Samsung Galaxy S2 vs HTC Sensation

DoubleCheese · 8 Jul 2011 at 22:46

What are the battery life like on these phones? A day of use before charging?

kona786 · 8 Jul 2011 at 23:07

depends on how hard you use it - I can drain it in 6 hours but with light use it can last 3 days. SGS2.

killianzz · 8 Jul 2011 at 23:43

zoomee said:
Even as a long standing HTC fanboy - I do not regret buying the SGSII. Guarantee you'l love it!

What htc's have you had? I'm coming from a legend, which I loved but couldn't enjoy it at all to its potential, thanks to orange being utterly crap in my area and the touchscreen not working properly. I do love sense, but not as much as I like trying new options lol. I might just have to flip a coin to be honest.

Being a htc fanboy, did you buy the s2 before or after the sensation was released?

Robbo · 9 Jul 2011 at 11:25

killianzz said:
What htc's have you had? I'm coming from a legend, which I loved but couldn't enjoy it at all to its potential, thanks to orange being utterly crap in my area and the touchscreen not working properly. I do love sense, but not as much as I like trying new options lol. I might just have to flip a coin to be honest.

Being a htc fanboy, did you buy the s2 before or after the sensation was released?

I have both phones and I very much like HTC Sense. However, unless you absolutely MUST have Sense, there is not a single other reason to get the Sensation (apart from preferring it's design, but that is opinion, not a solid reason) over the Galaxy S II, unfortunately.

rapid64k · 9 Jul 2011 at 20:44

Robbo said:
I have both phones and I very much like HTC Sense. However, unless you absolutely MUST have Sense, there is not a single other reason to get the Sensation (apart from preferring it's design, but that is opinion, not a solid reason) over the Galaxy S II, unfortunately.

So well writen i thought Id say it again

"I have both phones and I very much like HTC Sense. However, unless you absolutely MUST have Sense, there is not a single other reason to get the Sensation (apart from preferring it's design, but that is opinion, not a solid reason) over the Galaxy S II, unfortunately"

killianzz · 9 Jul 2011 at 22:41

Bought the samsung today - "phwoarrrrr"

LiE · 17 Jul 2011 at 10:10

I'm not convinced by either of these phones as an upgrade to my desire.

The sensation has a lacklustre screen and the GS2 feels like it's made from flimsy plastic. Also, why are we moving towards these larger screens? I'm quite happy with the size/resolution on my desire. I don't feel a phone needs to be that big for it's core functionality.

Wicksta · 17 Jul 2011 at 10:26

The SGS2 is not really that much bigger to hold than a Desire, the screen size has hit the sweet spot now if you ask me. It certainly doesn't feel flimsy, I really don't get this?

LiE · 17 Jul 2011 at 10:36

I think it's the quality of the plastics that don't lend itself to a solid looking phone. The backing cover is shocking when I took it off. Not the end of the world, but I'd want at least the same quality of materials/feel I have now with my desire.

james.miller · 17 Jul 2011 at 10:56

Wicksta said:
The SGS2 is not really that much bigger to hold than a Desire, the screen size has hit the sweet spot now if you ask me. It certainly doesn't feel flimsy, I really don't get this?

do you mean the HD? its a fair bit bigger than a non-HD lol

LiE said:
I think it's the quality of the plastics that don't lend itself to a solid looking phone. The backing cover is shocking when I took it off. Not the end of the world, but I'd want at least the same quality of materials/feel I have now with my desire.

people get over that. what does it matter when its on? the phone is surprisingly creak-free. The only thing build-wise that lets the sgs2 down in my opinion is the button on the front. on mine it rocks ever so slightly and the click could be a little more...clickly. But really thats just being picky.

as for being flimsy, those battery covers can be bent back on themselves and still put back on the phone with no evidence of stretching or warping. that's not flimsy in my book.

seriously. why care ?

mrk · 17 Jul 2011 at 10:59

LiE said:
I think it's the quality of the plastics that don't lend itself to a solid looking phone. The backing cover is shocking when I took it off. Not the end of the world, but I'd want at least the same quality of materials/feel I have now with my desire.

We've covered the plastics quality way back. It might look or feel breakable but it won't. Need someone post a certain video again?

The plastic material used is actually more expensive than aluminium...

