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I, like most of you, think Samsungs Android attempts have been horrible. The Behold 2 was an awful device, touchwiz was even worse. When I heard news of the Galaxy S I shrugged and didn't think twice about it. Now that I've had the opportunity to really play with one though, I have to say I'm VERY impressed.
You see, there are a couple of things I want out of my Android device.
1. Screen quality.
2. Battery Life
3. Reception/Signal
4. XDA Community Support
5. Performance
In no particular order, I can say that this Galaxy S definitely is giving the Nexus a run for its money. It clearly has a better screen (and bigger). One would think the battery life would be much better given the fact that its Super Amoled. (I think the claims were 30% better than standard AMOLED?)
We all know about the finnicky signal of the Nexus. I'm curious how the signal will be on the Galaxy S.
XDA support is the big one. We all love HTC here. Will the Samsung be rootable, romable, will there be a good following of developers for it? You would think, since this phone is world wide, including all 4 major carriers in the U.S. that it will have a lot of support. Maybe some of you can speak a bit more to that subject?
Lastly, performance. We've all seen the tests. We've all heard about Hummingbird. When looking at the live wallpapers on the Galaxy vs Nexus (specifically the water pond wallpaper) there is a very noticiable different in the speed of the water vibrations etc... Now will that translate to performance elsewhere, perhaps. Hard to say, but based on benchmarks, it seems like it.
All of that said, really the only downside to the S is that it doesn't have a flash on the camera. For me, its not that big of a deal. I can understand if it is to some people.
All of that said, are you guys not giving this phone some serious consideration? It's definitely more intriguing that I initially thought it would be.
But you're forgetting the most important part. HTC supports and upgrades their phones. Samsung ALWAYS screws the customer by making them get the new phone.
Ala, the behold2. Higher specs than the MYTouch3g, but the 3g is getting 2.1, AND 2.2. The Behold will never even see 2.0. Plus, visit any samsung forum and they're trying to get 'Vanilla' android because they hate touchwiz.
Fastest upgrades
Dependable care provider
System straight from google.
N1 Wins.
Cuda1337 said:
I, like most of you, think Samsungs Android attempts have been horrible. The Behold 2 was an awful device, touchwiz was even worse. When I heard news of the Galaxy S I shrugged and didn't think twice about it. Now that I've had the opportunity to really play with one though, I have to say I'm VERY impressed.
You see, there are a couple of things I want out of my Android device.
1. Screen quality.
2. Battery Life
3. Reception/Signal
4. XDA Community Support
5. Performance
In no particular order, I can say that this Galaxy S definitely is giving the Nexus a run for its money. It clearly has a better screen (and bigger). One would think the battery life would be much better given the fact that its Super Amoled. (I think the claims were 30% better than standard AMOLED?)
We all know about the finnicky signal of the Nexus. I'm curious how the signal will be on the Galaxy S.
XDA support is the big one. We all love HTC here. Will the Samsung be rootable, romable, will there be a good following of developers for it? You would think, since this phone is world wide, including all 4 major carriers in the U.S. that it will have a lot of support. Maybe some of you can speak a bit more to that subject?
Lastly, performance. We've all seen the tests. We've all heard about Hummingbird. When looking at the live wallpapers on the Galaxy vs Nexus (specifically the water pond wallpaper) there is a very noticiable different in the speed of the water vibrations etc... Now will that translate to performance elsewhere, perhaps. Hard to say, but based on benchmarks, it seems like it.
All of that said, really the only downside to the S is that it doesn't have a flash on the camera. For me, its not that big of a deal. I can understand if it is to some people.
All of that said, are you guys not giving this phone some serious consideration? It's definitely more intriguing that I initially thought it would be.
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+1 for all of this. Although I also used to be the guy that said I didn't care about the camera flash, I find myself taking pics with the flash a good bit, and using it for a flashlight.
I've been with HTC for so many years I'm scared to try someone else, but the Galaxy does look pretty awesome. Its the screen size that does it for me. I like the larger screen on the Evo, but it looks like poop next to the N1.
FishFan does make a perfect point. I wouldn't even consider trading my N1 for the Galaxy unless I could unlock/root/load a vanilla ROM.
I wanna see an in depth N1 vs Galaxy S review done by a reputable reviewer.
I'm still gonna check it out when AT&T gets a demo...
Well see that's the thing, if the Galaxy can be rooted, what really does it matter if Samsung supports it? I'm going to root it and put a custom rom on there anyway. The only thing Im concerned about is future updates of Android. If I'm not mistaken Samsung does not release the source to their drivers, so although you can put vanilla Android on the S, you won't be able to put, for instance, Froyo on there? Would that be accurate?
Just fyi, amoled is The same as super amoled, just the touch later has been combined into one. So battery life is The same.
Unless Samsung is claiming otherwise, I haven't heard.
Cuda1337 said:
Well see that's the thing, if the Galaxy can be rooted, what really does it matter if Samsung supports it? I'm going to root it and put a custom rom on there anyway. The only thing Im concerned about is future updates of Android. If I'm not mistaken Samsung does not release the source to their drivers, so although you can put vanilla Android on the S, you won't be able to put, for instance, Froyo on there? Would that be accurate?
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Well I'm pretty sure they claim to be getting froyo on all the models this year, so that solves that.
BoostedSR20 said:
Well I'm pretty sure they claim to be getting froyo on all the models this year, so that solves that.
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Froyo isn't a concern, but Gingerbread will be. Without support from Samsung, are we going to be able to count on the developers to get Gingerbread or whatever else running on it?
Cuda1337 said:
Froyo isn't a concern, but Gingerbread will be. Without support from Samsung, are we going to be able to count on the developers to get Gingerbread or whatever else running on it?
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lol at today's pace, you'll be buying a new phone by the time Gingerbread comes out.
I'm also with the same doubts as the original poster.
On the Galaxy S forum, according to a post from someone involved with Modaco's rom, so far there can only be a custom rom for the Galaxy S if Samsung provides (or leaks) the base rom. So, it won't be possible to get Froyo, Gingerbread, Sense Ui, Timescape or anything else unless Samsung releases it.
Custom roms for the Galaxy S will only be able to modify the Samsung roms.
@Cuda1337 (OP) +1 to everything you said. That's exactly what I always say when comparing the two phones. I was compelled to sell my Nexus One now that it still has a good price, especially here in my area.
However, I'm not compelled enough to change yet, because it's more expensive and the expense may not justify the potential benefits, given there are risks (like it may not have a good enough dev community). I suggest that we wait for a short while. A superphone should have no compromise.
I'll wait for 4-8 months. By then, I'll expect more than 1Ghz CPU with all necessary superphone specs (camera flash, front-facing camera, etc.) and even a physical keyboard.
If they could stick the Nexus One inside my Gphone I would be the happiest man on earth. It doesn't even have to be pretty.
