Kind of fun reading all the reviews of the SGS2. For some people, it might be a very good phone, but for me, it is still a little chaotic. Coming from a Droid X, the form factor on my IP4 is better, for me. I don't want a bigger phone. If Apple wants to increase the screen size a little and throw in a better processor, I will probably upgrade. With IOS 5 it is closer to Android in notifications, but not quite as good. As I was doing a battery pull on my wife's Droid Pro after it went dark from app upgrades, I was happy to have my IOS that just works.
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SGS2: Just looking right now
- Thread starter jimbo1mcm
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Considering we don't have a new iPhone to talk about, sure, I'd like to see what the competition is up to.
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As an owner of both the SGS2 and the iPhone 4, I actually enjoy these threads as it allows me to compare real world opinions from people who have owned both devices as well. Comparing two of the top smartphones on the planet isn't a weird thing to do in a forum for one of the other. If you go to the Android forums, you'll see the same thing.
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Regarding the SGS2: It's a nice phone, you might not go to it because it's too big, but then again, many iPhone users actually do just because of the screen size (given how Apple hasn't changed it since they first introduced their phone).
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As of June 2011, the Samsung Galaxy S 2 is the best phone on the market. There is no argument, only fanboys would disagree.
Now come September 2011, the iPhone5 will probably be the best phone on the market, but it's not here yet.
To me the iPhone with the main screen just a wall full of app icons, seems so dated, it was cool in 2007, with the iPhone1, but come on, time to move and freshen it up. Look at Windows 7 Mango, they have a very cool home screen, with thier "live tiles" of info. Or the jailbreak community definitely does the iPhone good, Apple needs to add more stuff that they do to the stock phone.
Now come September 2011, the iPhone5 will probably be the best phone on the market, but it's not here yet.
To me the iPhone with the main screen just a wall full of app icons, seems so dated, it was cool in 2007, with the iPhone1, but come on, time to move and freshen it up. Look at Windows 7 Mango, they have a very cool home screen, with thier "live tiles" of info. Or the jailbreak community definitely does the iPhone good, Apple needs to add more stuff that they do to the stock phone.
I currently own both and the iPhone 4 has a better battery than the SGS2. At the end of a typical work day, I have about 25% remaining on my iPhone 4 and about 15% remaining on my SGS2.
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Thanks. That's one of the things holding me back from considering an Android phone. Nice features but they eat up battery.
Thanks Annk
I will say that I heard Android 2.3.4 is supposed to do a much better job with battery life on dual core devices (like the SGS2).
I can attest to that. The Nexus S gets good battery life, so does the G2X (with the leaked gingerbread rom), and the Sensation. I am anxious to see what is release in the 4th quarter of the year on the apple front and on the android front. Iphone 5 will be interesting to see what's included on it, then there's the potential release of kal-el (quad core), and ice cream will be released too. Going to be an exciting 4th quarter if you like tech.
Thank you!
My sis owns a SGS2 and I can say the both the screen looks absolutely amazing. I have no idea how her battery goes, I do know she uses the phone a lot though and it hasn't died on her yet. She's on 3.5G too, so while it has worse performance than the iPhone 4's battery, it's still much better than many HTC's.
It's a phone with a 3.5inch screen. To you it may seem dated but in reality it's a very functional layout. "Don't fix it if it's not broken."
To that I'd say don't wait until it's broken to do maintenance/repairs. Is it broken? Perhaps not. Does it have a lot of room for improvement? You bet. When your competition is offering more functionality you can't just be steadfast in your determination to not change. The only things that don't grow are dead things. In time, Apple will be forced to add some level of functionality to the home screen besides it just simply being an app drawer. At some point they are going to have to add some level of sophistication to maintain their relevance. As other competitors products continue to improve, consumers are going to start looking into other options. Once upon a time Windows Mobile had the smartphone market in firm grip, but they failed to be dynamic and change with the times and basically went under as a result of that. Now they have come back with phone 7 which I'd say is a decent blend of functionality and simplicity. Apple is going to have to make a change eventually.
Yeah I totally agree with you. I remember when the iPhone was first released. People crapped their pants. (Warning graphic language. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR_kcR2PXJY) That thing was ahead of its time. Now it is kind of in limbo. It is a great phone don't get me wrong but apple is failling to see the game change around them. Apple is still adding feature that other smartphones had since before 2007! Right now android is passing it in smoothness (SGS2). Windows looks like it is the new pick up and use phone and iOS is the same thing it was 4 years ago. It needs a face lift. Maybe not widgets but it seems like grid and folders is boring now.
I own both and I agree with this assessment. But, with a larger screen, faster CPU, and HSPA+, compared to the iPhone 4, this is pretty impressive for an Android device.
The GS2 is impressive, but its too blocky from the hardware all the way to the software. I like what HTC did to their UI on the Sensation.
Are we talking about ..... Best phone or mobile OS?
