible. Setting those complains aside, I should note that I was glad to see HTC do away with the optical trackpad which contradicts the purpose of a touch screen phone.
Software
The limited hardware is not the only issue, problems extend even further. This phone still runs on the nearly year old Android 2.2 (Froyo) operating system when Google already pushed out Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) a few months ago. I am confident that HTC will roll out an update in a matter of time, but there is no telling how long it will take. Aside from a newer version of HTC Sense, the Droid Incredible 2 still runs on the same operating system as its predecessor. I also found that the pre-installed Skype application still lacks video calling support meaning having to turn to 3rd party solutions to take advantage of the front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera. Verizon Wireless also pre-loads 19 nonremovable applications on this phone. While I do not mind a few such as the 3G mobile hotspot app or Amazon Kindle, it is still starting to get ridiculous.
Other Thoughts
We will have a full Droid Incredible 2 review published within a week, but this smart phone does not look to promising. Although it looks a lot more attractive than the original with a minimalistic design, it also loses a few features. This device might be a decent mid-range device, but buyers might as well opt for a better handset since the monthly fees are not any different.
Buy: $80 for Droid Incredible 2
Links: Verizon Wireless | HTC
I just have to say after reading your review, have you had much experience with Android phone? Or smartphones at all?!?
1) Inc 2’s Processor is technically the same, however your leaving out an added GPU unit that certainly makes a difference hardware over it’s predecessor.
2) Inc2 has 1GB of RAM, not storage space which includes a 16gb sd card. There is a difference between RAM and storage space, as is true of just about any computer in general, not sure how frankly you could confuse the two.
3) “Although it looks a lot more attractive than the original with a minimalistic design, it also loses a few features.” The screen is bigger be it slightly, Processor HAS been improved with updated GPU, more RAM, storage space, etc. What features again did is love over the original??
I post this not to be rude honestly, but I think it could scare off people from this phone for a many of the false statements you made above. I get it its not a 4G phone. I’m personally not going to get a 4G phone yet as for me personally I live in an area where we won’t see it available until the end of 2012. More so, until they get better with the truly awful battery life that comes with 4G right now I’m staying away. If you take that out of the equation, the Inc2 stands up right next to the Thunderbolt, but with better battery life. Cheers
The processor is a hairline more efficient, but it is essentially still the same. I am not aware of a GPU change, but I will check on it.
However, I think you have a few things possibly mixed up. The Incredible 2 has 768 MB of RAM, not 1 GB. It also only has 1 GB of space for internal storage, but Verizon Wireless includes a 16 GB microSD card as you stated. The original Incredible had 8 GB for internal storage, but it never came with a microSD card. If you popped a 32 GB into both the Incredible and the Incredible 2, the latter would have a combined total of 33 GB while the former would have 40 GB.
As for your concern regarding 4G, I would look at it differently. If you buy this phone now, you will be tied to it until around May 2013. Even Verizon Wireless does not provide 4G LTE in your area, they may do so within that two-year period. At the moment the carrier is not charging extra for accessing their new network, meaning you pay the same price for 3G as well. With that said, I would highly recommended getting a 4G LTE phone so you can enjoy faster speeds when you are in areas that provide it or when it finally reaches your home town. If you are concerned about battery, there are ways to turn off the 4G LTE module in the settings.
Hope that helps.