Cuda1337 said:
Well see that's the thing, if the Galaxy can be rooted, what really does it matter if Samsung supports it? I'm going to root it and put a custom rom on there anyway. The only thing Im concerned about is future updates of Android. If I'm not mistaken Samsung does not release the source to their drivers, so although you can put vanilla Android on the S, you won't be able to put, for instance, Froyo on there? Would that be accurate?
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Just because you root your Samsung Galaxy S, it doesn't mean you can just put any custom ROM on there. A custom ROM has to be specifically designed for the Galaxy S. For instance, people with a rooted Incredible have no decent custom ROMs to flash at the moment, and it is debatable if it is even worth rooting the Incredible. The N1 will always have the latest and greatest stock and custom ROMs. If you don't really tinker too much with your phone then the Galaxy S might be fine for you. For me, there is no question, N1 all the way, and when the next developer phone comes around, that will be my next phone (unfortunately there will not be an Nexus 2).
irishrally said:
Just because you root your Samsung galaxy, it doesn't mean you can just put any custom ROM on there. A custom ROM has to be specifically designed for the Galaxy S. For instance, people with a rooted Incredible have no decent custom ROMs to flash at the moment and it is debatable if it is even worth rooting the Incredible. The N1 ROM will always have the latest and greatest stock and custom ROMs. If you don't really tinker too much with your phone then the Galaxy S might be fine for you. For me, there is no question, N1 all the way, and when the next developer phone comes around, that will be my next phone (unfortunately there will not be an Nexus 2).
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I agree entirely here! I am spoiled by the support from the G1 and Nexus! I can't go without flashing a ROM, a new theme, a new mod, SOMETHING new every other day or week that other phones aren't fortunate to have~
i used to think that camera flash wasn't a big deal and never really used my video camera. but a few days ago a few of my friends were taking videos with their droids and evo's and only my n1 got to turn on its light being able to record in the dark!
RogerPodacter said:
Just fyi, amoled is The same as super amoled, just the touch later has been combined into one. So battery life is The same.
Unless Samsung is claiming otherwise, I haven't heard.
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No. Do your research Roger..
Samsung has claimed that Super Amoled has a 20% brighter screen, 80% less sunlight reflection and at least 20% reduced power consumption - plus the fact that it has a 180degree viewing angle!
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_AMOLED)
And I tend to agree. I get 3 days easy out of my SGS, where as I was only getting 1-2 days from the N1. Mind you, the Hummingbird CPU/GPU package has other refinements such as being lower voltage than the Snapdragon, plus sporting a 45nm SOC (vs 65nm)
BoostedSR20 said:
lol at today's pace, you'll be buying a new phone by the time Gingerbread comes out.
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Gingerbread is due at the end of the year. Not everybody can afford to change phones every six months you know...
having a screen that's bigger than 3.9" is an instant loss for me.
i need a phone not a tablet.
but just to humor you,
Support on XDA for nexus is better than samsung (+1 nexus)
Screen better (+1 Sam, resolution wise not battery conserving wise
even if it was the 30% is a comparison between Apple's IPS and
Samsungs SAMOLED not between AMOLED AND SAMOLED)
Battery life (+1 Nexus, standard use 30+ hours unplugged "my use" no way in hell a bigger screen and better processor will give me more)
Google Support (it sucks all over but you get updates directly to your phone the second it's out +1)
Performance (if you take everything into consideration, I don't really have a clear cut winner here)
by your own criteria Galaxy S definitely "Doesn't" give the Nexus a run for its money.
anthro said:
@Cuda1337 (OP) +1 to everything you said. That's exactly what I always say when comparing the two phones. I was compelled to sell my Nexus One now that it still has a good price, especially here in my area.
However, I'm not compelled enough to change yet, because it's more expensive and the expense may not justify the potential benefits, given there are risks (like it may not have a good enough dev community). I suggest that we wait for a short while. A superphone should have no compromise.
I'll wait for 4-8 months. By then, I'll expect more than 1Ghz CPU with all necessary superphone specs (camera flash, front-facing camera, etc.) and even a physical keyboard.
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Click to collapse
I'm with you. The nexus will be a year old after the holidays and ill be ready to upgrade. Ill hang on to this beauty but ill want 2ghz or dual core, 1080p recording, 8-10mp, a screen i can see during the day, 1ghz ram. the Samsung S just isn't a big enough upgrade over the nexus plus samsungs mobile reputation is pitiful count me out. I'm HTC or possibly but doubtfully Motorola .
Not saying the Galaxy S will be the best device out there, especially with samsung's reputation but some of your arguments seem a little biased
kindiboy said:
Support on XDA for nexus is better than samsung (+1 nexus)
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You don't know how both devices will be supported in a few months, OP has a point when he says the Galaxy will be widely available on all carriers. But I do agree it will probably never be as well supported as the G1 or N1.
Screen better (+1 Sam, resolution wise not battery conserving wise
even if it was the 30% is a comparison between Apple's IPS and
Samsungs SAMOLED not between AMOLED AND SAMOLED)
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I'm pretty sure the 30 percents was compared to older samsung AMOLED display
Battery life (+1 Nexus, standard use 30+ hours unplugged "my use" no way in hell a bigger screen and better processor will give me more)
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Well unless you use a galaxy S you can't really compare. I didn't even check how much time galaxy S users get out of their phones, but if one of them say his/her phone works 15 hours with one charge I might conclude that the battery life is better than on the Nexus since I typically get around 12 hours of battery life with MY use. SO you can't really compare unfortunately.
And the better screen (with better sunlight visibility) allows you to lower the brightness, thus saving some battery.
Same goes for the faster CPU : first it may use less power altogether since it uses 45nm carving (do you say "carving" in English ?), and secondly if it's faster it will be used less to perform the same task, thus saving some battery.
Google Support (it sucks all over but you get updates directly to your phone the second it's out +1)
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Can't argue with that, definitely the main pro of the N1
Performance (if you take everything into consideration, I don't really have a clear cut winner here)
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errr... on this point EVERY benchmark and user feedback I read said the Galaxy S performed way better than the N1 (and it's not even on Froyo yet),
IMHO the Galaxy S is definitely better than the N1 as far as hardware is concerned, and a better choice for people who just use there phone as it is out of the box.
But it will probably have less support from developpers, and less frequent updates from samsung, so for people like us the N1 might still be a better choice.
besides, I don't see the point in upgrading from a N1 to any other phone right now. I'll wait for at least the next gen (before christmas maybe ?) before I consider replacing my N1.
I'm so damn tempted by the Samsung Captivate (Galaxy S on AT&T July 18).
It has 16gigs of internal storage space!! 4" Super AMOLED.
The only thing I don't like is the glossy plastic casing, makes holding it feel cheap, although it looks like it's just a bit of that.
I am thinking about switching teams to the Epic from the EVO. I love the development on the EVO, Cyanogen is just amazing. It's so lite and fast I love it.