If we talking about best phone, hardware wise the iP4 is not the winner(excluding design and screen). But if we are talking about mobile OSes, many(including myself) still put iOS as #1 whether critics believe it's outdated or not.
What I like with the iPhone is the hardware & OS fit together so perfectly which gives it a longer tech life. It's a better experience as a whole, rather than knowing which of the endless android phones to get and which one has which FW and/or updates. The SG2 will be yesterday's news once another showstopper Android phone releases. When the iP5 releases, people will still be buying the 3GS and the iP4 and won't sacrifice much performance or features.
WP7 imo does have the best Homescreen out of any phone I've played around with. But that's were it stops. WP7 needs a flagship phone badly, Android has the Nexus, iOS/Apple has iPhone and if you ask the average person to name a WP7 device, they most likely won't be able to. This is hurting WP7. Hopefully Nokia breaks out with a nice design. I seen some very sweet pics, but don't know if they are just rumors or not.
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Really, there is "no argument"?
Was this reported by every company in the industry as a fact, or is it just the one you like the most?
Oh, and btw, Titanic is hands down, no question the greatest movie all time. There is NO ARGUMENT on that fact.
Darthdingo said:
Really, there is "no argument"?
Was this reported by every company in the industry as a fact, or is it just the one you like the most?
Oh, and btw, Titanic is hands down, no question the greatest movie all time. There is NO ARGUMENT on that fact.
That is indeed good battery life on the SGS2 you know, b/c I had the iphone4 and I know the battery can last a long time (quasi-blackerry).
I recently picked one up from expansys. So far it's the first Android I'm completely happy with after a couple of weeks of use. I've owned the Nexus One, Dell Streak, and Motorola Atrix and have used an HTC Inspire in the past year(in addition to a few iPhone 4's). I'm usually disappointed with the camera quality but the camera in the SGS 2 is just as good and probably surpasses the iPhone 4's. Unless Apple offers something really compelling with the next release I doubt I'll be going back soon. I also have to say that TouchWiz 4.0 is a great improvement on stock Android. It's incredibly fast and smooth especially when browsing. Pages literally load 2-3 times faster than just about any other phone I've used. I can watch 1080p youtube videos in Flash. Something I can't even do on my Google Chrome notebook. Battery life is good for an Android. I browse and message heavily but don't speak on the phone often and get through the day with charge left. I usually charge every evening but could make it until the next morning if necessary. With my iPhone 4 I would get by for about 1.5 days. As for the display it's simply stunning. It's probably the best display next to the iPhone 4 even though it doesn't offer the same pixel density the incredible blacks and vibrant colors make up for it. I previously had an Atrix and even with the qHD dsiplay I was disappointed with the font/text quality. With the SGS2 the fonts look crisp and clear. The last thing I would mention is even though it is a 4.3 inch device it simply doesn't feel like it due to the thinness and weight. I've essentially replaced both my iPad 2 and iPhone 4 with it as it's faster and the browser is more capable than both.
I think this is a very good question, and one that is often forgotten in discussions that compare Android phones to the iPhone. What makes it complicated is that how the Android OS performs depends on the hardware that's running it.
This is something I've been wondering about. For me personally, the larger screen of the new Samsung phone makes it very usable as a portable device for movies, books, browsing etc. It will be really interesting to see if the next iPhone has a slightly larger screen, or if a smaller iPad version is put into production. I think the iPad is an absolutely stunning device, but it's just a bit too big for my use and lifestyle. I've been using a low-end 7-inch Android tablet (2.1) for basic tablet use due to the size, but it can't compare to the iPad (and I find myself not using it much at all since I got the Samsung phone).
Not everyone wants to deal with a small screen when tablets are available, but for people like me who don't mind the smaller size, the larger phones have the potential to simplify our lives.
Still Moving Down the Information Buffet Line
Thanks to AnnK for the periodic clean up of this thread. As the OP of this thread I just wanted to share my thoughts on my personal decision making regarding the IP4. I am posting this on my one month old MBP 13 inch, which replaced a very nice, but smaller HP DM1. I ordered the Ipad the first day it was available and used it a lot until I got my Droid X on the first day it was available, then gave my IPad to my daughter because I wasn't using it as much anymore. The point is that as I pick and choose from available information sources, I keep looking at what is out there. The SGS2 is there and we should be thankful for it, as I am sure that it is pushing Apple to make hardware and software changes. The buffet line is open. Pick and choose what is best for YOU.
Thanks to AnnK for the periodic clean up of this thread. As the OP of this thread I just wanted to share my thoughts on my personal decision making regarding the IP4. I am posting this on my one month old MBP 13 inch, which replaced a very nice, but smaller HP DM1. I ordered the Ipad the first day it was available and used it a lot until I got my Droid X on the first day it was available, then gave my IPad to my daughter because I wasn't using it as much anymore. The point is that as I pick and choose from available information sources, I keep looking at what is out there. The SGS2 is there and we should be thankful for it, as I am sure that it is pushing Apple to make hardware and software changes. The buffet line is open. Pick and choose what is best for YOU.