X

HTC Droid Incredible (photos)

CNET takes a hands-on look at the fastest, baddest Android smartphone from Verizon Wireless, the HTC Droid Incredible.

Bonnie Cha
Bonnie Cha was a former chief correspondent for CNET Crave, covering every kind of tech toy imaginable (with a special obsession for robots and Star Wars-related stuff). When she's not scoping out stories, you can find her checking out live music or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California.
Bonnie Cha
1 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET

HTC Droid Incredible

The HTC Droid Incredible is Verizon's fourth Android device, and it's the best one to date. The smartphone will be available starting April 29 for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate.
34064029-2-440-DT1.jpg
2 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET

Design

Without a physical keyboard, the Droid Incredible is a much more compact and pocket-friendly device than the Motorola Droid. It's roughly the same size as the Nexus One, but has a more rectangular shape and doesn't feel quite as solid as the N1.
34064029-2-440-DT2.jpg
3 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET

Optical joystick

Like the HTC Legend and the HTC Desire, the Droid Incredible features an optical joystick rather than a trackball. It works as advertised but takes a little acclimation since it's so small. We really only used to to select small items on a Web page, such as a link, and used the touch screen for all other interactions with the phone.
34064029-2-440-TOP.jpg
4 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET

Top view

On top of the phone, you'll find the power button and the 3.5mm headphone jack.
34064029-2-440-SD.jpg
5 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET

Left side

Meanwhile on the left, there is a volume rocker and a Micro-USB port.
34064029-2-440-BK.jpg
6 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET

Seeing red

The back of the Droid Incredible features a topographic design. When you take the battery door off, you'll see the design follows the lines of the internal components and you'll also notice that it's red inside.

There's really no purpose to this other than to give the phone a distinctive style, and while it's an aspect that we can take or leave, we can certainly appreciate HTC and its designers for putting the extra thought into it.
34064029_ss1_raw_1_440x330.jpg
7 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET

Picture quality

The Droid Incredible boasts an 8-megapixel camera with a dual LED flash, which took amazing photos indoors and outdoors. Nighttime shots were still a little gray and dull, but definitely better than a lot of other camera phones out there.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos