Droid X vs. EVO vs. iPhone 4: Video

Posted by Louie on Aug 5, 2010 in Android, Apps, iPhone, Mobile, Multimedia, Tech Fight, The field, Uncategorized, Video | 0 comments

I wrote a post a few days ago that looked at how these three phones handle taking photos. The end result was that the Droid X produced crisper photos in all three situations, but the iPhone 4 took them faster.

So how do the Droid X, HTC EVO, and iPhone 4 compare when it comes to recording video? Let’s find out.

Overall

There are several things all of the phones do. Each takes HD quality video, shares that video to YouTube on the fly, streams video live with certain services, and shares video to a computer by dragging the file.

But what about features? Good question. So here is a quick breakdown of what each operating software can do.

Android (Droid X & HTC EVO)

The cameras on the Android phones have far more settings to choose from. They include more control over the composition of the video. Adjusting brightness and contrast is as simple as choosing it in the settings.

EVO: The EVO is the only Android phone I’ve tested that has a front-facing camera. That includes the Droid X and the HTC Incredible.

Droid X: This phone has a handy “light” setting that essentially turns the flash into a mini-flashlight. It lights up the area very well for recording video in dark places.

Both: The Droid X and EVO each have an HDMI out connection that allows you to play the HD videos through a HDTV.

iPhone 4

This phone has the most intuitive controls when it comes to switching cameras and modes. There are no real settings to speak of. So you can’t choose a sepia filter, for example. But it will swap between cameras faster than the rest.

The iPhone 4 also has the iMovie app to play with. This makes it a snap to capture and edit HD video entirely through the phone. It also has the flashlight option in darkness.

The videos

Enough talking. Here are some examples of what the cameras can do. These were all taken outdoors. They should automatically play in HD.

EVO

Droid X

iPhone 4

If you can’t tell a big difference between them it’s because there isn’t one.

So which phone wins the video battle? I don’t think this one is close.

Winner: iPhone 4.

It comes down to capability when the quality is essentially a tie. Adding the iMovie app, which costs $4.99, turns the iPhone 4 into a HD video editor that can also share that video.

Why wouldn’t that be a victory? Here is a video I edited entirely through the iMovie app. It’s from the footage I was able to get of the protests.

Keep in mind that I didn’t record the video or take the photos planning to edit them together. I just realized I could after the fact.

More

EVO vs. Droid X vs. iPhone 4: Taking Pictures | How to HD video with your iPhone 4