Which VZW Android? Eris or Droid

[my thai]

Hi Android Community!

I'm defecting from Blackberry and going Android. I'm sticking with Verizon, but I can't decide which device is for me. I've been using the Storm 1 for about a year (before that a Curve 8330.) It would be nice to have a physical key board again like the Moto Droid but I find the design of the Eris to be a little more attractive.

I'd love to hear from other VZW customers to find out which they prefer. Thanks!!!

 

[ardoreal]

Honestly I played with the Eris and it boils down to what you're going to do. The Eris will seem more loaded and more versatile at first because HTC did such a great job on the widgets. You'll have your twitter, your contacts will appear very slick, the music widget is awesome, and it seems like you have more homescreens.

The Droid can be just as versatile but it's more barebones. If you take the time to tinker with it there's actually a lot more you can do on Droid. Another aspect to consider is that Droid's hardware is undisputedly powerful, holding on even against the Nexus One "superphone". The CPU's not as fast, but the GPU is fantastic by comparison and the built in keyboard really is nice to have. I've become a Swype fan and I still lean on the hardware keyboard for longer messages.

The Droid also feels weightier in the hand like you're holding onto something valuable.

The Eris does, however, appear more sleek and refined. Eris is a damn nice phone. Smooth curves, and the camera is better for indoor shots.

The Eris sucks its battery down though, and many Eris/Hero users are finding themselves needing apps like the advanced task killer. On my Droid I have never seen the need to run advanced task killer, I just play happy-go-lucky because it's got so much RAM it doesn't seem to lag with apps running, nor do they drain the battery. The battery on the Droid is among the finest I have ever seen too.

So, it seems like Motorola worked on the basement and foundation a bit more with Droid. Eris is great, I just think if you have the money go Droid.

 

[AAFD]

We looked at both as well, we bought a two Droids due to the screen and speed. I also like the keyboard, it feels solid.

KC

 

[ericatomars06]

To me the Eris is a cheaper verson of the Droid. On the droid I like the full keyboard.. its very helpful when i need it. The eris feels a little cheap to me.. the droid is a solid phone. I would say stop into the VZW store and play with them both and choose from there. It seems like there is more momentium on the Droid then the Eris.. but at the end of the day its your choice.

 

[doogald]

I concur with others that the best thing to do is to go into a VZW store and try out both phones. In all of the stores that I have been in, they are side-by-side, making comparisons easy.

This is what I did - I actually went in twice before I made my final decision. What it came down to, for me, was this:

1. The Droid felt clunkier in my hand. It is heavier (due to the keyboard), it felt all angles rather than nice curves, like the Eris.

2. The Droid's hardware keyboard, in my opinion, is very mediocre. It reminds me very much of my old Psion Revo, and I grew to hate that keyboard. It was too difficult to discern whether or not a keypress was actually registered - there was no point where you knew for sure that you'd hit the right point in the keypress - and the Droid felt exactly the same to me.

3. The virtual keyboard on the Eris seemed more accurate to my touch than the on-screen virtual keyboard on the Droid. In my tests, I was making far more mistakes on the Droid.

4. I preferred the Sense UI shell that is on the Eris to the Droid's vanilla 2.0.1 Android shell.

5. That said, I preferred Droid's screen and Android 2.0.1 to the Eris display and Android 1.5 on the Eris.

6. The Eris is $100 less expensive.

Based on that, I decided on the Eris. You may disagree with some of these based on your own use, or decide that there are better reasons for the Droid over the Eris. (The Droid has more RAM installed, and comes with double the storage on the SD Card - some other things that may persuade you toward the Droid over the Eris.)

So, again, go in and try them out for yourself. Hopefully you will have an easier time deciding than I did (I went in with my family so that all four of us could get upgraded handsets, and I was taking a bit longer to decide than my wife appreciated...)

 

[Roy Aguilera]

Try them both out for a good hour each and pick whatever feels best in your hands.

 

[pmdied]

Same thoughts here. Played with both, went with Eris. Personally, I don't like phones with moving parts so my choice was the Eris. Eris will get a ROM update soon which will improve things. But, BOTH Droid and Eris will seem like a different world when you're coming from a BB or older Palm device. You'll be amazed with either device.

 

[loooney2ns]

I'm hoping I made the right choice. I went with the Moto to replace my Storm 1. I like the on screen keyboards in general, but it will be nice to have an actual keyboard for some tasks, like game playing and long texts. I still miss Graffiti from my Palm days!

 

[TheSultan]

I've been trying hard to make this same decision. I'm still running a Blackberry Tour on Verizon and looking to make the jump very soon. Thanks everyone who've posted their experiences!

 

[takeshi]

I figure go with the latest and greatest (comparing hardware specs). You're going to have to upgrade down the road anyway but might as well get the best you can at the time.

I can understand the desire for a physical keyboard as I switched from a BB 8310 but be prepared to be disappointed with the one on the Droid.

The Droid felt clunkier in my hand. It is heavier (due to the keyboard)

I seriously doubt that all the added weight is due to the keyboard. There's just not much to it.

 

[YourMobileGuru]

I figure go with the latest and greatest (comparing hardware specs). You're going to have to upgrade down the road anyway but might as well get the best you can at the time.

I can understand the desire for a physical keyboard as I switched from a BB 8310 but be prepared to be disappointed with the one on the Droid.


I seriously doubt that all the added weight is due to the keyboard. There's just not much to it.

No the added weight is due to the fact that a lot of the phone is actually metal instead of plastic.

I know this thread has been kinda dead for a while but I am sure there are plenty of people still discussing this.

Yes play with both phones but now there are actually 3 choices with the release of devour. Devour has a better keyboard and with Motoblur it will have some of the social networking advantages of the Eris.

That being said I would seriously think two or three times if you are leaning toward the Eris as it will become obsolete fairly soon as the Desire/Incredible comes out this summer. It's easy to think that the Droid and Eris are the same vintage when really since the Eris is really a re-banded/redesigned Hero it's actually about 3 months older tech.

 

[BrandonGoodman]

Definitely go to the store an play with them both. You may not like the keyboard on the droid. Its very flat. I personally went with the Droid not because of the keyboard but because of the newer operating system and the nicer, faster processor. If you play with them both long enough, you'll see a bit more sluggishness with the Eris. Don't get me wrong, its a very nice phone and a nice form factor but in my opinion, the moto droid is just an all around nicer machine.

I rarely use the slide out keyboard personally. I guess its nice to have on occasion but with all the 3rd party touchscreen keyboard options available in the Android Market, you can definitely live with out a physical keyboard.

 

[NickF227]

That being said I would seriously think two or three times if you are leaning toward the Eris as it will become obsolete fairly soon as the Desire/Incredible comes out this summer. It's easy to think that the Droid and Eris are the same vintage when really since the Eris is really a re-banded/redesigned Hero it's actually about 3 months older tech.

Um, dude, I don't know if you know this, but this kinda applies to both phones...There is always gonna be a better phone a month after you buy something.

IMO, I like my Eris better then the Moto Droid. I have a few friends who have the Droid(I actually saw a Devour in school today, looks nice but didn't really use it) and I really just don't like it. Like, the slide out keyboard, its like you have to force it. =/

That said, it does have a nice screen but I like the nice form factor on my Eris better...I don't wanna be stuck with an 'ugly' form for 2 years.

 

[Ohioan]

One thing I don't like about the Eris is that I can't feel the vibrate when it's in my pocket. I miss numerous messages while at work because I can't feel it vibrate, very annoying. I got the eris at the end of March. I'm hoping the Incredible comes out before my month is up.