Apple iPhone 4S vs. Samsung Galaxy S II: Which Is the Greatest

f you're new to the smartphone world, you may not know which way to go. Do you want Apple's iPhone 4S, which seems to be the "it" device that everyone wants, or do you want "the" high-end Android smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S II? AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint all offer almost identical versions of the iPhone 4S. The situation is abit more complicated with the Android device -- the Galaxy S II series Blackberry Cases includes the Galaxy S II and the Galaxy S II Skyrocket from from AT&T, the Epic 4G Touch from Sprint, and T-Mobile's version of the Galaxy S II. These are all basically the same device, with minor differences between the carrier-specific versions, except that the Skyrocket is equipped with 4G LTE. Build & Design When it comes to design, I say the iPhone 4S takes the prize. It's small, it's sexy, and everyone knows exactly what kind of phone you have when you pull it out. The Galaxy S II devices aren't exactly ugly, but they aren't exactly head-turners either, suffering from a "me too" design sensibility of all-black devices without any real flair. Both the Apple and the Samsung handsets are dominated by large displays that cover the front of the device. They also have the same basic button and port layout, though the buttons on the iPhone 4S are slightly larger and easier to operate. Display and Keyboard The iPhone 4S is equipped with a 3.5-inch IPS display that has a resolution of 960 x 640 at 326 ppi. It has also been treated with an oleophobic coating designed to repel fingerprints, but you'll still be cleaning off the display pretty frequently. The various Galaxy S II devices have larger displays than the iPhone 4S, measuring 4.3-inches to 4.5-inches, with a resolution of 800 x 480 (WVGA). They look very good, and being larger than the iPhone they offer more immersive entertainment, but they don't have that same high resolution, razor-sharp clarity. The Galaxy S II devices do have an edge when it comes to outdoor viewing, because they are equipped with Super AMOLED Plus screens that are capable of amazing brightness. They almost cause your eyes to bleed at the highest settings. The iPhone 4S is also viewable outside, but isn't able to compete on sheer brightness. When it comes to text entry, you'll be using a virtual keyboard on either of these smartphones, as none of them have mobile phone lcd a physical keyboard. They're pretty comparable across the board, though the Galaxy S II models have larger screens and therefore slightly larger virtual keyboards.