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Can the SGS2 still hold its own?

R

Retroglide

Newbie
My iPhone 4 contract ends this Saturday and I'm pretty sure I'm going to choose the SGS2. Although, on the back of the Galaxy Nexus and Motorola Razr being announced I was wondering if the SGS2 can still compete against these latest handsets announced.
On paper the SGS2 specs still look really good, and I'm hoping that perhaps ICS might be released for the SGS2 and that it's powerful enough to run it. I'm only going to have a 12 month contract anyway, so I have the option to change again soon enough this time next year?
I like the fact that the SGS2 has been out for 6 or so months and that perhaps its creases have been ironed out. That's the good thing with iPhone, you seem to know that it's that handset and that it's gonna be aBout for 12-18 months and it also runs its latest OS.

So, Samsung Galaxy S2, is it still a worthy contender :confused:
 
Retroglide said:
My iPhone 4 contract ends this Saturday and I'm pretty sure I'm going to choose the SGS2. Although, on the back of the Galaxy Nexus and Motorola Razr being announced I was wondering if the SGS2 can still compete against these latest handsets announced.
On paper the SGS2 specs still look really good, and I'm hoping that perhaps ICS might be released for the SGS2 and that it's powerful enough to run it. I'm only going to have a 12 month contract anyway, so I have the option to change again soon enough this time next year?
I like the fact that the SGS2 has been out for 6 or so months and that perhaps its creases have been ironed out. That's the good thing with iPhone, you seem to know that it's that handset and that it's gonna be aBout for 12-18 months and it also runs its latest OS.

So, Samsung Galaxy S2, is it still a worthy contender :confused:
Click to expand...

I don't see why not. In terms of specs and screen, its IMHO still the best out there. Better than IPhone 4s. Of course, SGS3 and IPhone 5 would likely be out by middle of next year. Don't know bout Galaxy Nexus too much, but I doubt Motorola can come out with something as good.

Cheers
 
SGS2 is still the best phone on the market so take it without doubt. But u can give a go to new Nexus. Spec looks interesting and there will be android 4.0 :)

Key features of the new Nexus are:

Dimensions: 135.5 x 67.94 x 8.94 mm
weight: 135 g
dual-core processor with a frequency of 1.2 GHz
GPU: PowerVR SGX540
1 GB of RAM
16 or 32 GB flash memory
touch screen 4.65 inches
screen resolution: 1280 x 720 pixels
screen type: HD AMOLED Supra
digital camera 5 megapixel
LED light
ability to record video in 1080p (30 frames per second)
Web Camera 1.3 megapixel
802.11b/g/n wireless controller
Bluetooth 3.0
accelerometer
gyroscope
light sensor
digital compass
GPS
NFC support
battery with a capacity of 1750 mAh
support for HSPA + (21 Mb / s) and LTE (optional, in selected countries)
 
Yup, if you looked at basic specs 1.2ghz dual core processor/1GB ram/16GB flash/8mp cam/1080p video then the Galaxy is comparable.
I think I'll give that a go. I'm a bit worried the Nexus might be a bit too big screen wise although it's a beauty of a display.

Thanks for replying
 
If you're going to update it make sure you do it early because from what I hear, a lot of things change, some things are added, some things go missing, and that doesn't sound fun to someone like me who is comfy with it as is.

It's a good phone, I just hope you don't get one with a burnt pixel or doesn't charge or something, a bit of that going around, but alas that is a few thousand complaints from the 10million+ they've sold.

edit: I just looked, and the Galaxy Nexus has nothing on the S2, you can get the nex for it's bigger res but it's then a bigger phone in your hand.
 
Android ice cream sandwich is gpu-accelerated, so in theory it should be faster than gingerbread on any phone that has a separate gpu (of which the sgs2 is one of). Google has been quoted as saying ics is coming to all gingerbread handsets although I'm not sure how much truth there is to that


Going by specs alone I'd say the only meaningful upgrade is the HD screen on the galaxy nexus, but why don't you do things the old fashioned way and try playing with both to see which you prefer?

If you did choose the sgs2, it can definitely still hold its own even if it's no longer the king :)
 
Nexus only have 2 advantages imo. Bigger screen (which is not an advantage for people with smaller hands) with higher resolution and newer OS.

Knowing the crowd who are into SGS2, I think it is a matter of time before ICS gets into SGS2. (might be custom rom though, not sure if you are comfortable fiddling with your phone since u were from iphone).

The disadvantage of Nexus is the camera. I don't understand why at this time when 8M is what high end phones have, it goes for a 5M camera...
 
lobo76 said:
Nexus only have 2 advantages imo. Bigger screen (which is not an advantage for people with smaller hands) with higher resolution and newer OS.

Knowing the crowd who are into SGS2, I think it is a matter of time before ICS gets into SGS2. (might be custom rom though, not sure if you are comfortable fiddling with your phone since u were from iphone).

The disadvantage of Nexus is the camera. I don't understand why at this time when 8M is what high end phones have, it goes for a 5M camera...
Click to expand...

