Connect with us

Mobile

5 Reasons Not to Buy the Droid Incredible 4G LTE

Published

on

Verizon has finally added the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE to its smartphone lineup, releasing the phone several weeks after it was officially shown off at CTIA 2012 in New Orleans.

With no release date announced at the show, interested consumers were left waiting for several weeks until Verizon finally announced July 5th as its official release date just a few short days ago.

Now, the phone is on shelves, waiting for consumers to make it their next smartphone.

Well, before going out to buy the device, we want those thinking about buying the Droid Incredible 4G LTE to consider the positives and negatives about the device. We’ve already shared five reasons why buying Droid Incredible 4G LTE might be a good idea and now it’s time to look at five reasons why not to buy the device.

The Droid Incredible 4G LTE launched on Verizon today.

qHD Display

First off, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE display isn’t 720p in nature, a feature that has come pretty much standard on top of the line Android phones this year.

Instead, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE offers 560 x 940 resolution, which, while still good, isn’t as vibrant or crisp as those nice 720p displays found on other Android smartphones.

For those that don’t watch a lot of video content on their device, this won’t be too much of a big deal but for those that want top quality video, a true HD display is going to be the way to go.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

The Droid Incredible 4G LTE will feature Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. Just a few short weeks ago, this would have been a good thing. However, at Google I/O, Google announced that it would be releasing Android 4.1 Jelly Bean during the middle part of July.

Read: Jelly Bean Makes Galaxy Nexus Faster, Smoother & Smarter.

So, sadly, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE won’t come with the latest version of Android which means owners will have to wait for the update to arrive sometime later in the months ahead.

And, as we all know, waiting for Android updates to arrive is never fun.

Verizon

Especially, when the waiting is being done for a Verizon phone. Verizon, while maybe not the slowest to updating its devices, is known to provide little information on Android updates instead choosing to be silent.

It also often provides misleading information from its Twitter support account that has led many an Android owner astray.

Point is, dealing with the Android update process is tough but dealing with the Android update process and Verizon at the same time is even tougher.

Remember, this is the company that took five months to update the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. So, don’t expect swift updates for the Droid Incredible 4G LTE.

More Intriguing Options

Believe it or not, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE isn’t the only intriguing device on the market. In fact, there are devices that are much more intriguing than it.

One, the Samsung Galaxy S III which boasts top of the line hardware including an HD display and 4G LTE speeds and only costs a mere $50 more than the Droid Incredible 4G LTE.

And two, the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX which is available for cheap at Amazon Wireless and which boasts the same quality screen as the Droid Incredible 4G LTE and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to go along with a thin frame and a massive 3,300 battery.

So, similar pricing but better specifications on both the Galaxy S III and Droid RAZR MAXX mean consumers will want to take a long look at the Droid Incredible 4G LTE before buying.

No Image Sense Camera

Unlike the other HTC One Series devices, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE does not boast an image sense camera from HTC. We originally assumed that it would, considering it’s essentially Verizon’s version of the HTC One, but alas the device does not feature it.

HTC image sense provides a variety of options for the camera that turn it into a more powerful option for taking photos and video on the go.

The Droid Incredible 4G LTE doesn't have Image Sense.

Image sense users can take photos while shooting video or easily take a photo in environments with poor lighting. It also includes an instant capture feature that allows users to, surprise, instantly capture moments on camera.

That all sounds nice right?

Too bad it’s not available, at least officially, on the Droid Incredible 4G LTE.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. ag

    07/11/2012 at 7:32 am

    qHD display – still slightly better than my Thunderbolt, and definitely good enough for the screen size.

    Ice Cream Sandwich – there is always something better around the corner if you just wait a bit longer, and since Jelly Bean hadn’t been released at the time of your post, this a moot point.

    Verizon – this is purely opinion. some like the phones and updates, some like to actually be able to use their phones. If the latter is important, there is no carrier that comes close to Verizon in terms of network coverage.

    More Intriguing options – The Samsung Galaxy SIII is pretty stellar, but I don’t want to carry a tablet in my pocket. I already have a tablet.

    Camera – taking still photos while recording video. I just did it.

