Galaxy Note vs Skyrocket HD vs Exhilarate vs Burst vs Xperia ion: specs comparison

A whopping five Android smartphones with 4G LTE support – that is what AT&T unveiled before our eyes mere hours ago. And looking at their specs sheets, there seems to be an offering to suit everyone's needs: from budget-conscious consumers to smartphone aficionados.

Those who aren't sure whether it is a tablet or a smartphone that they need can check out the Samsung Galaxy Note, which is a blend between both worlds. It offers a spacious 5.3-inch display with an impressive resolution of 800 by 1280 pixels, yet perhaps you can fit it in the inside pocket of your coat.

Moving along, we see the Sony Xperia ion, which is the company's first smartphone with a dual-core processor – a Snapdragon chip clocked at 1.5GHz. What occupies its front side is a 4.6-inch display of an HD kind with a resolution of 720 by 1280 pixels. Not to be forgotten is its 12-megapixel camera that can capture 1080p video with ease.

The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD is another offering with a high-resolution display. Its Super AMOLED display measures 4.65 inches in diagonal and sports a resolution of 720 by 1280 pixels. Under its hood we find a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and an 8-megapixel camera is located on its back.

Leaving high-end handsets aside, we come across the Pantech Burst, which is a reasonably-priced Android smartphone with some pretty decent specs. For $50 on-contract you get a device with a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 480 by 800 pixels in resolution, and a dual-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz. Capturing those special moments is its 5-megapixel camera, and the 2-megapixel front-facing shooter is perfect for video chats.

Last on our list is the Samsung Exhilarate – a device that we don't know much about in terms of specs, but we do know that it is built with the environment in mind. It is constructed out of recycled materials and complies with a number of requirements for sustainability. The front side of the Samsung Exhilarate is occupied by a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, and a 5-megapixel camera can be found on its back side.

!!NEW!!! AT&T Samsung Note, Skyrocket HD and Exhilarate:

Motorola Xoom vs BlackBerry PlayBook

The battle for tablet superiority is going to be hard-fought in 2011, with flagship releases expected from every leading manufacturer. But there are those that have already been singled out from the impressive pack of contenders and ear-marked for great things. Two of these prodigious devices are currently slugging it out for the leader of the pack badge – RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook and Motorola's XOOM .

Display
The Motorola XOOM weighs in with an amazing 10.1-inch 1080p ready display, which makes web browsing and viewing media a pleasure. RIM's offering may be smaller but it certainly isn't inferior and the PlayBook's 7.1-inch 1080P display performs admirably. It's tough to separate them but we feel the Motorola just takes the tape ahead of the PlayBook.


Drivetrain
RIM's PlayBook boasts a hugely impressive spec sheet, including a 1GHz Ti-OMAP dual-core processor and 1GB RAM, which is more than enough to keep the device flying along, under even the most heavy of burdens. Motorola's little box of tricks, the XOOM, is equally powerful though, with a dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip and 1GB RAM. Both devices offer dedicated GPU support, enabling them to keep up with the latest games and visual requirements.

Operating System
The XOOM is the first device to be empowered by Android 3.0 (aka Honeycomb), which is a version of the hugely popular mobile OS that has been specially tailored to operate tablet PC's. Honeycomb offers redesigned apps for e-mail, web browsing and offline support for the new 3D version of the company's market leading Google Maps.

RIM's PlayBook brings something new to market though, in the form of the company's new QNX Neutrino based operating system, which looks on track to set the world alight. Both devices are cutting-edge in terms of operating software .

Cameras
Both tablets boast front and rear-facing cameras, ideal for snapping photos and video-conferencing. The XOOM offers a 5 mega-pixel rear with dual-LED flash and 2 mega-pixel front-facing effort.
The PlayBook ups the ante though, with a 5 mega-pixel rear-facing snapper and 3 mega-pixel front-facing, making it the tablet of choice for enterprise standard video-calling.

Connectivity
Motorola's XOOM comes with every conceivable connectivity option. It offers Wi-Fi (b,g,n), Bluetooth, USB 2.0 and 3G, as well as being future-proofed with support for 4G LTE.
The PlayBook, on the other hand, currently only offers support for Wi-Fi (a,b,g,n) though 3 and 4G versions are said to be in the pipeline. This needn't be a terrible encumbrance though. Even with its good points it can't take this bout from the XOOM.

So it's a pretty comprehensive victory for the Motorola XOOM, which offers everything a user could possibly want from a tablet PC, and a little bit more to boot. RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook is an amazing contender though, and it would be remiss of us to write it off when we know how solid and dependable RIM's other devices are.

Samsung Galaxy Note vs Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia's first Windows Phone device has been under a lot of scrutiny since its inception and now it's finally here we have a chance to fairly judge the Lumia 800, rather than speculating, moaning and generally being doomsayers.

Software
Nokia announced that it would be joining forces with Microsoft earlier in the year and the Lumia 800 is the first device to come to fruition from that union.
The Lumia 800 runs on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango and, as you'd expect, performs very well thanks to the rapidly maturing mobile platform.
You get plenty of upgrades over the launch version of Windows Phone in Mango, including support for (select third party) multi-tasking, social networking support, Internet Explorer 9 (which now supports HTML 5, which is a very important addition in light of Adobe's recent abandonment of Flash mobile).
Windows Phone 7.5 is a great choice for Nokia and makes the Lumia 800 a viable choice for any mobile fan.
Samsung's Galaxy Note runs on version 2.3 of Android and the Google software is a delight to use.
There's apps aplenty available via the Android Market, loads of customisation potential and, most importantly, the platform runs fast, safe and smooth.


Display
Nokia has chosen to imbue the Lumia 800 with a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen that operates at a resolution of 480x800 and has a pixel density of 252PPI.
Choosing AMOLED was a great choice by Nokia and the Lumia 800 thoroughly lives up to its name thanks to the delightfully bright, vivid screen.

The Galaxy Note features AMOLED technology though too. But seeing as AMOLED is Samsung's baby the device gets a Super AMOLED screen, which operates at a resolution of 800x1280, features a pixel density of 285PPI and measures a whopping 5.3-inches!
The Galaxy Note's display is a great performer and the size adds so much to the device. If you're viewing photos or exploring the wonders of the World Wide Web then it's a fantasic device to choose.

