Samsung Galaxy S vs HTC Desire – Comparison

The Samsung Galaxy S and HTC Desire are ones from the best Android based phones in the market. Many buyers always get confused on what to choose when its these 2 phones side-by-side. Both are powered with the AMOLED screen which stand a step ahead of any other mobile in terms of the display and touch interface. Though I’ve not used the HTC Desire, many comparisons and reviews have helped me know about it much. Here are the various aspects where both the mobiles are compared, and which mobile is better in major aspects.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy S is lighter and bigger in every way, when compared to the HTC Desire. It is longer, wider and thinner and more plastic that gives it a very light feel and appearance. The Galaxy weighs less by 16 gms than the Desire. Both have the similar curvy body, but the keys in the bottom are press-to-work in Desire, while in the Galaxy, only the home key need to be pressed. The two on either sides of it are touch sensitive.

Display

There is no much difference in the screens of both the phones, which are made with the super AMOLED screen. But the screen size of Galaxy beats the Desire, by being 4-inch wide when compared to 3.7-inch Desire. The screen resolution of both is 800 x 600 pixels, and possess the same features like being scratch resistant, 16M color display, and multi-touch interface. HTC Desire has got a optical trackpad for navigation, which Galaxy doesn’t but Galaxy has a Swype text input feature which is more a geeky one than any good use. But the multitouch in Desire is not very appreciable, and its good at the dual touch features like pinch-and-zoom etc.

Camera

In bright environment, both the phones produce the similar image quality being the same 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and face, smile detection. Producing images of resolution 2592 x 1944 pixels. But HTC Desire beats the Samsung Galaxy S here by possessing the LED light, but Galaxy is step ahead in terms of video recording by having a capability of recording video at 720p HD at 30 fps.
There is no front facing camera in HTC Desire, so video calling is practically not possible unless you stand in front of a mirror to do that. Samsung Galaxy S has a front camera, making it easier for video calling, but that’s possible only on 3G networks.

Memory

Both the Galaxy and Desire can expand their memory to 32GB, but Desire comes with just 4GB of internal memory when compared to the 8GB/16GB versions of Galaxy. The call and message memory is unlimited for both.

Connectivity

Galaxy beats the Desire in many ways of connectivity, i.e. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and EDGE connections. The bluetooth technology in Galaxy is 3.0 vs. the 2.0 in Desire, faster speed in HSUPA and the EDGE technology being faster, which is at the best advantage as the smartphones always need to be at the highest level of connectivity to be connected on the go.

Comparing the internal features

• Both the phones are powered by Android 2.1 OS (Eclair)
• The processing unit is different, where Galaxy has ARM Cortex A8 and Desire has the Qualcomm Snapdragon, both 1GHz
• The built-in browsers support Flash, which was initially rumored to be absent in HTC desire before it was released. But now, both the phones have the same browser functionality
• Both the phones have the similar GPS functioning.
• Media playing – The Samsung Galaxy S is better in this aspect by supporting many extra media formats than the Desire does. And the social integration is a step ahead too.
• The homescreen and the widgets, features are better in looks in the Desire, as HTC has always been known to place and integrate the widgets better than the Samsung phones, for any operating system.

The battery

I’ve not tested the battery, but the various Android sites have found that Galaxy has a better battery life than that of the HTC Desire, at any usage standards i.e. Standby, Call, 3G, Wi-Fi and web browsing etc. Check the tips on how to extend Samsung Galaxy S battery life.

Other points of comparison

• Wi-Fi tethering is possible through the Galaxy, but not on the Desire. This is one of the best plus points where the internet you get through the 3G network can be used in the laptop by making the Galaxy phone as a Wi-Fi spot.
• The emailing in HTC is easier and better than that of the Samsung.
• The entertainment levels are good in Galaxy with some high-level gaming, better sound quality when compared to the Desire.
• GPS although works in both, but its better in Desire and the Galaxy has some glitches in the Eclair version, so here the HTC is better until the Froyo (Android 2.2) is released for Galaxy.

Which to select? Samsung Galaxy S or HTC Desire?

The price (check the Android phones price list) being nearly the same, I would suggest people to buy the phone depending on the requirements. The Samsung Galaxy S is better in terms of connectivity through EDGE, Bluetooth etc. and the front facing camera, and the high quality video recording, also the better gaming and entertainment. The battery life too is better in Galaxy. But if you want a camera with a flash light, and would want to incline the phone for more a business purpose and have better emailing and better widget management, HTC Desire is the choice.

But at this point, if you want the GPS to be functioning well and to have the latest version of Android (Froyo) already, go with HTC Desire. You still need to wait for the latest android release in Galaxy S.

Images: careace.net