  2. Nikko

    07/13/2012 at 12:22 am

    qHD display – your point is very poor here. You go to say that it “isn’t as vibrant or crisp as those nice 720p displays found on other Android smartphones.” Firstly qHD is a pixel resolution with a pretty high ppi. Going up to 720p on a 4″ screen would make the iPhone look like it has a sparce pixel density. Secondly, resolution has nothing to do with vibrant colors, and only half to do with crispness. Pixel density does have some to do with the sharpness of edges, but the ppi is high enough at 4″ qHD that this would be no problem. The other half and where vibrant comes in is the PANEL TECHNOLOGY, specifically the SLCD2 here. If this panel poorly reproduces color, then you could have 1080p at that size and nothing would be vibrant or crisp. Getting caught up in having HD for the sake of having HD is a very poor mindset as a reviewer.

    ICS – Okay, so this is the 3rd phone out for Verizon that has ICS out of the box. As mentioned in the post before mine, Jelly Bean wasn’t even released yet, let alone compiled by the OEM, loaded with the latest version of Sense by HTC, sent to Verizon for testing, then finally released to the public. That takes 6 months. Learn your software timeline a little better before you start nit-picking about the “latest and greatest.” Custom Roms and official OEM kernels are very very different.

    Verizon – Subjective based on location, costs, needs, and current plans. Hard to say who should buy what based on the carrier without knowing things. That said, I don’t care for Verizon as much as I used to. You can have this point =)

    “Intriguing Options” – What’s intriguing is that you don’t even know the hardware differences. Same CPU. Inc4G is at 1.2GHz, so it’s downclocked a little, but really, since it’s pushing fewer pixels, the difference won’t be noticed by most. The S4 will shine high above any other non S4 out there right now, and that’s what will be noticed. 8gb vs 16gb internal memory is personal preference; not everyone will need it. Bigger isn’t always better. Same with the removable storage: 64GB removable storage isn’t useful unless you know how to use it. Most would be just fine with 16gb external. As for the RAM, well, that is subjective once again. 2GB is almost overkill, and we won’t see anyone filling that amount for a while. 1GB is very comfortable for a phone, and I doubt people will be hindered by it for the immediate and medium-term future.

    ImageSense – You seem to be misinformed again. Probably should look up some of this stuff a little harder, especially since there are things the Inc4G, like pictures during video which was demoed at CTIA in YouTube videos. I was ready to give this point to you, because the Galaxy S III has a iPhone4-like camera and the Inc4G will not be able to keep up without the ImageSense Chip.

    Look, I understand that sometimes we need to say “hey, don’t buy this phone if…” in our reviews. But grasping at straws and hope they don’t leak is very poor journalism and only serves to make people stupid. No one wants to be stupid. Next time, make your points valid with supporting facts instead of making things up on the fly after looking (not using) at the phone turned on for 2 minutes. You can do it.

  3. Just Someone

    07/17/2012 at 8:49 am

    I think the comments about the article are more useful than the article itself. I bought the Incredible 4G LTE yesterday and so far I’m very happy with it.

  4. Incredible 4g owner

    07/22/2012 at 9:29 am

    I’ve owned the incredible 4g LTE for 2 wks.. and its a very impressive device… Will be even better with Jelly Bean update.. once you’ve uninstalled any unneeded apps.. its even faster (this thing is fast! I am a power user… If yoi need more power than this, use your Damn pc! Excellent for work and play both.. I’m a flagger so o gotta use the GPS a lot.. the only mobile device I need… Great bang for your buck, as its one of the top devices available… if you want a good fast android phone that willbembarrass the hell outta the iPhone (and most others)… Just get this one… Grab the extended battery package if you spend the entire day on it… The review above is quite off and not to mention misleading… If you just want the most expensive device, there’s no helping you, since every week to aomth, a new device emerges.. don’t worry about that… Your phone is a tool that should fit your needs, not a smug fashion accessory…. amazing device…

  5. Justin R

    09/01/2012 at 12:18 pm

    Let me guess. Adam uses an iPhone.

  6. Jesse

    11/30/2012 at 2:52 pm

    Totally unfair comments. I own a dinc4 and I love it. Go over to YOUTube and watch the iphone get smoked by this phone.

  7. Keith

    04/01/2013 at 7:28 pm

    Ok, I have had my Fireball since mid October and have absolutely loved it. It is perfectly sized as a smart phone, any bigger (Samsung, anyone…..) and it won’t fit into most pants pockets. The screen shortcomings bemoaned in the original review are just plain silly. Camera is good for a cell phone- any better picture needs have me opening my camera case anyways. Reception in SoCal with Verizon is the best show in town, even inside large buildings and in the foothills. The developers at CyanogenMod have rendered Verizon’s Jelly Bean updates purely academic. The htc Incerdible 4g lte is an excellent little phone and an unbeatable value.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.