Samsung Galaxy S2 vs iPhone 5

[Deeko]

Oh really I thought when the iPhone 4 came out there was a problem with it's intena or something?

Its not that the iPhone is a shining beacon of perfection - every phone has its problems. He's referring to the issue of fragmentation - that there are many Android devices on many different types of hardware running many different versions of the software, therefore, apps that work on one device might not work on another. I've found this problem very rare, though.

 

[Monster_Munch]

Yeah Samsung's problem is they only control the hardware, whereas Apple controls their entire ecosystem.

The end result is some apps wont work perfectly on the Samsung (yet). I imagine if the phone is as successful as it's predicted to be then these problems will be fixed by the app developers.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Yeah Samsung's problem is they only control the hardware, whereas Apple controls their entire ecosystem.

The specific problem with the SGS2 is that its Mali GPU only has basic shader support, and does not have the specific extensions for Tegra or PowerVR. This is made worse by the fact that Nvidia bribes some developers to just use Tegra only features.

Analogy:

Your average Tegra 2 phone is a Windows 7 system with a Nvidia 430GT. The SGS2 is a Linux system with a Nvidia 460GTX. The Linux system might have a much more powerful GPU, but all the decent games run on Directx which the Linux system doesn't support-Linux only does OpenGL. The Linux system can use a translation layer like WINE (Chainfire3D) to convert the Directx calls to work on OpenGL, but some games that lean heavy on certain non-translatable calls won't work and the extra overhead takes away the GPU power advantage that the Linux system has.


Not really a big deal. My main hangup with the SGS2 is its damn MHL slot. Yeah its cool that it is one port that does USB or HDMI, but it sucks that:

1. The HDMI adaptor requires power, so that means plugging into a nearby wall socket just to mirror the display on the TV.

and

2. You can't use HDMI and USB at the same time, so my dream of loading a external HD full of HD content to play on hotel room TVs is dashed. Seriously who cares if the SGS2 can play 1080p if the only storage available is a MicroSD card formatted in FAT32 (thereby having a 4GB file size limit)? My hope here is that the CM community can at least get ext3 support on the SD card so I can have my dream without having to buy another tablet.

In the end I would have preferred Micro USB and HDMI ports, but the rule in the Mobile World is you can't always get what you want.Considering that its almost a guarantee that the iPhone 5 (4GS) will come with a sub-4inch screen there is nothing that Apple can do to retain my business this year.

 

[abaez]

Even though the sg3 might not be out yet, I'm pretty sure we'll at least have details and/or a release date by September.

 

[Deeko]

Even though the sg3 might not be out yet, I'm pretty sure we'll at least have details and/or a release date by September.

How do you figure? The Galaxy S was announced in March 2010 and was released in June, with the US variants coming in July, August, and September. The Galaxy S2 was announced in February 2011 and launched in May. What makes you think they'd announce the successor in just five short months? We haven't even gotten release dates for all of the US versions. Based on a similar schedule, don't expect to hear about the S3 until early 2012, with launch in 2012Q2.

 

[abaez]

February to September is 7 months. It'll be before the end of the year.

And US dates don't matter really as we get everything months after Europe.

 

[Deeko]

February to September is 7 months. It'll be before the end of the year.

And US dates don't matter really as we get everything months after Europe.

I meant from release - which means I actually was being generous.

Again - it was 11 months from SGS announcement to SGS2 announcement. What makes you think this one will come almost 40% faster?

 

[Doboji]

I meant from release - which means I actually was being generous.

Again - it was 11 months from SGS announcement to SGS2 announcement. What makes you think this one will come almost 40% faster?

We will be about as far from the SGS3 announcement when the iPhone5 is released as we were from the iPhone5 announcement when the SGS2 was announced. Which equates to approx 10-11 months total....

 

[JJChicken]

I've got a S2, so let me know if you have any questions.

 

[MrX8503]

Just FYI the Galaxy S 2 does suffer from a few software problems, many games are currently incompatible with the new Mali GPU. Including big titles like Dungeon Defenders and NFS Shift. Also certain apps that use a google account for authentication aren't working correctly.

Hopefully these issues will be ironed out when the phone is more widely available, but obviously it's the sort of thing Apple users don't have to deal with.

Ouch, thats kind of a big problem.

Most likely the iPhone5 will be an iPhone 4S or something like that. If you need a phone sooner than later, base your decisions off that.

 

[Demo24]

How do you figure? The Galaxy S was announced in March 2010 and was released in June, with the US variants coming in July, August, and September. The Galaxy S2 was announced in February 2011 and launched in May. What makes you think they'd announce the successor in just five short months? We haven't even gotten release dates for all of the US versions. Based on a similar schedule, don't expect to hear about the S3 until early 2012, with launch in 2012Q2.

Already teased:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/30/samsung-teases-4g-tablet-for-2011-galaxy-s-iii-in-first-half-of/

 

[senseamp]

Apple needs to make iPhone5 16:9 instead of 3:2 screen. A competitor can put 4 inch screen in same size as Apple puts a 3.5 inch, by having a wider screen with less bezel.
It's a marketing disadvantage for Apple.

 

[Jskid]

I've got a S2, so let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks man.

 

[Jskid]

Just FYI the Galaxy S 2 does suffer from a few software problems, many games are currently incompatible with the new Mali GPU. Including big titles like Dungeon Defenders and NFS Shift. Also certain apps that use a google account for authentication aren't working correctly.

Hopefully these issues will be ironed out when the phone is more widely available, but obviously it's the sort of thing Apple users don't have to deal with.

When these are fixed the updates would be free of charge, right?

 

[Deeko]

Already teased:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/30/samsung-teases-4g-tablet-for-2011-galaxy-s-iii-in-first-half-of/

1st half of 2012...pretty much what I said.

 

[Monster_Munch]

When these are fixed the updates would be free of charge, right?

Well it needs the individual developers of the apps that aren't working correctly to release their own updates. Assuming the Galaxy S 2 is at least as popular as the Galaxy S 1, I think it's highly likely that developers will want to do that. The problem is the hardware still isn't available in the US and that's probably where most developers are based.

I've had my Galaxy S 2 since that start of May and Samsung have already release 2 firmware updates in that time, it seems like they want to support it at least until their next flagship phone is here.

 

[s44]

The S1 is still getting updates. 2.3.4 leaked last week.

You should try running Chainfire's 3D app to deal with odd-functioning shaders.

 

[Jskid]

We will be about as far from the SGS3 announcement when the iPhone5 is released as we were from the iPhone5 announcement when the SGS2 was announced. Which equates to approx 10-11 months total....

Guess you were right. And we're still waiting on Apple for iPhone 5.

 

[Zaap]

Holy zombie thread, Batman.

Was reading the first few posts before I saw the date and was thinking, "What the hell..? SGS2...?"

It's funny how speculating about an iPhone 5 made it seem new. SGS3 is out... and still speculating on that iPhone 5!

 

[kyrax12]

iOS is just more easier to use than Android.

 

[Oyeve]

iOS is just more easier to use than Android.

Oh do shut up.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Okay. Necroed thread. -_-

 

[Puddle Jumper]

iOS is just more easier to use than Android.

If you find Android difficult to use I don't think the phone is the problem.

 

[SickBeast]

The US versions aren't out yet, and the iPhone 5 will be out long before the SII's successor. Its certainly a valid comparison.

I'm just quoting you to show you how silly your statement looks today.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

If you find Android difficult to use I don't think the phone is the problem.

i'm pretty sure iOS is easier to use than Android. However, using either OS shouldn't be an issue for people of our tech expertise level.