Android Battle: CLIQ edition
By Ross Miller 
posted Sep 10th 2009 8:00PM
posted Sep 10th 2009 8:00PM
 CLIQ
|
 Galaxy
|
 Tattoo
|
 Hero
|
 Magic / MT3G
|
 Dream / G1
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier | T-Mobile | -- (GSM / HSDPA) | -- (GSM / EDGE) | Sprint | T-Mobile | T-Mobile |
| Manuf. | Motorola | Samsung | HTC | HTC | HTC | HTC |
| Price | -- | -- | -- | $179.99 | $99.99 | $149.99 |
| Released | -- | July 2009 | -- | Oct 11, 2009 | Aug 5, 2009 | Oct 22, 2008 |
| Keyboard | Slide-out | Virtual | Virtual | Virtual | Virtual | Slide-out |
| Android | MOTOBLUR | Standard | Sense UI | Sense UI | Standard | Standard |
| Processor | 528MHz MSM7201A | 528MHz ARM11 | 528MHz MSM7225 | 528MHz MSM7201A | 528MHz MSM7201A | 528MHz MSM7201A |
| Screen | 3.1-inch (est.), 320 x 480 | 3.2-inch, 320 x 480 | 2.8-inch, 240 x 320 | 3.2-inch, 320 x 480 | 3.2-inch, 320 x 480 | 3.2-inch, 480 x 320 |
| Headphone | 3.5mm | 3.5mm | 3.5mm | 3.5mm | ExtUSB | ExtUSB |
| Touchscreen | Capacitive | Capacitive | Resistive | Capacitive | Capacitive | Capacitive |
| Still Camera | 5MP with AF | 5MP with Flash | 3.2MP | 5MP with AF | 3.2MP with AF | 3.2MP with AF |
| Bluetooth | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Exchange | ActiveSync | ActiveSync | -- | ActiveSync | Depends on version | Depends on version |
| Storage | 256MB, microSD | 8GB, microSD | 512MB, microSD | 512MB, microSD | 512MB, microSD | 256MB, microSD |
| Battery | 1400mAh | 1500mAh | 1100mAh | 1500 mAh | 1340 mAh | 1150 mAh |
| Weight | 163g | 114g | 113g | 135g | 116g | 158g |
Update: We had a typo on the Hero screen size -- it's 3.2-inches, not the other way around! Stupid keyboards.
awoogah
Tattoo and Hero and number 1 and 2!!!:))) Look awesome
@Daniel
Why are they number 1 and 2? Doesn't look that way to me...
PS: Cool hat. SIKE.
The screen sizes are disappointing in all models.
um...what about wifi!?!?
seriously, engadget, can't you make a more comprehensive chart? this is pretty bad considering how big you are..
Well duh they all have WiFi.
Why no iPhone? Why do people try to pretend that the iPhone isn't a major player.
@steve get lost fanboy, this is a dicussion about ADROID phones, not the iphone.
more of the same
Its good to have variety, but how much is going to be different with a touchscreen phone that requires the hardware buttons Android has?
Kinda moot to me. Its like when touch screens went crazy and anybody said everybody was just copying the iphone. A couple have normal keyboards, and a couple have touchscreens.
not having much to write about Engadget?
At least they all have capacitative!!!!
So they are all the same phone....(same old ass MSM 72XX chipset..)
Well just imagine the iPhone OS on several similar looking phones. Same concept..
Except the processor can actually handle the OS.. Gawd my myTouch is slow XD
yeah, if you ignore the processor row, pretty much all of these look like good choices. I'm still don't understand why no company has announced an Android phone with Snapdragon, Tegra, or at least OMAP3 inside
@Leo161
Try a better ROM. My magic running myHero 1.1.1 is snappier than the iPhone I just traded for it. No keyboard lags, no frezzes before switching pages, quicker app launches.
@ifalldownstairs
I am sure they will have much better chipsets in the future, but at the moment, the kernel used in Android is built for ARM processors. Adding those things in will require quite a bit of work on Google's part, I doubt a company like HTC or Motorola would do that work.
You are right. Save for Sense Ui and Motoblur, these are basically the same phone. Manufacturers need to start differentiating their android offerings, otherwise they will be lost in the crowd.
Consider this. Why would I choose the samsung? True, it has a bigger battery , and larger internal memory, but those can both be replaced by external options.
Yo George can you shoot me a link of the installation process?
I've been looking into switching my ROM but all the instructions look somewhat tedious and not worth my time for the limited benefits they give
If you really think it's a speed-up over the stock ROM, i'll definitely give it a try though.