The Epic calls because of features like S-AMOLED, physical keyboard!!!!, similar size, 45nm hummingbird and better battery life have me itching for this phone. The only think that would keep me in the EVO camp is that there is an uncertain path for development.
I have heard that in the past Samsung did not release open source drivers for their phones, but that in the case of the Galaxy S the drivers are out there(at least the international version)
What do people think? Will we see development for this phone? Cyanogen? What would you do?
I wouldn't mind the epic once it was able to be rooted and get that horrible launcher the heck off there.
I actually don't like physical keyboard...feels too much like a prepaid texter phone I guess =x just a matter of taste.
I'm absolutely satisfied with the EVO even if I do wish I could change several things about it. For me, I wouldn't change because I would have to pay full price, if I had an upgrade then maybe. I would possibly change to a phone that would get Android updates faster because as we know with the Hero/2.1 debacle, Sense UI makes things rough and even when the hero did get 2.1 ...it was a dumbed down version. I seriously hope our EVOs get better treatment.
Ultimately, I guess you have to maybe play with one and see how it feels to you.
One word...Samsung. Maybe Samsung will finally redeem themselves to me with this phone, but they have always given their phones poor support after release and in general been really crappy for hardcore enthusiasts. If this phone develops a large user development crowd, you will be safer. Either way your going to have monster hardware, what will the community and the support after the sale be like?
Have you tried swype? If not try it first and give it a few weeks to get used to it.
After using it I feel it makes physical keyboards obsolete.
Wasn't this topic beat to death like last week when someone was crying about leaving for an iphone?
Wrong word choice and misspelling courtesy of swype.
Slide-out hardware keyboards are crap in my experience. I will take Swype ANY DAY.
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Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Tapatalk Pro.
who would ever want a physical keyboard again when we have Swype? no way you can type faster on a physical not to mention the extra bulk. with the evo's big screen there is no longer need for a physical keyboard - and this comes from someone who loved the tp2 keyboard.
herbthehammer said:
Wasn't this topic beat to death like last week when someone was crying about leaving for an iphone?
Wrong word choice and misspelling courtesy of swype.
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I was thinking the same thing. Just didn't want to say it and get the whole "don't be so mean" response
Sorry OP, but I wouldn't touch a phone with a physical keyboard anymore. No need when you have a freaking 4.3 inch screen
Get a second battery,u should get about 8 hours from each at the least. i get at least 10 hours. 1500mhz batteries just arent enough for a 4.3 inch android phone.blame htc for givin us this battery dont blame the phone plz. right now im on 7 hours and 40 minutes with 50% battery left
b1indsided said:
Get a second battery,u should get about 8 hours from each at the least. i get at least 10 hours. 1500mhz batteries just arent enough for a 4.3 inch android phone.blame htc for givin us this battery dont blame the phone plz
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The Droid X apparently has much better battery life than the Evo, and it has a 4.3 display. Then again, that might be due to its 45nm processor vs the 65nm found on the Evo.
and ive been using a live wallpaper this whole time
See
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
b1indsided said:
See
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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don't use your phone much as a phone eh?
The things I wouldn't want to give up on the Evo are:
The extra .3" of screen size -- it doesn't sound like much, but when you see the two side by side, the Evo screen isn't a little bigger, it's just flat out bigger.
I like Sense, and the home screen and app screen layouts are more my style.
The GPS on the Galaxy phones are reportedly poor. They lock on fewer satellites than the Evo does and are slow to do so.
I had a slider on the TP2, and I rarely used it. The keyboard on the 4.3" screen makes a physical keyboard only helpful in specific situations, and even RDP is fully functional and usable even without a physical keyboard. So I'd rather not have it and save on the bulk.
I also have zero interest in 3d gaming on the phone, so the 3d capabilities of the Hummingbird hold little interest for me. YMMV.
not today been sittin at home just texting mostly and some pandora and a homerun challenge orcourse and a few auto syncs
It really is up to you. Both are great phones. Personally I would go with the Evo. I wouldn't mind having the Samsung either though.
AFAIK all the Galaxy phones have been rooted no? Rooting the Epic shouldn't be much harder. Since the Evo has had such good development and a little experience with WiMax, should be easy to port over that development.
I am mulling over the same decision right now...
The big drawback for me is the display on the Epic... while it is true it is S-AMOLED and should provide more vibrant colors and such, the display itself is subject to burn in (not as much as AMOLED but still there) and the tech they use in the display makes it like half the effective resolution of what it really is... I can't remember the name of it right now... Its somewhere on the forums. I have seen a Galaxy S screen next to my Evo and its vibrant and bright but my Evo (Epson panel) is easier to see outdoors and text is much crisper on it.
Second, its a Samsung. I have never liked a single Samsung product I've tried from their TVs to their cell phones. While I would like to have a physical keyboard, the lack of support Samsung gives to their products sucks.
Third, yes the hummingbird and SGX540 absolutely spank everything else on the market right now... but dual-core snapdragons are coming and so is Tegra2. I would rather wait and see what happens than just jump from a phone that's working perfectly fine to another one with better specs... Only to kick myself in the balls come Christmas time.
Lastly, Sprint chopped the 16GB of storage to 2GB in their version which kills a main selling point for me. Internal storage tends to be much faster than a microSD card of ANY size.
The cyanogenmod will never be on the Galaxy S.
The Galaxy S will never be as snappy as the Evo.
And yes the hummingbird processor is much better than snapdragon and yes it does do graphics much better, but I'm running PSX4Droid right now FF7 maxed out what else more do you want from a phone lol...
Have fun supporting PS2 graphics...too bad nobody is developing anything and good luck when the phone comes out rooting / flashing custom roms.
But hey the phone is great you wouldn't be wrong getting it either but currently the evo looks better.
amirborna said:
The cyanogenmod will never be on the Galaxy S.
The Galaxy S will never be as snappy as the Evo.
And yes the hummingbird processor is much better than snapdragon and yes it does do graphics much better, but I'm running PSX4Droid right now FF7 maxed out what else more do you want from a phone lol...
Have fun supporting PS2 graphics...too bad nobody is developing anything and good luck when the phone comes out rooting / flashing custom roms.
But hey the phone is great you wouldn't be wrong getting it either but currently the evo looks better.
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When did Cyanogen say he won't release for the Galaxy S? Its a HUGE market base for Android since EVERY carrier will have a variant...
EDIT: Looking at the various Galaxy forums it looks like a community FroYo isn't going to be easy since the hardware info won't even boot in the emulator... Guess you're right.
But one more reason to get the Epic - it supports a crap ton of codecs out of the box and won't require most video files to be converted unlike the Evo.
Samsung is notorious for not supporting their devices after launch. Just look at Behold II users, Samsung promised 2.0/2.1 on video, then later pulled the video to remove any evidence of them saying that.
It's a great phone, just don't expect it to be supported down the road.
I have prepared this thread to help myself and others compare and contrast the different phones and hopefully come to a decision here. If anyone has anything to add to the comparison that I have missed, please list it and we can get it all chocked up.
