Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 vs Galaxy S II [Video]

Posted By Ray Nicolini
Via www.slashgear.com

Now that we’ve reviewed the gigantic Galaxy Player 5.0 for what it is on its own, it’s time to compare to the rest of the market a bit more in-depth, starting with what at first glance might appear to be the Player’s closest cousin: the Galaxy S II. Before we continue, know this: it’s almost as if these two devices aren’t from the same family, that’s how different they are. Though the Galaxy Player 5.0 is only being released now near the holiday season, the Galaxy S II (in all its forms here in the United States) takes no prisoners when it comes to power and abilities.

The Galaxy S II comes in several different shapes and sizes here in the United States, two of the more powerful ones being the two we’ve got right here, the Galaxy S II from AT&T and the Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch. The first of two has a 4.32-inch display at 480 x 800 resolution and a 1.2GHz dual-core processor made by Samsung. The Epic 4G Touch has the same specifications on a 4.5-inch display. This means that the pixel density is down but the power is the same. The Galaxy Player 5.0 has a single-core processor at 1Ghz that’s also made by Samsung and a display that’s 5-inches large with the same 480 x 800 pixel resolution. In addition, the Galaxy Player has a TFT LCD display while the Galaxy S II units both have a Super AMOLED Plus display. Have a look here to see if you can spot the differences in quality:

Each of the displays above are set to full brightness, and the device on the far right is the Samsung Stratosphere. This device is a 4G LTE enabled Samsung device with a Super AMOLED (not plus) display also at 480 x 800 pixel resolution. Again, see if you can tell the difference from the photo above. Have a peek at the video below for a hands-on comparison of the Galaxy Player 5.0, the Galaxy S II in the two flavors mentioned, and the Stratosphere, each of them in kind:

So what about price comparisons? Have a peek here at some prices that are live RIGHT this second here:

Galaxy S II AT&T $199 on contract $549 off contract
Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch $99.99 on contract $599.99 off contract
Samsung Stratosphere $149.99 on contract $409.99 off contract
Galaxy Player 5.0 $259.00

And heed this again: the Galaxy Player 5.0 has no on contract price because there is no contract in any instance, it’s a Wi-fi only device. The question you’ve got to ask yourself, as with all decisions between devices like these, is “what do I want this device to do?” If it’s just having a one-time-only cost for a 5-inch display having device that’ll work as a display for games and videos in a variety of places on a Samsung interface, the Galaxy Player 5.0 is your clear winner as it’s essentially your only choice.

If on the other hand you want power, thinness, and connectivity wherever you go, you’ll be best off with one of the Galaxy S II devices. For 4G LTE, you can either choose the Stratosphere here or the DROID Charge, another lovely choice from Verizon. Of course all of these are Samsung devices. What if you want a comparable device to the Galaxy Player 5.0 but don’t mind if it’s not a Samsung-made interface and set of hardware? We’ll be working with an iPod Touch next – stay tuned to SlashGear for more!

Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket: Which is the Better Smartphone?

Posted By Ray Nicolini

With all the fuss over the Galaxy Nexus, a few other soon-to-be-released phones seem to have slipped through the cracks. One of these models is the Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, a completely refreshed LTE version of the Galaxy S2, available on AT&T this weekend. It seems like a great phone, but how does it compare to the Galaxy Nexus? Read on to find out..

Display:

Both the Galaxy Nexus and the Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket feature Super AMOLED displays, although there's been a bit of controversy over the display on the Galaxy Nexus since it's technically a PenTile display and not the full RGB display that was praised at release. However, we don't think you'll notice much of a difference between the two in terms of color saturation. The Galaxy Nexus display beats the Skyrocket display in the size department by a full inch, which might be a big bonus for those who like larger displays on their phones. Other than that, the two share the same number of pixels: 1280x720.WINNER: Galaxy Nexus

Processor:

The Galaxy Nexus hums along quite nicely on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor but the Skyrocket ups the ante with 1.5GHz. Now, of course, you may not notice a difference unless you enjoy some serious multi-tasking or demanding gameplay, but it's possible you're the sort always looking to push your phone to the max. We haven't had a chance to play with the Skyrocket but 1.5GHz sounds damn fast. WINNER: Galaxy S2 Skyrocket

Storage and MicroSD:

Much fuss has been made over the fact that the Galaxy Nexus does not have a slot for MicroSD cards and thus no expandable memory. This may or may not be an issue for users who plan on using Dropbox and Google Music to store their files in a cloud. However, it could become an issue. That said, the Galaxy Nexus comes with either 32GB or 16GB of storage on-board which should be enough for most users. The Skyrocket, on the other hand, does come with an expandable MicroSD card slot, which definitely gives it the edge in this category. WINNER: Galaxy S2 Skyrocket.