@ifalldownstairs
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Android-Based-Sony-Ericsson-039-Rachael-039-Surfaces-115872.shtml
@Eric
Don't bother replying if you don't have a clue about what you are talking about... All of those processors mentioned *are* ARM processors. TI's OMAP3 is a Cortex-A8 (ARMv7 instruction set), Snapdragon is a custom ARM core (ARMv7 IS), and Tegra is a dual-core ARM11 (ARMv6 IS).
The real problem is that HTC is a cheap ass company, and is milking all the old Qualcomm MSM parts before putting in decent chipsets like the snapdragon.
Correction for the Hero: It's not a 2.3" screen its a 3.2". Just a little typo.
Yeah and the Sprint Hero was upgraded to a 1500mAh battery, not 1350mAh. They got the specs wrong for the Hero.
G1 is just resistive as is the touch if I am not mistaken.
You're mistaken...
Ya, you're wrong about that one. Glass capacitive. If you're getting that from Ziegler's post a couple articles back, he was mistaken as well.
woow thats a great lineup
The Hero has a 3.2 inch screen not a 2.3 inch screen. Easy typing mistake to make.
Sigh they are all the same almost, The G1 looks to have almost better specs
did you even look at the hero specs? they beat the g1's specs.
@beaner69
not really the g1 still wins because you can hack it to do whatever you want. the g1 can run all the roms of its android counterparts and unlike some it has a slide out qwerty keyboard. i love my g1 and none of these phones offer anything new that my g1 can't have with a trip over to xda. i hope soon manufacturers release phones that are more powerful and have more hardware features so i can upgrade.
Didn't google say the G1 wouldn't even support the next selection of pastry (aka version of android)?
If that's true, won't all of these be woefully outdated in six months?
@digiboi: It has to do with how much onboard memory the phone has. The G1 has 256mb.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/17/t-mobile-g1-wont-see-any-android-updates-beyond-1-5/
Jesus I haven't even had my myTouch for 2 months and there's already been 3 new android phone announcements, a new ROM, and a $100 price cut to my phone (thanks to a certain fatty). I have a feeling that android is the next OS, hopefully Google recognizes this and helps to expand it's development.
Speaking of prices, Engadget can you *please* stop reporting the arbitrary costs carriers charge for phones? Please report the SIM-free cost since this is what you end up paying anyway, and many people don't want to buy them with an overpriced contract.
Cheers.
Sprint's Hero gets a slight battery bump from the chin edition, 1500 mAh.
Thank god the iPhone has involved under the hood!
Did I get your panties in a bunch?
The thing is, the G1 on paper sounds like it was ahead of its time. Faster processor and its specs are still great a year later. Can't really improve without going into the $700 range like the over-the-top Nokia.
But sad no one is willing to break the cookie cutter mold.
*evolved
And barely.
Yes, evolved. DUH! Thanks.
Barely, I will have to completely disagree with you. I struggled with the 2G for two years. It crashed a lot and it was kinda slow. But the 3GS is near perfect. No hassles except for the micro case cracks. Had the phone replaced after 5 mins of talking to someone in the store.
That's more software-related than hardware.
I know how you'd think that but it's the opposite. My phone can finally keep up with me. I am no longer getting impatient and trying to get my phone to do too much too fast. The processing speed and the bump in amount of RAM has helped the whole phone faster and smoother.
You don't sound like have owned an iPhone.
I own a macbook. "Snow Leopard" comes out, and suddenly it's all faster. Yeah, sometime it is a matter of software.
CLIQ may have the same guts, but 5mp, much smaller, decent battery. Too bad it's on T-Mobile. Service is non-existent where I live (literally- & my wife's locked into another 5 months even though they *admit* she doesn't have service in the area).
It might be smaller, but it is thick and heavy. Considering how small the screen is, it really doesn't stand up too well at all to the Nokia N900, other than on price and maybe UI.
Seeing as how TMO is going to have both handsets, and the N900 is only slightly thicker and heavier, the N900 seems to be in a different league. HVGA display, 3.5", radio, dual cameras, better looking, 32GB internal storage and OMAP3 processor.
The CLIQ weighs about 40% more than the MT3G and all it adds is a keyboard and a higher res camera.
Considering that 2/3 of the phones on the list are manufactured by HTC and that of those four phones the Magic/Dream and the Tattoo/Hero are the same phone in different bodies...I'd say that the lack of differentiation is well accounted for.