For the record. I have only listed something as a "Disadvantage" if I believe that the category is below what we would expect of the average Android.
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Advantages:
ATRIX
Battery Life - This is a big thing for me. I can make my vibrant last through a 14 hour day by crippling every single possible feature. But people here are saying that the Atrix runs solid though 30 hour periods. This is a huge plus for me.
Higher Resolution (even if its fake) - Even though this resolution is fake and can actually cause text to blur, I can say first-hand that I saw the screen in action at a local wal-mart and found it to be acceptable by my standards. I think it may help overall with browsing. The GS2 has a larger screen size, and no pentile matrix display, which could possibly be considered better. This is one that may work out to be a tie.
Tegra 2 - I list this as an advantage not because it is faster, the various benchmarks for either processor seem to be inconclusive at this point. I am listing it as an advantage because it has its own series of games optimized specifically for it, and because Google has chosen to build their framework around tegra 2.
Webtop - I am initially hesitant to even mention this. The phone has a webtop environment, it is most likely Debian Linux and it is said to also be very sluggish. If, in the future, devs gain access to this environment and find ways to optimize it and add in worthy apps such as Chrome and open office, then this will be a massive advantage, but right now it is pretty much just a gimmick.
The webtop interface retains its session when you disconnect it. So you can plug the phone back into another dock and go right back to what you were doing. This is one of the good things about webtop.
Laptop Dock - We all know it is hideously overpriced right now and maybe in the future a cheaper solution will be available. But regardless of how you get the dock, it is an advantage to run your apps in full screen, even if you don't use the sluggish webtop interface and firefox.
The dock charges your phone, but plays sound through your atrix speakers, it has no speakers of it's own, you can answer calls by removing the phone, picking it up on bluetooth or by just yelling at it from behind the laptop. The phone retains its session when you remove it and there is no special unmounting procedure, you just grab it and run.
GALAXY S2
Screen - Bright beautiful and extremely rich. Those who have seen the screen firsthand have claimed that there is nothing like it at all and that it is miles above even the old Super Amoled display. The 4.3 inch size is also a bonus for those of us with large hands. This is probably the best overall feature of the Galaxy S2.
Camera - 8 Megapixels, and 2 megapixel front facing camera. People say that megapixels don't really matter in the long run but the Atrix camera is also said to have a purple wash to it and that the video can be splotchy in certain situations.
Design - Even though it looks way too much like the iPhone, this phone actually looks exceptionally nice. I like the three button design much better than the 4, the search button is pretty useless overall. The thinness of this phone is also amazing if you are into that sort of thing. Naturally it may come down to the US carriers to ruin the design, but by it will likely be summer before that happens.
32GB internal storage - Expect to pay for it, but it is there, you get 64 gigs total with this phone.
Gingerbread - The Atrix won't likely get gingerbread until at least this summer, this phone will have it much sooner if you get the international version coming sometime this quarter.
Gyroscope - This phone has it, do any apps support it? Not sure, but it is there.
NFC - In the off chance that any stores upgrade to NFC this year, you will have the ability to use it. NFC may have other uses that we haven't envisioned yet. It is a protocol, so it can be applied to just about anything. You could potentially set it up to unlock your home, cars could start with it, whatever.
So it has a lot of potential use other than having your money stolen from you.
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Disadvantages:
ATRIX
Bootloader - To sum it up for those not familiar, the phone can be rooted, a custom ROM can be flashed, but the kernel cannot be altered at all. (someone will likely correct me here) but if part or all of the webtop code is contained in the kernel somehow it will be difficult to alter it to add new software or make it run more efficiently. This would be a terrible shame.
I can tell you that Team Whiskey has made my Vibrant browse faster than I have seen in Atrix videos, with half the memory and a single core processor. It is scary to think of what this phone could actually accomplish if Moto decided to allow it.
Motoblur - I read that this requires you to sign up for an account before you can even use the phone. I find it alarming that Motorola has decided to help themselves to all this information and it makes me wonder just exactly what they really have access to and why.
Crippled FM radio - WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY. All of these phones have both transmitters and receivers for FM. So can someone tell me why in god's name anyone would disable them? FM radio has many more uses than just listening to local stations and why again should I have to burn my limited data on
internet radio when there is a receiver right in my phone?
GALAXY S2
Heat - My current Galaxy S runs very hot already, if the screen is active while the phone is being charged it will heat up to what seems to be a very dangerous temperature. The pre-release Galaxy S2 was said to be scorching hot after running with the screen on and the charger active.
Fail File System, Hideous and crippling lag - Update: the galaxy S2 is said to not use RFS. Chock one up for Samsung.
Updates - Samsung has a horrible reputation for updates when working with US carriers, even for new phones. If it was not for this community I would have likely given up on Android and Samsung altogether. Although I know that part of the update delay has been t-mobile, it is also in Samsung's interests to ship out new phones instead of updating their old ones.
Battery Life I have a feeling that Samsung tried to push the limits to get their phone to be as thin as possible and I am worried that they have done so at the expense of battery life. We won't know for sure until it gets in people's hands but I expect the battery life to be subpar.
NO HID Bluetooth Support (possibly) - I have had a black wiimote sitting here for 6 months waiting to connect to my Vibrant. I love emulated classics but action games are near impossible to play with the on-screen kb. So if you want this feature, I would make sure that the GS2 has it first, because it is not likely that it will.
Availability - What it really comes down to now. Unless you want to shell out over 1000 for the phone, you will probably need to wait 5 months from now for any kind of US availability this summer. And don't doubt that those versions will become crippled and even more bloated in the process. But again there is no locked bootloader here.
Ok I think that covers it. Having written all this down, I think I am really leaning more toward the Atrix. There just doesn't seem to be anything else out there now that will be able to match it at the moment. And as you can see, our experience with Samsung has not been exceptional.
Good comparison there. I am also looking at the exact 2 models and thank you very much, looks like Atrix will too be my choice.
I guess I'll get the atrix laptop dock too and prays for the devs here to make it all better. Otherwise, I think its still a good piece of hardware I don't mind owning.
""Samsung's dual-core, Gingerbread-powered Galaxy S II has appeared on Play.co.uk alongside a tentative SIM-free price and release date. According to Play, which is currently taking pre-orders for the phone, it'll ship Mar. 31 for £599.99 (~$960). Pre-release prices are never guaranteed to be accurate and are always subject to change, but £599 seams like a realistic price point for the Galaxy S II, as it's slightly higher than current single-core offerings from other manufacturers.""
Just published at androidcentral. £599.99 (~$960)?? Get a grip..
Not bad, just a couple of things to note that I thought of while reading. First, the screen resolution can be arguable considering the Pentile screen that the Atrix uses. That gives the SGS2 more sub pixels, but then it's a bigger screen, so less (I believe) pixel density still... it's really kind of a toss up, but I think they will both look great. I think the lower resolution and bigger screen on the SGS2 will look just fine with the full 3 subpixels per pixel.
