Back in the day when smartphone slash tablet hybrids were relatively unknown devices, Samsung broke into the scene and unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Note which will soon pave the way for the entry of the phablet category in the smartphone market. Though doubters felt that the first generation Samsung phablet will not make it big in the smartphone competition, Samsung proved them wrong when the phablet became a hit when the smartphone-buying population fell in love with the device’s massive screen real estate.
Now that the original Samsung Galaxy Note is already out of the picture and its successor, the Samsung Galaxy Note II is now carrying the torch for the Korean electronics giant in the phablet category, people were expecting that other OEMs will follow suit and release their respective phablets. LG tired but failed miserably because its LG Optimus VU was not really a suitable competitor with the second generation Samsung phablet.
The release of the 5-incher HTC Droid DNA in US shores via Verizon however seem to have given Samsung and its Galaxy Note II some pause. After all, the HTC Droid DNA is just right in the Galaxy Note II’s alley and can match it spec by spec. However, there are those who claim that the HTC Droid DNA with its smaller 5-inch display is mislabeled as a phablet and insist that the new HTC device is nothing more than a smartphone with an oversized display.
With the entry of the HTC Droid DNA to the smartphone competition, things would rather get interesting in the phablet category and it would be a blast to see just who gets the better of who as these two big-ass smartphones meet head to head. We put the two side by side and compare them spec by fire-breathing spec.
Both devices are running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for their operating systems and both are powered by quad-core monsters under the hood but the Samsung Galaxy Note II squeaks by narrowly with its 1.6 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor over the HTC Droid DNA’s 1.5 GHz Krait beast. Both have 2GB of RAM acting as support system to their respective processors but the Galaxy Note II again edges out the HTC Droid DNA in terms of storage space with the Samsung phablet available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions with an option to expand this via a microSD card slot. The HTC Droid DNA on the other hand gets left behind with only 16GB of storage with on memory expansion option.
In the display arena, the Samsung Galaxy Note II again wins in terms of screen size with its 5.5-inch display over the HTC Droid DNA’s 5.0-inch panel but the HTC phablet gets more pixels per inch with its 1920 x 1080 resolution compared to the Galaxy Note II’s 1280 x 720 resolution. The smaller display of the HTC Droid DNA also leads to a smaller chassis and to some, this is more palatable and “pocketable.” At the end of the day however, everything boils down to preferences and what you really need – or should I say, what is perfect for your needs.
November 20, 2012 at 12:15 pm
First of all I don’t hate the Note II. I do take exception to the screen. I see no value in having a screen that is only 720p in a phone that size. My year old phone has a 720p screen and it is only 4.3in. 720P is good resolution, better in both direction than an iPhone 5, but to have a 5.55 in screen to show exactly the same data an any smaller 720P screen is pointless. They might as well have made a GSIII with a stylus. The Droid DNA offers more data on the screen, and that is a step forward. I don’t car about pixel density, but I want as much data as I can get on the screen. At this point in time the Droid DNA is the pinnacle for smartphone displays.
November 20, 2012 at 4:37 pm
You said “…Droid DNA on the other hand gets left behind with only 16GB of storage with on memory expansion option.” I think you meant “no memory expansion option” as there is no SD slot for the DNA. That and the weaker battery are the two biggest drawbacks for this phone as I try to decide which of these two devices to go with.
November 20, 2012 at 8:00 pm
pinnacle?? 1080 display is shore beautiful but 2020mah battery and 16gb of storage ( with only 11gb available) ?? this phone will have a very very small pinnacle status as there are just too many flaws. users will become disenchanted with this amazing phone very quickly..