The T-Grid: T-Mobile’s G1 Android Phone vs. the iPhone
A first pass at figuring out how the superphone archrivals stack up.By Harry McCracken | Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 9:48 am
It was all but official for what seemed like an eternity. Now it’s just official, period: T-Mobile is releasing the G1, the first phone powered by Google’s Android operating system. It’s essentially impossible to not instinctively compare it to the iPhone 3G. With phones more than almost any other technology device, the devil is in the details, and the best thing about the iPhone–its incredibly refined user interface–needs to be experienced to be appreciated. So a real comparison of the two superphones will need to be a hands-on one.
Still, there’s some value in a simple features comparison. Here’s my first stab at one, with data from sources such as Gizmodo’s writeup of the G1. (What’s a T-Grid? It’s an at-a-glance comparison in this format, and we’ll be doing them on other topics as appropriate.)
Want to avoid reading the chart? The bottom line is that the phones share lots and lots of features. But the G1 is chunkier but has a real keyboard; it has a little memory (1GB) in the form of a replaceable MicroSD card rather than the iPhone’s generous fixed memory; and it’s much less evolved from a multimedia standpoint but does offer the Amazon MP3 store, which sounds good. Oh, and it’s based on Google’s open Android operating system rather than Apple’s decidedly non-open OS X–a fact that’s likely to be a defining characteristic, but it’s hard to say exactly how until third-party apps start to appear. And it’s clear that the iPhone 3G benefits from being a second-generation product–the Exchange support, for instance, only arrived with the iPhone 2.0 software.
[UPDATE! This chart is, I hope, full of answers; this post is full of G1 and Android questions I still have–and which might be on your mind, too.]
Without any further ado…
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The phones
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T-Mobile G1
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Apple iPhone 3G
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|---|---|---|
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Platform
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Google’s open Android OS
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Apple’s proprietary OS X
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Availability
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October 22
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Now, although supply is occasionally spotty
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Price
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$179 with 2-year contract
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$199 for 8GB model or $299 for 16GB model with two-year contract
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Data plan
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$25 a month for unlimited data and “some” messaging; $35 for unlimited data and messaging
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$30 a month for unlimited data; $5 a month extra for 200 text messages
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Locked?
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Yup, to T-Mobile
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Yup, to AT&T
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Colors
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Brown, black, and white
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Black (8GB and 16GB); white (16GB only)
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Size and weight
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4.60” by 2.16” by 0.62”; 5.6 oz.
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4.5″ by 2.4″by 0.48″; 4.7 oz.
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Screen size and resolution
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3.17″; 480 by 320
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3.5″; 480 by 320
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Input
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Touchscreen and QWERTY under slide-out screen
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Touchscreen with on-screen keyboard
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Accelerometer
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Yes
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Yes
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Headphone jack
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Proprietary (ack!)
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Standard 3.5mm
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Memory
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MicroSD slot accepts up to 8GB cards; bundled with 1GB card
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8GB and 16GB models available; no memory expansion
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Camera
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3.1 megapixels; no video
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2 megapixels; no video
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Voice
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Quad-band GSM
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Quad-band GSM
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Data
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3G (UMTS with HSDPA, if you want to get technical) over T-Mobile’s 3G network, which is just rolling out
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3G (UMTS with HSDPA, if you want to get technical) over AT&T’s less spotty but still limited network
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Use as tethered modem?
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T-Mobile sez no
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Violates AT&T’s terms of service; tethering plan is rumored
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Wi-Fi and GPS
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Done and done
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Ditto and ditto
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Battery
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5 hours talk time; 130 hours standby; removable
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5 hours talk time; 300 hours standby; not removable
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Web browser
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Web-kit based browser
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Webkit-based Safari
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Web searching
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Yes, via Google with dedicated button
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Yes, via Google or Yahoo
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E-Mail
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GMail; other services supported through IMAP
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MobileMe, GMail, Yahoo Mail, AOL; other services supported through IMAP
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Microsoft Exchange support
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Not yet
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Yes
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Instant messaging
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Yes, Google Talk
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Only through third-party apps
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Maps
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Yes, with Google Street View “compass mode” that shows street images that follow your movements
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Yes
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Turn-by-turn navigation
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Apparently not