Camera:

The Galaxy Nexus takes beautiful photos and videos, as we can see here, although technically a 5MP camera is no impressive feat. The Skyrocket ships with an 8MP camera, which would seem to upstage the Galaxy Nexus. However, pixels aren't everything. Round front, the Galaxy Skyrocket seems to best the Galaxy Nexus again with a 2MP camera vs. the Nexus's 1.3MP but again, this is one category we really need extensive hands-on testing to decide on. WINNER: TBD.

Operating System:

The Galaxy Nexus is Google's first Android Ice Cream Sandwich device, featuring a raft of new features including Face Recognition, Android Beam, a completely refreshed UI and Bluetooth-enabled gameplay.The Skyrocket will ship with the latest version of Gingerbread but will surely receive an ICS update in the coming months. Time-wise, since the Skyrocket will be released this Sunday, it might make more sense to buy a Skyrocket and then upgrade to ICS at the next chance you have. However, past experience has told us that the phones that Nexus models run their Android software best, so we're going to have to give the crown to the Galaxy Nexus. WINNER: Galaxy Nexus 

Price and Release Date:

While the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is slated for a Verizon release sometime soon, the Galaxy S2 HD LTE already has a U.S. release date: November 6th on AT&T. The phone will be available for $249.99, a full $50 less than the rumored Nexus pricetag of $299. The winner is pretty clear here. WINNER: Skyrocket

Conclusion:

Surprise! The Skyrocket beats the Galaxy Nexus on almost all counts. We're just as shocked as you are. So which one should you choose? Well, it depends. The Galaxy Nexus will doubtless be the first phone with Ice Cream Sandwich but if you don't mind waiting around a bit, the Skyrocket seems to have a superior camera (on paper), better storage options, a faster processor and a cheaper pricetag. Those on AT&T should definitely check this phone out. WINNER: Galaxy S2 Skyrocket

Samsung Confirms White Galaxy S II is Coming… And It’s a Beauty

Posted By Ray Nicolini


If you’re a fan of Apple’s white iPhone 4, but you’re not keen on its iOS operating system, then feast your eyes on this beauty. Samsung has just announced that its Galaxy S II is coming to the U.K. on September 1… in white!

Internally, the white device is identical to the existing black Galaxy S II — boasting the same 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, plus an 8-megapixel camera at the back and a 2-megapixel camera at the front.

The device has been so successful since its launch in the U.K. that in just 85 days, Samsung had already shifted a whopping 5 million units — that’s before the Galaxy S II has stepped foot in the U.S. — a new record for the company

If you’re looking at that photo above and you think you’re having a spell of déjà vu, that’s because you may have seen it yesterday. U.K. retailer MobileFun listed the device on its website with a slightly premature August 15 launch date. The price advertised was £410 (approx. $667) for the unlocked, SIM-free model. However, Samsung has confirmed to SlashGear that the device will be available through a number of carriers with subsidized pricing.

If you’re eager to get your hands on this device in the U.S., it’s expected to launch in August with Verizon the first carrier to offer the device, and it may be well worth the wait: One rumor suggests the device will come packing 4G LTE by the time it gets to Verizon. There’s no confirmation, however, that the U.S. will get both colors to begin with.

LTE is just one feature that may give the Galaxy S II an advantage over Apple’s iPhone 5 — which is expected to launch a month later in September. If the iPhone 5′s rumored specs list is anything to go by, it will compete with the Galaxy S II’s high-resolution screen, but it won’t match its processor or its RAM.

What do you think of Samsung’s white Galaxy S II? If I wasn’t already in love with the iPhone, I’d snap this up in a heartbeat.

[via SlashGear]