Is anyone considering the Samsung Galaxy SII instead?

[jsntrenkler]

I am thinking about the Galaxy S2 for a number of reasons, first the screen size is fantastic, second the Maps app in Android smokes the iOS Version, I love being able to get turn by turn navigation after simply making a search. Google Voice integration is fantastic on android however battery life and overall stability are not. I am hoping that the next iPhone has a 4.3 inch display which is my main complaint as my fingers are just too big for the iPhone 4.

 

[Raptor007]

New iPhone 5 32GB White.

 

[DrewBear]

Apologies for veering slightly off topic. I'm curious about the Samsung/Google event Oct. 11th. Does a new Android version go through multiple betas like iOS does? In other words, will that event just show ICS beta 1 or will Samsung unveil the Nexus Prime with the latest Gingerbread version?

 

[melwan]

I tried THE android phone in the past, Nexus One, and I'm never repeating this mistake again. Right now this phone might be the hit. Wait couple months and when something better comes out, you will be begging for any sight of Android upgrade. Never thought it would happen to Google's Nexus One, but as soon as Nexus S was out, it was like if the Nexus One never existed!

This favoritism is what will keep me away from Android. Never again.

Besides, when it comes to hardware manufacturing, nothing even comes close to the iPhone. Who would've thought that THE Google phone would have skin-tearing-off and light-escaping-from-edges issues?

 

[GibMcFragger]

I have tried a couple of the latest and greatest Android phones in the past and although the hardware may have been bleeding edge.....the software pales in comparison to iOS in terms of stability, etc.

Sure, you can tweak it and flash custom ROMs to make it better, but you HAVE TO or it's laggy and full of bloat.


Beamed over the interwebz from my iPhone 4 on iOS 5 b7 using Tapatalk.

 

[jsntrenkler]

Apologies for veering slightly off topic. I'm curious about the Samsung/Google event Oct. 11th. Does a new Android version go through multiple betas like iOS does? In other words, will that event just show ICS beta 1 or will Samsung unveil the Nexus Prime with the latest Gingerbread version?

They will likely introduce the nexus prime. Don't know if they will have AT&T 3G : 4G bands.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jellotime91]

I tried THE android phone in the past, Nexus One, and I'm never repeating this mistake again. Right now this phone might be the hit. Wait couple months and when something better comes out, you will be begging for any sight of Android upgrade. Never thought it would happen to Google's Nexus One, but as soon as Nexus S was out, it was like if the Nexus One never existed!

This favoritism is what will keep me away from Android. Never again.

Besides, when it comes to hardware manufacturing, nothing even comes close to the iPhone. Who would've thought that THE Google phone would have skin-tearing-off and light-escaping-from-edges issues?

100% Agree with you. And it happens with every crop of Android phones. What makes it even worse is that updates can be blocked by carriers as well, so even if the Android update for the Kyocera whatever is finished, it will be up to the carrier to decide if they want to give it to their customers.

The carrier, the greediest being in this industry, decides whether or not to give their customers free added functionality for their 6 month old device. What do you think the outcome of that decision will be??? Seems pretty damn obvious.

 

[ghostface147]

Our on call phone was upgraded to a Nexus S and I have to say I am very happy with that phone. Fast, stable......I'd get it in no time. My dad, who isn't a techie at all, was thoroughly impressed with Swype. He was amazed how accurate it was in spanish.

Of course he doesn't text anyone, so I am curious on why he was adamant about spanish swype.

 

[tmadsen]

I currently have an Evo, and I just upgraded to Gingerbread from Froyo. I really love my phone, haven't had any issues with it. I love using Swype, which I wish the iPhone would let you use too. I like the widgets that I use regularly, like being able to turn on/off my wifi, bluetooth, 4G and GPS with just a tap from one of my home pages. There is a lot to love about Android, and my phone has always been stable. I really love the iPhone too. It has its own advantages as well. My only wishes/wants on an iPhone are a bigger screen (you never know how great it is until you use one regularly) and Swype, which I'm not holding my breath for. I'm anxious to see if the next one to be announced is worth using my early upgrade for, or if I will just wait and get an iPad.

My husband has the Epic 4G and really seems to like it too. He's on his phone all day for work, and doesn't seem to have any issues with anything but his battery, but like I said, he's on his phone all day, so it's not surprising. iPhone wins for battery life, hands down.

 

[DrewBear]

I love using Swype, which I wish the iPhone would let you use too.

There was an iOS app called ShapeWriter 2-3 yrs. ago that worked like Swype. It was bought by Nuance and pulled from the market. Unfortunately, my installed version stopped working when I upgraded to iOS 4. I loved using that for text entry, but I think the upcoming Siri/Nuance voice features in iOS 5 are going to be a better way to enter text in most cases.

 

[tmadsen]

I could get on board with that. I wish Tuesday would just get here already! And I hope the speculative mock-ups are fairly accurate, because that will be one bad device, and I'll jump the Android ship.

