On the outside, the Droid Incredible 2 is a sleek, stylish phone. It’s got a 4.0-inch screen (a modest improvement from its predecessor, which came in at 3.7-inches) and uses Sony’s Super LCD screen technology. The first Droid Incredible used an OLED screen, but HTC was forced to go with Super LCD technology due to supply constraints. Fortunately, the average consumer won’t notice a difference between the two. It’s not as nice as the Retina Display of the iPhone 4, but the Droid Incredible 2’s screen is sharp and crisp, and is noticeably better than the regular LCD phone screens.
This phone is light and thin. It’s just a hair thicker than the iPhone 4, but it’s thinner than most Android devices, and it’s extremely light too. You can easily slip the phone into your pocket and forget it’s even there. Although the screen is just a bit smaller than the 4.3-inch phones, I think most users will find that it doesn’t have the bulk of a 4.3-inch phone. Some people find those larger screens bulky and unappealing. If you feel that way, you should find the Droid Incredible 2 a bit better.
The phone uses “soft keys” as opposed to physical mechanical “hard keys” for the Android guide buttons. Some users don’t like these soft keys, but HTC’s are okay and most users should be comfortable with them. If you’ve used the first Droid Incredible, this one is missing the optical thumbpad for navigation that the first had.
Performance wise, this phone is powered by the Qualcomm MSM8655 processor. It’s a 1GHz second-generation Snapdragon processor, and is the same processor that powers Verizon’s first 4G phone, the HTC Thunderbolt 4G. The spec queens out there will likely bring the same complaints to the Droid Incredible 2 that they had for the Thunderbolt – we’re seeing a number of dual-core processors make their way to Android devices, and the Droid Incredible 2 has just one core.
Regardless, most users will find the Droid Incredible 2 responsive enough. Most users will find the hardware powerful and quick, although we did notice some performance lag when pushing the phone with some intensive applications. In addition to the 1Ghz processor, the phone has 768MB of RAM and a 16GB microSD card preinstalled.
Software wise, it’s running Android 2.2. Android 2.2 “Froyo” is quickly becoming the Windows XP of the Android world – old, tried & true with a few flaws. Despite all the bells and whistles being announced with future versions of Android like Honeycomb, Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich (they do name them after desserts, if you hadn’t noticed) – Froyo still works, and works well. The phone is saddled with HTC Sense, a custom user interface that runs on top of Android from manufacturer HTC. It has some nice widgets and isn’t too invasive.
The Droid Incredible 2 has an 8-megapixel back-facing main camera and a front-facing 1.3MP (VGA) camera for video chat. I was quite impressed with the Droid Incredible 2’s camera. It offers high resolutions, with impressive colors and I think it could replace the regular point-and-shoot cameras of many regular users. This is, of course, important to many folks as we’re seeing more and more people replace their regular standalone cameras with their cell phones. I would say that isn’t worth it, considering the dreadful camera quality of most cell phones, but the Droid Incredible 2’s camera may be good enough for most folks.
I was disappointed with the battery life of the Droid Incredible 2. HTC officially promises 361 hours of standby time, and I’d like to know how many minutes are in their hour, because it seemed that the phone was constantly running low.
Normally, I don’t criticize a touchscreen smartphone for its battery life because they’re all generally dreadful, plus I also like to recommend folks turn off services like WiFi and GPS when they’re not using them. But, all that being done, the Droid Incredible 2 still seemed to be below average. If battery life is a top consideration for you, then you should keep that in mind.
Pricing is fairly standard for the Droid Incredible 2. Verizon is asking $199 for the phone with a new two-year contract, which is the de facto standard for modern top-end smartphones. If you’re a frequent upgrader who won’t be getting the contract price, the Droid Incredible is very affordable for what you get – just $439. But, buying phones direct from the carrier can be a bad deal, and our quick spot check showed that Amazon Wireless was offering the Droid Incredible 2 for $79 on a two-year contract. Always check retailers like Best Buy, Wirefly, Radio Shack and Amazon Wireless for the best deals on phones.
There’s a lot to like about the Droid Incredible 2. It’s got a bigger-but-not-too-big screen at 4.0-inches that looks great. It’s fast, thin and sleek. The camera is great. If you want the Droid Incredible 2, I can’t recommend it enough, it’s a good phone. Unfortunately if you’re looking for a blanket recommendation for Verizon, I don’t know if the Droid Incredible 2 would be my first choice.
The lack of 4G, the poor battery life and the lack of a dual-core processor (who knows what Android apps will look like at the end of your new two-year contract), all are weak spots. The HTC Thunderbolt 4G is more or less the same phone on the inside with a bigger screen and 4G (although, the Thunderbolt is a hefty, chunky phone). The LG Revolution and Motorola Droid Bionic will be 4G phones with dual core-processors. And it’s still Android, so those who like the prim and polished iPhone experience may be put off. The bottom line, if you don’t care about 4G or dual-core processors and want a good, light 3G phone for a tasty price, pick up the Droid Incredible 2 by HTC.
