Samsung Galaxy S 2 or iPhone 4S?

ynot1985 on 20/12/2011 - 15:19

Hi,

my phone company ( vodafone) just rang to ask if I want an upgrade. I only signed up for the $29 blackberry 9780 deal (24 months) 3 months ago but its crap for internet and apps so it wasn't what I want atm.

they offered me either

49 for samsung galaxy s2 for 24 months

or

49+5 for iphone 4s 16gb for 24 months

both call plans are the same and I also get to keep the blackberry and not have to pay the remaining 21 months.

so basically it comes to which is a better phone.. tried reading online but alot of reviews dont seem reliable..

what are your thoughts after actually using the phones?

Thanks

General Discussion

Comments

  • FirstNameLastName on 20/12/2011 - 15:45

    i'd go the s2 if you're a microslutin googleboy nerd like me.. and like to have a deal of control over your device.

    i have an s2 and i love it.. gobbsmackingly beautiful, functional and tweakable. heaps of apps and clouds well to my emails/calendar etc. its interface is smooth as. great photos and video.
    i bought a casemate toughcase because despite being very careful a small crack soon appeared top left corner (have since seen this on a few S2s) but this is my only complaint. had it since june i think.

    however, if you're already an iDrone (ie current mac user) then I'd recommend the iphone.. i guess it would integrate with mac easier. i'd also recommend iphone to those who have little experience with technology or little care for customising their experience etc.. just want quality and simplicity.
    i've never actually used an iphone, so take my opinion with a grain of salt

  • scrimshaw on 20/12/2011 - 15:48
    +8

    I prefer the SGS2. Bigger screen, ability to fully customize it (plus Android ICS support), unrestrained app market etc. And it comes with free Navigon GPS navigation software. Do I sound like an Android fanboi yet? :)

    Of course the iPhone has its merits as well, it gives a better out of the box experience and it requires less tinkering to get the maximum use out of it. However, Apple has a tendency to ban apps they don't like or has the potential to limit their "innovation" (Siri cough cough). On the other hand, their services integrate well with Apple's Icloud and their app store is twice the size of Android's.

    If you're a die-hard Google user though, you might prefer the SGS2 since it well, runs Android and has all the stock google services already integrated — Maps, Google Talk, Gmail/GCal calendar sync. You would simply provide your Gmail login when you start the phone and everything is sync'ed automatically.

    In terms of user experience, IOS5 wins against Android 2.3 Gingerbread (as from my point of view) but keep in mind that Ice Cream Sandwich coming to the SGS2 soon which invalidates my opinion. You can read about the differences between IOS5 and ICS here and decide for yourself which platform is best for you.

    • EnALup on 21/12/2011 - 08:17

      +1 for ur fair comments. Always appreciate your knowledge based reviews and facts to support them.

    • CuteChocobo on 21/12/2011 - 12:28

      The best piece of advice with references too! +1

      • Ambiguous on 21/12/2011 - 12:59

        Whoa I never thought I'd read such an unbiased balanced comparison here on ozb. Extremely well put mate.

  • FirstNameLastName on 20/12/2011 - 15:51

    note that the s2 is probably also '16GB'

  • [Deactivated] on 20/12/2011 - 15:53
    +2

    This all depends on many factors - and there is a great discussion in the linked thread once you skip the obvious fans of one system or another.

    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/59756

    In essence… (Which means these are generalised comments as Fanbois will argue to the nth degree that each system can overcome the other with some hacking etc.)

    If you dont want to play around with your phone's OS then Apple is easier and more controlled - ie Apps work the same way etc. You can jailbreak and play around with it, but thats the minority.

    Under this environment Apple also updates the system more often and the unit is more secure

    If you want freedom to play around, personalise your system, get your apps/music from many sources and have greater flexibility with add on devices etc then Android is the way to go.

    These are NOT phones they are portable computing devices, what do your friends use? Being the odd one out can be a pain if your friends are into one system. Price wise the plans are similar, when you take into account history where the iphone "tends" to have a better resale value, so net cost of ownership if you sell your used device, would be similar.

    Good luck

  • alebox on 20/12/2011 - 16:03
    +1

    if you like fiddling with your phone, then I would go the s2
    if you just like using it, then iphone 4 imo.

    but get your hands on trial models in stores, things like how they feel in your hand, how you actually like them in your hand are more important than reviews by people who are anal about certain aspects, which lots of consumers don't care about anyway

  • ynot1985 on 20/12/2011 - 16:12

    thanks for the commeents

    im leaning towards iphone as i use a mac and already have alot of existing apps as i also have an ipad and touch.

