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iPhone 4S or Samsung Galaxy S2 ???
- Thread starter jromulo
- Start date
chrispycrunch
Gawd
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- Feb 25, 2005
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SGS2 is outselling iP4.
Do you have many 3GS apps? If so it may be better to stay with apple. Otherwise, Android's a good place to be.
Do you have many 3GS apps? If so it may be better to stay with apple. Otherwise, Android's a good place to be.
The only Apple product I own is my iPhone 3GS.
I only use a handful of apps on a daily basis. But I do know the same apps are available on the android platform.
If you have no real ties to either platform, I would say the SGS2 is the better phone. The only thing the iPhone 4S has on the SGS2 is a higher resolution screen, but the screen is almost an inch smaller than the SGS2.. I'm not sure about battery life. iPhones usually have better battery life, but gsmarena is listing the SGS2 as being better.
If you only have a few apps and are willing to get them again on Android, the SGS2 really looks like it's the better of the two phones.
If you only have a few apps and are willing to get them again on Android, the SGS2 really looks like it's the better of the two phones.
It's personal choice and needs. I just preordered a 4S after going through 3-4 generations of Blackberry. Android is tempting but I had to evaluate my own needs and wants. I value good battery life and dependability. I would like a smartphone that makes simple web browsing easier and can be used with fitness hardware to track progress (something like the Wahoo Bike Pack). Both current 4G products and Android units seem to get poor marks on battery life (I don't want to carry a spare battery). I did a search for any type of Android hardware that would provide the protection and abilities of something like the Wahoo system and have had no luck. Since I already have an iPad with a ton of Apps that will run on either device, the iPhone just makes sense. I don't know what your needs are but by figuring them out, you might be able to make this choice on your own.
I hear this battery life thing a lot, but I've always had EXCELLENT battery life with my Atrix.
T4rd
Fully [H]
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Should have did a poll. But I'm sure the majority would have been Android/GS2.
I recommend going to the store an playing with the GS2 to see if you like it. It's really the only way to know if you'll like it or not.
I recommend going to the store an playing with the GS2 to see if you like it. It's really the only way to know if you'll like it or not.
I didn't like the S2 enough to upgrade from my Captivate but I did like the Captivate enough to migrate from an iPhone4. For me, the deciding factor was the Captivate was the first android phone with a similar form factor to the iPhone with a larger screen and seamless google voice integration. Now I don't know if I'd be able to use a phone without Swype. That and I was able to snag the Captivate from AT&T for $50 dollars and sell my jail brokeniP4 for $750! But the only phone that has specs upgraded across all the details of my Captivate is the Nexus Prime so if I upgrade it'll be that one or better.
It might be worth asking why you feel it's time to upgrade? Are you just bored with your phone? Just time for a change? Maybe it's worth looking at a WP7.
It might be worth asking why you feel it's time to upgrade? Are you just bored with your phone? Just time for a change? Maybe it's worth looking at a WP7.
Erik in sac
Limp Gawd
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- Feb 21, 2006
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I ended up going 4s myself. I wanted to check out the gs2, but no stores in nor-cal carry them. Its hard to switch from a 3gs iphone when you cant try the phone out in person. Also, delaying the nexus prime was another factor. Oh well, just a phone. It does what I need, although I wish it had the bigger screen. Next summer i'll get what I really want 
I see I'm late to the party but thought I'd weigh in a very simple way to decide:
Do you want a phone that works perfectly out of the box but is very HARD to tweak? iPhone
Do you want a phone that may have some bugs but is very EASY to tweak? Android
Obviously there are other concerns like screen size, apps, battery life, etc etc etc, but I've found most people ignore the fact that android is practically built from the ground-up for modifying while iOS is a closed platform with only limited modifications (ofc if you Jailbreak your iOS device you get more options, but the stability is a lot shakier on JB iOS it than on Android IMO)
Do you want a phone that works perfectly out of the box but is very HARD to tweak? iPhone
Do you want a phone that may have some bugs but is very EASY to tweak? Android
Obviously there are other concerns like screen size, apps, battery life, etc etc etc, but I've found most people ignore the fact that android is practically built from the ground-up for modifying while iOS is a closed platform with only limited modifications (ofc if you Jailbreak your iOS device you get more options, but the stability is a lot shakier on JB iOS it than on Android IMO)
havermeyer
Limp Gawd
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For what it's worth, the product announcement has been delayed, no word on the actual phone being delayed.
