In this post, we are going to do a comparison between two Android smartphones. With an aim to determine the best handset, we are going to compare these two according to their given features and specifications. The defender will be the ever famous Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 which was released last April 2012. It may be a year older but it can still take pride of its impressive and reliable specs. On the other hand, the contender will be the newly announced HTC One X which is said to be one of HTC’s most powerful handsets. It is not yet out in the market but we’ve heard from recent reports that April 2nd will be the official date for its most awaited arrival in the Central European market. There’s still no clear word regarding the release of this new Android device in the US market.
As an overview for this ‘Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 vs HTC One X Specs Comparison’, you should know that we will solely base our overall rating according to price, availability, appearance, display quality, operating system, performance, camera quality, connectivity, memory and storage. Thus, without further ado, we will compare the global version of the Samsung Galaxy S2 against the HTC One X.
APPEARANCE
We strongly believe that appearance matters. There are users who are fond of phones with edgy designs while there are also those who are fond of phones with smooth and curvy form factors. In this aspect, we could say that the Samsung Galaxy S2 is thinner and lighter than the HTC One X. It only weighs around 116 grams with a slim 8.5mm body while the 8.9mm thin One X weighs around 130 grams. Of course, the differences between these two are barely recognizable. But we still think that the rectangular chocolate bar shape of the Samsung Galaxy S2 is far more attractive than the solid unibody design of the HTC One X. The former still flaunts its physical home button while the latter utilizes the new virtual buttons.
DISPLAY QUALITY
When it comes to display quality, you should take a note of the phone’s display size and full screen resolution. Given the fact that the HTC One X flaunts a 4.7 inch Super IPS LCD2 capacitive touchscreen display with 720 x 1280 pixels of full screen resolution, it cannot be denied that its display quality is better than the 4.3 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display of the Samsung Galaxy S2. We can also tell that the image that will be shown on the 480 x 800p screen of the GS2 will not be as vivid as the one that you can view from the HTC One X smartphone. But when it comes to durability, both are protected with Corning Gorilla Glass. Thus, these phones cannot be easily damaged by dusts or accidental scrapes.
OPERATING SYSTEM
As we’ve already said, it’s been a year since the Samsung Galaxy S2 was released. It originally ran on Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread that’s been layered with Samsung’s custom TouchWiz UI v4.0. It was just recently that the firmware of the said smartphone was upgraded to Android 4.0 ICS. The new firmware appears to be responsive with the addition of new features such as the new lock screen.
On the other hand, the HTC One X will be offered with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich that will be layered with HTC Sense UI v4.0. It can also be noted that the smartphone won’t be equipped with any physical buttons. Instead, it will make use of soft touch buttons which is another feature that you can get from Android 4.0.
PERFORMANCE
It seems that the HTC One X will be one of this year’s most powerful smartphones. It will be powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 3 1.5 Ghz Quad Core Processor which is similar to the one that powers the Asus Transformer Prime. Also, there are several benchmark tests that prove that the said handset can do very well than any other dual core powered handsets. Thus, you can be assured that you can get the most out of your HTC One X.
As for the Samsung Galaxy S2, there’s no doubt that its 1.2 GHz dual core Cortex A9 Exynos processor can allow you to multi-task. You can even play your HD movies without lags. But there’s one thing that we did observe. There are times that when you get to play a game with heavy graphics, you can experience a couple of lags which isn’t quite good especially when you are in the middle of racing your virtual car in a racing track.
MEMORY & STORAGE
The Samsung Galaxy S2 is currently being offered in two storage options. If you’re not a heavy app user, you can opt for the 16GB variant. If you are a heavy app user, you can opt for the 32GB variant. But whichever you choose, you will still benefit from the phone’s 32GB of external storage that can be used as long as you provide your own micro SD card. In terms of memory, the smartphone offers its 1GB of RAM. That’s ample enough to cater to your files and apps.
Meanwhile, the HTC One X lacks the needed support for external storage. You do not really have to option to store your files via micro SD card. All that you can from the phone is its 32GB of internal storage wherein the 26GB is the only allotted space for your files and apps. Just like the Galaxy S2, the HTC smartphone can also take pride of its 1GB of RAM.
CAMERA QUALITY
When it comes to camera quality, we could say that the HTC One X gets the edge over the Samsung Galaxy S2. Why? Because its 8 mega pixel rear facing camera can allow you to record your HD videos while taking a couple of still shots. This particular feature is often referred to as Simultaneous HD video and image recording. Aside from this, you will also be able to take advantage of the One X’s camera enhancements that includes auto focus, geo-tagging, face and smile detection and LED flash. The smartphone can also take pride of its 1.3 mega pixel front facing camera that can be used for video chats.
As for the Samsung Galaxy S2, we can say that its 8 mega pixel rear facing camera is also good for taking videos and photos. The phone can also take pride of its built-in image enhancement tools such as auto focus, touch focus, LED flash and image stabilization. The primary camera of the phone can be used to take 1080p HD quality videos. Also, its 2 mega pixel front facing camera offers a better image resolution than the 1.3MP front camera of the HTC One X.
CONNECTIVITY
In terms of connectivity, both smartphones can easily connect to the internet as both are equipped with network support for Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and 3G. You can also take advantage of the Samsung Galaxy S2’s high speed Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity. The same goes for the HTC One X. It’s just that it is equipped with the latest BT version. Whether you choose the latter over the former, it doesn’t really matter.
PRICING & AVAILABILITY
Apart from all the above said factors, you will eventually get the one that suits your budget most. Right now, the unlocked and SIM-free version of the Samsung Galaxy S2 can be yours for a very decent price that will fall somewhere in between 500 to 700 US Dollars. As for the HTC One X, it will most likely be made available in the UK this coming Monday, April 2nd. The price of the smartphone is yet to be finalized but reports have already told that it will be sold for 599 Euro that will more or less be equivalent to 800 US Dollars. Obviously, the HTC One X is more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy S2.
CONCLUSION
Given the fact that the HTC One X will cost a bit more than the price of the Samsung Galaxy S2, we can say that you might take a step back. If you are an avid fan of Samsung’s mobile handsets, we can suggest that you wait for a couple more months. At least, until the rumored Samsung Galaxy S3 will be officially announced. But, if you don’t mind paying a few more bucks to get the new and powerful features of the HTC One X, it is really up to you. After all, we’ve heard a lot of positive feedbacks that could boost the popularity of the new HTC Android handset.
Also we can say that the Samsung Galaxy S2 is a powerful phone but we’d rather wait for the Galaxy S3. If not, we’d definitely take the HTC One X especially now that we know that it will be running on Nvidia’s Tegra 3 quad core chipset. After all, the specs and features of the GS2 will eventually be outdated. Still, that doesn’t mean that you’d force yourself into getting the One X even if you know that you cannot really afford to pay for such handset. Think it over and make sure that you won’t be filled with debts.
