Is DroidDoes just a marketing hype or should AT&T Wireless be worried about the ongoing assault by Verizon Wireless?
In the last couple of years, AT&T Wireless has had a lead on Verizon Wireless when it comes to overall portfolio quality. However, a range of new phones from Verizon Wireless are about to change that.
With the introduction of Android smartphones, Verizon Wireless has already taken the lead in two categories measured by our test results and based on Top 5 from each carrier: "All-touch phones" and "QWERTY Slider / Flip phones". AT&T Wireless still has the best lineup of "Slab QWERTY phones".
In the charts below, you'll see the current standing between Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless in these categories. Additionally there are several upcoming phones of significance for Verizon Wireless that'll likely improve Verizon Wireless' portfolio:
Verizon Wireless recently re-iterated that the carrier will release the Palm Pre early next year, which will further strengthen the quality of the carrier's "QWERTY Slider / Flip phones" category:
| QWERTY Slider / Flip Phones |
| Graphics by infoSync World |
| Verizon Wireless |
|
AT&T Wireless |
|
| Motorola Droid |
81% |
HTC Tilt 2 |
77% |
| HTC Touch Pro2 |
77%* |
Nokia Surge |
71% |
| BB Pearl Flip |
74% |
Samsung Propel Pro |
71% |
| LG enV Touch |
72% |
Samsung Impression |
68% |
| LG enV3 |
68% |
Pantech Matrix Pro |
65% |
| Average Score: |
74% |
Average Score: |
70% |
| * Estimated Score |
The Samsung Omnia 2 for Verizon Wireless is also just around the corner, which will likely improve the carrier's quality in the "All-touch Phones" category as the original Omnia scores pretty low by today's standard for all-touch smartphones:
| All-Touch Phones |
| Graphics by infoSync World |
| Verizon Wireless |
|
AT&T Wireless |
|
| HTC Droid Eris |
81% |
iPhone 3GS |
83% |
| BB Storm 2 |
77% |
iPhone 3G |
77% |
| HTC Imagio |
77% |
HTC Pure |
77%* |
| LG Versa |
70% |
Samsung Solstice |
63% |
| Samsung Omnia |
64% |
LG Incite |
61% |
| Average Score: |
74% |
Average Score: |
72% |
| * Estimated Score |
Lastly, Verizon Wireless will soon release the BlackBerry Curve 8530, a Wi-Fi smartphone that will most likely strengthen the carrier's "Slab QWERTY Phones" category:
| Slab QWERTY Phones |
| Graphics by infoSync World |
| Verizon Wireless |
|
AT&T Wireless |
|
| BB Tour |
77% |
BB Bold 9700 |
77%* |
| HTC Ozone |
73% |
Nokia E71x |
76% |
| BB Curve 8330 |
69% |
BB Curve 8900 |
75%* |
| Samsung Saga |
67% |
Samsung Jack |
74% |
| BB 8830 |
58% |
BB 8820 |
59% |
| Average Score: |
69% |
Average Score: |
72% |
| * Score of T-Mobile's version |
All in all, it looks like Verizon Wireless has been very successful in selecting the right phones for 2009 and beyond. If you add the iPhone rumors to the picture as well, it currently looks like the carrier has a potential of getting a significant advantage over AT&T Wireless in the years ahead.
Of course, there are plenty of heavy GSM phones on the way, like the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, Nokia N900, Dell Streak and HTC HD2, but it's not yet known how serious AT&T Wireless will be when it comes to smartphones like that.
We won't blatantly say that it would be a wrong move by AT&T Wireless to pass on phones like that, as subsidies might not matter for high-end smartphone users anyway. That said, when you are a GSM carrier, wouldn't it be natural to subsidize the best GSM phones, and especially now that Verizon Wireless is getting serious about high-end smartphones?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
_pt00.jpg)
_pt00.jpg)
_pt00.jpg)
_pt00.jpg)
|
Archive