iPhone 4 or Droid X - Which is Better?

It has become a norm now that every phone that is worth its salt, eventually ends up being pitted against an iPhone. While Apple was cruising safely and steadily for years, the open source Android market first proved to be an able competitor, and now is giving Apple a taste of its own medicine. If the recent reports are to be believed, Android phones have outsold Apple phones around the world, and with continuous upgradations, Apple may need to be on its toes to maintain its dominance in the smartphone market. One fact that is easily overlooked by many is that Apple has just about five phones (including the iPhone 4G) against a plethora of Android devices. While Apple launches a phone a year, a new Android phone is born almost every week.

The frequency with which Android phones are released can sometimes turn out to be counter-productive as it is hard to distinguish between phones which run on the same platform and have more or less similar features. However, as they say, class never gets unnoticed and there are definitely some Android phones which deserve a special place in history, and one of these phones is the Motorola Droid X. Succeeding the immensely successful Motorola Droid, this phone created a niche for itself, and ensured that it continued from where its predecessor left. Since its release five months ago, the phone has set itself nicely in the market and as is the case with every bestseller, comparisons with heavyweight iPhone 4 are inevitable. So, let us check out the specifications and features of both phones to see which one can be crowned as the 'winner' in this battle.

iPhone 4 Vs. Droid X

Specification	Apple iPhone	Droid X
Screen Shots
Dimensions	115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm	127.5 x 65.5 x 9.9 mm
Weight	137 g	155 g
Display type	TFT, Capacitive touchscreen 16 M colors	TFT, Capacitive touchscreen 16 M colors
Display Size	3.5 inches	4.3 inches
Internal Memory	512 MB RAM	512 MB RAM
Card Slot	No. (16 GB/32 GB in-built memory)	16 GB card included, expandable up to 32GB
Camera	5 MP, auto-focus with LED Flash	8 MP, auto-focus with Dual-LED Flash
Secondary Camera	Yes, 640×480 VGA	No
3G	HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps	Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps
WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
Operating System	iOS 4	Android 2.1 (Eclair), upgradeable to 2.2 & 2.3
CPU	1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, A4 chipset	1 GHz Cortex-A8 processor, OMAP chipset
Browser	HTML (Safari)	HTML
Radio	No	FM Radio with RDS
GPS	Yes, A-GPS	Yes, A-GPS
Java	No	Yes

This was a comparison of the specifications of both these devices. Well, there is a bit of jargon-play out there, let us try to simplify things for you so that you get to see the complete picture.

Display
Both the iPhone 4 and the Droid X are equipped with a TFT, capacitive touchscreen interface. TFT is an acronym for Thin Film Transistor and is among the best when it comes to image quality and responsiveness. The capacitive touchscreen which works by sensing the electrical properties of the human body ensures a great experience while browsing and maneuvering through the screens. However, the interface of Droid X proves no match to the much-hyped Retina display on the iPhone 4. Retina Display increases the pixel density of an image up to such an extent that the human eye is unable to distinguish between individual pixels, allowing one to view images in high-quality. The iPhone 4 has a 3.5" screen as compared to the 4.3" on Droid X but given the shimmering display quality of the former, this one goes out to Apple.
Result : iPhone 4

Camera:
The 5 megapixel iPhone 4 camera is capable of producing high-quality images. The camera is supported by an LED flash, which helps when the light quality is poor. Droid X, on the other hand, boasts of an 8 megapixels snapper and a dual-LED flash. There is no noticeable difference between images when viewed on phone, however if you are someone who takes a hard-copy of your pictures, the 8 megapixels camera of the Droid X may prove to be a little more useful. iPhone 4 is also equipped with a secondary VGA camera, which can be used to make video calls via Wi-Fi whereas Droid X has to do without a secondary camera. The ability to view images in high-quality, courtesy the Retina Eye Display and the absence of a secondary camera on Droid X tilt the equation in Apple's favor.
Result : iPhone 4

Memory
Both these phones work on a 512 MB RAM, however it is the expandable memory of the Droid X which makes it more appealing to people who do not want to be tied-down by Apple's in-built, non-expandable memory. The $200 iPhone 4 which retails at just around the same price as the Droid X, maxes out at 16 GB. In the absence of a memory slot, this is the best that one can get out of it. Droid X comes with an in-built 8 GB memory and a 16 GB memory card pre-installed in the memory slot, which means that your device can hold up to 32 GB of data. If you swap the 16 GB memory card with the capacity 32 GB one, your Droid X becomes a 40 GB device.
Result : Droid X

Connectivity
The iPhone 4 and Droid X are 3G enabled handsets, however, given the relatively higher speed, browsing on the iPhone 4 is a breezy affair as compared to the Droid X. The 3G download speed on iPhone 4 is higher as compared to the Droid X, but with the latter, you have the advantage of using your phone as a portable hotspot device (although, you need to pay for it).
Result: Draw

CPU & Operating System
As you would have seen in the table, both phones use a standard 1 GHz processor, so there is not much to choose from. Although, there were speculations that Droid X may pack in a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, the phone uses the same OMAP processor that ran its predecessor. The iOS 4 has delivered on what it promised - the new iPhone works faster as compared to the iPhone 3GS and 3G versions. Google's Android on the other hand, has gone through several updates and has proven to be an able competitor to the iPhone 4.
Result: Draw

Applications
Although, the "App Store" has twice the number of apps as compared to the Android Market, not many users are happy with the 'watchdog' approach of Apple. There are a lot of protocols that need to be followed and Apple puts the developers under immense scrutiny. Android is all about open-source platform and the reigns are in the hands of users and developers. So, this one goes to Droid X, courtesy the Android Market.
Result : Droid X

Final Verdict
As you can see from the results, it is pretty much an even battle out there. Definitely, the Droid X hasn't sold as many pieces as iPhone 4, and the hype and buzz an iPhone generates is something that all companies envy. If you are someone who believes 'the bigger - the better', Droid X may very well be the phone for you. But if you are a connoisseur of quality and seek out the minute details of everything, the iPhone 4 courtesy its Retina Eye may very well appeal to you. It is also a choice of royalty versus the 'free spirit' - the "Apps Store" with its over 500,000 strictly monitored applications against the 250,000 and growing free-market apps of the Android market. We have provided you with some insight into these sybaritic devices, and we believe you are the best person to judge which one to put your money on!