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No, but may be coming from third party developer(s)
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Music
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Music player and Amazon MP3 Store
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iPod player and iTunes Store
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Video
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YouTube; other options unknown
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iPod player, YouTube; movies through iTunes Store
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Calendar
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Yes, synching with Google Calendar
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Yes, synching with MobileMe
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Photos
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Yes
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Yes
|
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Desktop synching
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No
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Yes, through iTunes
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Application store
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Yes, the App Market
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Yes, the iTunes App Store
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T-Mobile G1, Android Phone Announced | notebooks.com Says:
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:33 am[…] people are comparing the G1 (and any other multimedia phone) to the iPhone. Harry McCracken, of Technologizer put together a chart comparing the G1 to the iPhone. Click on the below image to see the full […]
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Google Android Phone: 3G, $179, Amazon MP3, App Store, 1GB, Copy and Paste | John Paczkowski | Digital Daily | AllThingsD Says:
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:55 am[…] owes a thing or two to Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone. Which makes perfect sense, since that’s the device it’s clearly intended to compete with. The G1 will run on both 3G and Wi-Fi and will be tethered to the T-Mobile (DT) network. It will […]
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First Casualties in Android-iPhone Wars: Tech Hipsters | TekPopuli Says:
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:31 pm[…] a first glance at Google’s first attempt at a mobile OS. Although pundits and bloggers are debating the relative merits of each device, the various plans, and the differences in functionality, its […]
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Ain’t nothing like a G-Thing at :: DMY :: Says:
September 24th, 2008 at 7:20 am[…] The T-Grid: T-Mobile’s G1 Android Phone vs. the iPhone […]
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Enterprise 2.0 blog » Blog Archive » Android - Let the permanent beta begin Says:
September 24th, 2008 at 4:20 pm[…] Unless you have been hiding under a proverbial rock, you know that T-Mobile and Google finally outed what has to be the worst kept secret in product launch history – the Android-based phone from HTC, aka G1. You can find pretty comprehensive discussions of the G1 speeds and feeds here and here. […]
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E Invites You to Enjoy the Future of Mobile Networking Says:
September 25th, 2008 at 7:03 am[…] The T-Grid: T-Mobile’s G1 Android Phone vs. the iPhone […]
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The Palm Pre Revealed: The Technologizer Review | Technologizer Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 5:03 am[…] phones will be in serious competition before long, but the only Android phone to ship in the U.S., T-Mobile’s G1, is behind the iPhone and Pre by a furlong or […]
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is-apple-going-to-sue-palm-over-multi-touch « eonly.us Says:
May 27th, 2010 at 10:56 pm[…] else has a multi-touch phone? T-Mobile’s Android-based G1 doesn’t have multi-touch; RIM’s BlackBerry Storm does, although not in particularly […]
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nokia5800-vs-iphone « eonly.us Says:
May 28th, 2010 at 12:30 pm[…] The 5800 won’t be available in the U.S. until next year, and we don’t know anything about pricing or the service side of things yet. And the single best thing about the iPhone by far is the software experience; I need hands-on experience with the 5800 to judge how it compares (Gizmodo, which got some, doesn’t seem to think the 5800 is that great on this front). But it’s still worth comparing the two devices in a T-Grid, in the proud tradition of the one we did of the iPhone and T-Mobile’s G1. […]
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the-t-list-blackberry-storm-rising | seomcek.com Says:
May 29th, 2010 at 8:38 am[…] Posted by admin on May 28, 2010 The T-Mobile G1, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, and now the BlackBerry Storm. The iPhone-like touchscreen phones are […]
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:50 am
who cares?
People are more concerned with their finances, job security etc… in the current credit crunch/meltdown…
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:23 am
No video recording? WTF?
Anyone know what video formats are supported?
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:25 am
A lot of people care. Its not the apocolypse yet. The majority of people still have their jobs, it turns out. Buying products helps stimulate the economy, anyways.
What I *do* care about is: The G1 doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack (not compared). Also, what are GPS/Navigation features on the two? Does it do turn by turn directions and auto-update as you are driving?
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:35 am
Brian: Good point on the headphone jack–I updated the chart. As far as I know at this point, the G1 doesn’t have turn-by-turn GPS directions…
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:49 pm
The Amazon MP3 store is really a killer feature for me. I use their service all the time. However, having to drop $30 on an SD card just get the same capacity as my iTouch is a little irksome.
However, it really doesn’t seem like this device is meant to be an iPhone killer at all. For example, the whole set of your data basically lives in the cloud. It’s really the first major Cloud Computing phone. This intent is evident from the lack of desktop syncing software. Your contacts? Synced to Google. Mail? Synced to Google. Calendar? Synced to Google. Get the idea?
I think that is really the big bet here. I’ll also be interested to see how the Android market grows. iPhone had a huge marketshare by the time they released the App Store, so when they announced it in February, developers were chomping at the bit to get their hands on the SDK. Android, however, released the SDK before the phone came out. This means that Google and T-Mobile will have to grow both developer momentum AND marketshare at the same time. This is a very bold, and interested move I think. Google’s name may be enough to excite people and get them interested (especially if they start featuring Android developers on their site, e.g. the front page), however it’s still a gamble. Man, I should write a post about this…
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Great list. I like the Amazon Store. Too bad that will never make it to an iPhone.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Here ’s a video demonstration of the Android operating system and some of the applications from Google which are on it.
http://www.netbookusers.com/smf/index.php?topic=83.0
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Harry, nice chart, but you may want to also mention Bluetooth and the fact that (as with the iPhone) there seems to be no support on G1 for Stereo Bluetooth headsets or Bluetooth keyboards.