Power
Nokia hasn't scrimped on the power for the Lumia 800. It runs on a single-core CPU clocked at 1.4GHz and also features an Adreno 205 GPU, giving the device plenty of grunt and the inclusion of 512MB RAM will help the device chew through even the most testing apps, games or other tasks.
Samsung's Galaxy Note offers more though, in the form of a 1.4Ghz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, Mali-400MP GPU and 1GB RAM, which drives the device to perform with blistering pace.
Form & Build
Samsung Galaxy Note - 146.9 x 83 x 9.7 mm, 178g
Nokia Lumia 800 - 116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1 mm, 142g
Samsung has stuck firmly to its tried and tested 'plastic über alles' approach for the Galaxy Note. The device is light, thin and doesn't really feel as if it should cost a fortune.
Sure, there are no creaks and the device is fairly robust, but the general feel and aesthetic isn't something we recommend.
The display benefits from a Gorilla Glass coating though and we can't fault the device for comfort (considering it's such a big-screened smartphone) so we'll take our minor gripes and stow them.
The Lumia 800 feels fantastic in the hand and exudes class. It's polycarbonate chassis feels strong and looks great and the device is thin enough to not feel like a brick in your pocket.
Camera
Nokia's relationship with Carl Zeiss has produced some great camera-phones over the years and while the Lumia 800 is a good device, it's by no means great.
The 8-megapixel camera, which benefits from autofocus, dual-LED flash,  geo-tagging and 720P movie capture, is a nice performer but doesn't live up to the standards we've come to expect from a company with Nokia's nous.
If you're willing to invest time in taking a picture with the device you'll be fine as it's fully capable of producing stunning results. Nonetheless, the device does struggle to focus and can seem laboured to start from cold, which is never a winner when you're trying to snap an impromptu photo
These minor gripes can be ironed-out with a software update though, so don't let this put you off the device entirely.
Samsung's Galaxy Note features an 8-megapixel camera too, which comes with an LED flash, autofocus, image stabilisation, geo-tagging, touch focus, face & smile detection and 1080P video capture!


Its power is immense, its screen is delightful and it feels like you're using a sheet of cardboard to surf the Web. What's not to like about that?!
Nokia's Lumia 800 is a great stride forward for the company though. The device is solid as rock and performs well thanks to Microsoft's excellent operating system.

HTC Desire HD vs iPhone 4

HTC's Desire HD and Apple's seminal iPhone 4 as contenders to fill the void in your pocket or handbag. Between them they represent the very pinnacle of smartphone development. With that in mind we've decided to let the two of them duke it out for the title of king of the heap.



Screen
HTC's Desire HD comes bristling with tech but the one thing that stands out is its amazing 4.3-inch LCD screen, capable of vivid colour rendition that will allow you to immerse yourself in your media on the hoof. At 3.2-inches the iPhone 4's screen is a little more stingy with the space, but the quality offered by the LED-backlit IPS 'retina display' is unparalleled. The detail on offer from the 640 x 960 pixel resolution screen is mind blowing and even though the Desire HD's display is something special it's bested here by something spectacular.

Optics
Apple heeded its critics when it was developing the iPhone 4 and included a top-quality 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash which is also capable of capturing 720P video. Similarly, the Desire HD offers 720P video capture and autofocus but behind this the device boasts a dual-LED flash and an 8-megapixel camera


Processing power
Apple's iPhone is a cutting edge piece of equipment and this is reflected in its specification. The device is powered by a 1GHz Apple A4 processor and 512MB RAM, allowing it to operate without the faintest suggestion of lag.  Again, HTC's Desire HD takes what the iPhone 4 offers and ups the ante, boasting  a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU and 768MB RAM! Both devices use their muscles wisely too, with seamless transitions between apps and menus and smooth gaming .

Operating System
Google's Android OS is enjoying huge success at present and with good reason. It's powerful, efficient and damned easy to use and the fact that it's based on good, wholesome open source ideals makes it a very palatable offering for those with a conscience. Apple's software, iOS, is the one to beat though, and it's easy to see why when you pick up an iPhone 4. iOS is simplicity personified.

App Support
Apple's App Store recently saw its 1 billionth download, and its huge catalogue of over 300,000 apps has something to offer anyone, no matter how discerning. A good deal of the content available is free and you can also download TV shows and movies to your device through the service.

We were hoping for a definitive conclusion to this battle for smartphone superiority but both devices are brimming with virtues, leading us to a draw, albeit a stirring one.  At this stage, if you are looking for the very best device available you won't go far wrong with either of these amazing pieces of technology.

HTC Desire HD vs Google Nexus S

HTC's Desire HD and Samsung/Google's Nexus S. Both smartphones have been lauded for their cutting edge technology and amazing multimedia capabilities but which one is the very best, which one represents the pinnacle of Android based tech?

Screen
The first thing you notice about the HTC Desire HD is the screen. Its 4.3-inch S-LCD display is simply mesmerizing and affords users an amazingly immersive visual experience. The Nexus S isn't a poor relative though, boasting a curved 4-inch S-AMOLED screen of extremely high quality. On the one hand you have, in the Nexus S, a screen that demands less power and offers deep blacks and vivid colours, but on the other you have a huge LCD that is less strain on the eyes and offers more accurate colour reproduction.

Drive Train
Google's Nexus S is a virtual powerhouse, running on a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU and also features a PowerVR GPU, 512MB RAM and 16GB of on-board storage which, when combined, equates to a lag-free, über responsive device.

The Desire HD offers a similar specification, including a 1GHz Scorpion CPU and a whopping 768MB RAM, not to mention support for a microSD card, which the Nexus S lacks. All told the Desire HD is a powerful device.

Software

Both devices run on Google's hugely impressive Android operating system, which is a user friendly, powerful smartphone platform that affords first time smartphone owners a great and rewarding experience as well as allowing more advanced users the ability to customise and tinker with their device. The Nexus S runs the very latest iteration of the software, version 2.3 (Gingerbread) whereas the Desire HD runs on the previous version, version 2.2 (Froyo) .



Camera
HTC's Desire HD boasts a hugely impressive 8-megapixel camera, which is capable of capturing video at 720P. With minimal fuss you can capture great shots and video with the device, which look great when displayed on the large display. The Nexus S comes packing a 5-megapixel snapper which performs well, but isn't up to the same standard as the Desire HD. There's no 720p capture on offer either, meaning that users who opt for the Nexus S will have to settle for WVGA movies, shot at 30FPS.


Construction
 Samsung/Google's Nexus S is crafted largely out of lightweight, durable plastics, producing a solid feeling device which doesn't weight a great deal (129g), the lightweight feel is a plus point but there's the occasional groan from the case when squeezed which can be a little off-putting when you remember that you're holding one of the world's most advanced pieces of smartphone kit.

HTC's approach has always been entirely more craftsman like and the Desire HD is no exception. Its body is constructed lovingly of metal and plastic, producing a great feeling, though a little weighty (164g).


