It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday

HTC’s Droid Incredible 4G LTE performs well enough, but it doesn’t advance smartphone design, nor does it have the hardware specs to fully compete with today’s top-tier phones. Photo by Ariel Zambelich/Wired

The newest Droid Incredible is a phone with one foot stuck in the past. Interior components like the processor and camera are stellar, and they’re on par with other $200 smartphones on the market right now. But the smaller, 4-inch display isn’t a true HD screen. And the design, dominated by a stubby and chunky chassis, feels like it was drawn up a few years ago when the Droid brand was first launched.

I applaud HTC and Verizon (the new Incredible, like its namesakes, is a Verizon exclusive) for having the stones to offer a new 4-inch Android smartphone. The world needs smaller smartphones, honestly. The Samsung Galaxy S III, with its 4.8-inch screen, is damn near impossible to use with one hand. The Droid Incredible 4G LTE, meanwhile, is a breeze to use single-handedly. The super LCD display looks sharp, detailed and flatly better than any other screen I’ve seen with a 960×540 “qHD” resolution. But at this point, the standard on phones at this price range is to offer an actual HD screen, not a fake HD screen. I’m talking at least 720p, not 540p. It’s not good enough. And while it looks good, 720p would look better.

On paper at least, the CPU is also lagging. It’s a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor, while HTC’s other big-name phones — the One S, One X and HTC Evo 4G LTE — all pack 1.5-GHz dual-core Qualcomm CPUs. But as the Droid proved, you can’t judge a phone by its box copy. It had plenty of horsepower to take on the daily tasks I threw at it: multitasking apps, web browsing in Chrome, games and streaming videos. HTC’s Sense 4 wrapper over the top of Ice Cream Sandwich ran smoothly, and HTC’s skin remains one of the best alternatives to stock Android. So while the new Droid Incredible may be slightly slower than HTC’s other flagships, it’s still unquestionably capable and speedy.

With its cutting-edge One X and One S handsets, HTC has shown it can make thin, powerful phones that are among the most attractive and dynamic on the market. But Verizon opted out of the One Series, preferring to stick with its Droid branding. The results are less compelling than what else is available at $200 (or $150 after a mail-in rebate).

Photo by Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Overall, the styling gives me the impression that the Droid formula has been recycled one too many times. The new Droid Incredible falls right in line with 2010′s Droid Incredible and 2011′s Droid Incredible 2. It’s small, with a rubberized, matte-black, removable rear panel. Red accents are found on an aluminum bezel around the 8-megapixel rear camera and there’s a Beats Audio logo on the rear.

It also ranks as thick by today’s standards. The Incredible 4G LTE is 0.46 inches at its fattest point, and it weighs 4.64 ounces, which is the same weight as the One X. But the One X packs a bigger 4.65-inch display, and is only 0.37 inches thick, and the One S has a 4.3-inch screen, weighs 4.21 ounces and is 0.31-inches thick. When you move to a smaller screen, you naturally have to squeeze the internal components into a different configuration, and you end up with a chunkier device. But the results feel unusually bulky, especially when compared to the thin and light phones I’ve been testing all year.

At least it’s a strong performer. The 8-megapixel camera is fantastic, producing great shots in low light situations or out in the sun. Video also looked good, with the new Incredible being able to capture 1080p video at 30 frames per second. Battery life was solid.

Photo by Ariel Zambelich/Wired

I normally got through a full work day without having to charge up. And, as usual, Verizon’s 4G LTE service is fast, not to mention more widespread than any other carrier’s 4G LTE network.

In all, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE left me with mixed emotions. The 4-inch display is welcome, the price is good and performance is admirable. But I can’t help but feel that HTC and Verizon took the easiest, most cost-effective route here, delivering the slightest tweaks to an old formula and an unspired update to an aging design. The result is a Droid Incredible 4G LTE that simply doesn’t fully live up to the incredible name.

WIRED A quick, smaller-screened Android phone. Detailed camera and sharp screen look good. All-day battery life is the norm. Verizon 4G LTE is fast.

TIRED A 960×540 display isn’t good enough in an HD world. Design is boring and uninspired. It’s overly thick and bulky by today’s standards.

Photo by Ariel Zambelich/Wired