Merge vs Droid Pro

[Art13]

Hey I'm new to the boards, but have been reading them for a while. I just want to have your guys take on what my next phone should. The rumor is that the HTC Merge or the Droid Pro are coming out at around the same time.They both seem to be kick *** phone, but it looks like the Droid Pro has the edge in hardware with a rumored 1.3ghz as opposed to the Merge which is said to have a 800mhz. There both gonna be considered "world phones" and they both have slide out keyboards which is what i really like. I'm leaning towards the Merge because HTC just makes some damn sexy phones as opposed to Motorola which just seem to get the job done but with no style. I don't currently own an android phone, but i did just get my wife a Droid Incrdible, which is why I'm leaning HTC's way. So what do you guys think ? What are your experince's with both HTC and Moto? Thanks

 

[DolfanCole]

As has been mentioned numerous times before, don't get hung up on the 800MHz vs. 1.3GHz issue. It very well could be that the 800MHz is faster and better on battery life than the 1.3GHz chip. So, I wouldn't dismiss one or the other just based on this. My recommendation would be to test them both out yourself once they become available.

I'm in a very similar boat as you. I'm a current BlackBerry user and have not (yet) owned an Android device, so I have no firsthand experience with HTC or Moto. I'm looking at both of these phones as my first. What I have seen/read is that the HTC Merge seems to provide a better feeling keyboard than the Droid Pro (using the D2 as a reference). Of course, whether that's important to you is something only you can say.

 

[mcook1670]

I have the Droid 2, and before that I had the Eris. I think HTC makes good phones, but I like Motorola better. When it comes to device support I think Moto does a better job. I had a lot of issues with my Eris, I went through 3 phones. I think the Droid Pro has more ram memory (not looking at the specs). That's my opinion so take it for what it's worth. I just which they would hurry up and launch them in the next 30 days so I can trade my phone out. I'm going to Europe for a month this summer

 

[mjvoss]

I have the Droid 2, and before that I had the Eris. I think HTC makes good phones, but I like Motorola better. When it comes to device support I think Moto does a better job. I had a lot of issues with my Eris, I went through 3 phones. I think the Droid Pro has more ram memory (not looking at the specs). That's my opinion so take it for what it's worth. I just which they would hurry up and launch them in the next 30 days so I can trade my phone out. I'm going to Europe for a month this summer

This is a terrible analysis. The things Droid Eris has going against it is speed (main reason), internal memory, and unpopularity. I have one right now, and while I do encounter problems, it's still better than my girlfriend's Moto Backflip which can't even turn off and on 3g (HTC includes loads of widgets and apps natively).

Merge looks amazing, and I would definitely go HTC. Besides, they don't make telecommunications for the Israeli army!

 

[Bushido Brown]

If I could pick from either phone tomorrow, as a hacker of phones, I'd probably get the Merge. Because I hack my phones to death anyway, I wouldn't have any problem just using superuser permissions to remove all the "stuff" (read: bing) I don't like. This is assuming the battery holds up well. Sense UI phones are notorious for poor battery life. Hopefully the new chip architecture they're employing translates to a longer lasting battery.

As just an average Joe smartphone consumer, I'd rather have the D2 Pro because there are far less issues with Motorola's software in app compatibility. and I'd be confident using the D1,D2, and DX as barometers in determining battery life and signal strength.

 

[thebizz]

I would go for the merge but that's just me honestly 1.2 on the d2 world won't be bad but my d2 running at 1.0 has a hard time making it through the day and without them upping the battery size I would pass. I don't know the size of the merge's battery but running that snapdragon at 800 should give it decent life. Thus plus the new snapdragon achitecture is pretty good

 

[Art13]

Thanks for all the helpful advice. I'm still leaning towards the Merge, but there probably still a month to go befoe it's official and something new might come out about the Drroiod Pro. But either ways I think the Android community is the way to go.

 

[marckatz]

As a newbie coming from BB platform, the question I still haven't seen answered. is there a concern that the Merge only has 2 GB on board memory and after everything is loaded only about 340 MB. I know the phone could probably be rooted and cleaned a little, but taking that out of the equation is there any concern?

 

[Bushido Brown]

As a newbie coming from BB platform, the question I still haven't seen answered. is there a concern that the Merge only has 2 GB on board memory and after everything is loaded only about 340 MB. I know the phone could probably be rooted and cleaned a little, but taking that out of the equation is there any concern?

The 2GB's should be substantial enough. I would be concerned about the RAM, however. Apps are becoming more and more resource hungry. Its a reason why the developer (N1) phone that was released almost a year a go came with 512 megs of RAM. It was pretty much intended to set the bar for what the Android platform is capable of. Having only 340 is a step backwards.

The more time I've had to think about this, the more I would lean toward the DPro No Bing, more RAM, more storage, multiple LED notifications, and it should be just as, if not more powerful from a performance standpoint. The only thing that stands out on the Merge, IMO, is the keyboard. The Droid 2/Pro keyboard is good, but just from looking at the Merge, I imagine I could type faster on it Also, Sense UI's approach to contact list management and Facebook integration is preferred by many (presence company included) to Motorola's.

 

[Bushido Brown]

LOL, forget (almost) everything I've said in this thread. The Droid Pro is not exactly what I thought it would be - ie: a slightly beefier version of the D2. With that being said, if you dig the Blackberry form factor, this could be right up your alley.

 

[WeGlobal]

Now THIS is the world phone I would get if I had a choice between this and a Droid Pro. Not to fond of Motorola and MotoBlur, but I'm very familiar with HTC since I currently have a Hero.

 

[aweber1nj]

I suppose by now everyone is aware that the Droid Pro and Droid 2 Global Ed are two different phones? The Droid 2 form is apparently virtually identical to the Droid 2 (makes sense). The Droid Pro is a candybar form-factor and lately the rumors about higher speed CPU have been lowered to assuming it has the same 1.0Ghz CPU as the other, current Motos.

Thus, both have keyboards, one wider than the other.

 

[JSK1121]

This is a terrible analysis. The things Droid Eris has going against it is speed (main reason), internal memory, and unpopularity. I have one right now, and while I do encounter problems, it's still better than my girlfriend's Moto Backflip which can't even turn off and on 3g (HTC includes loads of widgets and apps natively).

Merge looks amazing, and I would definitely go HTC. Besides, they don't make telecommunications for the Israeli army!

What does the Israeli army have to do with anything?

 

[thebizz]

The better comparison would be the d2 world and the merge the dpro is gimped by a smaller screen and the processor in the d2 world is better

 

[Droid hungry]

I read almost this whole post thinking to myself, "Isn't the Droid Pro going to be just like the Blackberry form factor?" XD

 

[Simer03]

id go with the Merge! It looks so sexy (as all HTC phones do) and the processor speed doesnt matter, its all about the Graphics Card! i would think they use the same stuff as they used with the G2! and about the Bing crap (which i HATE), you can always replace it with the Google search bar from the market! no problem there! go with the Merge!

 

[Mano123]

If you don't get that merge I will be very mad at you lol just kidding no but you should get that one over the droid pro. Motorola sucks. Htc is the best.