LiE · 17 Jul 2011 at 11:03

Maybe so, but the perceived quality to me isn't great. It's just one of those little things that count for me. The desire you have to admit feels/looks better than the GS2?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not having a dig. Just for me neither of these phones capture for me what my desire upgrade needs to be.

james.miller · 17 Jul 2011 at 11:07

LiE said:
Maybe so, but the perceived quality to me isn't great. It's just one of those little things that count for me. The desire you have to admit feels/looks better than the GS2?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not having a dig. Just for me neither of these phones capture for me what my desire upgrade needs to be.

i would say the desire is overly heavy but i am happy to admit this is after a month with an sgs2 - you adjust to the weight of whatever it is you are using. However, in no way to i think the desire is better built and I also dont believe it would come of better if they were both subjected to the same sort of impact tests.

mrk · 17 Jul 2011 at 11:07

It may well feel better yes but looks? That's personal opinion

Regardless though, the HTC will start to creak, as almost all HTC phones with removable backs (whole backs) do. Some people even mentioned their Sensations creaking already in one of the other threads not long ago.

There's no chance of that on the S2, it's just too thin and the shell hugs the innards tightly so no possibility.

[TW]Fox · 17 Jul 2011 at 11:08

LiE said:
Maybe so, but the perceived quality to me isn't great.

You might as well give up. They just don't get perceived quality (mrk does but only when it applies to something he personally owns) so you'll continue to argue until the ends of time. Some of us get your point.

james.miller · 17 Jul 2011 at 11:20

perceived quality.

based on what? weight? how many people complaining about the perceived quality of the sgs2 are doing so based on the weight of the phone? if it was heavier, do you think it would be better built?

[TW]Fox · 17 Jul 2011 at 11:36

Lots of things add to the feeling of perceived quality. Weight is one of them, materials choice is another, whether a part flexes, etc etc. Thats the point - it is PERCEPTION not REALITY.

The door on a Volkswagen Golf is heavy and goes 'thunk' when you close it. The door on a Toyota Corolla is light and goes 'clank' when you close it. The perception of the market is that the Golf is a better built car. In reality, there is little between them, in terms of mechanical reliability for example the Toyota is the better car, and nothing will fall off it, or break. It just doesn't feel expensive.

It really isn't that difficult a concept to get your head around.

Matteysan · 17 Jul 2011 at 11:40

mrk said:
There's no chance of that on the S2, it's just too thin and the shell hugs the innards tightly so no possibility.

I would have to disagree with that mrk, My SGS2 creaks on the back casing usually around the camera area. Even so the phone is still pretty well built & the first thing people have said when they have picked it up is damn this thing is light!

mrk · 17 Jul 2011 at 11:44

First report of creaking I've read about to date^! are you sure it's clipped in properly?

Anyway, The Desire is what a lot of people upgraded from and it's a pretty massive upgrade in terms of performance, build quality (feels more solid but isn't rubberised like the Desire) and the screen size is perfect. 3.5-3.7 is just too small once you've used a 4-4.3" screen especially where typing emails and things are concerned and watching multimedia content.

james.miller · 17 Jul 2011 at 11:52

[TW]Fox;19600748 said:
Lots of things add to the feeling of perceived quality. Weight is one of them, materials choice is another, whether a part flexes, etc etc. Thats the point - it is PERCEPTION not REALITY.

The door on a Volkswagen Golf is heavy and goes 'thunk' when you close it. The door on a Toyota Corolla is light and goes 'clank' when you close it. The perception of the market is that the Golf is a better built car. In reality, there is little between them, in terms of mechanical reliability for example the Toyota is the better car, and nothing will fall off it, or break. It just doesn't feel expensive.

It really isn't that difficult a concept to get your head around.

You seem to think I'm stupid. At least that's how your posts read - is that intentional?

you mentioned the materials its made from - it's plastic, but the sgs 2 doesnt creak. it doesnt bend. it'll be very hard to break. the back cover might bend, but it doesnt when its on the phone so it's really a non-issue. it also doesnt flap about like the other half's mother's Desire does, but as that's the only desire I've played with i can't assume they all do and I accept that.

That leaves the weight, which comes back to what I've said before - weight seems to have the biggest impact on perceived quality yet the reality is it has no bearing on build quality. the sgs could be made of lead and weight half a kilo but dont drop it as it'll likely implode on itself. Extreme example, granted, but it works.

As for perceived vs actual, perception can be bent and its the people arguing against the weight = quality ideal that actually understand what build quality is. This confuses me as you seem to get this when it comes to anything other than phones but when it comes to phones your posts read as if you think the sgs2 might as well be built from cheese.

like you said, it shouldnt be that difficult a concept to get your head around but yes, some people seem to issues with this. I say get whatever phone you want, dont listen to anybody else, and in 18 months time lets all revisit this topic to see what phones came off better after a year and a half of abuse.