Time to renew in a week or 2, best android or iphone ?

[manveruppd]

The lighter a phone is the less of an impact it'll suffer when you drop it. The HTCs with their aluminium unibodies look s****y but they're heavier. Ditto the iphone4 with its glass front and back: it may be special glass, but surprisingly enough it can't take a drop. The SGS and SGS2 with their Gorilla Glass front and cheap plastic backs are your best bet.

If you want waterproofing as well though get a Defy.

 

[DIABLO]

A SGSII will be pretty hard to damage because it is so light if you have a silicon case, and screen protector.

 

[[TW]Fox]

( I drop my phone 1x per day on average).

 

[[TW]Fox]

It is an inferior phone.

No it's not, it's just a slightly different take on pretty much the same thing. The pros and cons of each render both pretty much equal.

Some of the extreme opinions in this section are pretty comical at best

 

[mOdO]

What upgrade deals are people getting for the sgs2?

I think I'll wait for the new iPhone specs before deciding which to get.

 

[sarge78]

No it's not, it's just a slightly different take on pretty much the same thing. The pros and cons of each render both pretty much equal.

Some of the extreme opinions in this section are pretty comical at best

The SGS2 uses new/bespoke hardware while the Sensation is based on older/off the shelf parts. It does show for everyday use and overall performance (being able to play 1080p flash content etc)

With Samsung now supplying competitive software it's a clear winner. (no-one is saying the Sensation is rubbish though )

 

[Robbo]

No it's not, it's just a slightly different take on pretty much the same thing. The pros and cons of each render both pretty much equal.

Some of the extreme opinions in this section are pretty comical at best

Extreme opinions? The HTC Sensation is inferior to the Galaxy S II.

There wouldn't be much of a section if everyone just said "Oh yeah, all the phones are pretty much the same so lets not discuss it."

Just like a cheap Corsa is the same as a BMW M5, it gets you from A to B, right?

No.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Just like a cheap Corsa is the same as a BMW M5, it gets you from A to B, right?

This is infact my point.

The Sensation is hardly a Corsa to BMW's M5, is it? Yet you appear to post as though you think it is.

I've yet to decide which phone to purchase but making an objective decision based on the posts in this subsection alone is increasingly made difficult by the army of existing owners ready to role out hyperbole at any opportunity.

 

[Robbo]

This is infact my point.

The Sensation is hardly a Corsa to BMW's M5, is it? Yet you appear to post as though you think it is.

I've yet to decide which phone to purchase but making an objective decision based on the posts in this subsection alone is increasingly made difficult by the army of existing owners ready to role out hyperbole at any opportunity.

Ok then, lets look at this a different way.

The Sensation and the Galaxy S II are two rival phones that are on the whole, fairly similar.

The way I see it, there are 3 possible main advantages the Sensation has, two of which are purely opinion, not fact.

The first is the software, a lot of people prefer Sense UI to TouchWiz, even though the new SenseUI isn't getting much praise and TouchWiz is.

The second is the notification LED, I would prefer it if the Samsung had one, but it doesn't. Again, not a deal breaker but worth considering. Its also worth mentioning you can get NoLED for the LED screens that basically gives you an LED, or wait for the ROM devs to sort out a solution where the two LED touch buttons can flash/light up.

Thirdly, the build. The Sensation is aluminium and probably feels better to some people, but it is also heavier and thicker, which would probably count as a disadvantage on the whole. You can just buy a case that gives the Samsung the feel you like best anyway, and it would then probably match the dimensions of the Sensation.

You could have a debate about the screen and whether having a slightly higher res is better than SAMOLED+ technology, but in my personal opinion (and that of nearly everyone) the screen is better on the Samsung.

Things like the camera, internal hardware, video recording, battery life, audio quality are all firmly in the Samsung favour, and to many people they are important.

If they aren't important and you really would love a proper notification LED, or you love Sense UI, then by all means the Sensation isn't a bad choice.

Is that better?

 

[sarge78]

Samsung actually sell cars in South Korea!

As for some comparisons?
Samsung Galaxy S2 = Nissan GTR R35
HTC Sensation = BMW 330i
iPhone 4 = Porsche Boxster

 

[[TW]Fox]

The first is the software, a lot of people prefer Sense UI to TouchWiz, even though the new SenseUI isn't getting much praise and TouchWiz is.