 

[mike5]

My friend has the s2 and the battery life on it is terrible. Charging it over night is fine with me with the iPhone but he's charging it at lunchtime & sometimes teatime. That for me is a big no, iPhone 5 (or 4s) please

This is a poll from an S II site. Not scientific & I got rid of decimals Pretty good sample size, though:


View Poll Results: What's your approximate SGS II battery life? Voters 2445.

-Less 6 than hours (Heavy use) 17%
-Less than 12 hours (Heavy use) 14%
-Less than 12 hours (Moderate use) 21%
-More than 12 hours 11%
-18 to 24 hours 20%
-Over 24 hours use 5%
-Over 1 and 1/2 days 6%
-Over 48 hours 2%
-Over 2 and half days 1%
-Three or more days (72 hours+) 2%

Galaxy S II Owners: Whats your battery life like? - View Poll Results

 

[buci1er]

The question that's been plaguing my mind all day is; If the iPhone isn't in fact a "decent" upgrade, do techies jump ship and buy a SGSII?

The reason I think the answer is yes is because most techies are typically "spec whores." The SGSII gives us something to look forward to in the Android world. A world where the next generation Android phones perform as seamless as an iOS device.

This brings me to my thoughts, an EPIC battle between iOS and Android coming in the near future. That will be hard fought with more and more convenience based technologies hitting the market. I would probably wager that in about a year and half or so you'll see less Android devices hitting the market(quantity wise). This will allow the manufacturers to be more concerned with quality. Apple will always build a quality device, not just because they can, but because they want to. Apple wants you to feel like you're holding the only device worth a crap...as if it were the holy grail to the mobile phone community......



We'll have to wait and see.....just thinking out loud I guess....

 

[Caballera]

I'm getting an iPhone 5 unless something happens and it's just an awful smartphone (ie not as good as the iPhone 4 other then speed). However I am planning on getting the next Nexus phone if it comes to AT&T as I need one for development. However the iPhone would be my main phone and the one I would always have on me.

I love my iPhone, I had the 3GS up until about 4 months ago when I bought a 4 from a co-worker. It's great and does everything I need it to do. Also it's stable as hell, I've never had a problem with it. I do have an old Android phone, MyTouch 3G, that I got about 2 years ago, it's crap. Plus a number of people that I work with all use Android however they jailbreak and don't mind dealing with that headache of going through unstable ROMs, updating ROMs all the time and dealing with bad battery life. My iPhone easily last 2 or more days of use. I just want a smartphone that works consistently and that I don't have to fiddle with constantly.

One friend that has a HTC Inspire is rather disappointed with Android as the damn thing is locked down pretty good that he's unable to use Dropbox, also can't side load apps. So now he's got to deal with unlocking or rooting or whatever it's called, which is something he really doesn't want to do. However he purchased the phone as it was a 'deal' at Best Buy.

 

[Pimp Lucious]

I tried THE android phone in the past, Nexus One, and I'm never repeating this mistake again. Right now this phone might be the hit. Wait couple months and when something better comes out, you will be begging for any sight of Android upgrade. Never thought it would happen to Google's Nexus One, but as soon as Nexus S was out, it was like if the Nexus One never existed!

This favoritism is what will keep me away from Android. Never again.

Besides, when it comes to hardware manufacturing, nothing even comes close to the iPhone. Who would've thought that THE Google phone would have skin-tearing-off and light-escaping-from-edges issues?

Both the Nexus one and Nexus S are running 2.3.6. So the Nexus S gets the updates a little earlier now because it is the dev phone. Is that really an issue? The Nexus one came out in 2009 and it is still being fully supported. As far as the harware, the iPhone still has proximity issues and antenna issues, so let's be honest here.

Anyhow, the Sprint Galaxy SII is an absolutely beautiful phone all the way around. If it weren't for the fact that I won't go without LTE on a phone now, I would be using it right now. Luckily the Nexus "Prime" should have me covered soon. Can't wait to see what Google announces here on the 10th.

 

[DrewBear]

Both the Nexus one and Nexus S are running 2.3.6. So the Nexus S gets the updates a little earlier now because it is the dev phone. Is that really an issue?

I think the point that was being made was that only the Nexus line and a select few other phones get timely Android updates. The original Moto Droid also came out in late-2009 and it's stuck on Froyo unless you're tech savvy enough to hack the phone. I actually don't think it's an issue for the average consumer. But people are now beginning to understand that the OS greatly affects the useability & functionality of the phone.

As far as the harware, the iPhone still has proximity issues and antenna issues, so let's be honest here.

These may be "issues" for you and a small minority of users, but it clearly is not an issue for what will probably be over 60 million people who've bought iPhone 4s in the past 15 months OR the people around the world who will continue to buy the iP4 (less RAM, lower price) that will be sold in the following 12 months.

Anyhow, the Sprint Galaxy SII is an absolutely beautiful phone all the way around. If it weren't for the fact that I won't go without LTE on a phone now, I would be using it right now. Luckily the Nexus "Prime" should have me covered soon. Can't wait to see what Google announces here on the 10th.