Wow, that flowed a lot better before I started typing.
Magic/Hero
@jdotuk
It flowed just fine.
I believe that is a 3.2" screen on the hero...
Looking at the spec comparison, I think I'm falling in love with the Samsung Galaxy. It's the lightest of the bunch, with the biggest battery and a camera w/ flash.
but it's also the ugliest...
Fuck you, Verizon!
Sholes.
+1
WOWZERS! If phone arena is right and this guy is TriBand UTMS=ATT3G and 7.2 to boot...I'm all over it. $399 walk-in would be GREAT! Considering I am on that short list that included Charlotte,NC for ATT 7.2 rollout, it could be a slam dunk for me!
/endgloat
Galaxy is the best, has flash, 8gb storage, the bigest battery and its 2nd lightest. Pease bring it to t-mobile.
This woman on t3.com has a Motorola Dext (CLIQ) and says on video that it slower than HTCs and a poor mans G1, though I don't think she knows what she's talking about.
What about Hauwei (T-Mobile) Pulse in that list?
I was thinking that also. Where is the Pulse.
Hopefully the Sholes will break this little mold.
Just think...if the Cliq can go as fast as they say on the same processor as every other Android...
The Sholes with it's rumored updated processor should be like greased lightning in a vat of oil.
Holy crap, what's with the tiny built-in memory?!
256 Megabytes: wtf. This is some serious fail.
Android doesn't need a lot of space and using the flash card for storage gives you greater flexibility....
That means no donut and beyond for the CLIQ if the next versions of the OS will be as large as they say it will. Serious fail...
thats incorrect here are the specs change it engadget
Processor Qualcomm MSM7201A
Processor Clock Speed 528 MHz
RAM 256 MB
Flash ROM 512 MB
User Storage Available (max) 256 MB
Memory Card Type FAT32
microSDHC, Class 6
Memory Card Size Supported (max) 32 GB
link to specs page get your info right please engadget you giving false impressions for a good phone its not savy being wrong so often
http://developer.motorola.com/products/handsets/cliq/
I think they must Build Handset with
3.5 Inch Capacitive Screen
512mb+ ROM
1500 mah+Battery
And Weight less then 150 grms
I did not like the Device, I remeber how crazy i was behind the Razor, Where is such Product MOTO???
Fuck you Galaxy, Tattoo, Hero, and Magic.
We wuv you Dream and CLIQ for actually thinking about functionality over OMG it needs to be thinner then 3 playcards stacked together.
whoa 2.3 inch screen on the hero? i didn't know it was that small.
It's a typo. It's the standard 3.2
Then along with this screen size...I'm curious as too how the screen of the Cliq compares to the G1/Hero/Magic. a .1 difference is not that big. And it all depends on how they measured 3.1. Some measure it diagonally while others measure length. If it's just the length...and the width is wider than the G1. That's another plus in my book. And they should start replacing the G1 with the Cliq...
That Samsung Galaxy is lookin pretty nice! .. the matrix really needs a rough Price to compare.
nice to see activesync tapped as a client.
Call me when there is a device with a 3"+ screen, 1Ghz processor, 1GB of Ram, 3.5mm jack, 32GB internal + expandable storage, and plays a decent array of codecs and containers. Oh yeah, and HDMI out without a dock, if possible. I would also like it to do my tax's, cook a decent steak, and provide oral sex before and after work.
I see all that except the 1GB of RAM. I havent even heard plans of any phone having near 512MB RAM...
@Danny: We'll beam you up when it's ready. Set phasers to lazy.
Do your tax's what?
To all of you that understand that, you're awesome.
On another note, as someone who returned their Pre within 30 days so I could get the Hero, I'm looking forward to it. Sense (with the ROM update) will be stellar, and the introduction of the Cliq today isn't a big deal for me because I'll be in a law firm my entire life and slider phones are a bit juvenile.
With expandable storage, the largest battery (it's 1500mAh not 1350mAh) and the most RAM out of any of the above-mentioned phones, I'm liking the Hero's chances at being the best Android phone currently on the market.
You can find all that in a netbook.
waiting for SE, the x3 and rachael... That'll change things slightly ;)
That is...if it's real.
Interesting.
what about the Instinct Q!!!
What's the actual monthly cost and the duration of the contract? Comparing just the subsidized prices is totally meaningless.
