Samsung Galaxy SII versus the iPhone 4S – battle for supremacy

Samsung Galaxy SII – the big bang
It’s ironic that Samsung decided to name their version of this energy packed android phone the Galaxy, since it somehow takes me to the big bang theory. Samsung with the advent of this product have finally breached that fine line of space-time continuum to create something truly spectacular, a galaxy that is outgrowing its own limits, an overdose of smartphone super-machine status. For me personally, not easily fascinated by the smell of capitalism and all its glitter and glamour, this phone did make me love the smell of a crisp and fresh Android morning.
My apologies for getting carried away but despite being a boy from a modest background, working miserably day in day out to make a decent living in these recessionary times – certain capitalistic creations do capture my fancy. For instance, I feel adrenalin rushing through my veins when I catch a glimpse of the 512 break horse power Lamborghini Gallardo. In the world of smartphones, this is another such creation that has all the muscle and power to qualify as a muscle machine and that too, without having to compromise on luxury. This bright star by Samsung is one mean machine and despite their prior creations, this one does not want to share the spoils with the Samsung family too. With a spec sheet that will work the adrenalin within the tech geeks and tech rookie’s like me, this product by Samsung is a beast of a droid. The ultra slim body, that will remind you of a super model, to Samsung’s own Exynos chipset, to the Super AMOLED Plus screen, this product will make you re-evaluate your relationship with your girlfriend especially since this device will be in your control, unlike your better half.

Let’s jump to the specs courtesy GSM arena

• Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support
• 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4.3” 16M-color Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen of WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution
• Android OS v2.3.3 with TouchWiz 4 launcher
• 1.2 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU, Mali-400MP GPU, Exynos chipset, 1GB of RAM
• 8 MP wide-angle lens autofocus camera with LED flash, face, smile and blink detection
• 1080p HD video recording at 30fps
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g and n support
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; Digital compass
• 16/32GB internal storage, microSD slot
• Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Charging MHL microUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p) support
• Stereo Bluetooth v3.0
• FM radio with RDS
• Great audio quality
• Extremely slim waistline at only 8.5mm and low weight (116g)
• 2MP secondary video-call camera
• Full Flash support and GPU-acceleration for the web browser permit 1080p flash video playback
• NFC support (optional, not without a software update)
• Document editor
• File manager comes preinstalled
• The richest video format support we have seen

The looks
For the rookies, I’ll jump to my conclusion. Being the hardworking lad I am, one who cannot afford three expensive mobile phones that I decided to review this week, I talked to my friends three of whom were generous enough to lend me their cellphones for a week to draw some conclusions. As far as the looks are concerned, it took me a while to get my eyes off the beauty to be able to check the rest of the product, the size some may say is slightly big and I’d have to agree with them on that, but despite the size this machine does justify the price tag accompanied with the product.

The battery time
As far as the battery time is concerned, despite the quoted 18 hours and 20 minutes of talk time and up to 710 hours of stand by in 2G networks, with 8 hours 40 minutes of calls and 610 hours of standby on 3G my numbers weren’t as perfect as the ones tried and tested in a lab. In real life, as demonstrated through my use it was able to last roughly for around 2 days with moderate to heavy use (45 minutes of browsing, going through photo’s and using the rest of the phone features daily) In continuous video playback I was genuinely surprised to get 7 hours and 35 minutes of continuous SD video playback after which the battery reached 10 per cent.

With the features packed in this product, this device does perform rather well and did not give me any problems when it came to multi tasking. The camera performance is better than some of the other phones I have used so this is rather an easy phone to recommend.

Final words
Ruthlessly powerful, having a unique one of a kind screen, that succeeds where previous dual core droids have failed. This phone very easily provides a satisfying and complete smartphone experience. Samsung somehow manages to make the monster of a smartphone feel comfortable with all the muscle packed inside this machine. As for the price in Pakistan, you will be able to find one online for Rs52,000.

