T-Mobile One S or Galaxy S II

[Hustletron]

I broke my Galaxy Nexus on VZW and generally don't like Verizon's changes so I am seriously considering switching to TMo where my plan will be slightly less a month, I was set on the SGS2 but hadn't even realized the One S was out on TMo in the states till now so I am debating with myself.

I'm aware of the spec differences but both will get me away from my back up Fascinate which is terribly slow and the keyboard sucks and keys don't register half the time to where I have to turn the screen on and off.

I've watched videos of reviews and been to both boards to see the complaints, pros/cons, battery life, rooting, etc but still am on the fence.

I'm leaning towards the One S for the shear fact that ICS is already on it and if what I was reading was correct, you still have to flash the SGS2 with ICS if you want it on there, I also chose to post in this board since the One S is newer.

I noticed the screen on the SGS2 is more vivid for obvious reasons, than the One S.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated especially if anyone has had both phones.

 

[Mama Luigi]

I don't have both phones, but I did just upgrade from a Sprint Galaxy S (Epic) to the One S on T-Mobile.

First off, the One S is a great phone. It's super fast and smooth at everything. I switched not because I was unhappy with my Epic but because I was unhappy with Sprint's slow and expensive service. So I'm surprised at how much of an improvement it is. The network is a lot better for me too - I live in a city so I get good T-Mobile coverage, and the speed is about twice as fast as Sprint's Wimax and about 40x faster than Sprint 3G (yes, 40x, 12 Mbps vs. 0.3 Mbps).

There are several advantages the One S has over the Galaxy S II. For one, although the screen is a bit smaller, it's also higher resolution. The SGS2's screen is only 480x800, same res as the original Galaxy S, just spread out over a larger area. I much prefer the sharper, higher res 540x960 screen. The One S also has a better stock, out of the box experience. Sense 4.0 is actually very good and usable on a daily basis, whereas the first thing you'll want to do upon getting a TouchWiz-infested SGS2 is install a custom rom.

That's one thing where the SGS2 is superior, though. It's more easily modded. Samsung has always been one of the best companies for making their phones easy to work on. With the HTC, you have to register an account at HTC's dev site and wipe your phone in order to unlock the bootloader and root it. On the SGS2, the bootloader is already unlocked and rooting is a simple process. And because the SGS2 is older, there are more good, stable roms to choose from.

Other advantages of the SGS2 include a removable battery and an SD card slot. HTC doesn't provide any expandable storage for the One S, so you just have to make do with the internal storage (about 10GB out of 16GB total is available to you).

Lastly, there is an issue that some people have been complaining about regarding multitasking on the One S. None of the reviewers seem to bring it up but plenty of regular users have noticed it. Basically, the built in kernel on the One S is very aggressive about killing background processes. If you switch between your browser and another app over and over, there's a good chance it'll kill the browser every time you switch away from it, causing it to reload the page each time. If you have information partially filled out in a form or something, you'll lose it.

Personally, it hasn't affected me much. It doesn't kill music apps playing in the background or anything. And it is usually able to restore you back to where you were in the app, even if it has to reload the app. But it is something to keep in mind.

 

[Hustletron]

Thanks for your reply! I didn't take into account the rooting part, I rooted my EVO when I had it and my Fascinate is rooted and I haven't kept up with the root method for HTC devices and their locked bootloaders.

The lack of storage is discouraging but not near as much as the fact that I cannot pull the battery. What is the suggested method of recovery when the phone freezes?

EDIT: Found an answer to my question over at XDA, I'm leaning more towards the One S just based on newer tech and craigslist in my area is pretty slow as far as phones. Thanks again!

 

[agentc13]

The lack of storage is discouraging but not near as much as the fact that I cannot pull the battery. What is the suggested method of recovery when the phone freezes?

You just hold the power button down for about 10 seconds and it does the same as pulling the battery.

 

[Humphrey]

I'm also having this issue/question

I'm buying a new phone this weekend and not really sure what phone would be best.

I've read all the reviews and watched all the YouTube videos.

Would you recommend buying an SGS2, although it's a year old? I love almost everything about the phone, but am weary to buy a phone that will quickly lose support.

However, the HTC One S, along with the obvious removable parts issue, also has a wi-fi calling issue, which if unfixed, renders the phone almost useless in my apartment.

Would love some suggestions. Do you think the SGS2 will continue to be sold over the years, and updated accordingly?

Do you think HTC will fix the wi-fi calling issue, although they've already sent out a fix for it that didn't work?

Thanks to anyone who replies!

 

[agentc13]

However, the HTC One S, along with the obvious removable parts issue, also has a wi-fi calling issue, which if unfixed, renders the phone almost useless in my apartment.

I don't have any issues with my wi-fi calling. It works great.

I can't speak for your questions about the SGS2 since I have no personal experience with it.

 

[Humphrey]

Thanks for the reply!

 

[iPlod]

Can I ask what phone did you choose in the end?

I'm also weighing up choosing between these two - i'm more inclined by the One S as the neither the storage or battery is an issue for me.

My only request is a well built phone which will keep me entertained for 2-3 years until I buy another