Top smartphones 2011
Apple iPhone 4S: buy or not to buy?
It might be really hard for some people to make the decision which smartphone to buy in 2011. All the “top 10” lists on the web are different. Some lists are based on user feedback or performance comparisons, but to find the definite winner, you should consider the overall appearance, look and feel, usability, services, and more.
The variety of tasks you can perform on a smartphone indicates its usability. Now let’s have a look at the HTC Sensation released half a year earlier than the iPhone 4S:
Really, what else do you want? Well, HTC also released an eXtreme Edition, the HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio, which features a 1.5 GHz dual core processor [1], and can be considered one of the most powerful smartphones of 2011.
One of its competitors is the successor of the Samsung Galaxy S II, the Galaxy S II HD LTE.
With the introduction of the iPhone 4S in fall 2011, many people have the dilemma: buy or not to buy? To expedite your decision, let’s compare the technical specification of the iPhone 4S [2] with that of two other flagship devices, the HTC Sensation XE and the Samsung Galaxy S II HD LTE (Table 1). Certainly, there are other competing devices, such as the Google Nexus Prime, but no more devides are required to get a clear picture.
| HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio | Samsung Galaxy S II HD LTE | Apple iPhone 4S | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
| Release date | 14 Sep 2011 | 28 Aug 2011 | 14 Oct 2011 |
| CPU | 1.5 GHz dual-core | 1.5 GHz dual-core | 1 GHz dual-core |
| Dimensions (H W D) | 126.1 × 65.4 × 11.3 mm | 125.3 × 66.1 × 8.49 mm | 115.2 × 58.6 × 9.3 mm |
| Weight | 151 g | 116 g | 140g |
| RAM | 768 MB | 1 GB | unconfirmed (0.5/1 GB) |
| Storage | 1 GB | 16-32 GB | 16-64 GB |
| Removable storage | 8-32 GB | 32 GB | - |
| Display | 4.3" S-LCD, Gorilla Glass, 540 × 960 | 4.65" Super AMOLED Plus, Gorilla Glass, 720 x 1280 | 3.5" LED backlit IPS TFT LCD, 640 × 960 |
| Rear camera | 8 MP with autofocus and dual LED flash | 8 MP back-illuminated sensor with auto focus and single LED flash | 8 MP back-side illuminated sensor, face detection |
| Video recording | 1080p @ 30 fps with tap-to-focus and digital zoom | 1080p @ 30 fps | 1080p @ 30 fps Video Stabilization |
| Front camera | 0.3 MP, fixed focus | 2 MP | 0.3 MP |
| Data inputs | A-GPS, Ambient light sensor, Digital compass, G-sensor, Gyroscope, Multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, Proximity sensor | Multi-touch touch screen, headset controls, proximity and ambient light sensors, 3-axis gyroscope, magnetometer, accelerometer, A-GPS, and stereo FM-radio, Swype | Multi-touch touch screen, 3-axis gyroscope, A-GPS, voice control, digital compass |
| Extras | Beats By Dr. Dre, USB and Wi-Fi tethering | Exchange ActiveSync, integrated messaging Social Hub, Readers Hub, Music Hub, and Game Hub | Online services (App Store, iTunes Store, iCloud) |
| OS | Android 2.3.4 ‘Gingerbread’ with HTC Sense 3.5 | Android 2.3.4 ‘Gingerbread’ with TouchWiz UI 4.0 | iOS 5 |
| Flash support | + | + | - |
| Connectivity | GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS/HSPA: 850/1700 or 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps | Dual band CDMA2000/EV-DO Rev. A 800 and 1,900 MHz; WiMAX 2.5 to 2.7 GHz; 802.16e 2.5G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE): 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz; UMTS: 850, 900, 1700 (T-Mobile USA only), 1900, and 2100 MHz; HSPA+: 21/42 Mbit/s; HSUPA: 5.76 Mbit/s | Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) (2.4 GHz only); Bluetooth 4.0; World Mode: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; (800/850/900/1800/1900 MHz); Quad-band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA; (800/850/900/1900/2100 MHz); Dual-band CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A (800/1900 MHz) |
Conclusions. Evidently, popularity is not everything. All these smatphones are amazing devices, however, there are large differences in usability. The dual-core Samsung processor is one of the most powerful smartphone CPUs out there. The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S II HD LTE has definitely the most vivid colors (although they might look too saturated and unnatural sometimes) and the highest resolution. As for the battery life, a smaller screen consumes less, and this is the key for the long battery life on the Apple iPhone. The HTC Sense user interface makes the Sensation the most user-friendly of them all. Regarding build quality and design, the Sensation is definitely the winner. Both the Sensation XE and the Galaxy S II HD LTE have a larger screen than the iPhone 4S and thus they are more convenient for web browsing, not to mention the higher resolution of S II HD LTE. The iPhone 4S might be a bit of a disappointment for many, because the new features of the iPhone 4S have already been introduced in the predecessors of the Sensation XE and the S II HD LTE (the HTC Sensation and the Samsung Galaxy S II) in May 2011. Although there are still more (commercial) applications available for iOS than for Google Android, the number of Android applications is constanly increasing as well. It’s easy to see which of these devices is the better value even without going into the details. According to forums and video sharing portals, many people do not intend to invest in the iPhone 4S. Especially when you consider the HTC Amaze 4G, the Google Prime, or the upcoming devices.
References
- [1] HTC (2011) HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio Product Overview. HTC Corporation. www.htc.com/www/smartphones/htc-sensation-xe/#specs. Accessed 05 October 2011
- [2] Apple (2011) iPhone 4S Technial Specifications. Apple Inc. www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html. Accessed 05 October 2011
