I’ve been playing with the HTC HD2 for the past couple of weeks and one of the most striking aspects of the Windows Phone is just how much it reminds me of the iPhone. From the capacitive touchscreen to the Sense UI, it just seems more iPhone than any other non-Apple handset I’ve played with, including HTC’s excellent Android phones.
So operating system aside, here’s the spec by spec comparison of the two touchscreen handsets.
As you can see, in a simple spec by spec comparison, the HD2 actually offers more to the end user. A bigger screen, a faster processor, removable battery and storage, superior audio and video file support, FM radio and a better camera. The iPhone wins out on inbuilt storage (for the 32GB model, although a MicroSD slot counters that win), audio and video playback times, and support for the UMTS 1900GHz spectrum.
Specs aren’t everything though. Unmentioned above are the apps – the iPhone App Store is a thriving community, while the Windows Phone Marketplace is still finding its feet. Also neglected is the simple aspect of usability. The iPhone wins on that score, especially when you drill down to some of the more complex controls of the Windows Mobile operating system. HTC Sense is an extremely good UI though, and the HD2 is easily the best touchscreen Windows Phone on the market today.
Whether or not that’s enough to knock the iPhone (and it’s passionate userbase) from its pedestal is something we’ll be watching closely…