Also, the SGS2 looks nothing like an iPhone. I wish people would stop saying that about every phone that comes out. Apparently every square black phone with a screen is an iPhone now.
And also it's been reported that the SGS2 does not use RFS.
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
hotleadsingerguy said:
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The updates aren't really an issue for people who visit sites like this. I would never rely on Samsung to update my phone. My Captivate has been running 2.2 for ages while they just released the update for everyone else. Yes, Samsung sucks at updating, but the hacking community will always get it done regardless.
I must be the only one, but i use the search hotkey absolutely all the time. I love it and I realize that you can hold menu for the same effect on the SGS2, but i'd prefer to have the 4th hotkey than their ugly stupid home button. It is not an iPhone, embrace uniqueness samsung.
eallan said:
I must be the only one, but i use the search hotkey absolutely all the time. I love it and I realize that you can hold menu for the same effect on the SGS2, but i'd prefer to have the 4th hotkey than their ugly stupid home button. It is not an iPhone, embrace uniqueness samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really miss the hardware home key! The orientation of the 4 buttons makes it a bit awkward to thumb navigate since its so close to the bottom. Its actually one of the things about the sgs2 that is making me think twice about my atrix. Despite how much I love it.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Man_of_Leisure said:
I really miss the hardware home key! The orientation of the 4 buttons makes it a bit awkward to thumb navigate since its so close to the bottom. Its actually one of the things about the sgs2 that is making me think twice about my atrix. Despite how much I love it.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't mind if the buttons were hardware, thats another debate. I just want all four of them!
The back button is beyond crucial. Maybe back and home should be two hardware with the other capacitive? For symmetry, obviously a concern for samsung .
I definitely want the new Galaxy S 2. I've heard that the Atrix was a huge let down. I used to own a Captivate and I loved everything about it except the ****ty build quality and lack of flash for the camera. It was so smooth with voodoo and custom roms. The Galaxy S 2 will have an amazing screen and I think it will do average on battery consumption. Just my 2 cents
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
King Shady said:
I definitely want the new Galaxy S 2. I've heard that the Atrix was a huge let down. I used to own a Captivate and I loved everything about it except the ****ty build quality and lack of flash for the camera. It was so smooth with voodoo and custom roms. The Galaxy S 2 will have an amazing screen and I think it will do average on battery consumption. Just my 2 cents
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
****ty build quality? Like hardware wise? I personally think the Captivate is the nicest of all of the Galaxy S phones. The hardware itself has been absolutely wonderful for me. The software quality leaves a lot to be desired from a stock standpoint though.
AJerman said:
****ty build quality? Like hardware wise? I personally think the Captivate is the nicest of all of the Galaxy S phones. The hardware itself has been absolutely wonderful for me. The software quality leaves a lot to be desired from a stock standpoint though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
SGS2 is apparently RFS-free. Also, some versions will have Tegra2 instead of Exynos - hope this includes us.
People knock Samsung's plastic designs, but they're actually a lot harder to break than the "well-built" iPhone 4.
Very good write up man, these are the posts that I like to see.
By looking at my signature, you can see that I just got the Atrix as well, and I love the phone. Amazingly fast, awesome screen (love the higher density and the effect itbhas on the overall experience), and the battery is pretty good too.
I'm seriously thinking about buying the laptop dock, but I don't know how well that will perform, and I haven't seen any live videos of it.
I really like the design and specs of the GS 2, but there are a lot of possible problems holding me back....
Rooted/ROM Captivate (For Sale)
Rooted Atrix
FLAC Vest said:
Very good write up man, these are the posts that I like to see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot, bro.
I am no engineer and I can't build tools. But I can put a few thoughts together and provide someone with some information.
This is an amazing community and what people do here is outstanding, I just want to do what I can to add to that.
King Shady said:
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S2 looks like meizu m9
I have both and a Galaxy S 2 on order
Why? I really liked the Captivate. My plan was to use both but the Atrix is so much more fun to use I'm selling the Captivate. Well, maybe. Maybe not.
Yesterday after I removed the SIM card and replaced it, the Atrix went bonkers with freezes and instability issues. After numerous soft resets, two factory resets and replacing the SIM card, SD card and battery a couple of times it seems to be back to normal. I suspect I had reinserted the SIM card incorrectly but maybe there was another issue.
So why would I pay $1000 for the Galaxy S 2? The Captivate was that much fun. Although I'm sure we will be able to do more custom rom's shortly on the Atrix, the Galaxy S 2 sounds like an even bigger blast than either. And boy oh boy does that LG 3D look interesting. But you have to draw the line somewhere.
Here is what the Atrix has that the Captivate does not:
1-better graphics and screen quality, dynamic and vivid visuals, a joy to read and watch (text as well as video quality is sharp and crisp, very clear)
2-more interactive features with outside devices (i.e. computers)
3-interacts more efficiently with e mail, voice and text programs (really like the way it handles multiple incoming calls especially when you are already on one-notification, instructions and directions for handling)(I can now actually use Excel spreadsheets and Word documents) (works well with contacts)
4-updated browser can handle more types of video content and pop up windows better
5-it feels better when you hold and talk or watch or do most anything with it (I did make one call and even though I could hear the other party clearly they could not hear me-I do not what happened.)
My friends all tell me I should get an iphone. I had one for years and the Androids are far more fun. I'll never return. I don't think. LG 3D anyone?
I think Tegra2 is actually a disadvantage for Atrix 4G.
As a new generation dualcore processor, it's early, but not strong.
It's video playback ability of H.264 is limited, but H.264 is currently the most frequently played format.
It has no neon support, big loss on processing power.
Till now Tegra2 has not proven itself in Graphics power. In benchmarks it's no superior to Hummingbird.
However the performance of Mali400MP on GS2 is also questionable, so just wait and see...
hotleadsingerguy said:
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 great post!
King Shady said:
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, I don't understand that. There is far less plastic on the Captivate than the majority of the phones out there. The front is all glass, and the back is mostly metal. It's only the top and bottom on the back that are plastic, and they have both felt very solid to me since I got the phone on launch day. I came from an iPhone 4 as well, and granted nothing compares to the iPhone 4 in build quality, the Captivate definitely doesn't seem bad at all to me.
As long as you're happy with what you have now though, that's what matters. I just think the Inspire is a bit of a waste of money considering it's lack of power compared to all the other phones coming out now. It feels like it's last generation still. I did play with it a little at the AT&T store though, and it seemed nice. If it had come out last summer with the Captivate (even if it didn't have 4G), I might have gotten it. Now I'm going to wait until a dual core offering I like though.
Just played with a work colleague's Galaxy S2 and now my Vision feels like the fat ugly friend you see standing with the tall hot chick in a nightclub
That phone is properly awesome...
I cannot live without a physical keyboard so I don't have the option of getting one, sadly.
