Motorola and HTC are both noted makers of Android-based phones, but there is a big difference between the design mantras of two manufacturers. While Motorola is driven by cutting edge design of their products, HTC just goes for the subtle industrial design that is smooth and curvy. The latest handsets from both of the makers are no difference. Today we will take a comparative look at the Motorola Droid RAZR and HTC Sensation XL – two newly announced phones that have taken the Android world by storm.
Comparison Attributes
1. Processor and RAM
Motorola’s Droid RAZR sports a 1.2 GHz dual core Cortex A9 CPU, coupled with a full 1GB of RAM, PowerVR SGX540 GPU on a TI OMAP 4430 chipset. On the other hand HTC provided only a single core 1.5 GHz Scorpion processor coupled with 768MB or RAM, Adreno 205 GPU on a Qualcomm MSM8255 chipset.
Winner: While the Scorpion processor used in Sensation XL has a higher clock speed, it can be easily trumped by the dual core 1.2 GHz Cortex A9 CPU used on Motorola Droid RAZR. It is not clear why HTC did not use a full 1GB of RAM on their top of the line Android phone while it is pretty common these days. So Motorola Droid RAZR wins hands down in this sector.
2. Display
Droid RAZR features a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Advanced display which has a resolution of qHD or 960 x 540 and a PPI of 256. On the other hand, HTC Sensation XL has a huge 4.7 inch Super LCD display with a resolution of paltry 800 x 480 pixels and that brings down the PPI to 199.
Winner: The first reviews of Motorola Droid RAZR speak extensively about the gorgeous screen that 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Advanced one is. It shows a fantastic contrast ratio, great level of brightness, vibrant colors and awesome clarity thanks to the high PPI of 256. On the other hand, though gigantic at 4.7 inches, Sensation XL just uses a Super LCD screen that does not provide a matching visual performance like the Droid RAZR. Although better than a traditional LCD TFT screen, Sensation XL suffers from low PPI as HTC only provided a paltry 800 x 480 resolution for the giant screen which really brings the clarity down in comparison with Droid RAZR. Again, Motorola Droid RAZR wins in this segment.
3. Camera
Both the cameras on HTC Sensation XL and Motorola Droid RAZR feature an 8MP sensor with auto focus and LED flash. The secondary cameras also present on both of the phones for video calling. The secondary camera on Sensation XL has a 1.3 MP sensor while Motorola has gone for a full 2MP sensor that also supports 720p videos. Motorola Droid RAZR supports full HD 1080p video shooting through its primary camera but HTC Sensation XL only allows up to 720p.
Winner: Droid RAZR really stands apart with an amazing camera. The 8 MP stills are vibrant in color has very low visible noise and does not suffer from a very low dynamic range. The inclusion of full 1080p video recording is also a coveted feature and becoming standard for high end smartphones pretty fast. In contrast, HTC’s 8MP camera on Sensation XL does not give bad still performances but suffers in video recording as it can only go till 720p. Therefore Droid RAZR also gets this round.
4. Connectivity
Motorola is billing Droid RAZR as a true world phone and has definite reasons to back their claim. Droid RAZR contains both GSM and CDMA radios for unmatched connectivity across any networks in the world. It supports standard GPRS and EDGE, along with CDMA based EVDO Rev. A, upto 3.1 Mbps. On 4G connectivity, it has LTE, HSDPA and HSUPA support. The Wi-Fi support is pretty much standard, with 802.11 b/g/n connectivity, along with DLNA and Wi-Fi hotspot feature. Interestingly, Droid RAZR also supports the very new Bluetooth 4.0 with Low Energy and Extended Data Rate support. In contrast, HTC Sensation XL contains only a GSM based radio and does not even support 4G LTE networks. While Wi-Fi features are also standard, Sensation XL still sports the old Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP.
Winner: With connectivity options that make the phone usable in any part of the world, 4G LTE support and the inclusion of latest Bluetooth v4, Motorola Droid RAZR does not just come out as a clear winner, it effectively smashes the competition.
Verdict
HTC Sensation XL has a lot to boast about with its big screen, Beats Audio support and 8 MP camera but most of them are rather fancy than being actually useful and necessary. Motorola Droid RAZR, with its impossibly thin and light body and maximum performance from any fronts, is arguably the best Android phone Motorola has ever produced. And the RAZR branding also means that you have a lot to show off. So if you are looking for a serious smartphone that gives unprecedented performance and scores major points in the looks department, there is no reason that can hold you off from purchasing Motorola Droid RAZR.
