November 12, 2009

Ultimate mobile deathmatch: iPhone vs. BlackBerry vs. Droid vs. Pre

Despite the Droid, the iPhone and BlackBerry remain on top; use our ratings calculator to determine the best smartphone for you

The latest Android 2.0-based "iPhone killer" won't kill the iPhone or the BlackBerry -- and the cheaper HTC Droid Eris is the new smartphone that I think Apple should be concerned about. But there are now six smartphones on the market that will appeal to business and professional users, each with different strengths and weaknesses. This article gives InfoWorld's ratings for all six -- the Apple iPhone, HTC Droid Eris, Motorola Droid, Palm Pre, Research in Motion BlackBerry Bold, and RIM BlackBerry Storm 2 -- plus an interactive ratings form in which you can enter your own weighting for each category in our exclusive Mobile Deathmatch Calculator and get a customized score for each smartphone.

Our buying advice is simple:

  • If you want a mobile device that takes full advantage of Web connectivity, applications, and personal media that you can also use for business connectivity such as e-mail and calendaring, get the iPhone, even with the inferiority of AT&T's 3G network.
  • If you're subject to high security requirements, such as for regulatory compliance, need to manage lots of devices, or just can't handle using a touch-based screen keyboard, you want the BlackBerry Bold, which is available from several U.S. carriers.
  • If you can't stand the thought of using the AT&T 3G network and don't need to access corporate e-mail (outside of POP and IMAP mail servers), you want the HTC Droid Eris, which, like the Motorola Droid, is available only from Verizon Wireless.

[ Read InfoWorld's in-depth mobile deathmatch series: BlackBerry Bold vs. iPhone | Palm Pre vs. iPhone | Motorola Droid vs. iPhone. And see our deathmatch slideshows' head-to-head comparisons: BlackBerry Bold vs. iPhone | Palm Pre vs. iPhone | Motorola Droid vs. iPhone | Read our review of the HTC Droid Eris. ]

The WebOS-based Palm Pre was innovative last spring but has been bested by the new generation of Android devices. (Its sole U.S. carrier, Sprint, appears to have moved on from the Pre, now focusing on Android devices.) The Motorola Droid's keyboard is unusable, and the lack of multitouch support in its included apps makes its few technical advantages over the HTC Droid Eris -- basically, a few extra security features -- a lousy bargain. The BlackBerry Storm 2 was supposed to fix an unusable clickable touchscreen in the original version, but the solution doesn't address the core issue: Tapping is very slow on the screen, to the point that sustained text entry is out of the question. It's not surprising that within weeks of its release, carriers are selling it as part of two-for-one specials.

Windows Mobile and Nokia Symbian devices are also out of the picture. Microsoft's long-delayed Windows 7 Mobile remains vaporware, and making purchase decisions on Microsoft's promise is foolhardy. Nokia's Symbian OS has evolved slowly in the last decade and simply isn't in the same league as modern mobile OSes; Nokia knows that and has a plan to move -- over several years -- to a new OS called Maemo. Someday we'll see what Maemo has to offer; in the meantime, Nokia has been unable to get U.S. carriers to sell its smartphones.

[ If the InfoWorld Test Center comparative scorecard does not display properly below, see the original story at InfoWorld.com. ]

Test Center Scorecard
For midsize and large business (InfoWorld standard)
For personal use
For small business
For regulated business
15% 15% 10% 20% 10% 15% 15% Overall Score
Apple iPhone 3G S 9 7 9 7 5 9 9
7.9
Good
8.4
Very Good
8.0
Very Good
7.4
Good
15% 15% 10% 20% 10% 15% 15% Overall Score
HTC Droid Eris 7 5 7 5 9 7 7
6.5
Fair
7.3
Good
6.7
Fair
5.7
Poor
15% 15% 10% 20% 10% 15% 15% Overall Score
Motorola Droid 7 5 7 5 9 5 7
6.2
Fair
6.9
Fair
6.4
Fair
5.5
Poor
15% 15% 10% 20% 10% 15% 15% Overall Score
Palm Pre 9 6 6 6 9 6 7
6.9
Fair
7.5
Good
7.3
Good
6.8
Fair
15% 15% 10% 20% 10% 15% 15% Overall Score
RIM BlackBerry Bold 4 9 5 10 9 5 5
6.9
Fair
5.8
Poor
6.0
Fair
8.1
Very Good
15% 15% 10% 20% 10% 15% 15% Overall Score
RIM BlackBerry Storm 2 4 9 5 10 9 1 5
6.3
Fair
5.0
Poor
6.6
Fair
7.7
Very Good