Please say some stuff to make me feel better about my phone?
Sent from my 'Zed, overclocked to 1.2ghz
Consider it an evil of the technology treadmill. A newer product is typically going to be faster and better than an older one (unless the manufacturer really screwed up!). You'll drive yourself crazy envying every new phone that comes along that is newer than what you have. So unless you have wads of cash to buy every nice looking phone that comes out, most of us have to make a decision based on the choices you have at the time you want to upgrade, and live with it until you can afford the next upgrade. No doubt, even if you bought a Galxy S2, you would end up salivating the next "latest and greatest" in a few months. Appreciate the fact that you have a nice performing, solidly built phone with a hardware keyboard, that has (and will continue to have, for some time) great developer support.
Ya my roommate just got the g2x and now I hate my phone.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
I know my phone is good and dev support is GREAT, which will allow it a decent enough lifespan for some time to come.
But I just wish someone would put out a super-phone WITH A DAMN KEYBOARD!! I don't care what it would cost to buy, I would buy it. Sure this phone can be OC'd quite nicely, but with the weak mono speaker, average camera and video, screen which is rubbish in direct sunlight, etc. it's not really my dream hardware :-/
Here's hoping the next Nexus comes with with a keyboard, dual (or quad!) core, a gig of ram and decent multimedia components!!
Sent from my 'Zed, overclocked to 1.2ghz
setspeed said:
I know my phone is good and dev support is GREAT, which will allow it a decent enough lifespan for some time to come.
But I just wish someone would put out a super-phone WITH A DAMN KEYBOARD!! I don't care what it would cost to buy, I would buy it. Sure this phone can be OC'd quite nicely, but with the weak mono speaker, average camera and video, screen which is rubbish in direct sunlight, etc. it's not really my dream hardware :-/
Here's hoping the next Nexus comes with with a keyboard, dual (or quad!) core, a gig of ram and decent multimedia components!!
Sent from my 'Zed, overclocked to 1.2ghz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear you about the direct sunlight. That absolutely blows. Someone wants to trade me the nexus s and I would be all down for it except the no keyboard and few other quirks like no sd card.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
And a 4"+ screen
Sent from my 'Zed, overclocked to 1.2ghz
setspeed said:
And a 4"+ screen
Sent from my 'Zed, overclocked to 1.2ghz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know i'm in the minority on this one but screens can be too big. HD7 for example. Just looks gaudy and over the top to me.
xsteven77x said:
I know i'm in the minority on this one but screens can be too big. HD7 for example. Just looks gaudy and over the top to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with you 4.3" is to big. My bro has a DHD and I find it uncomfortable to use.
My boss just got SGS2 and I have to admit I'm a bit jealous because it is awesome. But I can't see my self ever having a phone without a hardware keyboard so the S2 is a no go for me. I'm certain my next phone will be the successor to the G2, assuming that HTC backtrack on the whole bootloader thing.
[sig]My mission is to hit 1000 posts by 23/05/2011[sig]
cjward23 said:
I'm with you 4.3" is to big. My bro has a DHD and I find it uncomfortable to use.
My boss just got SGS2 and I have to admit I'm a bit jealous because it is awesome. But I can't see my self ever having a phone without a hardware keyboard so the S2 is a no go for me. I'm certain my next phone will be the successor to the G2, assuming that HTC backtrack on the whole bootloader thing.
[sig]My mission is to hit 1000 posts by 23/05/2011[sig]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear you about the boatloader. That is a dam shame any way you look at it.
I am not envy of any other phone that does not have a hardware keyboard!
If you want to deal with odin and lack of support for updates. Go samsung. They make nice hardware. But what good is the hardware with crap support to back it up.
[G2/HTC Vision]
luis86dr said:
If you want to deal with odin and lack of support for updates. Go samsung. They make nice hardware. But what good is the hardware with crap support to back it up.
[G2/HTC Vision]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto. There may be faster bigger brighter phones out there, but the g1 and the g2 are such solid phones. They refuse to die. Specially g2 at 1.5ghz. It can still compete. Developers support is do big as compared to some other phones. Htc all the way. Hoping for unlocked bootloader on the sensation.
havikx said:
Ditto. There may be faster bigger brighter phones out there, but the g1 and the g2 are such solid phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed. My Z can do anyting I need from a phone including playing ps1 games and map keys to play with. What more can I ask for. I will never give it up unless there will be a new powerful mobile with hardware keyboard, which is layed out the same way as the Z keyboard where every other row is shifted.
havikx said:
Ditto. There may be faster bigger brighter phones out there, but the g1 and the g2 are such solid phones. They refuse to die. Specially g2 at 1.5ghz. It can still compete. Developers support is do big as compared to some other phones. Htc all the way. Hoping for unlocked bootloader on the sensation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't have said it any better myself sir! I absoletly love my phone and I have yet to be envious of any phone since getting mine back in Nov. Love the rom I'm using and couldn't see myself using any other.
Sent from my HTC G2
Running meXdroid meXperia
I had an HD2 for ages, an S2 for a few days (then sold it because I could make £160 profit on e-bay due to people paying silly prices!), now I've just ordered a desire Z to give it a go (£263.39 on ebuyer inc VAT)!
Though the S2 was nice & the HD2 does the job, I'm now much more excited about having a hardware keyboard than anything the S2 had to offer!
Unless you dislike hardware keyboards, I agree there's no point having phone envy yet - the S2 does nothing that the HD2/Desire Z can do; it just does things more smoothly!
I would agree that there are phones out there that might be 'prettier' and provide some 'eye candy' but I don't think I would trade my DZ for any other device out there right now.
I too cannot live without a hardware keyboard and the DZ has one of the best keyboards I have ever used. It took some getting used to because of its size, but after that initial period, a keyboard has never felt better in my hands.
And while it may not have the fastest Dual Core Processor on the market, I have yet to find any set of tasks that my DZ can't handle. Throw in the unlocked bootloader and arguably the best developer support of any Android Device and you have a recipe for a long-lasting, competitive smartphone.
I won't even consider upgrading until we get a phone that looks like a 'G3'...
i work at best buy and i see this same situation almost everyday. technology is a love hate thing. you just have to realize that its going to be constantly changing, and getting better. lets not forget that the vision is still a highend phone, and kicks alot of phones asses. i love my g2, but i do see myself getting a htc sensation. ive come to realize that although the kb on the vision is amazing, its not something i have to have. the vision is a great phone, along with the desire hd, nexus s, mytouch 4g and all of the phones that came out the same time this one did. its awesome. you just have to realize that if it does what you want with no problem, then why hate?
