# I-Phone4 vs HTC Desire



## ash_xt (Apr 22, 2007)

ladies and gents, probably been done before, but looking for a new phone shortly as mine is pants, i can't make phone calls in my house! only a rubbish samsung cheapy thing.

i've kinda narrowed it down to 2 phones, the iphone4 and the HTC Desire, i was 95% sure i was going with the desire, but i keep seeing a lot of people having issues with the Desire and HTC in general, regarding many different things incl. speakers, firmware etc. now the iphone is quite alot more expensive (i can't see why just that it has an apple badge so can price it at silly prices) and with the apple your then stuck with i tunes and all things apple?!?

i'm open to other phones, its just that these 2 seem to be the leaders in the smart phone market.

reviews and any issues please


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

BB Torch or HTC for me, can't stand i-phones, ipods etc.


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## robj20 (Jan 20, 2009)

Cant understand anyone getting an iphone to be honest when the Desire does everything that does and more.
I havent had any issues with mine.


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

Desire. That said iPhone does have a noise cancelling microphone.


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## bjarvis2785 (Oct 4, 2008)

iphone for me.

However, i big part of the iphone decision comes down to if you use itunes for your music and want a ton of apps available.


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## robj20 (Jan 20, 2009)

You can run a decent amount of the iphone apps on the Desire so thats not an issue, im running the iphone subway app on mine with no issues.


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## ash_xt (Apr 22, 2007)

na don't think i'll use it for music, and the apps, not having used a smart phone yet, i don't know what i will be like, i would imagine first month i would get loads, and then once the idea has worn off i would just have the ones i only actually need.

see another part of me wants to be different and not follow the i-phone train, but i also don't want to suffer an inferior phone just becasue i want to be different. (not saying the others are!)


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## bjarvis2785 (Oct 4, 2008)

i think you should try both phones... especially the iphone - it's a lot of wedge to lay down if you don't get on with it!
any of your mates have the phones that you could have a quick play on?


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

Everyone I know who has an iphone sticks with them. Should tell you something!


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## silverback (Jun 18, 2008)

i love my bb9700,BUT,if you plan on using the phone for internet viewing the bigger screen comes in handy.so its between the htc and the iphone.texting on the iphone is easier and i seemed to make less mistakes than i do on the htc.its as common as muck, but i would say iphone 4 myself.


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## ChromeDome (Aug 15, 2010)

Voted iPhone,thats all i have used & to me its great.....must check the competition out some day


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## ash_xt (Apr 22, 2007)

i've played with a 3gs, great phone, never played with a HTC so don't know


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## robj20 (Jan 20, 2009)

The beauty of the Desire is often missed by some, like the person commenting on texting not being as good. Then change the way texting works there are apps to change every aspect of the Desire to just how you want it. I use a 3rd party app for texting it works better for me, you can change the layout of the keyboard and the response of key presses.


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## ash_xt (Apr 22, 2007)

see i'm swinging towards the Desire, mainly due to the fact its an upgrade, and i think i could pretty much get it for free, compared to the Iphone which would be about £170, and by the sounds of things theres nothing really in it.


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## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

HTC DESIRE all the way, and thats coming from a staunch Apple guy. I wanted the best phone for the money and the HTC won hands down over the iPhone.
PS. It wasn't voted phone of the year 2010 for nothing :thumb:


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## Geetarman (Apr 22, 2007)

Probably worth consider the new Desire HD.

I voted desire btw, love mine!


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

desire does seem to win the head to head reviews but its so close as to come down to personal preferecne.


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

believe you can sync with itunes on the desire already. love mine best phone ive had pretty much do everything u will ever need apart from serve u dinner. 

Iphone still has better games and apps though most are being transported to android as we speak plus you need to remember android phone and software is rapidly updating and over taking apple and android/google roll out updates to your phone for this.

As mentioned it got voted phone of they year, doesnt mean you will like it some prefer the iphone and thats cool it does look nice (just dont drop it)


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## Pandy (Jan 19, 2008)

Its like the PS3 vs 360 battle, neither will win, they both have strengths in different areas.

As said its all down to preference.

I love my Desire, its such a quick phone and when i use my partners 3GS i feel like i cant do anything other than use it as it, theres nowhere near as much customisation.

Andy


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## STEALTH K3 (Dec 29, 2006)

Just got the Desire HD the only [email protected] thing is the battery life about 3 hours before I go to the red while messing about on app's games etc


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

STEALTH K3 said:


> Just got the Desire HD the only [email protected] thing is the battery life about 3 hours before I go to the red while messing about on app's games etc


Pretty standard on a smart phone tbh.


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## STEALTH K3 (Dec 29, 2006)

bigmc said:


> Pretty standard on a smart phone tbh.


