Samsung Galaxy SII vs HTC Sensation - which to buy?

briN_s

Hi all,

For a while I have been looking at getting a Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, but when I went to buy it the other day, I found that the Galaxy and Sensation have now also come in to my price range. I have read a comparison of the phones on gsm arena and the Galaxy seems to come out on top (just about). I see there are two massive threads on both these phones also but the relevant info seems to get lost in these threads. Just wondering have people found any relevant flaws with either of the phones? I have used the sensation briefly in the shop and seems very smooth to use (nicer than arc) but havent used the galaxy yet.

The main features I would use on the phone (besides text and calls of course) are web browsing, sat nav and camera. The functionality of the camera could be a swaying factor (i.e. panorama functions, bestpic, etc) I dont use the phone for games.

Thanks
Brian

Funkstard

Give your post title a google, there are several reviews published comparing the two phones - will give you a much more in depth analysis than here!

Personally I'm going for the Sensation - something about the body of the Galaxy feels cheapish. Really though, they are both pretty powerful phones so whichever you decide to get, it'll be a great purchase.

Bluefoam

Get the sensation. Samsung are good at making plasticy home appliances and plasticy phones...

Cyrus

ive handled both, own the SGS2,

its not as well put together as the iphone 4 it replaced, but the sensation isnt a looker either and the sgs2 is the better phone, also easier to flash custom roms etc

Kenny Logins

The Galaxy does feel a good bit lighter and it is therefore assumed less well built, but I really don't think this is the case. The protruding camera (having had problems with this before on the Desire) put me off the Sensation and I went for the SGS instead.
I'm not a fan of Samsung Android phones in general but I felt the SGS2 has the edge over the HTC because of the 16gb internal memory, better quality screen (but lower resolution) and the ability to flash ROMs.

cojomo2

Guys, just a few questions please:

My Hd got robbed:mad: so I'm planning on replacing it today with either the sgs2 or the sensation:

-are both these phones locked to Meteor? Last 2 HTC units (desire and hd) were not- I need an unlocked phone for when I'm outside the country.

-I have had 2 HTC phones, liked them both, although found the HD a tiny bit big at times, most noticeably when surfing the net one handed (no funny jokes please!) and struggled to reach the top corners of the touch screen..

Anyway, the last Samsung phone I had was a Tocco- swore I'd never go near a samsung unit again..will I be happier with the sensation? I understand it may be slightly less powerful, the I find the touchwizz setup pants...

any opinions?

edit: would the sensation be a noticeable improvement over the desire HD ?

Kenny Logins

I had convinced myself that I liked HTC Sense, but after using Cyanogenmod on my old Desire I knew I was mistaken. The Galaxy has the option to load different ROMS, with or without TouchWiz, but I don't think the Sensation does yet (open to correction on this).

cojomo2

Kenny Logins wrote: »

I had convinced myself that I liked HTC Sense, but after using Cyanogenmod on my old Desire I knew I was mistaken. The Galaxy has the option to load different ROMS, with or without TouchWiz, but I don't think the Sensation does yet (open to correction on this).

Thanks..I wouldn't really be bothered with uploading various roms etc..

I'm leaning towards the sensation but something is telling me to get the sgs2..just confused!!

Anyone know whether these handsets are locked to meteor?

BArra

Touch wiz I could not get to grips with, really disliked it

HTC is miles ahead

Found build quality poor in the sgs2

Have the sensation now and it feels better built and I'm happy with it

cojomo2

BArra wrote: »

Touch wiz I could not get to grips with, really disliked it

HTC is miles ahead

Found build quality poor in the sgs2

Have the sensation now and it feels better built and I'm happy with it

cheers...is it with meteor..locked?

Zagato

cojomo2 wrote: »

cheers...is it with meteor..locked?

There is no guarantee that the phone you get will be unlocked, no one here can tell you, only report whether the one they have is locked or not, and we often see that phones become sim locked some time after release.

At least if you get the SGS2 you can sim unlock it pretty easily for free

Cyrus

BArra wrote: »

Touch wiz I could not get to grips with, really disliked it

HTC is miles ahead

Found build quality poor in the sgs2

Have the sensation now and it feels better built and I'm happy with it

i have an sgs2 and use go launcher, loads of alternatives to touchwiz and sense

sgs 2 build quality is fine, the sensation isnt htcs finest hour in aesthetic terms imo

Kenny Logins

BArra wrote: »

Touch wiz I could not get to grips with, really disliked it

HTC is miles ahead

Found build quality poor in the sgs2

Have the sensation now and it feels better built and I'm happy with it

There's really not much between them, there is no clear 'better' of the two. Personal preference is all that's in it.

BArra

sorry i should have included the text in my opinion

i got my sensation from CPW, and it is unlocked

i am sorry but the sgs2 feels very plastic and a drop i fear would end the phones life sharpish. the plastic back to it aswell really is bad

the sensation feels nicer in my hand anaway, but i am of course biased to the HTC

better off having a feel of the two yourself, each to their own as they say

iwo

I tested both... Few days with galaxys2 and few weeks with sensation...the second one stays with me! For comparison, just type in gs2 vs sensation on google or YouTube and you will be sorted. Cnet went for sensation after few weeks testing...

Dave147

BArra wrote: »

sorry i should have included the text in my opinion

i got my sensation from CPW, and it is unlocked

i am sorry but the sgs2 feels very plastic and a drop i fear would end the phones life sharpish. the plastic back to it aswell really is bad

the sensation feels nicer in my hand anaway, but i am of course biased to the HTC

better off having a feel of the two yourself, each to their own as they say

Got my SGS II when it came out and have to disagree, phone feels fantastic, don't want a brick in my pocket, the phone is so light, and if you play around with the plastic cover you will find it is very elasticy and versatile. Haven't had a hands-on with the Sensation yet but highly recommend the Samsung, it's a beautiful looking phone, it's plenty solid, don't be fooled. Plus the internal storage is brilliant, the screen is fantastic, don't know why people prefer iPhone 4 screen.

Anyway it comes down to personal opinion, but I simply cannot fault this phone, and I've come from 2 previous HTC's in the Desire and Hero. Looking forward to getting a look at the Sensation though.