Windows Phone 8 vs Android: A Hands-On Comparison on the HTC 8X
Archive note. This story reflects what was known when it was first covered. Prices, availability and carrier offers are historical. For the current picture, start with the topic guides.
Hardware against the Galaxy S III
| Feature | HTC 8X | Galaxy S III |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 1.5 GHz dual-core | 1.5 GHz dual-core |
| RAM | 1 GB | 2 GB |
| Storage | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| microSD | No | Yes, up to 64 GB |
| Screen | 4.3 in, 1280 x 720 | 4.7 in, 1280 x 720 |
| Cameras | 8 MP back, 2.1 MP front | 8 MP back, 2 MP front |
| NFC and LTE | Yes | Yes |
Interface
The design is minimal but not boring. Live tiles can show photos, people and notification counts, which sits between a plain app list and a fully custom Android home screen. Apps share the same look, even Facebook. Deeper menus were less clear. Finding where to add a work Exchange account or Gmail took digging, and the Messenger app did not make clear whether it handled chat or texts.
The keys
Back, Start and Search are simple. Search opens Bing but not a search inside the current app. The author found the long-press actions odd: holding Back opens multitasking and holding Start opens voice search, which seemed swapped.
What the author missed from Android
- A notification shade. Alerts appear as toast messages, and a short drag shows only battery and connection icons.
- Lock screen actions. Unread email counts show, but you must unlock before opening them.
- Music controls. They sit in a panel under the volume button, which is hard to discover.
- Battery and data stats. The phone had no usage breakdown. That mattered because a bug on the 8X turned Wi-Fi off during sleep, with a fix released.
Apps and NFC
The catalogue looked thin, like early Android, and many good apps were paid. Store pages showed no screenshots or user comments, and updates did not list what changed. The camera app was plain and fine. NFC earned praise: photo sharing between Windows phones and general sharing of links and contacts between Windows and Android.
Overall
The author gave it credit for being different. Familiarity with Word, Excel and Hotmail, plus Windows 8 on desktops, could make it a natural first smartphone for many people, including the author’s own father.
Frequently asked questions
How did the HTC 8X compare to the Galaxy S III?
Very close on paper. The S III had a larger screen, more RAM and a microSD slot.
What was missing from Windows Phone 8?
A notification shade, battery and data usage stats, and a deep app selection.
Is Windows Phone still around?
No. The platform has been discontinued.