It's really rather a pleasing result because we love both devices and we'd hate to have to choose. If you pick one of these phones you're getting something which is both cutting-edge and extremely user friendly, and will give you hours of enjoyment, playing games, writing e-mails and consuming media.

iPhone 4 vs Samsung Galaxy S

We thought it might be fun to see just how competitive high-end Android devices have become by pitting one of the best, the Samsung Galaxy S, against Apple's perennial favourite.

Display
We thought we'd launch out of the blocks with the hardest criteria to judge, that of screen quality. Apple's iPhone 4 boasts a hugely impressive 3.5-inch screen dubbed the Retina Display, which features a groundbreaking 326ppi (pixels per inch), making what you see on the screen as near to true life as you're going to get.

The Galaxy S may not be able to rival the iPhone for pixel density but it can certainly hold its own, with a sharp 4-inch Super-AMOLED screen capable of the deepest blacks and the most vivid colours .

Drive Train
Internally both of these devices are cutting edge. Samsung's Galaxy S is driven by a powerful 1GHz Hummingbird chipset which includes a PowerVR GPU as well as 512MB RAM, allowing the device to run multiple apps without any discernible lag. The iPhone is similarly spec'd, with a 1GHz Apple A4 CPU and 512MB RAM taking care of the donkey work, allowing the iPhone's slick UI and apps to run unhindered.

With similar hardware it's tough to separate the two devices, though they both use what they're given very differently.

Optics
Samsung Galaxy S  5-megapixel camera is capable of producing impressive shots and the support for 720P video capture only adds to the Galaxy's charm. As charming as the Galaxy S is, it can't measure up against the iPhone's 5-megapixel snapper though, which features LED flash, autofocus and also captures 720P movies. While both devices offer cameras that are similar on paper, the iPhone's faster shutter speed and slicker user interface shine through, giving Apple's baby its first win of the contest.





Operating System
Apple's iOS has been the benchmark that other operating systems measure themselves by for some time and it's so easy to see why. With sharp, good-looking graphics and intuitive controls, iOS is everything you want from a mobile OS. It allows you to get things done with minimum of fuss, supports tons of apps and doesn't scrimp on the eye-candy.

The Samsung Galaxy S runs version 2.2 (Froyo) of Google's Android OS and it's a masterpiece of complexity distilled into something amazingly usable. Android affords you all the usability of Apple's masterful iOS but with the added bonus of being based on open source ideals, meaning that you are able to examine and change the very core tenets of the operating system to your own specification, if you're so inclined


Future Proofing
Apple has the future covered. The iPhone 4 receives updates from the boffins at Cupertino fairly regularly, patching flaws and adding features, and you can expect to receive the newest version of iOS as and when it rolls off the production line.

Samsung's Galaxy S runs a custom UI over the top of Google's Android platform and although this augment's the user experience for the better it somewhat hinders the device receiving updates. The device shipped with version 2.1 of Android, that was recently upgraded to version 2.2 and users can expect to receive version 2.3 but the job of tailoring the custom TouchWiz UI means that it won't be as brisk as the iPhone 4, or indeed some of its purer competitors.

Samsung's contender has really taken it to Apple, but the iPhone 4 just snagged it with its Retina Display – something the Galaxy S simply cannot compete with.

Apple iOS4.3 vs Android 3.0

This time around we've take two of the main contenders for the tablet OS crown, Apple's iOS and Google's Android 3.0 and placed them under the microscope to see how they stack up against each other, and more importantly, to see how much they have to offer you, the customer.

In its most recent form, iOS 4.3, the operating system has expanded on all of its key tenets, incorporating new and exciting features into the software that are immediately accessible to users of all levels of experience, after all, there's no point making all the good stuff impossibly hard to use, is there?

In addition to the usual, reliable and eminently usable OS, version 4.3 brings new and advanced camera effects (if you're using an iPhone that is), improved eye-candy and an overhauled soft QWERTY keyboard, allowing users to get the most out of their typing experience when working on longer documents and e-mails.

Version 4.3 also allows it's amazing AirPlay functionality to be harnessed by third-party developers, so you can expect a host of new and exciting apps to allow you to maximise your multimedia experience by streaming content to your Apple TV or iMac. As well high-profile additions like the aforementioned AirPlay improvements, you'll also find your device's security and stability beefed up thanks to a number of behind-the-scenes bug fixes and improvements.

If iOS 4.3 personifies the mantra 'If it aint broke, don't fix it' then Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) represents a far more pragmatic approach to perfecting a tablet OS.

Google has kept the basics of its hugely popular Android OS intact, but users of this latest iteration will find a richly re-designed user interface sitting atop its open source core. This new look interface boasts a number of refinements, intended to make the software super tablet-friendly, such as a new 'system bar' which sits at the bottom of your home-screen, bringing you alerts and other important notifications and a new 3D style interface, allowing you to flick between windows with ease and generally interact with the OS in a far more fluid manner.

It's worth taking into account that Google's overhauled Android software offers slightly more bang for your buck too, owing to the number of devices that run the software, allowing you to choose a tablet that suits your budget.

Apple's impending iPad 2 will almost certainly bring with it a host of new invention and development, allowing the OS to catch up with the obvious leaps and bounds that Android has taken in recent months, but for now Google's platform is the standout performer of the two, offering more choice, new, advanced features and support for diverse hardware.

iPad vs BlackBerry PlayBook

iPad that piqued the world’s interest in slate PC's and many other companies, like RIM, famous for their super-communication device, the BlackBerry, have followed suit. This doesn’t mean that the Canadian firm is behind the curve though, far from it in fact. It’s taken time to make sure that its PlayBook will put its very own stamp on the tablet market.


Screen
The BlackBerry PlayBook is one of the smaller tablets on the market, with a 7-inch 1024 x 600 pixel capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support, which is capable of 1080P HD video playback.
The PlayBook also supports H.264, MPEG-4 and WMV video, so you can watch just about anything you want on this device. Conversely Apple's iPad has a larger 9.7-inch LED-backlit widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology, with a 1024 x 768 resolution, which also boasts a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.


Operating System
 Apple devices are often lauded for their pure usability, and iOS 4.3 is no exception. The Apple blurb for the iPad states “The first time you pick up an iPad, you know how to use it”, and we wholeheartedly agree. Apple has created an operating system so intuitive, that no tutorials are necessary – it personifies the pick up and play ethos.

BlackBerry have created a brand new OS for their tablet range, based on QNX – the originally named BlackBerry Tablet OS, and early incarnations been very well received. The PlayBook supports multitasking and stays true to BlackBerry's business roots.

Processor
When it comes to powering cutting edge hardware, you’d expect both devices to be packing some serious power under the bonnet, and in both cases, you won’t be disappointed. The PlayBook boasts a 1GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM, and the iPad sports a 1GHz Apple A4 chip and 256MB of RAM, which may sound inferior, but with Apple, it’s all about the way the memory is used, not how much you have.