Yea, this along with your third point are probably the main things that appeal to me. I really love Sense, and am worried I'd miss it with the Samsung.

[qote]
The second is the notification LED, I would prefer it if the Samsung had one, but it doesn't. Again, not a deal breaker but worth considering. Its also worth mentioning you can get NoLED for the LED screens that basically gives you an LED, or wait for the ROM devs to sort out a solution where the two LED touch buttons can flash/light up.[/quote]

I'd be interested to see any videos of how this works in practice - I'd get really irritated to have to physically check the phone to see at a glance if I had a message. This sort of functionality is important to me - as I will receive many more texts than I will ever watch HD videos.

Thirdly, the build. The Sensation is aluminium and probably feels better to some people, but it is also heavier and thicker, which would probably count as a disadvantage on the whole. You can just buy a case that gives the Samsung the feel you like best anyway, and it would then probably match the dimensions of the Sensation.

This is the other big one that I noticed when I handled both phones. The Samsung was lighter - noticeably so, which to many is an advantage but it did rob the Samsung of the solid feeling the Sensation got. It felt like the Sensation was super tough and beautifully made whereas the Galaxy S2 was not. Now of course I know the actual level of quality is the same on both phones. But we all know what perceived quality does to peoples thoughts - its why people buy a Golf over a Corolla thinking the Golf is better quality when in reality the Corolla will never break down.

You could have a debate about the screen and whether having a slightly higher res is better than SAMOLED+ technology, but in my personal opinion (and that of nearly everyone) the screen is better on the Samsung.

I'd like to compare the screens properly again - I did so in the Vodafone shop and nothing stood out, so I'd like to know the best way to compare them

Things like the camera, internal hardware, video recording, battery life, audio quality are all firmly in the Samsung favour, and to many people they are important.

Not bothered about the camera really, or video recording. Battery life is particularly important - what are the practical differences here? As for the internal hardware, camera and screen aside as they've already been mentioned what is the difference? I was lead to beleive they are fundamentally similar bar a minor ram deficiency in the Sensation?

I've not experienced any issues with the Desire in terms of internal storage and we all know that comparatively speaking the Desire was poor in this area.

If they aren't important and you really would love a proper notification LED, or you love Sense UI, then by all means the Sensation isn't a bad choice.

Is that better?

Yea, much better.

You can see the dilemma, though, right? I feel like I'm lost in a sea of iPhone4 fanboys, all screaming about how amazing the phone is compared to everything else and exagerating minor differences..

 

[[TW]Fox]

Samsung actually sell cars in South Korea!

As for some comparisons?
Samsung Galaxy S2 = Nissan GTR R35
HTC Sensation = BMW 330i
iPhone 4 = Porsche Boxster

Well thats settled, obviously has to be the Sensation

I doubt they are quite that far apart in performance, mind!

 

[Robbo]

I'd be interested to see any videos of how this works in practice - I'd get really irritated to have to physically check the phone to see at a glance if I had a message. This sort of functionality is important to me - as I will receive many more texts than I will ever watch HD videos.

Whichever way it works it still wont be as good as actually having a proper LED unfortunately. Its a stupid omission from Samsung and something they really should add.

Speaking of stupid omissions, why didn't they put a camera button on any of the new phones like the Omnia 7 has, it works absolutely fine and is much nicer to take pictures with.

I'd like to compare the screens properly again - I did so in the Vodafone shop and nothing stood out, so I'd like to know the best way to compare them

Just look at something similar on both phones, you should notice the colours are much more vibrant on the Samsung and if you look at the phones from an angle you will see a huge difference in clarity. I know in reality you normally look at your phone directly, but it can be handy now and again. It will also perform much better outside, you can't really test that very well though in a shop. Also, open both menus and look at the blacks, one will be black and the other will be grey. It sounds like nothing but you really do get used to it.

Not bothered about the camera really, or video recording. Battery life is particularly important - what are the practical differences here? As for the internal hardware, camera and screen aside as they've already been mentioned what is the difference? I was lead to beleive they are fundamentally similar bar a minor ram deficiency in the Sensation?

I believe the Exynos chipset is a tad quicker than the one HTC have used, but I'm not entirely sure. The RAM seems to be making more of a difference than people originally thought with the Sensation reportedly slowing down if you're zipping through a few apps and giving it a hammering.

