HTC Desire HD vs iPhone 4 vs Samsung Galaxy S

We compare HTC's Desire HD with the other leading handsets

Updated: now read our full HTC

We've pitched its key specs up against Apple's iPhone 4 and Samsung's Galaxy S. See how your next phone stacks up.

Both the HTC Desire HD and the Samsung Galaxy S run Android, of course. The Galaxy S runs the Eclair 2.1 version of Android out of the box, while the Desire HD runs the new 'Froyo' 2.2 iteration of Android with HTC's Sense interface on top. The iPhone 4, of course, runs Apple's own iOS 4.

Processor

The Desire HD features the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdgragon 8255 processor - matched in clockspeed by the 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 chip in the Samsung Galaxy S. The Apple iPhone 4 uses Apple's own A4 chip, which is also based on a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 core but is underclocked.

Touchscreen

The HTC Desire HD has a 4.3-inch SLCD 480 x 800 pixel screen.The Samsung Galaxy S boasts a 4-inch AMOLED screen with the same resolution. The iPhone 4 has Apple's new Retina Display with a 940 x 640 res.

Storage

While iPhone 4 is available in 16GB and 32GB capacities, the Galaxy S comes with either 16GB or 8GB and the Desire HD with 1.5GB (not great, is it?). The latter two handsets do come with Micro SD slots, though - up to 32GB can be stowed on cards slotted into those.

Memory

The Desire HD goes a step further than its rivals, with 768MB of internal memory for running programs. The Samsung Galaxy S has 568MB on the other hand, the same as the iPhone 4. Interestingly, that's twice the RAM you'll find in the iPad.

Camera

Both the iPhone 4 and Samsung Galaxy S have 5MP cameras, but these are trumped by the HTC Desire HD's 8MP unit. All three handsets now shoot 720p HD video.

Connectivity

All three handsets are quad-band phones with 3G/HSDPA. You'll also get Wi-Fi (up to 802.11n) and Bluetooth 2.1 whichever you choose. The Desire HD and Galaxy S both have Micro USB connections while the iPhone 4 naturally uses the standard Apple 32-pin dock connector.

Anything else?

All three handsets have 3.5mm audio jacks as you'd expect. The Desire HD and Galaxy S both have FM radios. The iPhone 4, naturally, does not. All three handsets also have GPS, proximity sensor, compass, accelerometer and ambient light sensor.

The Desire HD also boasts the Dolby Mobile audio enhancement tech and DLNA compliance. All can be tethered, but Android 2.2 means the Desire HD can act as a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Dimensions and weight

The Samsung Galaxy S has a footprint of 122 x 64mm - comparable to the 123 x 68mm Desire HD. It also has a thickness of 1cm, 0.7mm thicker than the iPhone but thinner than the 11.8mm thick Desire HD. Both the HTC and Samsung handsets are bigger than the 115 x 59mm iPhone 4. The Galaxy S is the lightest - it weighs in at 119g compared to the 164g Desire HD and 137g iPhone 4.

Talk and standby times

The HTC Desire HD boasts talk time up to 320 mins and standby up to 490 hours.
The iPhone has a talk time up to 420 mins and standby up to 300 hours.
The Samsung Galaxy S has a talk time up to 390 mins and standby up to 576 hours.

All these times are for 3G.

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Contributor

Dan (Twitter, Google+) is TechRadar's Former Deputy Editor and is now in charge at our sister site T3.com. Covering all things computing, internet and mobile he's a seasoned regular at major tech shows such as CES, IFA and Mobile World Congress. Dan has also been a tech expert for many outlets including BBC Radio 4, 5Live and the World Service, The Sun and ITV News.

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