HTC Wildfire vs BlackBerry, iPhone and Android

We take three different smartphone users to see how they thought the HTC Wildfire measured up against a BlackBerry 9700, HTC Hero and iPhone 3G

The HTC Wildfire is HTC's latest foray into the budget market, and it has brought with it a whole host of high-end features.

The only places where it is not so premium is the screen and processor, but how do our BlackBerry, HTC and iPhone users think it stacks up against their phones?

Richard Goodwin, HTC Hero user
It doesn’t seem that long ago since the HTC Hero first hit the UK – in fact, it was about 9 months ago now – and while it may have been the best Android phone to date at that point in time, it really had the odds stacked against it – the processor was small, it had a physical trackball instead of an optical one and a seemingly un-upgradeable OS.

None of this, of course, bothered me at my time of purchase as I was sucked into the hype – a lot of publications called it “the best Android device yet” – surrounding the device and signed-up for one as soon as my previous contract had run its course.

In hindsight, this was a mistake. And after reviewing the HTC Wildfire, which is considered a “budget smartphone,” this mistake was even clearer. For starters, the HTC Wildfire has Android 2.1 – the Hero doesn’t – and the same power 528 MHz processor, but it’s loads cheaper than the Hero.

When you consider that the Hero is meant to be a high-end device and compare it to, say, the HTC Desire or Motorola Milestone, there really is no competition. In short, the HTC Hero is done and, to make matters worse, it’s now upstaged in practically every department by a mid-range budget smartphone, which is certainly annoying – especially so, when you consider than many users may have 18 months left on their Hero contracts.

My Hero issues began quite early on, first there was the touchscreen, which broke after a month or two, then the never-ending waiting for Android 2.1, then another screen fail, followed by the UI getting slower and slower and slower until, well, it was basically redundant.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, apps stopped working, connecting to the web became nigh on impossible and the phone became more of a hindrance than a help.

Possibly the only thing the HTC Hero has going for it is its screen, which is leagues ahead of the one you find on the Wildfire. But would I switch to a rubbish screen for Android 2.1 and a phone that actually works? Yes, after eight months of Hero hell, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

On paper, the HTC Wildfire has very similar specs to the HTC Hero, but the Wildfire has more onboard memory, a significantly better camera, Android 2.1 and is a lot snappier than the Hero. So, why oh why, should anyone buy a Hero when they can get the HTC Wildfire for cheaper?

Well, the simple answer is they shouldn’t, the Wildfire is far superior device and, so long as you can get over its crappy screen, you’ll be highly pleased with your decision to go budget.

HTC Hero | Apple iPhone 3G | BlackBerry Bold 9700