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
So the G1 isn’t a revolutionary device. Fine. It is, however, a great start to Android. Finally Android will be on a phone and not just on a phone in-the-making! Android looks very promising, and Google I bet sez so too. AmazonMP3 is a great addition, although the non-standard headphone jack is a huge drawback. Overall it seems the iPhone and G1 shape up well to each other, although their specs are not exactly the same.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Thanks for the table. I’d like to see a G1 Android versus the latest Windows Mobile HTC. That’s where I think G1 plays today. The Iphone no doubt is the consumer market ring bearer but I don’t see the G1 playing into the same market. It’s missing the music player and video slickness (based on reading today’s stories) – along with the obvious style attraction. It will get interesting if and when Samsung, LG, etc choose Android over WiMo or proprietary for their higher end devices.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:50 pm
I don’t like that phone. It’s ugly, and bulky and slider type phones are just plain wierd. Try again T-Mobile. I won’t be wasting my money on this thing.
September 24th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
The Tmobile G1 (android) has a wicked selection of blue tooth headphones aswell as bluetooth speakers very remarkable!! Also, the Android will have more software that’s way more advance than the I Phone which i currently own. It’s design is impressive and nice. With 3G and Edge both running simulataneously until 3G is fullfilled in every city. Also, a turn by turn voice map is being created, the price beats the IPhone contrary to the features, they’re now hooking up with Direct TV (a major killer) and their music player is friggin awesome, especially the gwerty board feature! This is only the beginning to what they have in store, but when it comes down to it… google softwares from android market place will be destroy the I Phone and it is a very revolutionary device that I will give up my IPhone to get after doing exclusive research!! Wow. Tmobile you’ve really done IT!!
September 24th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I saw the headphone jacks for the Tmobile G1 and it was awesome! I’m sorry IPhone, but you really have a serial killer on the loose!! The Tmobile G1. Go to this web address: http://www.g1depot.com/
September 25th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
You should update the headphone jack part again.
It’s not proprietary, it’s USB mini. Proprietary makes it sound like it’s that weird plug that the Samsung Upstage has that’s ONLY for Samsung. USB mini isn’t proprietary.
September 26th, 2008 at 5:37 am
iPhone and Android SDK terms prohibit turn-by-turn navigation. I hope that will change soon. This is what i really miss at both phones. Guess I have to stick to my Nokia N95 (Symbian) for navigation.
September 29th, 2008 at 12:47 am
This phone looks great…i am excited for the release…i dont listen to music on my phone…that is what ipods are for…so i dont get whay people complain about something so small…but thats ok i guess…the iphone may be a great phone…but it does not fit my needs at all…i really dont like it at all…the G1 is more of my type of phone…i text alot…so the keypad will work out well for me…also…the G1 supports picture messaging…which i do alot as well…so that fits me perfectly…in my opinion…this phone is directed more towards a younger audience with all of its messaging type features…this phone looks perfect for me and it is at a great price….i am really excited for the launch of this G1 phone…i am going to cancel my exsiting line with verizon and i will pick on of these up around the holiday season……….also..i am not compairing this phone to the iphone at all…i really dont care about the iphone at all…the iphone has its features and it fits some peoples needs…it does not do that for me…this G1 looks absolutely perfect for me and im excited for it…GO G1!!!!!!!!
October 13th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
The features on this phone are pretty good but I wish it had AIM, aol messager. yahoo messager, and Msn messager. Than I think the phone would be a big hit.
October 20th, 2008 at 4:55 am
The most important is that G1 is using open source software! Do you know what it means guys?!!!
it means in literally few hours Garmin, Tomtom etc will have their turn by turn navigation in shops!
it means a lot of features to be developed and offered without asking anyone!
its been a 6 month iphone 3g came out and still no deal with garmin and tomtom?! not even sign that apple will allow any! Why? Apple is banning it! asking for 70 percent profit!
its time for apple to wake up! 3g will be the last phone they produced!
January 25th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Hi,
Just read your comparison and I like it better than some because it doesn’t seem as iPhone biased as the others.
However, I found an error in your chart.
I don’t know about the first gen devices, but the newer ones support up to 16gb of memory. Please update that so that no one gets confused.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Good comparison chart. My T-mobile contract was up for renewal so I went back and forth whether to get the iPhone or the G1. I went with the G1 partly because I didn’t want to switch carriers, but mostly because of a few key features:
GPS – Big one for me. Why go by a TomTom or Garmin if you only use it once and a while anyway? The phone that had GPS in it meant getting more bang for the buck.
ShopSavvy – This app and the others like it are awesome, I can price shop/compare items right in the store. It’s incredible. People get a kick out of seeing it work too.
Google Integration – I use Gmail, and the other Google services quite a bit.
The expandable to 16gb now is nice although it’s too bad it only came with a 1gb card in it.
It’s a good phone, and I’m excited to see what the updates will entail.
May 20th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I’m still deciding which one to get once I get enough money… They both have pretty good music players (good enough for me =p), 3g speeds are about the same, g1 is open source when iphone is not, iphone has normal headphone jack (not THAT big of a deal, because compatible headphones are included), g1 and iphone market are both about equal, iphone has better video player.
Prices of service:
Iphone: T-mobile G1:
unlimited messaging and data: $50/month $35/month
Theres a lot of rumors going around about the G1, that, when you go over 1gb bandwidth in a month, they bump your speed down to 50kb/s or less… Is this true?
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