One of the most popular and high quality smartphone lines available, is Samsung’s line of Galaxy phones. Samsung released quite a number of very good devices that only took the Galaxy good name even further, so in a battle with another brand phone, it always remains the winner or at least a very tough opponent. But in some cases, you might be undecided on multiple devices, ALL from the Galaxy line. If this is your case, and those devices happen to be the Galaxy S2, Galaxy Note, and Galaxy Nexus, check the comparison below to maybe make up your mind faster.
Galaxy S2
When it came out, the S2 was probably the best Android device available, with a 4.3 inch display that, at the time, seemed huge. Also delivering quite the processing power with its 1.2 GHz dual core unit, the S2 was once the pride of Samsung. Let’s see if it’s still worth your time and money.
Galaxy Note
This Samsung handset is even bigger than the Galaxy S2, which once again, was huge for the time of its release. It has 5.3 inches worth of display and runs a 1.4 GHz dual core processor, slightly more than the S2. So if the size of the S2 just isn’t enough for you, you might want to consider the Galaxy Note.
Galaxy Nexus
The Galaxy Nexus has a 4.65 inch display, which is bigger than the one on the S2 but smaller than the one found on the Galaxy Note. Like the Galaxy S2, it runs a 1.2 GHz dual core processor. The Galaxy Nexus was the first ever device to run Android 4.0 ICS. In what’s to come, we shall see how is it doing now.
Design
For the Galaxy Nexus, Samsung decided to drop the physical buttons and incorporate three on-screen buttons which you can use directly on the smooth, curvy display of the phone. It is 8.9 mm thick and only weighs a mere 135 grams. However classy the front of the device might look, it’s going to lose a point for it’s back side, which has a plastic back panel with a textured finish, and a small bulge near the camera area.
If you’re looking for something a bit classier than that, you can take a look at the Galaxy Note, which has a beautiful curvy display. It is both thicker and heavier than the Galaxy Nexus, at 9.7 mm thick and 178 grams respectively. Unlike the Nexus, it’s camera is flat against the back panel. The Galaxy Note also has a little style problem, namely the stylus stored in the side of the device. Although it is useful for taking quick notes or sketches, it can easily be misplaced.
The Samsung Galaxy S2 is 9 mm thick and is the lightest of the three, weighing no more than 115 grams. The plastic casing that surround this phone’s 4.3 inch screen, is something many have been complaining about, saying that it has a cheap plastic feel to it. However, the phone itself puts out a generally solid feeling. Out of three, the S2 seems to be hanging in best.
Best Design : Galaxy S2
Hardware
Upon its release, the Galaxy S2 amazed the world with its stunning features, such as the huge (at the time) 4.3 inch display, using the very bright Super AMOLED technology, as well as the 1.2 GHz dual core CPU and 8 MP rear camera that turned the S2 into a force all around, while still maintaining a slim appearance.
Then, the Galaxy Nexus took things even further, coming out with the 4.65 inch display, capable of quite a high resolution of 720 x 1280. The high quality image makes watching videos on the Nexus a total delight, while the 1.2 GHz processor keeps thing running smooth and fast. The Nexus falls a bit behind from having only 5 MP, and lacking a slot for a microSD card. If you own one, you will have to make the best out of the included 16 GB of internal memory. Although the camera on the Nexus has only 5 MP, it’s still capable of very nice pictures and videos.
The 1.4 GHz dual core processor of the Galaxy Note makes apps open and run incredibly fast. Comparing the benchmark results of both the S2 and Galaxy Note, we found that the latter saw no competition in the S2. The list of good specs is closed by its terrific 8 MP shooter, which is also a very good addition to this already powerful device. Although it has a lower ppi density due to its huge 5.3 inch display, it still has a higher resolution than the Galaxy Nexus, namely 1280 x 800, and the image on this device are very crisp. There is no doubt that when it comes to hardware, the Galaxy Note takes the cake.
Best Hardware: Galaxy Note
Software
All three devices run Android as their operating system, but, however, the Galaxy Nexus has and advantage here. While the other two were released with Android 2.3, the Galaxy Nexus receiver the new (at the time) Android Ice Cream Sandwich right out the box. For that time being, the Galaxy Nexus brought never before seen features due to its advanced OS, such as face-unlocking your device, and the multi tasking view. The on-screen buttons that replace the physical buttons also give it a dash of style and minimalism. The Galaxy Nexus also comes with the advantage of running pure Android, whereas the other two run a version of Android, and, on top of that, operate Samsung’s personal user interface. When the Nexus came out, it had a volume bug that caused it to suddenly drop volume, but it has been fixed in the meantime. With everything taken into account, we can say that the Galaxy Nexus is the winner when it comes to software.
Best Software: Galaxy Nexus
Battery
When it comes to battery, the Galaxy Note falls heavily behind, lasting no more than 12 hours. On the other hand, the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S2 both are able to withstand a full day of navigation, browsing and gaming. The battery of a smartphone is very important as the battery is what powers all the hardware and software (what good is a hardware monster of a phone if your battery runs out and it dies ?). This is the reason the Galaxy Note is out of picture.
Comparing the other remaining devices, the better phone is surely the Galaxy Nexus , with hardware just as good as the S2, but with the advantage on the software side
On Amazon.com, the prices for these handsets are as follows: around $230 for the Galaxy S2, $260 for the Galaxy Note, and $300 for the Galaxy Nexus
Related ItemsSamsung Galaxy S2 vs Galaxy Nexus vs Galaxy Note
