- Stock ROMs compared on both devices (ICS based), quite a bit faster I found. The mobile just felt more instant/snappier than the GS 2 for everything.
Obviously a custom ROM on the GS 2 will probably close the gap, but then again putting a custom ROM on the 1S would make it even quicker as well then, especially if it is a stock ICS ROM?
- Whilst there might not be a huge difference in the camera on all top end phones nowadays, the features that are brought by sense V4 put it ahead of the competition IMO. Personally I love the camera UI on sense V4 and then you get all the neat features/effects that are actually quite cool and useful (love the slow motion recording
), which aren't found on any other phone brands or 3rd party apps and if they are, they don't seem to be as good of quality compared to the sense versions IMO.
The one S does take better photos than the GS 2, not a massive difference in quality though.
- Actually the 1S doesn't get hot at all I have noticed when playing games where as on my bro's desire and friends GS 2 the mobile does get a bit warm, not an issue really though.
- The good thing about the one S design is that it is pretty small and feels nice to hold in the hand despite having a 4.3" screen where as the GS 2 feels a bit bigger (wider) and not as comfortable due to it being a rectangle slab. Plus the actual feel of the 1S is much better IMO. And there really is no denying that it looks and feels far more "premium" than the GS 2.
But as said personal preference this area.
- The sharpness for 1080P recording I find is pretty much the same, only the jerkiness and light metering that is the problem
- Screen wise, the 1S I found to be quite a bit better in terms of sharpness and colours, the colours aren't as vibrant as the GS 2, which personally I prefer. Also you get some more screen real estate (not a huge amount more, but still nice nonetheless), which is a bonus.
EDIT 2: - Also you get a notification LED with the one s, but be warned it is a cheap and tacky way that HTC have implemented it!
But again, nice to have it anyway
- The audio is also better
From GSMarena:
The cleanest audio output we have seen
The HTC One S performance in our audio quality test came as a really pleasant surprise to us. It appears that the Beats influence hasn't been limited to a single equalizer preset this time as the smartphone delivers the cleanest output we have seen from any device so far.
When connected to an active external amplifier, the HTC One S audio is simply flawless - volume levels are a little above average and it got excellent scores on every part of our test.
What's most impressive though is the One S retains virtually the same performance when you plug in a pair of headphones. The stereo crosstalk takes the tiniest dip of any smartphone we've seen so far, while the rest of the readings are either totally unaffected or worsen by an undetectable amount. Volume levels remain the same too, so it's arguably the most impressive overall performance to date.
- You really have to use sense for a few days to appreciate what it offers. I used to hate sense, but since seeing and using sense V4 (even before I got my S) I really liked it unlike every other custom skin. At first, before I got the S, I was expecting to just replace all the apps with 3rd party ones straight away, but I didn't and still haven't; still use the gallery app as it is super smooth and quick with a nice UI and great features, loads of editing tweaks built in; still use the phone dialer and SMS app as I like the UI and the features that you get with the phone dialer; still use the clock/alarm app due to a nice UI and packed with features along with the calendar etc. due to the same reasons.
I would also stick with using the stock browser for the same reasons, however, ICS browser + is a bit quicker overall so I use it instead
Only using custom widgets and apex for the launcher now and swiftkey beta 3 instead.
Touchwiz has some great tweaks under the bonnet though and does run very light compared to most other custom skins, it is just a shame about the UI/colour scheme/modded apps, only like there calendar app
Saying that you won't be disappointed with whatever phone you go for especially since the san fran was your previous phone
,
If storage, better 1080P recording for quality and better battery life (only with the extended batt) is very important for you then get the GS 2.
Actually how much weight and bulk does the extended batt add kona?
You will need to play with both devices again to get a feel for sense and touchwiz. You can look at my 1S review (in sig) to get a look at what sense V4 will be like, if you aren't already familiar with it.
EDIT:
3,000 posts!
), it doesn't prove to be too much of an issue:
