The challenge
The smartphone market is bustling with activity. Competitors are try to outdo the others in wars that add features and reduce prices. All this competition and the plethora of phones pouring into the market seems like good news for the customer who is getting the best features at lower prices. However, it has also put the customer in a spot of bother when it comes to choosing between two similar models. Coming to smartphones with QWERTY keyboards, the Captivate Glide from Samsung and the Droid 4 from Motorola are touted to be close competitors.
Comparison Attributes
Software
The Samsung Captivate Glide makes use of the Touchwiz User Interface which is the one of choice for most of the latest Android powered devices from Samsung. The best part of this interface is the customization that is possible. It runs on the Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread which has been coupled with a dual-core for enhanced speeds and performance. Some good apps like Asphalt 6, Amazon Kindle, Qik, ATT Navigator, Quick Office and Facebook come pre-installed as part of the ‘bloatware’ in the phone. It also has a Bluetooth, GPS, Cellular location feature and Wi-Fi location feature.
The Motorola Droid 4 also comes with the Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread and thus, is not different from the Samsung Captivate Glide in this respect. This actually is a bit of a disappointment for fans were hoping for the Droid 4 to come with an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich outfit. However, it comes with a guarantee from both manufacturer and carrier that the phone will receive an upgrade soon in the near future.
Winner: Tie ( considering the future promise, one could award it to Motorola Droid 4 however)
Display
A bright and brilliant 4″ Super AMOLED display at 800 x 480 resolution decorates the Samsung Captivate Glide phone. The screen performance is fast and zippy now, thanks to the the 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor loaded with 1 GB of RAM. This ensures that static wallpapers get loaded instantaneously. However, loading intensive graphics still gets the screen choppy for a short while.
The Motorola Droid 4, on the other hand, has a 4″ qHD display at a higher 960 x 540 resolution. That is supported at the back end by a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor with 1GB of RAM which is slightly better specs compared to the Samsung’s smartphone. But those better specs are necessary to support the slightly larger screen and resolution of the Droid 4.
Winner: Motorola Droid 4
Camera
The Glide comes embedded with an 8 MP camera on the rear. The camera here is touted to be among the best offered by any phone. The auto focus feature is fast and stable and the results are crisp and sharp. You can also record videos in HD at 720p. The accompanying flash is very good for distances up to 3-4 feet.
The DRoid 4 has two cameras – the rear on to shoot and the one in front to facilitate video calls and conferencing. The rear camera is 8 MP in resolution and the images, though good, do not match the quality of those in the Samsung Glide. The video capabilities are greater with 1080p recording being possible, but while comparing, one has to see how useful is a higher resolution when shooting through a lesser lens system. That is, however, a small matter compared to the double camera feature and the greater resolution video recording.
Winner: Motorola Droid 4
Price
For most of the customers, the buck stops when it comes to the bucks. The Samsung Glide is reportedly available for $149. There are no conclusive reports for the price of the Droid 4. But going by the history where the $524.99 priced Droid 3 was costlier than Droid 2, we can speculate that Droid 4 will definitely be priced higher than the Glide.
Winner: Samsung Captivate Glide
Target audiences
The audience being targeted by these phones is quite obvious. These smartphones seek to satisfy those users who would wish to own a high-end Android phone without paying as much. The Samsung Captivate Glide especially fits the bill here.
The phones are also meant for those who wish to have the comfort of a QWERTY keyboard to type. While Samsung’s smartphone comes with a 4-row keyboard, the Droid has 5 rows for the keys.
Those who seek an all-round phone which they would want to use for almost everything – from calling, texting and organizing to shooting and playing around with apps – these are the phones available for the taking.
The verdict
The Samsung Glide and the Droid 4 run the same Software and thus have similar performances. In all the specs and almost all features, the Droid emerges a winner. The Droid has a more balanced feel, a richer spec-sheet and a better display. Just when one is deciding to announce the Droid as the winner, the price factor comes in. Since the Droid 4 price is not yet out, we have to wait and watch before delivering the verdict. If it gets above $400, then Samsung at $149, is going to the choice for Christmas based on its value for money!