Jeeeeez is that so it has been on charge twice already dont think my old Erricson got that many in a week


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Yeah my nokia x6 last all week if I don't use it much but can completely drain the battery in 4-6 hours by going on net, games etc.


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## martind511 (Mar 28, 2007)

I'm fortunate to have all three (I have to test them for work). I voted for the iphone 4 I simply love the screen of the iphone, the ipod functionality and the general ease of use. However, the BB9700 is my favourite smartphone for use as a phone and email device, i just love the proper keyboard. The BB Torch is not that good. The Desire is somewhat unloved and remains in my drawer. I just don't think it excels in any particular area although I do like the choice of apps.


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## IanG (Nov 21, 2007)

Desire HD for me:thumb:


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## Raife (Jul 14, 2009)

Iphone for show Desire for the pro.


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## griffin1907 (Mar 4, 2006)

chopped my Blackberry 9700 for an iPhone 4. Blackberry was great, specially battery life, but as has been said, needs a bigger screen for internet etc


iPhone 4 is cracking bit of kit, however it IS flawed. You really need to try them all and see. Try getting a deal over the phone, I know with Voddafone you have 7 days to try the phone, if you dont get on you can return it for summat else.


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## jamest (Apr 8, 2008)

ardandy said:


> Everyone I know who has an iphone sticks with them. Should tell you something!


Should tell you that they are some what delusional spending more money on something that adds absolutely nothing.

The main differences between the 2 are that if you say you have an HTC Desire, people won't know what you are talking about whereas if you say iPhone most people will think you are awesome and your farts smell wonderful.

The other difference is purely down to which one you prefer using, go in to a shop and try them.

I have a Desire and the iPhone didn't even come in to my mind as being an option. They are extremely expensive and offer nothing new over other smart phones other than being tied down in to a long expensive contact with limited control over your phone other than what Apple deems you should without voiding your warranty which they want to make illegal.


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

Actually the New Desire HD (4.3 inch screen) would be my choice!


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## Ducky (Mar 19, 2007)

jamest said:


> The main differences between the 2 are that if you say you have an HTC Desire, people won't know what you are talking about whereas if you say iPhone most people will think you are awesome and your farts smell wonderful.


Sorry, but that is spot on fella! :lol:

(Desire owner) :thumb:


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## Modmedia (Jul 25, 2008)

iPhone & HTC Desire/HD for Internet browsing.

Blackberry > All for texting, battery life and everyday use as a _phone_. It is ****e for internet though, like... beyond terrible.


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

Modmedia said:


> iPhone & HTC Desire/HD for Internet browsing.
> 
> Blackberry > All for texting, battery life and everyday use as a _phone_. It is ****e for internet though, like... beyond terrible.


Your not wrong, any idea why bb's are so terrible at the internet?


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## jamest (Apr 8, 2008)

Brazo said:


> Your not wrong, any idea why bb's are so terrible at the internet?


Browser is terrible and the way you have to magnify to zoom in, just doesn't feel intuitive especially coming from an iPhone/Android/Windows phone.

Screens are just too small too.


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## Stevoraith (Mar 15, 2008)

I actually find the iPhone haters amusing. It's human nature I guess that you either love or hate the things that stand out as being exceptional in their fields.

They are so popular now that there is nothing 'cool' about having an iPhone. Every bugger has one.
But the reason so many people choose them is because they do everything fantastically well.
That's also the reason you don't need all the customisation that other phones offer- they are so intuitive to use.

My wife has just got an HTC desire and it is a great phone, no doubt.
The screen resolution is every bit as good as my 3G (if not better) and the touch sensitivity is 95% as good, but what makes me prefer the iPhone is that I knew how to do everything I wanted to do with it as soon as I took it out of the box.
With the HTC I had to go on the internet to find out how to do a few things when I was setting it up.
No biggie and I'm sure with everyday use it is a fantastic phone, it's just that the iPhone offers that 'je ne sais quoi'.
Whether that is worth the hefty premium is up to you.

What I will say in regards to the price diference is that it is becoming more difficult to justify. When I bought mine two years ago the competition was things like the Nokia N95- absolutely night and day with an iPhone so the price difference was justifiable.
No you can get the Desire for 'normal' phone prices (e.g my wife is on orange with a £22.50 a month contract and the phone cost £50).
iPhone tarrifs will have to come down or people will stop paying the premium.


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## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

Get the HTC Desire HD. I love the Iphone 4 but I don't like how you can't customise it.


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## Modmedia (Jul 25, 2008)

Brazo said:


> Your not wrong, any idea why bb's are so terrible at the internet?