Design
There's no accounting for personal taste and whether you spend your time extolling the virtues of Apple's sleek, minimalist approach to design or you prefer to throw your weight behind technology durable and understated will very much depend on the individual. The iPad looks modern and stylish, while the PlayBook has something more classic and sophisticated about it. The iPad is high gloss, whilst the PlayBook has a leather effect backing, and though the larger screen on the iPad makes for nice viewing, the slightly more compact PlayBook feels a lot more balanced and, dare we say it, premium in the hand.

Camera
We weren’t going to include this category as it seemed a little unfair to the iPad, which has no built in camera, however, we feel that our readers would want full disclosure, and if you’re after a device with a camera, then maybe the iPad isn’t for you.

The PlayBook, on the other hand, boasts two cameras, a forward facing 3-megapixel and a rear facing 5-megapixel, capable of 1080P video capture. This means that video conferencing is not just possible.

Well there you have it folks, two of this years’ biggest contenders on the tablet market, coming head to head. We’d love to tell you that there was a clear winner, but each device has its own great virtues, which are each suited to a different kind of buyer, so we have to call it a draw.

HTC Desire S vs HTC Desire

It's reputation for producing high-quality hardware has been justly earned and two of the company's finest creations, the HTC Desire, and newly unveiled HTC Desire S, offer everything a discerning smartphone could possibly want in a device, and more to boot.


Drive-Train
There isn't much to separate these two devices when comparing their internals. Both Desire and Desire S come packing 1GHz Scorpion chipsets, though the newer Desire S, predictably, offers a newer version of the hardware and both offer a healthy amount of RAM though, again, the newer device includes just a little bit more with its offering of 768MB, compared to the original device's ample 576MB.

Similarly the HTC Desire S offers slightly more ROM, 1.1GB, compared to the Desire's 512MB, meaning that the newer hardware offers you more room to manoeuvre when installing apps and software.

Display
HTC have imbued both of these exceptional smartphones with 3.7-inch Super-LCD displays that offer good legibility, even under sunlight, do visual media justice, and offer responsive control of the device. There's not a lot more to be said for this round, as both devices are equally virtuous in the display stakes.


Optics
The original HTC Desire offers a solid, well performing 5-megapixel camera, which also features LED-flash, geo-tagging and autofocus. Results in good light are very pleasing, but the flash can sometimes wash a subject out in low-light, overall the camera is reliable and on par with the Desire's peers. The Desire S offers a similar 5-megapixel snapper, which again offers geo-tagging, autofocus and LED-flash, but adds to the feature set of its predecessor image stabilization.

Both devices offer 720P movie capture too, so you can capture all of your favourite moments and use them later to blackmail your friends! The image stabilization may not be a ground-breaking feature.

Software
Both devices utilise Google's popular Android operating system, which is a highly usable and responsive smartphone platform. The original Desire operates on version 2.2 of the software, while the Desire S runs on the newest iteration, version 2.3, which offers numerous bug-fixes, speed enhancements, graphical improvements and stability fixes.

Both devices also boast HTC's excellent Sense UI overlay, which makes Android eminently more usable with widgets and social networking integration. There is no word yet whether HTC plans on upgrading the original device to Android version 2.3, so we can't comment on the future so, for now at least, the Desire S is the victor in this round.


Build
HTC's reputation for building stellar devices will not be tarnished by these two smartphones. Both are hugely impressive pieces of kit, which feel balanced in the hand, light enough to be comfortable yet heavy enough to feel premium and are constructed of the highest grade of materials available.

The Desire S does weigh in 5g lighter than the Desire, at 130g, but that won't make or break anyone's decision in our opinion. Nor will the minor differences in size between the Desire S (115 x 59.8 x 11.6 mm) and the Desire (119 x 60 x 11.9 mm).

So it's a narrow win for the newer HTC Desire S, a device which isn't so much a re-invention as a re-dux of the original Desire which was, and still is, a great looking, powerful smartphone. As we've noted with other upgraded devices, the introduction of a newer, more powerful device, will likely mean huge savings can be had in acquiring the older hardware.

Samsung Galaxy S vs Samsung Galaxy S II

Samsung added to its Galaxy range with the I9000's heir apparent, the I9100, otherwise known as the Galaxy S II (I9100), and the launch of this new device has convinced us to put the original Galaxy S up to its stiffest test yet – that of taking on its new, and highly evolved baby brother.

Screen
When it was released the original Galaxy S featured what was arguably the finest display on any smartphone, a 4-inch Super AMOLED Gorilla Glass screen which, along with being tough as old boots, offered amazing colour rendition and reassuringly low power demands.

The new and improved Galaxy S II, again features some of Samsung's greatest craftsmanship, this time in the form of a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, again with Gorilla Glass. So while the original device is still quite a way ahead of the curve, it isn't able to hold its own against its successor.

Internals
The Galaxy S II is a monster of a device. It runs on a dual-core 1GHz 'Exynos' CPU with a Mali-400MP GPU thrown in to the mix for rip-roaring graphics fun, and also packs a huge 1GB RAM, so you'll never notice so much as a stutter, even when you're using the device for the most arduous of tasks.

The Galaxy S however, packs a single core 1GHz chip and 512MB RAM which, although it pales in comparison to the I9100, is still on par with the even the newest high-end Android devices that are being produced by the likes of Sony Ericsson or Motorola and its worth remembering that the Galaxy S packed all these features in when 600MHz CPU's and 256MB RAM was the standard, so it's still one hell of a device.


Optics
Comparing the cameras on these two devices gives us a sense that, no matter what we put up against it, the Galaxy S II will come out on top. With an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, face and smile detection and image stabilization, capable of 1080P movie capture and a 2-megapixel front-facing cam for video calling, you aren't likely to miss your compact for a while.

Still images taken by the Galaxy S are truly brilliant, with little noise and pin-sharp colour reproduction. The Galaxy S features a highly impressive 5-megapixel camera, with face and smile detection.

Software
Both devices run on the perennially appealing Android platform, with the older device utilising version 2.2 and the new kid on the block version 2.3.
Android 2.3 offers speed fixes, graphical improvements and stability and security improvements, making it arguably the finest smartphone operating system in existence at the moment.

The Galaxy S II also features version 4.0 of Samsung's own TouchWiz UI, compared to the Galaxy S's version 3.0, meaning that the Galaxy S II benefits from new widgets, icons and other features, that the older device does not.


Build Quality
Both smartphones are made of durable, super light and strong advanced plastics, which feel neither too heavy nor too light in the hand. Both devices are well balanced and comfortable to use, though the original Galaxy S may prove more comfortable for people with smaller hands.

