The Samsung Galaxy S 2 was properly unveiled at MWC 2011 this week, although we’d been getting glimpses of it for a while. There’s a lot that’s changed between the Galaxy S and the Galaxy S 2, but when your contract comes up, will it be worth trading up for the newer, probably more expensive handset? We’ve pitted the Samsung Galaxy S against the Samsung Galaxy S 2, to see if the S 2 really is the best bet for your buck.
Screen
The screen on the Samsung Galaxy S 2 is has a WVGA 4.3-inch super AMOLED Plus display, which is bigger than the Galaxy S, and eye-poppingly bright, so much so that we reckon it could put up some stiff competition to the iPhone 4. The 4-inch super AMOLED on the Samsung Galaxy S will be floored by the Samsung Galaxy S 2, despite being plenty bright enough itself.
Processor
The Samsung Galaxy S 2 has a 1GHz dual core processor, which will floor the 1GHz processor in the Samsung Galaxy S. In our brief time with the Galaxy S 2 we found it to be pretty damned swift. Everything we threw at the Samsung Galaxy S 2 simply flew: menus, web pages, and Flash video were all smooth and fluid.
What we didn’t like so much was the new hubs on the Galaxy S 2. These are collections of apps and games, designed to make it easy to find what you’re looking for. while we were not using a final build, all but one crashed. Let’s hope this gets sorted before it ships. The Samsung Galaxy S on the other hand, uses one of the company’s own 1GHz processors, and while clockspeeds aren’t anything to shout about, Android runs smoothly and speedily on it.
Operating system
The Samsung Galaxy S 2 comes with Android Gingerbread, with Samsung’s TouchWiz wallpapered on top. If you’re a fan of Android pure and simple, then it might be an annoyance, but when we got our hands on the Samsung Galaxy S 2 it didn’t seem to slow down the phone. TouchWiz lets you add contact shortcuts to the homescreen, changes the way app menus scroll, and comes with a few exclusive homescreen widgets.
The big benefit of the Samsung Galaxy S 2 though is the newer iteration of Android that will be pre-loaded. The Samsung Galaxy S is on Froyo, and the amount of time it takes for networks to turn around OS upgrades means that if you plump for the Galaxy S, you could be waiting a long time for that Gingerbread upgrade.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S has a fairly standard 5Mp camera, with HD video recording. The Samsung Galaxy S 2 ups the ante on its predecessor, with an 8MP camera with autofocus, LED flash, plus a 2MP front facing camera for video calling, which should give you a pretty crisp video image when using Skype on a decent connection.
Body
The Samsung Galaxy S 2 is slimmer, and boxier than the Samsung Galaxy S. This next gen has that extra little bit of screen expanse in the Samsung Galaxy S 2 as well. The Galaxy S 2 is light as a feather in the hand, and slimmer, so much so that one tech journo was heard complaining that it was “too light” and felt a little fragile.
Extras
One thing to note, as well as the above, is that Samsung Galaxy S 2 is stepping up to the plate with the Google Nexus S and will come pre-loaded with NFC tech (although you can choose to do without it).
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S 2 is a better looking smartphone than its predecessor. It’s not just in looks that the Samsung Galaxy S 2 wins either. The processor is faster, you’ll get a better, newer version of Android sooner, and the screen is a step up from the Galaxy S. There’s almost no reason to go for the Samsung Galaxy S over the Galaxy S 2, unless price is your only criteria.