PatrickHuey said:
i work at best buy and i see this same situation almost everyday. technology is a love hate thing. you just have to realize that its going to be constantly changing, and getting better. lets not forget that the vision is still a highend phone, and kicks alot of phones asses. i love my g2, but i do see myself getting a htc sensation. ive come to realize that although the kb on the vision is amazing, its not something i have to have. the vision is a great phone, along with the desire hd, nexus s, mytouch 4g and all of the phones that came out the same time this one did. its awesome. you just have to realize that if it does what you want with no problem, then why hate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd have to disagree with the fact the Vision is high end any more. On release yes, but 6mths down the road it's only just mid-range in pretty much all areas EXCEPT the keyboard. Single core chip (albeit a reasonable one), 512mb RAM (really? The DHD had 768mb), an average 5mp camera...
I think we make a lot of excuses for this phone, just to have the keyboard. I had to think long and hard about keeping my second one because of the questionable z-hinge, and decided that I'd have to live with it since there were no other qwertys coming out (except the Droid 2/Milestone 2 which is a no-no with encrypted bootloader).
I hate the weight of the thing, I hate the battery life (which although better than my old Desire, is still pretty poor as I work in a weak 3G area), I hate the fact I struggle to see the screen in the sunlight, I hate the sh*t-arse weak speaker which struggles to get above one decibel without distorting, and I hate the fact that HTC always cheap out on cameras, the video-recording is crap.
People come to me at work and ask what phone they should buy cos I'm kind of that guy who knows a little bit. And they've all seen the recent HTC marketing campaign here in the UK, they're like "Oh you have an HTC, do you think I should get this HTC (model)?" And I find myself saying "No, get this Samsung, or get this iPhone, they have better features that you would get use out of".
I know I'm not at the point where I want to give up the awesome dev support that HTC phones usually get, but I am at the point where I hope devs start supporting other brands a lot more too. Especially in light of HTCs locking of bootloaders, and the fact it's getting harder and harder to get full access to them. HTC has the big rep as the hacker's choice, but I don't think their hardware justifies it any more. Not at the moment at least.
Don't get me wrong, there is no other phone I'd rather have at the moment, since one doesn't exist. And the rom I'm on is frigging amazing. But if Samsung bring out an S2 with a keyboard then I'd have a heard time saying no to that, as would a lot of other people I imagine. I never thought I'd consider a Samsung after last year's update debacle, and I'm still hesitant now. But if enough devs get one, then they would sort out any probs the phone has.
OK, rant over!
I just watched an unboxing of the HTC Sensation coming to Tmobile ... GODDAMN .. that is a thing of beauty..
setspeed said:
I know my phone is good and dev support is GREAT, which will allow it a decent enough lifespan for some time to come.
But I just wish someone would put out a super-phone WITH A DAMN KEYBOARD!! I don't care what it would cost to buy, I would buy it. Sure this phone can be OC'd quite nicely, but with the weak mono speaker, average camera and video, screen which is rubbish in direct sunlight, etc. it's not really my dream hardware :-/
Here's hoping the next Nexus comes with with a keyboard, dual (or quad!) core, a gig of ram and decent multimedia components!!
Sent from my 'Zed, overclocked to 1.2ghz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While this is true and all, I still think our phones are the best overall hardware for someone who needs a physical keyboard like myself. There are plenty of physical keyboard models out there (not as many as touch only of course), and there is still yet one to come out with better overall specs than this phone.
luis86dr said:
If you want to deal with odin and lack of support for updates. Go samsung. They make nice hardware. But what good is the hardware with crap support to back it up.
[G2/HTC Vision]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, and that's the BIGGEST problem with Samsuck. They tend to make pretty incredible hardware (minus the vibrant, who the heck makes a camera without a flash nowadays?), but their support is absolutely abysmal. A friend here at work has an Epic 4G, and he's STILL on Eclair. Absolutely unacceptable support.
Hi all, I know its down to personal preference, but, I have a SGS1 with 16GB internal memory running 2.3.3. stock, so getting a SGS2 would not improve any of that, do you think its worth getting the SGS2? what would you all do and what would be the improvement i would see?
Thanks for your thoughts
Been playing with one this weekend, they are very fast, have lots of memory and white ones look great.
The downside, everyone has one, sound is worse than SGS1, nexus prime out soon. I would personally get the nexus or wait for the SGS3 etc, surely you want something a bit different, the 2 is just a little bigger and a little faster
Sent using TCP/IP
kezgez said:
Hi all, I know its down to personal preference, but, I have a SGS1 with 16GB internal memory running 2.3.3. stock, so getting a SGS2 would not improve any of that, do you think its worth getting the SGS2? what would you all do and what would be the improvement i would see?
Thanks for your thoughts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
16 GB and 2.3.3... nope, you're right. There would be no improvement whatsoever. (Seriously? )
gsw5700 said:
Been playing with one this weekend, they are very fast, have lots of memory and white ones look great.
The downside, everyone has one, sound is worse than SGS1, nexus prime out soon. I would personally get the nexus or wait for the SGS3 etc, surely you want something a bit different, the 2 is just a little bigger and a little faster
Sent using TCP/IP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This, by far. +1
My wife picked one up a week ago, so I can truly compare mine to it side by side and I would say, I like it a lot.
1. Much, much faster.
2. There doesn't appear to be any Lag involved
3. Battery doesn't seem to last very long, but as I tested that part of it early on, it may need a few cycled charges to really say how good/bad it is.
4. GPS is way better than the SGS.
Now, having said all that, the phone is perfect for my wife (she bought the white one). She, having been a long-time blackberry user til her 9700 screen crapped out has been getting used to it, but she's starting to like this phone much better than her blackberry.
Like I said though.. its perfect for my wife. She doesn't know Gingerbread from Shortbread when it comes to this phone, and I intend to keep it that way. Yes this phone runs 2.3.3, but it doesn't seem to bad compared to my SGS with stock 2.3.3 as well. My phone is rooted, but I don't have intentions of rooting hers.
Long story short, its blazing fast, but I wouldn't buy one for myself. Samsung is just too slow on firmware updates to make it worth it for me. In fact any carrier specific phone would be. They are Androids, but they are kind of like Androids bastardized cousin. For me, my next phone is a nexus. I want it to grow as Android grows, and that only happens with Google.
Should wait for SGS 3, far better specs this phone will be awesom
http://phandroid.com/2011/10/10/is-...rther-details-leak-on-samsungs-next-flagship/
My Mrs has a black sgs2 and comparing it to my original sgs is tough.
On the plus side the screen and speed of the sgs2 are really nice. However for everyday use i find it just that little bit too big, also the handset doesn't feel as strong as the original. Im reasonably confident i could drop my phone and survive to tell the tale, but with the 2 i find myself being really careful.
Sound on the 2 really isn't anywhere near the standard of original, i like to hear my music, although I've not seen if supercurio has made much progress on the 2.
Sent From My Android Shizzle!
franklin01 said:
Should wait for SGS 3, far better specs this phone will be awesom
http://phandroid.com/2011/10/10/is-...rther-details-leak-on-samsungs-next-flagship/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, those are awesome specs. But then again, so are the SGII's... definitely not comparable, but awesome nonetheless.