Both devices are light, weighing in at 116g for the newer Galaxy S II, and 119g for the Galaxy S and thin, though the new Galaxy S II takes the tape, coming in at a positively wafe-like 8.5mm thick compared to the far from bulky 9.9mm of the original.

I've gotta have it!' sort of person you'll want to get your wallet out in earnest and treat yourself to a slice of gadget future courtesy of the new king of the smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S II.

LG Optimus One vs HTC Wildfire S

Enhancements in technology, improved manufacturing methods and advances in research and development mean that larger manufacturers are able to produce devices which will stand up to the rigorous demands of a smartphone savvy public without costing a wallet-busting amount. Two such devices are LG's Optimus One (P500) and HTC's updated Wildfire S.


Display
In terms of screen size and quality there is very little to separate these two smartphones. Both offer 3.2-inch TFT displays that are a way short of the top-end of the market but quietly impressive nonetheless.


Internals
HTC's Wildfire S runs on a Qualcomm chipset with the CPU clocked to 600MHz and also features 512MB RAM & ROM, and the overall effect on the device is an impressive one. There's little in the way of stutter when transitioning between home-screens and no discernible lag opening or closing applications. Similarly the LG Optimus One gives a good account of itself, thanks to its 600MHz ARM 11 processor and 512MB RAM, but where the Optimus One excels is in graphical performance, and this is down to the inclusion of a dedicated graphics processing unit .

Imaging
HTC's Wildfire S borrows heavily from its predecessor in this category, and that's no bad thing with the included 5-megapixel camera offering a rewarding experience for this price point and the added LED flash and autofocus don't hinder matters either! LG's Optimus One doesn't cater as well for photographers, though its 3-megapixel camera with face/ smile detection and beauty shot will no doubt keep casual snappers happy.


Build Quality
HTC have a good reputation for building quality smartphones and this is evident in the Wildfire S. The device feels very premium and sits nicely in the hand without feeling too light or heavy. The Optimus One is also a well constructed device though, offering nice balance and comfortable single hand operation.

Media
I am looking for a device to surf the web, watch videos on or check out your favourite tunes you could do far worse than the LG Optimus One. It offers out of the box support for DivX and XviD and sports the usual decent Android music player and browser that we've come to know and love. The Wildfire S delivers in the media stakes too.

LG's Optimus One (P500) is a stunning handset for the price and will no doubt become even better when it receives the update to Android 2.3 later in the year, the hardware is sound and the price is oh so right! Don't get us wrong, the HTC Wildfire S is a great budget device but at a slightly higher price-point than the Optimus One you get more for your money with the LG. But if you're looking for something a little newer .

iPad 2 vs the best of the rest

If you're shopping around for a tablet then chances are you've given the iPad a long, hard stare as you try and work out what piece of hardware is right for you, but making a choice has just go all the more difficult thanks to the release of the iPad 2, Apple's latest and greatest device which has is aiming squarely for the top of the tablet market, with a mandate to wrest control away from the large number of upstarts which have recently hit stores.


Display
Today's tablet market has some reliable standards when it comes to screen technology and Apple's iPad 2 doesn't stray far from them. The tablet boasts a 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT screen, which affords rich colour reproduction, solid viewing angles and generally top-end performance. When you compare the iPad 2 to the likes of LG's Optimus Pad, which is a solid Android tablet which features a 3D LCD capacitive display the Apple still holds its own!

Muscle
The one thing people should be quite used to by now is how Apple utilises power. You won't always get the maximum installed in hardware but the company knows how to manage it so it counts. This is very much the case with the iPad 2; the device runs on a dual-core 900MHz chip with 512MB RAM which may not sound a lot but practically it's quite nippy. When you take those stats and hold them up against, say, the Motorola Xoom, which offers users a dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 chip with 1GB RAM you're left scratching your head as to why Apple chose to under-power the iPad 2.

Optics
A notable inclusion in the iPad 2 is camera functionality, which we were all crying out for after the original iPad hit the shelves. The second generation device comes packed with a 0.7-megapixel primary camera,  capable of 720P capture and a VGA secondary camera for video calling. When held up against the best of the rest, Samsung's Galaxy Tab P7100 10.1V, which offers an 8-megapixel primary snapper with autofocus and LED flash, and a 2-megapixel secondary for video conferencing, the iPad 2 comes in second place. It does take nice video.



Software
The inclusion of iOS 4.3 in the iPad 2 is a signal of intent from Apple. The software is the very latest iteration of its hugely popular mobile OS and it's easy to see why it's widely regarded as a yardstick for competitors. It's powerful looks fantastic and is so easy to use that even if you're been in suspended animation for a century you'll be able to pick up the iPad 2 and get productive! When held-up against, say, the HP TouchPad, which boasts the newest version of HP/Palm's delightful WebOS (version 3.0) the Apple excels in its simplicity, though it's a tough contest as WebOS offers true multitasking and a great looking UI.


Build
As you'd expect from an Apple device, the iPad 2 looks and feels great in the hand(s). Its sleek design will make you the envy of your office and when it's stood-to in one of the new 'smart covers' it resembles more a piece of modern art than gadgetry. Similarly RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook weighs in with some quirky good looks and a premium feel and, of course, is a lot more friendly to hold at only 425 g.

The iPad 2 is undoubtedly a phenomenon that people won't want to miss out on. In our comparisons it held its own, not through exceptional hardware or bleeding edge technology, but purely by implementation. Apple has set the iPad 2 up to succeed.

HTC Incredible S vs Nokia N8

The mobile world seems to suddenly be awash with smartphones, which incorporate stylish good-looks, high end cameras and an immersive user experience. But with so many options out there, it’s easy to get bogged down with the amount of handsets available, so we thought we’d give you a head-to-head of two of the markets biggest sellers, the Nokia N8 and the HTC Incredible S, to help you decide which big-screened beauty is the one for you.

Screen
 The Nokia N8 has a 3.5-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, displaying 16 million colours and 360 x 640 pixels, which gives a rich and responsive experience. The Incredible S has a slightly larger S-LCD capacitive touchscreen, at 4-inches, and displays 480 x 800 pixels.


Internals
The HTC Incredible S has some impressive workings under the bonnet, including  1.1 GB ROM, 768 MB RAM, a 1 GHz Scorpion processor and dedicated graphics, in the shape of an Adreno 205 GPU, which means this handset should be up to any task you can throw at it. The Nokia N8, on the other hand, has a surprising 256MB RAM and 512 MB ROM and a 680 MHz ARM 11 processor.


Camera
The Nokia N8 is undoubtedly the one to beat when it comes to camera prowess. Sporting a highly impressive 12-megapixel snapper with Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, Xenon flash, 1/1.83-inch sensor size, ND filter, geo-tagging, face detection and video capture in 720P HD, it’s considered the best mobile camera ever to be made. The Incredible S is no slouch either, offering an 8-megapixel camera, with auto focus and duel-LED flash and, it too, captures HD video in 720P.