It is partly down to the browser. The built in one is rubbish, there is another browser which I use sometimes and it's called Bolt and is avaiable in the Blackberry App World for free.

It's slightly better but still in terms of sheer speed my Galaxy-S/iPhone 4 runs rings around it!

I need my Blackberry though, still, as the other half has one a BBM is _too_ good to give up.


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## mlgt (Apr 11, 2008)

You can use whatsapp and acts like BBM.


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## David 1150 (Jun 6, 2009)

I've had a Desire for several months, as has my boss and his daughter. All running happily with no problems. Would I do a straight swap for an iPhone 4? Hmm, why? Would I pay £130 more for the iPhone (at the time of buying) - not a chance.

I'd be very tempted by a Desire HD, mostly for the bigger screen, otherwise I'll keep the Desire for the forseeable future.

The only advantages the iPhone have (to me) is the availability of high-end games, but I can't see that lasting much longer with the massive uptake of Android, and being able to use it in a dock.

And it isn't like the iPhone 4 doesn't have problems, antenna and fragile screens spring to mind.


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## David 1150 (Jun 6, 2009)

STEALTH K3 said:


> Just got the Desire HD the only [email protected] thing is the battery life about 3 hours before I go to the red while messing about on app's games etc


As someone's said, it's pretty normal for smart phones, the screens drink the juice and the HD's bigger screen will want more.

There are ways to eek out the battery, including using the plain black wallpaper instead of a "Live" one, keeping the brightness down (the power control widget is handy for this), and the biggy is to switch off Mobile network when you don't need Internet access - long press the power button to access this. The battery will improve over the first week or so, and there's a way to condition it to make sure it takes a full charge, try Googling this, sorry I haven't got a link 

The HTC car charger is very good , charging the phone quickly, and it'll still charge with sat nav/GPS/internet and the screen all on (which could double as a "hand warmer" app), worth the extra over a cheaper car charger.


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

I find the slower charge (desire) from a pc usb connection seems to make the battery last longer, using the tips from David above I have had nearly 2 days from my desire


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## STEALTH K3 (Dec 29, 2006)

Some good pointers here
http://androidforums.com/htc-desire/57454-desire-battery-consumption-2.html


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## Adnoh (May 26, 2008)

I too had to chose between the desre and IP4 and in the end Apple won!

I agree I paid more than I should (i am a PAYG customer) but the decision for me was this:
Desire sim free £430
Iphone4 sim free £500

For £70 I was getting better design, much better screen and access to more and better apps.

For me it was worth it. Im so glad i went with apple!


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## TheGooner84 (Jun 29, 2010)

bigmc said:


> BB Torch or HTC for me, can't stand i-phones, ipods etc.


pretty much my thoughts. im going for the torch in a couple of weeks.

although it does depend on what your wanting your phone for ?

to me if its more for a time killer, games and music then the iphone is great. but if your wanting a phone for keeping in contact than i will say the blackberry is great.


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

Desire (with 2.2) does everything the iphone does and costs less. Also feels better in hand, the 3Gs was a much better product to hold.


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## ash_xt (Apr 22, 2007)

Finally got my upgrade  went with the Desire HD.. what a great phone it is, although i am new to this smartphone lark, but have already done a few tests against mates 3gs's and it trumps them in everything so far lol.... (managed to get it for free as well which was a bonus!)

only thing does anybody know of a website or anything that tells you what the symbols at the top of the home screen mean? being the only one in the office with a HTC does mean theres nobody to go and ask lol..

also anybody sync'd their yahoo accounts up with the mail? if so how? i've tried doing it both automatically and doing it manually with the same settings i used in my outlook on the pc?!?


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## Geetarman (Apr 22, 2007)

Try here for the HTC manuals:

http://www.htc.com/uk/userguide.aspx?p_id=324

An there is a Yahoo mail app thats pretty decent.


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## RedUntilDead (Feb 10, 2009)

mobile9.com for downloads.
HTC desire hd andriod,made from ally billet, far better construction than the iphone. No problems yet.


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## ryanuk (Jun 22, 2007)

yeah HTC desire all day! i would not go back to an iphone now i have my HTC!


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## taffy (Nov 10, 2005)

I've got a Desire and not had any problems with it in the 5 or so months I've had it.


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## Jordan (Dec 22, 2008)

had my Desire for 9 months, and the internal speakers blown and sounds really crackly

it's getting sent of to HTC for repairs on tuesday, but other than that it's been a great phone.


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## BrummyPete (Jun 10, 2010)

Had my Desire for 9 months now, been a great phone, the only reason I got it was because it was £10 cheaper a month for a better tariff and it was a free handset. If they offered some better tariffs then I would certainly consider the Iphone when I come to upgrade.


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