I'd expect an announcement in a week or two; might be worth waiting to see how that plays out (if you're willing to possibly go to Verizon).
Perception =/= reality
from what I have heard iphones do tend to have good battery life, but push them and they too will burn through their energy. But not all android phones are created equal in battery, I can easily get through a day of usage with my new samsung gs2 variant for sprint, people who went with the thunderbolt... not so much, at least not easily.
The perception thing is what gets throngs of people ordering though
take a look at this story
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/10/07/businessinsiderthe-iphone-4s-looks-.DTL
so many orders of this totally uninspired lazy update. But none of that matters, it's an iphone, that is enough.
vsboxerboy
2[H]4U
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I would strongly suggest you wait for the Nexus prime as well. As has been posted earlier the unveiling, not the shipment ( we think ) has been delayed. Gonna be a KILLER phone
It's a phone. While a bigger screen would be marginally better, it doesn't really matter much. All these smartphone devices are already gimped because 3.5" or 4.5 inches, I can't wait to get to my desktop to do real internet browsing and productivity when I need to. I've never thought of these smartphones as anymore than a convenience and a more casual way of getting information you quickly need on the go. A 3.5" or 4.5" inch screen basically will accomplish the same thing for me in my book. But I truly hate browsing the internet without a large screen, keyboard and mouse. I even don't find browsing the internet very enjoyable on devices such as the iPad. They're cool for on the go or the couch, but they're in no way a joy to use in comparison to a desktop. There's still a long way to go before they are.
I more of less agree on the screen size, a phone is still nowhere close to optimal for web browsing as a normal computer. What I DID care about a great deal was unlimited data and 4g access so I could tether my laptop to the phone.
And there the sprint gs2 variant wins out in a major way. Not for everyone, wimax coverage is not great, and building penetration is really iffy in many areas, but I live in a city with pretty good wimax coverage, if still finicky due to penetration issues, and I've got unlimited data now and it's fantastic.
the 4s has dated radios, the sprint and verizon version are only going to be able to use freaking rev A cdma, at least the at&t version gets ~14 mbps hspa+ (and even there that is a gimped radio compared to multiple android phones from months past with 21 mbps and soon even higher).
when I have a good connection I can pull speeds like the following
I'm usually lower than that, and if on 3g god help me on sprint, but I'll be no worse than an iphone 4s user with a sprint iphone, and at least I have the potential for much, MUCH higher speeds in my area. So for me the s2 is the clear winner on sprint. When the prime comes out that ought to be the winner on verizon, but it won't be. People do not choose the iphones merely on function, they go for design and bank on their perceptions that iphones are better in some ethereal cloud of ways. I realized too late that there is no way to really argue against it, at best I am simply trying to describe the phenomenon now.
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I could see 4G on Verizon but Sprint's 4G doesn't make much sense right now. The news reports on Sprint's announcement yesterday show their timeline for ditching WiMax and moving to LTE. I'm guessing they will build no more WiMax towers and are moving to LTE towers now for this timeline.
It does look like they are making a major shift to lte, but on different bands than the current 2500 MHz wimax. Wimax coverage will be around for at least a few more years, more than enough time to get some good use out of current wimax phones and then an upgrade.