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HomerT.NachoCheese 12-Nov-09 12:11pm
1 reply
OK, before even reading this article I am already saying that Galen once again is extremely biased towards the iPhone. And once again, no Blackberry 8830 phones (or something else more business-oriented) - just the corporate toys.
To me, the iPhone is a great executive phone - for the executives. It is just a toy.
Only 10% allocated to the scoring for voice capabilities? Are you kidding? I find it very important to be able to talk on my smartphone.
For someone who needs a phone as a play toy, I think that the way you weighted each of the scores is appropriate.
Now, if you want to weight the scores properly for secure business use, I would suggest dumping in more points on voice, usability, business connectivity, and security.
So, if we were to use these percentages from left to right: 5%, 25%, 5%, 25%, 25%, 10%, 5%, you get some different scores - in my opinion, more realistic scores:
iPhone 7.00
HTC Droid 6.50
Motorola Droid 6.30
Palm Pre 6.95
BB Bold 8.20
Storm 2 7.80
And if you do not give the Storm 2 a ridiculous score and use a 4 instead of a 1, it gets an 8.10
I think you just fudged your percentages around to make Apple products king again, as you always appear to do. I would also expect any Android phone to be a toy for at least a couple of years. 5 years from now it may start getting good market share compared to the rest. I did some development for it in school when it first came out and it looks promising.
Now, I will read the rest of the article...
Galen Gruman 12-Nov-09 12:48pm

Everyone has different criteria for what matters to them on these devices, which is why we created the Mobile Deathmatch Calculator, where you can enter your own percentages and see how the devices fall out.

As for business-level smartphones, we did include the BlackBerry Bold, which is the premier business BlackBerry, according to RIM.

djcraft8 12-Nov-09 2:19pm
I don’t hardly ever write but I find this article to be over the top so Iphone bias that it cannot be used for anything other than for an Iphone commercial. All about the "Cool Stuff" the Iphone does, never mind the other phones have most of those features too, and then some. The #1 thing a Smart PHONE should be able to do is make a call and handle calls. If not its is a PDA with limited abilities for calling - sounds like an Iphone to me. The #2 thing a SMART Phone should have is the best DATA handling abilities. These 2 items are the REASON for smart phones and the main function for them and what real business needs from them. Both of which put the Iphone would be dead last. The Iphone is the flashiest, smoothest, nicest looking, and without a doubt, coolest phone. BUT the dropped calls and the lack of 3G is MOST areas make it at times unusable - especially for small and large business. You cannot do business with dropped calls or missing emails. The RIM phones are known for their security - NOTHING BEATS them or comes close – not as close as you insinuate the Iphone does. They are not the easiest to use thats true, but they work for calling and getting email and are #1 with Security. The Iphone administration app - how can you seriously use that in a large business that requires high security - you can’t. You have no idea if those settings are in the phones or not. What are you going to do??? Let’s say you have a SMALL business of 100 people all over the country and you have a few security requirements that must be met, the Iphone is capable but only thru that app. The only way to verify it is to fly someone around to the 100 people or have the 100 people send in their phones and be without for a duration. I don’t see how this would be a good selection for large business? Seems you were writing with your feelings and not with reality. The PRE bashing is amazing - the PRE is not an Iphone, but the screen is brighter, the scrolling and touch work as smooth or smoother than the Iphone (and this per other Iphone owners and reviews I have seen not my experience as I can’t tell the difference). Have you even used one? There are not a billion downloads from the PRE store, nor 10,000 apps - but there are 350+ apps and more every day in a BETA store (took apple much longer to get their store up). Not to mention the "Home brew" apps, which is something that will never happen on the Iphone. Not sure where the facts came from that made you comment on Droid reducing PRE apps? The Iphone and the PRE are VERY close in feel and the way they work. And how can the gestures on the Iphone make sense and the PREs be so difficult to figure out. On the PRE you swipe back to go back, drag your finger up to bring up the bar with whatever 5 quick launch programs you want on it. The menus you scroll thru the same way from what I can see and the majority of the COMMON apps you use are on both devices. (Pandora, Flixster, Accuweather, just to name a few) The PRE also has a few other things you didn’t mention – like it being OPEN sourced and not closed like the Iphone. That is huge, as well as the “Cards” – and they way they let you flip from contacts to email while you are on a call. Very practical for business needs, however the OPEN Source is also a huge security issue. As far as the Droid phones – I haven’t even seen one working and cannot comment at all on how at points they are as good as and Iphone if not better. The keyboard thing, virtual or physical is completely a user preference. I can’t type on a virtual keyboard accurately at all. I typed better on my moto Q then my HTC Snap I have now. This is the 2nd such article I have made the mistake of reading from you on the phones… I wont be reading any of your articles in the future on phones. Be more objective – and when you find a positive feature in another phone be as enthusiastic as you are with the Iphone. The Security in the RIM products as well as email, contacts, and calendar are ROCK solid. The PRE and its CARD system are very innovative and if security and active sync were not such an issue, it would be a very good phone for business. The Iphones spotty 3G reception is a huge draw back and issue. One last thing, when you mention you have had a Iphone for 2 years in this article which explains a lot – especially when you mention battery life. I don’t know an Iphone owner/user that wouldn’t want more because the Iphone isn’t just a smart phone but they are game, movie and music devices as well, none of which is required for a smart phone and are the things an Iphone does best.

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