My whole point in this is, specs are just that... specs. The SGS II that my wife has is amazing specs wise. Its head over heals better specs wise than my SGS1.
Here's the problem though... aside from flashier graphics, a bigger screen, and a flash for the camera, its still 2.3.3. So its not a great leap for me to go to it.... its essentially the same phone if you think about it. Sure, the SGS2 will most likely get the upgrade to ICS, but when? After Jello or whatever 'J' is comes out?
The SGS3 will suffer the same fate. It will be up to Samsung to update it, not google.
The SGS3 will be a great phone, but you'll have to wait for a developer to harness its true power. Just like the SG2 and SGS1.
Whereas any nexus incarnation will have google behind it, and updated accordingly.
franklin01 said:
Should wait for SGS 3, far better specs this phone will be awesom
http://phandroid.com/2011/10/10/is-...rther-details-leak-on-samsungs-next-flagship/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.8 GHz dual core, 2GB RAM and samoled plus HD (read: RGB, not pentile)...daaaamn. I'm dropping cash on that the day it comes out unless I get a Nexus Prime instead. The rounded shape makes it look pretty big though.
Could be total BS though, there are two mistakes on the slide: copying is spelt wrong and the SGS doesn't have exynos cpu it has hummingbird. It's also weird that the "copying or reproduction is not allowed" is located like that, usually it would be along the bottom of each slide in a presentation so as not to interfere with any of the content. The way it is kind of screams "single fake slide".
For the record, Samsung renamed all their SoC to Exynos xxxx, even humingbird. I find this stupid, but that's how it is.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda premium
ok, thanks guys, lots to think about.
greeced said:
My whole point in this is, specs are just that... specs. The SGS II that my wife has is amazing specs wise. Its head over heals better specs wise than my SGS1.
Here's the problem though... aside from flashier graphics, a bigger screen, and a flash for the camera, its still 2.3.3. So its not a great leap for me to go to it.... its essentially the same phone if you think about it. Sure, the SGS2 will most likely get the upgrade to ICS, but when? After Jello or whatever 'J' is comes out?
The SGS3 will suffer the same fate. It will be up to Samsung to update it, not google.
The SGS3 will be a great phone, but you'll have to wait for a developer to harness its true power. Just like the SG2 and SGS1.
Whereas any nexus incarnation will have google behind it, and updated accordingly.
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I have no problem running stock AOSP Android on any SGS, so what exactly are you waiting for? You say we have to wait for Samsung, then we have to wait for a developer... but in reality, ICS will be on the SGS2 with practically no wait at all.
Please wait a few months to nexus prime. You wont regret!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
seen the specs for the galaxy nexus think the SGS II looks better
upichie said:
I have no problem running stock AOSP Android on any SGS, so what exactly are you waiting for? You say we have to wait for Samsung, then we have to wait for a developer... but in reality, ICS will be on the SGS2 with practically no wait at all.
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"Official Samsung Firmwares" are never instantaneous, at least not here in Canada they aren't.
I mean think about it. The original SGS was the flagship phone, and we had to wait a long to go to Froyo when it first came out to the rest of the world... then while the rest of the world was enjoying bug fixes inside 2.2.1, we in Canada never received a 2.2.1 update at all.
Then go over to Gingerbread. Took forever for Canada to yet again see 2.3.3. But that is where Canada is at right now.. INCLUDING THE CURRENT FLAGSHIP SGS2. The rest of the world is either enjoying 2.3.4 or 2.3.5 or 2.3.6.
Lets not even mention the blatant, "reproduceable for anyone" bugs that are in 2.3.3 but not 2.3.4 for our I9000M's... namely swype speech button not working at all on the SGS.
AOSP? You'd have to fill me in on where you're getting your roms that don't void warranty for using them. Thats not a point I care about, but many others out there do.
The SGS2 (My wifes) was released AFTER 2.3.4 came out... yet they put 2.3.3 on it. That make any sense to anyone?
Sure it makes sense.. Carrier branded or "Locked" phones get in the way of quick releases for obvious reasons, and beyond that, samsung has 10 billion different incarnations of the same device that may need tweaking here or there to the rom. Hence slowdowns.
Having said all this, Google Phones don't have that problem.... The Nexus Prime will be what? the 3rd or 4th phone released under the Nexus name? Easy to code for, find bugs and release an update.
All these specs we are seeing for the SGS 3 may or may not be real. Same goes for the Nexus Prime. We'll have to wait and see.... but to me, quick support and updates mean everything.
please correct me if im wrong but the galaxy nexus is made by samsung so wont we have the same software update waits that we get with the SGS1 and 2
No the nexus s is also Samsung but nexus phones get software straight from google.
I have had a Galaxy S for 6 months and I upgraded to a Galaxy S2 a couple of weeks ago.
On the SG1 sound over the earphones is better, battery lasts longer and... that's all.
Everything else is better on the SG2 but the true big reason to upgrade, for me, was the SG2'S 1Gb RAM. I multitask a lot and even with bigmem firmwares and GalaxyTuner task-killer tuning I had apps having to reload almost every time I switched back to them (especially when one of the ones open in the background was the browser, which was very often).
That's the big single reason to upgrade, for me, and I am VERY happy with the SG2 in this regard. This phone is a multitasking king.
Having said all of that, unless you have similar needs I wouldn't advise upgrading. Everything is better on the SG2 but not enough, IMO, to make the upgrade worth it. Wait for something which is a bigger improvement over the SG1, like the Note (not for everyone, I know, but going to be my next smartphone in 6 months or so) or the SG3.
BTW, I see the Galaxy Nexus mentioned a lot, to me it's inferior to my SG2 (NO SD CARD SLOT!?!) apart obviously from ICS, which the SG2 is going to get.
I had a play around on an SGS2, had the opportunity to upgrade from my i9000 relatively cheaply and even though I thought it was great, would have appreciated the additional RAM and more powerful CPU I didn't go for it. The audio quality was just crap compared to my SGS and half the time I listen to music on it whilst working or on the bus or whatever so music's important to me and in that sense it would have been a downgrade.
Also as a matter of personal taste I thought it was a little too big. You could get used to it but the way I see it even with my giant head and giant hands I just about get away with a 4 inch handset (which I find the ideal sort of size) and anything larger just seems a little ostentatious. Unfortunately there currently seems to be a trend towards giant phones which I'm hoping will die out soon because when I do get round to upgrading I don't want to feel like I have to walk around with some Trigger Happy TVesque giant.
Anyways, like the bloke above I think the RAM would be the biggest upgrade, multitasking and all that. I don't really see anything that really needs the dual core processor and GPU wise the SGX540 in the SGS is alright, and seeing as we don't currently get the games you do on iOS it's not like it's really getting pushed that much anyway.
Bottomline I'd say if music is important to you, stick to the SGS. If not and you're a multitasking fiend it's probably worth the upgrade if you can get a good deal.