Samsung has taken the top spot for smartphone sales worldwide, and in the process toppled Apple from the top spot. They've achieved this by selling over 23 million units in the third quarter for the first time ever, fueled by the phone maker's impressive Galaxy S2 - but many analysts predict that as soon Apple's iPhone 4S sales kick in they will wrestle the top spot off the Korean Electronics giant.
With Samsung occupying the top-spot we thought we'd run a good ol' fashioned face-off, the best of the best, pitting the Samsung Galaxy S2 vs Apple's iPhone 4S - we'll look at build quality, screen, processor and camera. And we’ll try give you a fair and balanced appraisal on which phone is the best.
iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S2: Build Quality
As soon as you hold the Samsung Galaxy S2 you realise it can't compete with the solidity and build quality of the iPhone 4S or any other iPhone for that matter. But, with this flimsiness you do get some advantages as its incredible light and very thin. Although, this doesn't warrant the cheap overall feel of the phone. The S2 weights just 116grams and measures 8.49mm. It's so lightweight that it actually feels flimsy and we'd rather it was a little chunkier if it had a better build quality.
The iPhone 4s on the other hand is the best phone on the market when it comes to build quality, sure its not as light or as thin, but this actually adds to a more premium feel. While it's the same form factor as iPhone 4, it's that old cliché: if it’s not broke don't fix it. But, we do expect Apple to completely overall the look and feel for the iPhone 5 and it will likely be even better. So Samsung will have to work on making the S2 build quality better with the next iteration.
iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S2: Screen
The real highlight of the Samsung Galaxy S2 is the 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen. Colours are eye-piercingly bright, viewing angles are incredible and it's one of the only handsets that can be viewed in bright direct sunlight. The increased screen size trumps the now small iPhone 4S screen for us. When you're playing back HD movies details are incredibly sharp and fast-action is buttery smooth. We found that whites aren't quite as refined or bright as those on the iPhone 4S, but, blacks do seem darker and colours are bolder and warmer.
The iPhone 4S comes with Apple's Retina display which is the same screen found in the iPhone 4 - Apple clearly feels that it can't really improve the screen in its current 3.7-inch size - it comes with a 960x640p resolution and 800:1 contrast ratio. The Retina display is a joy to view and use, but ultimately falls short of Samsung's effort due to the fact that it's just too small and isn’t that great in direct sunlight. There’s no doubt that both screens are amazing - but ultimately it comes down to traditional cave-man instincts: if it’s bigger, it's better.
iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S2: Processor"¨"¨
Samsung Galaxy S2 is blistering faster, it has a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor and whether you’re browsing the web, or playing games is so fast you’ll wonder how you ever survived with single-core phone. We've tested both phones and the extra horsepower means the S2 loads websites quicker than the iPhone 4S - and it's even more impressive as the phone has to load Flash elements, which the iPhone leaves blank due the it lack of Flash compatibility.
One of the major changes for the iPhone 4S compared to the 4 is the new dual-core A5 processor - it equates to a CPU that's twice as fast as the original iPhone 4 and, according to Apple, is 7 times faster when it comes to processing graphics - meaning any game or app that you use on the iPhone 4S will run at insane speeds.
iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S2: Camera
The S2 boasts a camera that has the same megapixels as the iPhone 4S - but those you who know your megapixels from your shutter speeds will understand its not that simple. The S2 does a sterling job at controlling picture noise and colours are bright and natural. The S2 shoots HD video at 720p and 1080p at 30fps and results are incredible; it's smooth, sharp and makes this handset a brilliant video recorder.
The iPhone 4S also boasts an 8 megapixel sensor. But it now has improved light and lenses sensors which make a dramatic difference, it gets 73% more light than the iPhone 4 sensor, and is 1/3rd faster. On top of that, there's a high-end IR filter mean the camera has greater accuracy and uniformity. The new lens makes pictures 30 percent sharper and increases the shutter speed by 30%. Finally, there's the ability to shoot 1080p HD video at 30 fps.
iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S2: Verdict
It’s hard for us to choose which phone is best, the iPhone 4S has a far superior build quality and, now, the camera can compete with the Samsung’s camera. But, the S2 has a far superior screen and is much faster when loading websites and apps. We’d have to call it a draw with regards to hardware, and therefore it would come down to which has the best software, and for us it’s iOS over Android every time. But, if someone gave us a S2 we’d be more than happy to have it as our personal mobile, but, ultimately if we look at the complete package we’d have to award top spot in this face-off to Apple’s iPhone 4S – it’s an incredibly close call and they’re both amazing handsets and are well worth your hard earned money.
4 thoughts on “Gaj-it Face-off: iPhone 4S VS Samsung Galaxy S2”
I had the i phone and now have the s2 .and it wins hand down.apple is finished HOPEFULLY
It such a tough call, but when you consider Siri and the other great apps on iOS – it has to be the 4S. But, hardware-wise there’s almost nothing in them, if you could have iOS on a 4.3-inch AMOLED screen then that what be amazing. Hopefully Apple will make the 5 a little bigger, 3.7-inches just does cut it these days.
i have the s2 gr8 phone, my kids have the iphone4s, both are about the same but samsumgs kies is total crap. I had to download an itunes app to get music on my phone. Still hate apple they are all about the money.
If we didn’t know any better we could be forgiving for thinking that the above review was a little apple biased. especially as you seemed to award most of the positives to the s2 then right until the end you change it around. seemed an unusual review.