I’ve received quite a few emails this morning asking me whether I would recommend the Motorola Droid or the Droid Eris by HTC.  To answer this question I’ve summarize and compared the major factors which I feel set these two devices apart.  For the record both devices offer excellent performance and I would not hesitate to recommend either device.

Operating System
The Motorola Droid comes with Android 2.0 and it is a Google Experience phone which in theory means you’ll be first in line for all future OS updates but it comes at the expense of Motorola and Verizon not being able to customize the UI like HTC has done with Sense on the Droid Eris.  A big question in the Android community is whether or not customizations like HTC Sense will prevent phones like the HTC Hero on Sprint or the Droid Eris on Verizon from staying current with the latest builds of Android.  Based on what we’ve seen so far, the Sprint Hero is skipping the 1.6 update and going straight to 2.0 instead and we expect the same from the Droid Eris.  You must decide whether you want the certainty of OS updates or if the improvements in the user interface from Sense are worth delays or skipping updates.

Keyboard
Can you live without a physical keyboard?  If you are migrating from another touchscreen device the transition to either the touchscreen keyboard on the Droid or Droid Eris will be an easy.  If you are leaving behind a BlackBerry, having the option for a physical keyboard on the Droid would make the transition a bit easier.  The real question is whether or not you can be as productive on the smaller keyboard of the Motorola Droid, but this can only be determined by testing the device in person.

Size and Weight
Being able to comfortably carry your device plays a major roll in the enjoyment of your smartphone.  For this reason alone I find many friends and colleagues passing on top smartphones despite the superior features and capabilities of those devices over their current cell phone.  The Droid Eris measures 4.45 x 2.19 x .51 inches and weighs 4.23 ounces while the Motorola Droid is 2.4 x 4.6 x .5 inches and 6 ounces.  The difference in dimensions and weight might seem minimal when reading the specs but the Motorola Droid is 42 percent heavier and when you hold the device you’ll be able to tell.  If you are willing to accept the bigger dimensions and heavier weight you will have a beautiful WVGA resolution 3.7 inch touchscreen instead of a HVGA 3.2-inch touchscreen on the Droid Eris.  Personally I am willing to take the extra weight for a bigger and higher resolution screen because the Motorola Droid is still incredibly thin, but this is for you to decide.

Performance
The Droid Eris features a Qualcomm MSM7600 528MHz processor with 512MB ROM and 288MB RAM.   This of course is the identical processor and memory found in the Sprint HTC Hero, but it is also the cause for some minor lag experience when using the device.  While the lag is not enough to keep me away from using the device or recommending it, the Motorola Droid does offer a significant in performance thanks to an ARM Cortex A8 processor running at 550MHz.  This ARM Cortex A8 processor is also found in the current iPhone 3GS, but their A8 manufactured by Samsung and it is clocked at 600MHz and scalable to 800MHz.  The big difference between the Qualcomm MSM7600 and Cortex A8 is having a chipset with dedicated graphics.  You will notice the Droid is able to render and scroll web pages more easily and the gaming experience is improved.

Note: many users are reporting that the Camera on the Motorola Droid is agonizing slow.  We are waiting for an official statement from Motorola on this matter, but hopefully it can be fixed via software.

Final Thoughts
In the end you will be the one pulling the trigger and while we could go through every minor difference between the device, the categories above are what caught my eye and stand out as deal breakers.  Nothing will tell you whether or not you want a device more than seeing it in person.  Unfortunately Verizon has not adopted Apple’s strategy of having countless working units to prospective buyers to use with the Motorola Droid and Droid Eris by HTC.  Personally not being able to use a device in person is a huge drawback and if I have to buy the device without trying it, my expectations always seem too high.  Luckily with the Droid and Droid Eris both devices are excellent and I’m sure most of you will happily eBay your Windows Mobile smartphone or BlackBerry before the end of the day after playing with either device.

by Nick Marshall posted on Nov 6, 2009 Tags: comparison, Droid Eris by HTC, Motorola Droid