Speaking of upgrades, reports are the first sprint lte phones will not be out until sometime later in 2012, so anyone looking for a phone now should just go with the best available and worry about lte later, at least if on sprint. For verizon the only prudent thing to do is wait for the prime.
brucedeluxe169
2[H]4U
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Galaxy Nexus
Too bad the cyanogenmod team isn't really doing all that well with the GS2.... I wouldn't mind going from my GS1 + Cyanogen to the GS2 + Cyanogen, but after seeing the silky smoothness and drama free operation of a Nexus.... I think thats the only way forward for me
what is the issue with getting it on the gs2? link to forum discussion so I can get more details?
brucedeluxe169
2[H]4U
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Its on the GS2, but there are general stability and bluetooth problems. My current phone, the Vibrant/Galaxy S has been mostly orphaned by the cyanogen team, and so I'm not as enthusiastic about hacker support as I used to be.... it just isn't a sure thing...
Fixed this morning, which was a nice breath of fresh air. Only issues now is that HDMI out isnt working, some minor camera modes aren't working, and the AOSP media player is a bit touchy with file formats. A 3rd party video player and camera app works fine.
I'd vote for the GS2, but for the record I don't think the Iphone not having LTE matters at all. At this point, anything above 3g is nothing more than hype imo. Loading a web page you aren't going to notice a very big difference between a 2mbit and a 15mbit downlink. For things where you would notice a difference (video/downloads) with data plans as they stand it's useless. As an example with the max plan from Verizon, that costs $80/mo, you'll get roughly an hour and a half of download time. That's $80 for 90 minutes of use per month.
If you're using the phone connection for latency dependent operations (gaming, etc) then I'll say LTE is worthwhile. Other than the latency, who cares about the download bandwidth unless you're on Sprint.
If you're using the phone connection for latency dependent operations (gaming, etc) then I'll say LTE is worthwhile. Other than the latency, who cares about the download bandwidth unless you're on Sprint.
This is why I went with sprint, was not grandfathered into unlimited data, and they still offer unlimited data and 4g speeds. Finicky 4g is better than no 4g at all, that the iphone 4s did not add any of the new lte/wimax radios is a disgrace in my view. At least add lte for verizon since it has more of a future. Samsung can tweak the wimax in the gs2 to handle intermittent data throughout a day, so why can't apple? the answer is they can, they just don't want to bother.
Why make 200 dollars per customer when you can make 220 by not adding a more advanced wireless radio. Pathetic little attitude, and one they can get away with because of all the people who don't care what they are getting and being fed. I am just glad that for people like me who do care, we have better options.
brucedeluxe169
2[H]4U
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ahhh dude, dont get my hopes up again! i've been teetering on decision to buy a GS2 over the Nexus in the hopes that maybe this time things will work out better.....
I know the Nexus would be a better phone, but the GS2 would be far, far cheaper post Nexus release..... I'd just be crushed if the GS2 is similarly orphaned like the GS1...
FoxhoundOp
[H]ard|Gawd
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GS2 is the better phone, anyway.
havermeyer
Limp Gawd
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For what it's worth, CM7.1 was released today with a GS2 version flagged stable: http://www.cyanogenmod.com/devices/samsung-galaxy-s2
I really wanted to wait for the Galaxy Note but I really needed to switch carriers so I ditched my iPhone 4 on AT&T in favor of the Galaxy S2 on Sprint earlier today. So far it seems like a great phone. I love the huge display. Pixel pitch isn't as much of an issue as I thought it would be. Likely due to the Super AMOLED Plus design.
The display isn't as bright as the iPhone but it's a negligible difference indoors. The extremely saturated colours of the S2 can be toned down by switching the display into "movie" mode.
I've had the phone 3 hours and there's already a small scratch on the display and I have no idea where it came from as I've been careful. It was 4 months before my iPhone showed a mark.
The display isn't as bright as the iPhone but it's a negligible difference indoors. The extremely saturated colours of the S2 can be toned down by switching the display into "movie" mode.
I've had the phone 3 hours and there's already a small scratch on the display and I have no idea where it came from as I've been careful. It was 4 months before my iPhone showed a mark.