    I want to use it mainly for games and browsing net and want something user friendly, never used android before.. thats why im not if sure its as easy to use than ios

    my only concern was the 16gb but it seems as though the price of sg2 is falling abit lately,

    the reason why its conflicting is that the ratio of sg2 and iphone between my friends is like 2 with sg2 and like 10+ with iphones and they all recommend the brand they are using… coming from a blackberry, I always had to accept my phone is the crappiest one except when its comes to speed of typing

    • alebox on 20/12/2011 - 16:21

      android is very easy to use imo, its just more customisable.

      but since all your other equipment is around apple, it might be easier to get an iphone as i assume it will be easier to synch between them

      • [Deactivated] on 21/12/2011 - 10:11

        agree and also you will be used to the interface, one less thing to worry about

  • cdeep0 on 20/12/2011 - 16:13

    samsung Galaxy II is the future mate

  • getit on 20/12/2011 - 16:14
    +3

    Option1: you get a 4S.

    Option2: you get a 4S and sell it for 700 or more. Then buy a S2 for 500 around.

    Option3: you get a s2

  • ynot1985 on 20/12/2011 - 17:28

    yeah… i think getit is right… so i went for option 2… never had an iphone before.. wouldnt mind trying it out…. if it sucks, I'll just sell it for a galaxy which might lose more in value when nexus comes out

  • scrimshaw on 20/12/2011 - 17:38
    +1

    Nice of Voda to actually ring you and tell you you've got an upgrade. I've been with 3 for over 6 years and I've never received a cold call from them.

    • EnALup on 21/12/2011 - 08:19

      lol. same here. When I call them to match price of existing providers, they offers exactly what is on their site online.
      My contract is even over and never got a call. I am surprised how OP got a call even he was new to his contract.

      • soupiejr on 21/12/2011 - 13:51

        Are both of you on the $29 plan, by any chance?

        • scrimshaw on 21/12/2011 - 15:55
          +1

          Yep. Cheapskate customer. I guess that's why they never rang me :)

          They did give me some perks on my Nokia E71 plan though, ($4 credit per month), so I guess staying long enough has it's benefits.

        • EnALup on 21/12/2011 - 18:29

          yup :).
          I have optus landline unlimited calls plan ( $129-$30 = $99) with broadband and call people after getting home. So Dont need bigger cap on mobile. I can even go on $15 cap for sg2, if it is available ;)

    • bghunter on 22/12/2011 - 02:24

      Dont wait for them to call you, call them. I recently called 3 to cancel my mobile broadband service but they gave me a good offer which I couldnt refuse. A free pocket wifi with 1.5gb of data to use every month for 12 months but with Vodafone. And its absolutely free

  • rasun81 on 20/12/2011 - 17:55

    I moved from iphone4 to sgs2 and very happy about this.

  • ynot1985 on 20/12/2011 - 18:02

    @ scrimshaw…. They only offered me an upgrade cause they stuffed up… I got a blackberry 9780 in oct but they sent me 2 so i returned one but instead they cancelled both even though i had 1 of them… So they think im still out of contract since i didnt have any new phone on their system

  • nubzy on 20/12/2011 - 19:43

    those do not seem like very good deals to me.

    I would get the SGS2 on the Virgin plan for $27 for 24 months. absolute bargain.

    or $29 p/m at Vodafone if you dont mind them…

    I wanted an iPhone 4S but Optus would not give me a good upgrade offer and wanted me to pay huge handset repayments on a $29 plan which made it more appealing to buy outright instead.

    SGS2 for free on $29 plan is great value and better

  • ynot1985 on 20/12/2011 - 20:36

    did consider the 29 on vodafone but 180 on calls and 200mb is not enough for me …. I only realised they stuffed up with my blackberry plan when I phoned in to upgrade to iphone… i thought i was attached to vodafone… but i guess i could still sell the bb 9780 for about 200 on ebay which makes this plan a 45 dollar/month plan for 550 of calls and 1.5 gb of data

  • BuyoTheCat on 21/12/2011 - 12:45

    The SII also supports memory card which is a BIG plus for me. I have an iPhone 4 and a Nexus S. I like both, some days I like the iPhone more, some, the Nexus S. But if I can only have 1 phone, I'll choose an Android phone.

    I just updated my Nexus S to ICS. I have been eagerly awaiting it, I was practically drooling when I did the update. I think the anticipation of ICS push my expectations too much. ICS is great. everything is a lot smoother and faster. It is an update from gingerbead but I was expecting a ground breaking user experiance like I see in the add for Galaxy Nexus. Damn marketing and advertising pple

    • CuteChocobo on 21/12/2011 - 12:48

      Same thing for iPhone4 to the iPhone4S update too! Thought will be iPhone 5 and was disappointed. But Apple advertise 4S like its the next BIG thing. Was disappointed about that too, Siri is over-rated and still having problems with the dead mics =(

      The world revolves around marketing! That why we should stick to the facts and not what companies say it does! =)

      • BuyoTheCat on 21/12/2011 - 14:58
        +2

        If Siri can talked dirty…..

        • CuteChocobo on 21/12/2011 - 15:18
          +1

          Then I will buy 2, and watch the girls talk dirty to each other all day!
          Free 1900's ;)

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