The DAC on the Samsung is also better, which means audio is going to sound better if you like listening to music, etc.

The Sensation has been reviewed by most places as having 'awful battery life', which doesn't sound too promising. On the flip side, the Samsung has very decent battery life, I'm currently charging mine once every 3 days and I have a few things syncing and use it more than an average person would.

You get 16GB of internal storage on the Galaxy S II and a MicroSD card option, you can only really call that an advantage.

Yea, much better.

You can see the dilemma, though, right? I feel like I'm lost in a sea of iPhone4 fanboys, all screaming about how amazing the phone is compared to everything else and exagerating minor differences..

I can fully understand it, however the (active) people on here generally buy whichever phone is best on the whole. Obviously they are going to recommend that one.

If someone simply cannot live without Sense UI or needs a notification LED, the Sensation isn't a bad choice, but I think that generally people should opt for the Galaxy S II if they can.

 

[rapid64k]

Snowdog I don't know how you managed to keep your N97 for so long. i too had an N97 upgraded from an N97 8GB, got rid of that and got a HTC Desire...WOW what have i been missing? It made the N97 look ancient I felt good again with my mobile phone.
I have since got me a Samsung GS2 which to me is a step up again from the Desire get a SGS2 and enjoy life once more trust me you wont regret it...i didnt.

(why didn't I go for the HTC Sensation over the SGS2? you have read the reports for yourself nothing ground breaking with the Sensation but the Samsung GS2 well that's a new kind of beast all together...go get one)

 

[Xenoxide]

Well, my first choice would be the iPhone 4, but as it's 90% glass, it probably wouldn't fulfill your "drop it once per day policy". What someone else said about not being able to play XviD's etc without conversion is completely untrue, there are tons of media players on the app store that will do such a thing.

My second choice would probably be an HTC, but I might go for the HTC Sensation. Simply a superb phone in all aspects.

I wouldn't touch Samsung phones with a bargepole. Have had nothing but bad experiences, and they feel like the tackiest/most plasticky phones in the world.

 

[Robbo]

My second choice would probably be an HTC, but I might go for the HTC Sensation. Simply a superb phone in all aspects.

I wouldn't touch Samsung phones with a bargepole. Have had nothing but bad experiences, and they feel like the tackiest/most plasticky phones in the world.

What bad experiences are those then?

Tackiest phones in the world? Oh come on

 

[snowdog]

What? Drunk, clumsy, cba to take care of it or waste any unnecessary attention to my phone...
God knows how often then i've dropped the N97 but all corners have massive dents, in both the plastic and metal bits, some plastic bits are broken off the edges, etc...
On the street, in the bathroom, at uni, I drop my phone everywhere. Which is why I got a Nokia in the first place...


Had a play at a mates SGS2, phone is great, the browser not so, it's absolutely crap at rendering long pages, more so than my nokia ( sure it's not as smooth scrolling, but at least I don't get a checkers board when scrolling fast), if you scroll fast you see unrendered bits, and it doesn't support my uni page, installed opera mini and it was FAR better though luckily .

Snowdog I don't know how you managed to keep your N97 for so long.

I removed almost every single app from the main memory ( not the mass memory), no widgets on desktop, and finally, most importantly:
Whatsapp & Spotify . Any phone with those 2 apps ''essentially'' does the job for me. Plus it had some nice extra bonus features like FM transmitter and it is simply very hard to destroy, I can neglect it and it works fine.

I will receive many more texts than I will ever watch HD videos.

That's the difference, I mainly use it as a music player, entertainment, and whatsapp, perhaps get one sms per day, that's it, I'll probably watch a film or some series twice a day when in the underground underway to uni though. I watch a lot of tv series and films, I have nearly 5tb of it on my pc...

 

[Robbo]

You need it in a case then, or it will break.

Something from the Case Mate Tough series.

 

[snowdog]

You need it in a case then, or it will break.

Something from the Case Mate Tough series.

I quite like the look of the Zenus E'stime from the sgs2 thread, wouldn't that do ?

I guess I can be more careful with the phone than now, but a dropping it once in a while is inevitable when you're a student and drunk every Thursday to Sunday evening .

 

[Robbo]

Yeah, that would be fine too