On paper the Galaxy and the hero look like the best. The HTC Sense Ui is easily the best customised version of android to date, looks far better than stock andorid and most other Cell phone Ui's on the market atm. The main problem with all these devices is the poor cpu. Especially as mentioned considering the G1 came out a year ago and still no one has managed to put a proper fast cpu in an andorid handset to date. If any of these phones were powered by a cortex A8 or a snapdragon, particualrly the hero, we would be seeing a really strong performer capable of going toe to toe with the iphone in most tests. The Hero was particularly disapointing as the Ui looks great but it is horribly sluggish. Amazes me how they are still bringing sluggish Ui's out when the iphone is esentiually their main competitor in this category.
Another major issue is androids pathetic Media playback/video capture performance/support which can partly be atrributed to the cpu but also the Ui itself. Although HTC's sense Ui has rectified certain issues in the music/video player they really need to rectify this across the whole platform, the music/video player is an embaressing joke and a real stain on android. From day 1 this should have been at least on par with the iphones media playbakc/management functionality. Android still has a long way to go, but is showing great promise..especially when coupled with next gen cpu's and hardware graphics processing capable of 720p video decoding like in the Creative Zii.
Also, to all of the people out there who are waiting for a phone with a 1Ghz processor, what does clock speed matter if a phone with a 500Mhz processor runs without lag?
According to Engadget, the Hero (with the newly released ROM) runs very, very smoothly. Speed is far from everything. Case and point is the BlackBerry Bold. It has a 624Mhz processor and lags all the time.
Is Android not capable of resolutions higher than 480*360?
Cause I'm keeping my TouchPro until one with ATLEAST 800*480 is annoucned, and stops using the SAME processor as my 2 year old Touch Pro, I mean come on, ALL of them use it,
Giving that these drones are all running the same CPU the choice comes down to two things, if you want an all-touchscreen device get the Hero. If you want a QWERTY device get the CLIQ
Yeah that is a good point, I agree cpu speed is irrelevant if something runs smoothly. I was not aware that there was a new rom for the hero that runs more smoothly. The problem with the cpu in the hero is i think it would strugle to decode VGA+ res video at 1.5Mbps bitrates (as doe sthe blackberry bold), not a deal breaker in itself but when you consider what a cortex A8 or snapdragon is capable of it does seem a bit lacklustre. Video capture is shockingly poor on the hero too, when you consider vga_ video capture has been a feature on certain phones for 3 or more years.
I love how all of these phones are available for AT&T customers! No, wait....nevermind.
seriously, when is AT&T going to get their act together. As soon as Tmo gets their act together regarding coverage on my street Im a freaking ghost.
It is disappointing that Engadget can't take 5 minutes and dig into this better.
The MSM7201 is the chipset on the Android reference platform, so it makes sense that everyone's first Android phone would use that chipset. To use a different chipset than the reference platform for the first phone would be foolish. After they get comfortable with the OS you will see chipset variation.
In addition most chipsets weren't Android capable yet. Google made the decision (correctly) to support one chipset originally and focus on maturing Android.
You will see more variation on the chipsets under the hood very soon, as manufacturers get to their second and third Android handsets.
That actually makes sense, never thought about it this way.
There have been Tegra development devices for over a year. I don't buy your argument. Also, I'm sure they've had as much time/opportunity to try other platforms as they've wanted to invest. No investment in innovation? Same old crap.
The Hero's battery is 1500 mAh not 1350
Ahem... Hero has a 1500 mAh battery. cool.
http://investors.sprint.com/phoenix.zhtml?id16=hero&c=127149&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1327394&highlight=
first link, Hero fact sheet.
I thought the Moto CLIQ has 512MB of ROM with 256MB available for storage?
thats correct they probly did it on purpose (damn iphone user) lol joking or am i either way
specs here http://developer.motorola.com/products/handsets/cliq/
Hero takes it all...
cant wait to get my hands on sometimes next month =D
cliq would be a great phone if they had gone with something other than that shitty old qualcomm chip. I have an old HTC winmo phone with that chip and I wont buy another
Anyone else frustrated waiting for a verizon Android phone?
I've given up. As soon as the Cliq's out, I'm gone.
I want the Samsung Galaxy!
In my eyes, the of the pack are the Sprint Hero and the Samsung Galaxy.
So wait a minute, lemme understand. Nobody's gonna give T-Mobile shit for pulling a stunt like this, screwing early-adopters by cutting $100 two-months after release? I remember all hell broke loose when Apple did a similar trick.
As a one month myTouch owner, I feel pwned, defiled, and screwed beyond recognition.
Also you neglect to mention the display on the Galaxy is OLED, not LCD.