Design
 It’s unusual, these days, to come across a phone which doesn’t follow the ‘big screen, minimal buttons’ trend in mobile design, and that’s exactly where the manufacturers of these handsets have chosen to take them. The N8 has one small button on the front and small, discreet buttons on the sides for the volume and camera. There’s also an HDMI-out slot on the top of the device, which is neatly hidden under a pop-out cover.


Operating System
 Nokia has suffered a lot of criticism over its decision to usethe Symbian^3 operating system on the Nokia N8 and, in fact, has suffered loss of sales due to the disinclination of consumers to buy into an operating system which is considered to be behind the pack. We think this is a shame, as the hardware has so much potential, and with the reported update due we’re keeping an eye on the N8. The Incredible S runs the ever-popular Android operating system, and HTC has chosen to release it running version 2.2 (Froyo), but offering an upgrade to the newest iteration, 2.4 (Gingerbread).

So it’s a clear win for the HTC Incredible S, showing that it’s all-round reliability which wins us over, rather than one outstanding feature on a relatively average handset.

iPhone 4 vs HTC Desire S

Apple develops a device keeps them ticking over long after other devices have gone obsolete, which is why we've taken it upon ourselves to see just how well Apple's box of tricks, the iPhone 4, measures up against one of HTC's latest Android superphones, the Desire S. Will the new phone wipe the floor with the seasoned iPhone 4, or will it be a case of seniority prevailing?


Display
The iPhone 4 boasts one of, if not the, best screens in the smartphone world. its 3.5-inch LED-backlit IPS display is simply brilliant. Colours look rich and vivid, movies look sharp and stunning and responsiveness is second to none. It's a tough ask to expect the Desire S to win in this category and unfortunately it doesn't. Its 3.7-inch Super-LCD screen is good.

Drive Train
HTC Desire S powered by a 1GHz Scorpion CPU and also features an Adreno 205 GPU, 768MB RAM and 1.1GB ROM. There's no discernible lag or slow-down when multi-tasking and the phone feels snappy and fast across the board. The iPhone 4 weighs-in with a similar spec and its 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 chip does a fine job of powering the device and, as you'd expect of Apple, there's no issue with slowdown and its job is well augmented by the 512MB RAM installed. We'd love to compared the two devices whilst multi-tasking but, alas, the iPhone 4 lacks that capability.


Optics
 Both of these devices would suit the casual snappers among you as they both feature pretty capable 5-megapixel cameras with LED flash capability. Video is captured in 720P by both phones too, and the results are, on the whole, impressive. Shot for shot the iPhone 4 produces better images though, as the Desire S suffers somewhat from the same over exposure as its predecessor.

Build and Design
I can rely on HTC to produce good hardware and the Desire S serves as a great example of the company's diligence and dedication to high quality craftsmanship. The design is minimalist and sleek and the device feels of re-assuring weight and balance. Apple, similarly, have a good track record for producing good looking, solid devices and the iPhone 4 doesn't besmirch that reputation. We're sure you've heard of the dreaded death-grip business though, which means you have to insulate your iPhone 4 with a rubber bumper if you wish to ensure a signal when holding the device a certain way.


Value
 One drawback with Apple's devices is price and as you're doubtless aware, they don't come cheap. Thankfully, owing to its age, a number of good deals can be had which will put an iPhone 4 into your hand for very little outlay though, and the most impressive of these is courtesy of Three; which will set you back £69 for your iPhone 4 but will give you 2000 minutes, unlimited texts and truly unlimited data (plus the empathic folk at Three will give you a free bumper and 5000 Three-to-Three minutes too). It's a 24-month plan though, so think about it before you take the plunge. The HTC Desire S enjoys a far more wallet-friendly price-point and one can be yours for free on a 24-month plan with Orange, which will give you 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 500mb of data! If buying the device outright is more your thing you can pick up the 16GB iPhone 4.
I hold it up to the Desire S, a device which takes all of the features that made the original Desire such a success, and expands on them where it matters. In terms of value, hardware and overall experience Android really is proving very difficult to beat these days!

Samsung Galaxy S vs HTC Incredible S

We  have devices that can do everything but mow the lawn. The two phones we’re comparing here, the Samsung Galaxy S and the HTC Incredible S are up there with the best in terms of functionality.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy S features a stellar Gorilla Glass™ equipped Super AMOLED screen that ranks among the best we've ever used and, owing to it being an AMOLED, it uses less battery than many of its peers. The HTC Incredible S ranks pretty highly in the screen stakes too though, and its 4-inch Super-LCD is delivers a great experience and is both vivid and responsive.


Camera
 HTC has gone the whole hog with the camera on the Incredible S, giving it an 8-megapixel snapper with autofocus, a dual-LED flash, geo-tagging, touch-focus, image stabilization, a 1.3-megapixel secondary camera and 720P video capture. Samsung hasn’t aimed quite so high, giving the Galaxy S a 5-megapixel with autofocus, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection and a VGA secondary camera. Whilst it still offers 720P video capture.

OS
Both the HTC Incredible S and the Samsung Galaxy S run on Google’s much-lauded operating system, Android, however it all comes down to versions. The Samsung Galaxy S comes with Android 2.1, known as Éclair and is upgradeable to 2.2, or Froyo, whilst the HTC Incredible S comes with Froyo, but is upgradeable to version 2.4, known as Honeycomb.


Internals
Naturally you want your smartphone to be smart, and while neither of these devices disappoint  the HTC Incredible S noses ahead with its 768 MB RAM, 1GHz Scorpion CPU and Adreno 205 GPU. The Samsung Galaxy S features  512MB RAM, a 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor and a PowerVR SGX540 GPU.

User Interface
 Though these are both Android devices, both manufacturers have decided to overlay their own user interface, which means that you’ll have a unique experience with each phone. Sense UI is based on TouchFlo3D and offers widgets on your home screen, various aesthetic styles for your display and social network integration. Samsung’s TouchWiz 3.0 UI works in much the same way, allowing you to use widgets, news streams and various other add-ons to customise your device, and allows use of up to ten home screens, which could be useful if you need information at your fingertips.
So it’s a win for the new kid, the HTC Incredible S, and we can see why. This device is packed with the best of the best in terms of hardware and functionality, and with HTC’s shrewd use of Android 2.4, the Incredible S is going to be going strong for a long time to come.

HTC Pyramid vs Motorola Atrix

Dual-core power is the feature du jour for smartphones this year and we've taken two of the best, Motorola's amazing ATRIX and HTC's upcoming Pyramid, to see how they stack-up against one another. Which will emerge victorious though?