I've been saying that it's a great time to be a buyer of smartphones. So many great choices! The Samsung/Google event is Oct. 11th. Hardware-wise I doubt the Prime will be much better than the S2. Ice Cream Sandwich is the critical component. It'll be interesting to see what new features are introduced.

 

[Pimp Lucious]

I think the point that was being made was that only the Nexus line and a select few other phones get timely Android updates. The original Moto Droid also came out in late-2009 and it's stuck on Froyo unless you're tech savvy enough to hack the phone. I actually don't think it's an issue for the average consumer. But people are now beginning to understand that the OS greatly affects the useability & functionality of the phone.

This may be true, but you also have to admit that although Apple updates its iPhones for about 3 years, the older phones get stripped down functionality. At the same time, much of the functionality of Android comes by way of Google apps, so even if a phones is still running Froyo, it is getting updates to core functionality via updated Google apps. All things considered, the two situations even out. Ask someone to point out what they missing in Froyo that is found in Gingerbread, and most won't even be able to tell you.

These may be "issues" for you and a small minority of users, but it clearly is not an issue for what will probably be over 60 million people who've bought iPhone 4s in the past 15 months OR the people around the world who will continue to buy the iP4 (less RAM, lower price) that will be sold in the following 12 months.

You can apply the same thing to issue highlighted on Android phones. The fact that even in the face of the greatness that was the iPhone 4, Android phones have continued to outsell iOS phone by a large margin. The last Neilsen report had it at almost 2/1 over the last quarter. Numbers that large include a very large number of repeat Android buyers. So clearly the Android phone issues aren't an issue for the overwhelming majority of buyers.


I'm in no way trying to make an argument of this one being better than than one, I'm just highlighting that both have their own set of issues.

 

[Jellotime91]

This may be true, but you also have to admit that although Apple updates its iPhones for about 3 years, the older phones get stripped down functionality. At the same time, much of the functionality of Android comes by way of Google apps, so even if a phones is still running Froyo, it is getting updates to core functionality via updated Google apps. All things considered, the two situations even out. Ask someone to point out what they missing in Froyo that is found in Gingerbread, and most won't even be able to tell you.

You can apply the same thing to issue highlighted on Android phones. The fact that even in the face of the greatness that was the iPhone 4, Android phones have continued to outsell iOS phone by a large margin. The last Neilsen report had it at almost 2/1 over the last quarter. Numbers that large include a very large number of repeat Android buyers. So clearly the Android phone issues aren't an issue for the overwhelming majority of buyers.


I'm in no way trying to make an argument of this one being better than than one, I'm just highlighting that both have their own set of issues.

OK, but you are comparing the sales of ALL android phones to ONE iPhone! That's so illogical!

There is no point in comparing it like that! The only fair comparison is to compare the iPhone 4 to ONE other Android device, worldwide.

If you are gonna talk about the OS market share it is irresponsible to not bring iPod touch into the equation at the very least, and you should also bring in iPad. OS market share only matters for developers and apps. iPod touch and iPad can run the same apps.

RE: your first claim about updates..... iPhones get firmware updates for much longer than Android phones, and Apple updates only what they can. They don't cram in a bunch of crap that the device can't handle. Because of the nature of Android, it would be ridiculous for Android OEMs to put that much care into each device's upgrades for so long. The upgrade process and lifetime for Android will really never be equivalent to iOS.

 

[buci1er]

The problem with that logic, is the fact that Nielsen is comparing Android phones vs the iPhone. See, there is only ONE iPhone vs the probably 30 phones with Android right now.

 

[Pimp Lucious]

OK, but you are comparing the sales of ALL android phones to ONE iPhone! That's so illogical!

There is no point in comparing it like that! The only fair comparison is to compare the iPhone 4 to ONE other Android device, worldwide.

So if I walk into a store and have two Android phones to choose from and one iPhone, it's not fair to count my purchase because I had two options on Android? I was still only one buyer. I still made that choice between Android and iOS. The addition of the Android phone didn't create a second buyer to go with it. Simply producing more phones to choose from doesn't produce more customers. It gives the finite amount of customers more choices. In the end those customers are choosing Android.

That one iPhone argument is pretty weak sauce. If there were 10 models of iPhones are we to believe the sales would be doubled. There are plenty of models of Windows Phones and the sales are damn near non-existent. Plenty of Blackberry phones yet the sales have plummeted. Nokia anyone? Simply having many models does not equate to massive sales. Are we really to believe that Apple is sitting on its hands letting double the profit pass them by? Seriously?

I remember hearing just wait till the iPhone 4 and the trends will reverse....Android growth accelerated. Just wait till Verizon gets the iPhone....Android growth still through the roof.

If you are gonna talk about the OS market share it is irresponsible to not bring iPod touch into the equation at the very least, and you should also bring in iPad. OS market share only matters for developers and apps. iPod touch and iPad can run the same apps.

Change the rules however you see fit to make yourself feel better. Phone sales have been counted this way for years, but since Apple iOS phones sales are getting pummeled by sales of Android phones, now you want to count every other iOS device in order to pad the numbers. That's certainly your prerogative.