A Tale of Two 4G Droids

When shopping for a new phone, you want something that not only meets all of your requirements, you want it to reflect your personality. There are lots of practical considerations, of course, but this is your primary electronic device. It makes sense that you would make such a decision using both your brain and your gut, so that regret acompanies you through a lengthy contract period.

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These newish Droid 4G phones are available from Verizon Wireless. Each has been out in the market long enough that customer reviews aren't just first impressions. Both are 4G LTE phones so both future-proof you for at least the near future allowing you to take advantage of the much faster 4G speeds for downloading apps and files and uploading images and both provide all of the features/ functions that the Android mobile operating system offers both out of the box and with apps from the Android Marketplace. I've been able to give each a trial run and I've determined that the choice between the two comes down to personality.

• The Samsung Charge--This is an elegant and powerful phone. The display is large and it is beautiful (4.3 inches AMOLED display) and it feels satisfyingly solid in your hand. The menus are sophisticated and subtle (brown if you can believe it), it feels like a phone for an adult. Knowing that it will appeal to a discerning but not necessarily geeky audience, it has training videos that introduce the phone's basic operation and navigation right on the home screen. The only negative I experienced was shorter battery life than I was used to. Part of this was because of the 4G speeds encouraged more use of its powerful processing power, and part was probably due to my straddling the border between 4G and 3G service areas. This is a phone for people who demand great styling and expect great performance. Understated but powerful--think Lexus.
• The Pantech Breakout is a hip can-do phone that doesn't worry about designer labels. You want a light-weight phone that does its job commendably and without fuss? This 4G doesn't have the glossy styling of more expensive phones but it delivers. It has a sporty feel that reminds me of driving a manual transmission in compact sports car. It may be priced like an entry level car ($99 with contract at Verizon's website, just $29 with contract at Best Buy) but it is capable and fun--think Mazda.

When choosing your next phone, let your brain read the comparisons of specs and reviews from experts and users alike, but let your sense of fun help you decide as well.