Display
The HTC boasts a 4.3-inch Super-LCD display which is up there with the best of them, if leaked specifications are to be believed and judging by HTC's current crop of S-LCD screens you'll likely be treated to extremely accurate colour reproduction and fine detail and contrast too! The Motorola ATRIX is a pretty impressive animal though, and its 4.3-inch TFT display (which features Gorilla Glass™) is both responsive and vivid to behold. It's tough to separate the two devices but the hardy glass covering of the ATRIX swings this round in its favour.
Drive Train
The Motorola ATRIX weighs-in heavily in the power stakes and its dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9 CPU takes some beating. The inclusion of 1GB of installed RAM takes things even further though, making a device that flies along with reckless abandon. The HTC Pyramid is no slouch either though, and is in fact shaping up to be one of the only devices that can pip the stellar Tegra 2 chipset to the post, courtesy of a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU! The increased clock speed should please the tech-minded of you, but the Pyramid falls short in terms of installed memory, with only 768MB to play with.


Camera
Neither device should prove a disappointment to the photographers out there but the HTC Pyramid looks set to dazzle with an 8-megapixel primary camera with autofocus, LED flash, image stabilisation and touch-focus, as well as a 1.3-megapixel secondary camera for video-calling. The ATRIX comes in close second with a top-quality 5-megapixel snapper which features autofocus, LED flash and image stabilisation and a VGA front-facing effort.

Build
We can expect the HTC Pyramid to be made with the same diligence, top quality materials and craftsmanship as every other HTC device before it. Expect balance, robustness and from the images circulating on the web, striking minimalist good looks. The Motorola ATRIX gives us something more tangible to appreciate though, and its sleek form is certainly eye-catching. The device measures-up to a shapely 117.8 x 63.5 x 11 mm and weighs only 135g, so don't expect to feel leaden with it in your pocket. Oh, and it features a biometric fingerprint reader for security too.
So in this preliminary face-off it's a win for the Motorola ATRIX! The device looks set to be one of the stand-out devices of the year and it's coming soon to Orange, so get your interest registered and treat yourself to something special. Don't write-off the HTC Pyramid before it's born though.

Samsung Galaxy S vs Samsung Galaxy S II Mini

Samsung’s hotly anticipated Galaxy S 2 goes on sale in the UK on 1st May and it’s already shaping up to be the smartphone of 2011, but its younger brother the Galaxy S 2 mini is on the horizon too, and far from being the poor relation it looks like it could be set to carve a decent slice of the market all for itself but how does the Galaxy S II mini shape-up against some of the big hitters already on the market? Well, we thought the best way to find out would be to let the young upstart duke it out against the head of the family, the amazing, popular Samsung Galaxy S.


Screen
Both devices weigh-in heavy when it comes to screen tech with the original Galaxy S offering a 4-inch Super AMOLED display that is both stunning and easy on battery life. The newer Galaxy S 2 mini offers a 3.7-inch Super-AMOLED though, which is one of the only displays out there able to pip the AMOLED. Expect deeper blacks, sharper images and more refined colours.

Power

The Galaxy S II mini weighs-in with significant power upgrade on the original device (which is powered by the perennially reliable 1GHz Cortex-A8 CPU ) and the included 1.4GHz CPU really makes a difference to more labour intensive tasks.

This upgrade aside the two devices are identical. Both feature 512MB RAM, come in 16 & 32GB flavours, offer 2GB ROM and support micro SD cards up to 32GB in .

Optics

The Galaxy S 2 mini comes packing a 5-megapixel camera with LED-flash which includes touch focus and face & smile detection, which is a fairly noteworthy upgrade on the original device’s 5-megapixel snapper.
Both devices feature the same functional VGA front-facing camera for video calling too.


Software

The Samsung Galaxy S 2 mini runs on version 2.3 (Gingerbread) of Google’s Android operating system and having the latest and greatest iteration of the software is a huge advantage. Security, speed and stability fixes are perhaps the most important features of the update but you’re also treated to improved visuals, a new on-screen QWERTY and improved power management.

The original Galaxy S shipped with version 2.1 of Android but thanks to those diligent folks over at Samsung an official upgrade is in the works, it isn’t here yet though, so the new kid takes this round.


Build

Don’t expect a gulf of difference in build quality between the Samsung Galaxy S 2 mini and the original Galaxy S. Both devices are made of lightweight plastics which make them light, durable and easy to maintain but they do have the slightly off-putting cheap feel to them.

The Galaxy S 2 mini has chalked up a fairly conclusive victory here and it will doubtless win plenty of admirers when it goes on sale. The small but carefully considered upgrades make a world of difference to the overall performance of the device and it will happily stand toe-to-toe with all but the most powerful of superphones out there.

HTC Desire vs Google Nexus One

Google Nexus One is set to be one of the biggest launches, thanks to the Google brand behind it.

Just a couple of months later and and the HTC's own branded Desire was launched, with almost exactly the same spec and look, but HTC's device comes with a couple of additions that Google decided to strip out of the device. and it's selling incredibly well, too.

Branding
Obviously, the Google branding is a major advantage for the Nexus One. There's been a whole lot of buzz about Google launching its first device, and we weren't disappointed when it was announced.
Many people new to the smartphone game don't actually realise that Android is Google's own developed OS, so the introduction of the Nexus One will surely correct this.
However, HTC has made quite a name for itself since Android as taken off, making it one, if not the, leading smartphone maker.

Screen
Both the Google Nexus One and HTC Desire feature the same crisp 3.7-inch, 480x800 pixel AMOLED capacitive touchscreen.

They're both massively responsive but the HTC Desire scrapes past and that's because it supports multitouch natively .
Although it's more a UI decision than a hardware or screen decision, we want to know why Google switched off the capability - besides, there's nothing quite like the pinch to zoom browsing functionality .
Body
Although the Google Nexus One and HTC Desire have almost identical insides, the design is slightly different.
To the naked eye, they're the same size,but the Nexus One shaves off 2mm from the width and 0.5mm of the depth.
The HTC Desire is squarer on the corners, with the home, menu, search and back keys joining the trackpad below the screen, making the screen look larger.
The Google Nexus One has its extra hardware buttons in a panel above the trackball.

Navigation
We've already mentioned the HTC Desire's optical trackpad and would say it's certainly the easier way to navigate around the Android device, with more accuracy than even the touchscreen.

The Google Nexus One takes on the more traditional trackball and we all know how clogged up non-optical mice can get with dust and dirt.

Also, many BlackBerry users and HTC Hero users have reported that the trackballs have fallen off their devices, leading us the believe that the optical trackpad is the way forward.


UI
Being a Google device rather than an HTC -branded one, the Nexus One uses the Android Vanilla UI, albeit running on Android 2.1.