Dont confuse megapixels with quality ;)

The Nexus prime does look like the daddy, but tbh the only thing it has over the GS2 is the screen. Size wise id say they will be similar or same, there are no buttons after all so the extra screen just takes their place.

Like said, go and have a play with both, I think if I got the choice now id probably go Nexus Prime... I have the GS2 BTW and its a really nice phone. Just a shame im on Orange so will no doubt get a ****ed up version of ICS months after the rest, unless I go down custom rom route, which ICS might force me to do.
 
Galaxy nexus has the same GPU as the SGS1, so in theory the SGS2 should be slightly quicker/smoother when it gets ICS.
I was pretty shocked to see the nexus using this GPU, it was released in 2007! I would have expected them to at leat be on par with the Iphone 4S using the SGX543.
 
The nexus have wonderful specs. But it does seem odd to have only a 5MP camera. It has a bigger screen with bigger resolution and you would think they would want to take advantage of that to get a very good camera.

For me, the only thing about Nexus would be the screen and the fact that it is using Android 4.0 :D

But somehow deep in my heart, would still go for the SGS2. Besides, if the phone is any bigger, it would be a little clumsy. Unless they manage to fit into the same size as SGS2 and make the screen take up the whole front face of the phone to get that 4.7 inch.

HEHE
 
Of course it's still "a contender". If nothing else it will be far better value than a handset fresh on the market with a premium price. :)

As for the "only a 5MP camera" argument.... I've got 16x12 prints hung on my wall that were taken with a 4MP compact. The number of 'pixels' (or more correctly photo cells) in a sensor is not a reliable guide to image quality.
 
well i think its already been said, but the SGS2 is definitely right up there with the best, and its gonna be there until we see an upgrade of itself, the SGS3 :D and probably iphone 5, although thats later i guess. it definitely stands right up there with the galaxy nexus and the droid razr, and in size, ive said it before, 4.3inch is as large as im ever gonna feel comfortable with, even if the overall size of the galaxy nexus isnt that much larger, its still bigger.. and as slug mentioned, its gonna be great value as its about 6 months old now, and the price is down, although the spec is right up there
 
Also don't forget the SG2 has an amazing support base etc as you can see here and on Xda

That is always the issue with getting a new release phone

And once Xda bring ICS ot the S2 that is going to give the S2 a new life and boost
 
According to these benchmarks, the SGSII blows the Nexus, and other handsets, out of the water... even though it's running Gingerbread.... on half the benchmarks.

The article goes on to say, that ICS will improve the SGSII's performance by 30-40% which means that it is the clear winner.

See here:-

Samsung Galaxy Nexus benchmarked, shows much improved browser performance in Ice Cream Sandwich

Added to this is the news that the Ice Cream Sandwich code is to be released soon and things are looking even better for the SGSII.

Ice Cream Sandwich Source Code Will Be Released Soon

:D
 
In my previous post I forgot to mention that the Galaxy Nexus has NFC which is obviously a great technology, but I hear that SIM cards will be coming out with NFC functionality soon :D

Read : MasterCard embeds NFC technology into SIM cards | T3

The Galaxy Nexus' only benefit seems to be the HD screen, and of course the fact that it is pure Android and will be supported for longer than other devices.
 
Russell Ng said:
The nexus have wonderful specs. But it does seem odd to have only a 5MP camera. It has a bigger screen with bigger resolution and you would think they would want to take advantage of that to get a very good camera.
Click to expand...

Come on man, you don't honestly believe that a 5mp camera can't take take better pictures than a 8mp camera, do you?

I have the camera on my s2 set to take pictures at 6.2mp. Do you think the pictures at this resolution are worse than the ones I take with the s2 at 8mp? Of course not, they just have fewer pixels, which doesn't matter a damn unless you're gonna be printing big posters.
 
lutin said:
Come on man, you don't honestly believe that a 5mp camera can't take take better pictures than a 8mp camera, do you?

I have the camera on my s2 set to take pictures at 6.2mp. Do you think the pictures at this resolution are worse than the ones I take with the s2 at 8mp? Of course not, they just have fewer pixels, which doesn't matter a damn unless you're gonna be printing big posters.
Click to expand...

Yeah... for anyone who doubts what lutin is saying google the "megapixel myth."

Megapixels mean jack s**t.
 
lutin said:
Come on man, you don't honestly believe that a 5mp camera can't take take better pictures than a 8mp camera, do you?

I have the camera on my s2 set to take pictures at 6.2mp. Do you think the pictures at this resolution are worse than the ones I take with the s2 at 8mp? Of course not, they just have fewer pixels, which doesn't matter a damn unless you're gonna be printing big posters.
Click to expand...

matttye said:
Yeah... for anyone who doubts what lutin is saying google the "megapixel myth."

Megapixels mean jack s**t.
Click to expand...

Megapixels are a very small part in the equation of taking digital pictures. I have two Nikon DSLR's that have the same resolution but one takes better pics due to the size of the sensor.


I'm still liking the SGS2 and have a feeling that's gonna be my choice.
 
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