Iphone 4S – a new wife that looks like your ex
Deciding on a new wife that looks exactly like your ex but promises to have some more brains than the previous model, does seem to be promising albeit a risky bet, if the brain upgrades are not offsetting your feelings for your ex by the same proportion. A lot of people have asked me this question, and while it may be too early to judge a book by its cover if the two look exactly the same, let us dwell on the latest offering by Apple and how it compares to the Galaxy SII.
As it is with all Apple fans, they just cannot resist the temptation of getting the latest offering by the brand, my boss being one of them. So, I am not in any way asking you to not listen to that inner voice that is compelling you to go for it, but maybe my review of the product will help you guide your decision. As far as the appearance goes, this one does look awfully similar to your ex save but one distinctive feature, it has a PhD degree in pleasing the Apple customer to the fullest. While it continues to be one of the best looking devices I’ve seen, the good looks hardly sheds light on the progress made on the inside of the machine. The 4S now joins the league of extraordinary dual core machines with power graphics, steroid injections to the imaging, 8 MP stills, 1080p recording and voice recognition that promises to show the rest of the voice recognition softwares in other phones a rude hand gesture. But, our aim is to help the reader decide which product he should ultimately go for, so let’s just move to a comparison between the two devices.
All in all the iPhone 4S is a completely new phone wrapped inside a familiar look. Let us look at the specs before me move to the comparison.

Key features

• iOS 5 with iCloud integration
• Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support with 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• Dual-band CDMA and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO support
• 3.5” 16M-color LED-backlit IPS TFT capacitive touchscreen of 640 x 960 px resolution
• Scratch-resistant glass front and rear, with fingerprint-resistant coating
• 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU, PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU, Apple A5 SoC
• 512MB of RAM
• Voice recognition, Siri virtual assistant
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and touch focus
• 1080p video recording at 30fps
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotpsot
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; digital compass
• 16/32/64GB storage options
• Accelerometer, proximity sensor and a three-axis gyro sensor
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated secondary microphone
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack, stereo Bluetooth v4.0
• Excellent audio quality
• Slim waistline at only 9.3mm
• Secondary front-facing VGA camera
• Built-in Picture and Video editors
• Rich AppStore
• New antenna design and improved signal reception in poor signal areas

As far as the design of the two products is concerned, it is all a matter of taste and preferences. Some people like big, heavy rugged devices while others prefer sleek and elegant ones. As for the Samsung, it’s hardly tiny but it is sleek at 8.49mm. As for the size, well if you want a big screen, then Samsung offers a 4.3 inch display. The iPhone is smaller than the Galaxy, but not as thin or sleek. In terms of looks though, I’d hand it down to the iPhone 4S.

Display
The Samsung has for a long time enjoyed having one of the best displays in the industry until the advent of the iPhone 4S. The Samsung Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen offers 800 X 400 resolution, while the iPhone 4S offers 960 X 640. This however does not in any way imply that the Samsung screen is outdated or not good anymore. The Samsung offers beautiful colours that don’t fade when you look at the screen from an angle. Comparing with the iPhone though, the latter’s screen is even brighter mainly due to the higher resolution even though it fades slightly under direct sunlight. The only drawback with iPhone is that with the higher resolution the old icons seem grainy on such a clear display. The winner though by a small margin, in this case is the iPhone.

Processor
When it comes to fast web browsing without delays, the Samsung Galaxy S2 has all the armour to provide you with one of the best browsing experience. Since 3G technology is not yet available in Pakistan, web browsing is also exceptionally fast on the traditional Wi-Fi networks. With this product you won’t have to face any problems loading or playing heavy games. The iPhone is also very fast, much faster than its predecessor, the iPhone 4, however in this case it does yield to the superiority of Galaxy S2’s CPU in terms of performance.

Camera
As far as the camera performance is concerned, the iPhone 4S’s 8MP camera also comes with a CMOS illuminated sensor which is 73 percent more effective and 30 per cent faster than before. It also shoots 1080p HD videos. The secondary camera of the Samsung at 2mp compared to the VGA iPhone camera is better than the latters, though that doesn’t play a big role here. It would be fair to call it a draw as far as the camera performance is concerned.

Platform
The gingerbread accompanied with the Samsung is one of the most popular software currently being used, however an update in the form of the Ice Cream Sandwich has arrived and Samsung has promised to offer this new update from the first quarter of 2012 in it’s phone. Since I haven’t used it, I am not in a position to comment. However, comparing the Gingerbread with the iPhone iOS software, the iPhone easily takes the win.

The verdict
Both the phones have their own niche and have areas where they outperform the other. At the end though, it will depend on the user. If you are an Apple enthusiast with the cash to spare then obviously the iPhone 4S is a great device to go by, however if you’re cash strapped and want to have a great smartphone experience, the Samsung Galaxy SII is the best choice on the shelf.
Price: You will be able to find one for around Rs68 to 70k online.

The writer is News Editor, Profit. For comments and queries: [email protected]