Although there's nothing spectacularly wrong with the Vanilla UI, it's just not as good as HTC's revamped HTC Sense UI on the HTC Desire.

HTC Sense features a number of improvements including homescreen live view, where you can see all your homescreens in one place, Friend Stream for social networking and improved People widget.

Network availability
Now here's what what will make or break your relationship with the Google Nexus One....it's only available from Google, in the US, and there's no word when it will be available from Vodafone either.

The HTC Desire however is available (or will be in the next week) on T-Mobile, Vodafone, Virgin Mobile, Orange and O2. So a lot of choice then.

Motorola Atrix vs iPhone 4

In many people’s view, the iPhone 4 is the ‘one to beat’ on the mobile market, and there’s no denying the appeal and popularity of the device. But in terms of pound-for-pound muscle, how does Apple’s device match up to one of the newest Android devices to hit the shops, the Motorola Atrix?

Display
The Motorola Atrix has a 4-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen, fronted by Gorilla Glass, multi-touch input, accelerometer for auto-rotate, proximity sensor for auto turn-off and touch sensitive controls. The iPhone 4 currently has the best screen on the market, with its 3.5-inch IPS Retina Display offering the richest mobile viewing experience.

Internals
As most of us are aware by now, the iPhone 4 comes in two flavours, 16GB or 32GB, so we can choose how much storage we need (or can afford) and along with its 512MB RAM and 1GHz processor, you’ll be well equipped to perform any task. The Atrix however, has 1GB RAM, double that of the iPhone 4, as well as 16GB of onboard storage, which can be expanded with up to 32GB of micro SD storage, and a dual-core 1GHz processor, with dedicated ULP GeForce GPU. We know it’s not what you’ve got but what you do with it.

OS
When it comes to preference over operating system, it’s a case of whatever takes your fancy. iOS is aesthetically pleasing, user friendly and offers an intuitive experience. Of course you also get access to iTunes for purchasing of apps, media and games. The Motorola Atrix runs on Android 2.2 (Froyo), though it has been confirmed that it will be receiving an update to 2.3 (Gingerbread), and this means you’ll be able to customise your mobile to your heart's content! From themes to widgets via home-screens and apps, Android allows you to do what you will, plus there’s the added bonus of hundreds of thousands of free apps via the Android Market.


Camera
iPhoneography has become a huge trend in recent months, which is down to the iPhone 4’s thoroughly decent 5-megapixel camera with touch focus, auto focus, geo-tagging, and LED flash. It also records video in 720p HD and has a secondary camera, though video calling (with FaceTime) is available over Wi-Fi only. The Motorola Atrix also has a 5-megapixel camera with auto focus, geo-tagging, and LED flash, plus 720p video capture. However, we feel that it takes the edge as the secondary camera is functional via 3G, plus the upcoming software update will see the video recording capabilities extend to full 1080p.
Design
The iPhone range is famous for its sleek, minimal, crowd-pleasing design. With only one button on the whole device and shiny good-looks, we can see why the unibody iPhone 4 is so popular. The Motorola Atrix has followed a similar brief, with its large screen, touch-sensitive buttons and glossy back, though it does have some tricks up its sleeve, in the form of a biometric fingerprint reader discreetly nestled on the top.

We thought that the iPhone 4, in all of its glory, would be the winner, but it just goes to show that popularity and market share doesn’t always guarantee a superior device. The Atrix has put up a truly impressive fight.

HTC Sensation vs Samsung Galaxy S2

If I am looking to make sure the next phone you buy is the very best available then I've likely shortlisted a few devices and, given the current market, the HTC Sensation and Samsung Galaxy S II should be foremost on that list.
Display

HTC's super new device sports a 4.3-inch Super LCD display that operates at a resolution of 540 x 960.  The screen is responsive and will allow you to enjoy all your media as nature intended, with vivid colours, deep blacks and pin sharp clarity, and if you tend to drop your device in your pocket with your keys.
The Samsung Galaxy S II features the next generation of Samsung's stellar AMOLED screens, namely a Super AMOLED Plus, measuring up at 4.3-inches and also fronted by Gorilla Glass. This type of screen boasts more sub-pixels than any other on the market, which makes for a peerless level of clarity and sharpness that even the iPhone 4 and its vaunted Retina Display can't compare to.


Power

Both of these devices boast a huge amount of horsepower, and their 1.2GHz dual-core CPU's do a great job of thrashing labour intensive tasks without even breaking sweat, though the Samsung does take the tape first in terms of RAM, with 1GB installed compared to the HTC's 768MB.

That minor difference may be all that separates these two great devices but it may turn out to be critical as Android .

Optics
If you like to snap photos while you're on the go you'll be well catered for whichever of these devices you choose. Both come with nearly identical 8-megapixel shooters with geo-tagging, touch-focus, face detection and image stabilisation. Though the HTC boasts a dual-LED flash, over the Samsung's single LED. The Samsung evens the score with its front-facing camera though, which is 2-megapixel compared to the Sensation's VGA offering. Both shoot 1080P video at 30FPS too!


Software

As we previously mentioned, both of these super smartphones run on Google's ubiquitous Android OS (version 2.3.3) but they are fronted by unique custom UI's which bring new apps, widgets and eye-candy to the table.

The Samsung Galaxy S II, with its TouchWiz 4.0 UI, expands on the natural good looks of Android, and offers some new features like Samsung's Hubs (for buying content such as eBooks, music and periodicals) as well as pretty tight social networking integration, supporting Twitter, Facebook, MySpace(?) & LinkedIn.

The HTC Sensation, however, comes packed with the next iteration of HTC's super smooth Sense UI (version 3.0) which, apart from being easy on the eye, offers great social networking integration, new widgets and apps. Samsung has come close with this latest version of TouchWiz, but SenseUI is still streets ahead.


Build

HTC Sensation - 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm, 148g
Samsung Galaxy S II - 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm, 116g

Coming from well respected and established companies like Samsung and HTC its pretty safe to assume that these devices will be well designed and crafted.

The Samsung Galaxy S II is made from lightweight plastics and is unbelievably thin at just 8.5mm, which may appeal to some people who don't like lugging around bulky devices but there are just as many people that will be put off by what could be construed as a 'cheap' feel.
Overall we feel that this category comes down to personal taste. Some will prefer the thin, light and sleek feel of the Galaxy S II, while others will doubtless be drawn the HTC Sensation, for its premium good looks and more solid feel.
So the Samsung Galaxy S II just pinches it! That wee bit of extra poke may not seem like a gulf of difference but it could be pivotal in the long-term success of the device and other than that the Samsung ticks every box in terms of features and performance. The HTC Sensation is a stunning device though.