Dual-core smartphones are becoming more and more apparent in the market these days, and as such it’s becoming increasingly difficult to decide which one is best, and more importantly which one to get.
Samsung’s Galaxy S II is currently the best selling smartphone in the UK and is also the slimmest handset on the market. The LG Optimus 2X was officially the first dual-core smartphone to be announced and sold, and the HTC Sensation is HTC’s first dual-core smartphone and a flagship Android handset for the company.
Having three fantastic smartphones to choose from is all well and good, but how do you know which one is fastest, which has the best camera or which is the lightest and slimmest? Fear not, dear reader, as The Gadget Helpline is here to help! We’re comparing the top three dual-core smartphones; the Samsung Galaxy S II, LG Optimus 2X and the HTC Sensation. Read on to find out which handset wins in each category, and most importantly which wins overall as the best dual-core smartphone.
Processor
- Samsung Galaxy S II: Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9
HTC Sensation: Dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM 8260
LG Optimus 2X: Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor with Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset
DRAW: Samsung Galaxy S II and HTC Sensation
All three handsets make use of a dual-core processor, making them fast and great for multitasking between different apps. Unfortunately here, the Optimus 2X loses out due to its slower processor speed of 1GHz. It’s a tough call between the S2 and the Sensation, as they both use dual-core 1.2GHz processors, albeit on different chipsets. When we compared both handsets side-by-side, there was very little difference, so this category is a draw.
Screen
- Samsung Galaxy S II: 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen, 16M colours, 480 x 800 pixels
HTC Sensation: 4.3 inch Super LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colours, 540 x 960 pixels
LG Optimus 2X: 4 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colours, 480 x 800 pixels
WINNER: Samsung Galaxy S II
The Sensation’s screen offers the greatest pixel density out of the three phones, but it loses out big time with viewing angles. Both the S2 and the Optimus 2X have great viewing angles, meaning that even if your handset is on a flat surface or tilted away from you, you’ll be able to view the screen just fine. With the Sensation, the further you tilt the screen the less you’ll see. The Galaxy S II takes the crown over the Optimus 2X here due to its fantastic Super AMOLED Plus screen, which has deep blacks and bright, vibrant colours.
Dimensions
- Samsung Galaxy S II: 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm, 116g
HTC Sensation: 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm, 148g
LG Optimus 2X: 123.9 x 63.2 x 10.9 mm, 139g
WINNER: Samsung Galaxy S II
There’s really no contest in this category; Samsung have designed the Galaxy S II beautifully. It’s by far the lightest and slimmest handset out of the three, and probably the lightest and slimmest smartphone on the market right now. The HTC Sensation is also very well made thanks to HTC’s aluminium unibody design. It’s smooth, round and very comfortable to hold, but comes second place to the Galaxy S II.
Software
- Samsung Galaxy S II: Android 2.3 Gingerbread + TouchWiz UI v.4.0
HTC Sensation: Android 2.3 Gingerbread + HTC Sense 3.0
LG Optimus 2X: Android 2.2 FroYo (upgradable to 2.3)
WINNER: Samsung Galaxy S II
Technically this one could play out as a draw, as both the Galaxy S2 and the Sensation have the same operating system, but each has its manufacturer’s own user interface on top. The Galaxy S II has Samsung’s TouchWiz UI v4.0 whereas the Sensation has HTC Sense 3.0. Both are brilliant, but we feel the TouchWiz UI offers alot more than HTC Sense. You get the dedicated Social, Games and E-Reader hubs with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, as well as the ability to view full web pages with the new browser.
Imaging
- Samsung Galaxy S II: 8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, 2MP front camera, 1080p (Full HD) Video recording @ 30fps
HTC Sensation: 8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash, VGA front camera, 1080p (Full HD) Video recording @ 30fps with Stereo Sound
LG Optimus 2X: 8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, 1.3MP front camera, 1080p (Full HD) Video recording @ 24fps or 720p @30fps
WINNER: HTC Sensation
All three phones shoot still images at a crisp 3264 x 2448 pixels with their respective 8-megapixel rear cameras, so technically this one would be a dead heat. Both the Galaxy S II and the Sensation shoot video in Full HD (1080p) at 30 frames per second, but the Sensation wins here thanks to the great inclusion of stereo sound with video recording. Stereo sound combined with Full HD video makes for great quality recordings, perfect for playing back on your HD TV using DLNA.
Connectivity
- Samsung Galaxy S II: HSDPA 21 Mbps/Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n,Wi-Fi Direct,Wi-Fi hotspot/Bluetooth 3.0/DLNA
HTC Sensation: HSDPA 14.4 Mbps/ Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,Wi-Fi hotspot/Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP/DLNA
LG Optimus 2X: HSDPA 10.2 Mbps/ Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,Wi-Fi hotspot/Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP/DLNA
WINNER: Samsung Galaxy S II
All three handsets feature the latest and fastest Wi-Fi 802.11 ‘N’ connectivity as standard, as well as 3G and Bluetooth of varying types. The Galaxy S II is capable of the fastest 3G data speeds, boasting an impressive 21Mbps download speed on a HSDPA network. Compared to the Sensation’s top speed of 14.4Mbps and the Optimus 2X’s 10.2Mbps, the S II is a clear winner in this field. It also boasts Wi-Fi Direct which allows two wireless devices to communicate without the need for a router, a feature which the other two handsets don’t have. You do get Wi-Fi hotspot on the Sensation and Optimus 2X, which allows you to share your 3G internet connection with other devices, as well as DLNA technology to stream pictures, music and video to your TV or PC.
Storage
Samsung Galaxy S II: 16/32GB onboard, 1GB RAM, Micro SD Card Slot
HTC Sensation: 1GB onboard, 768MB RAM, Micro SD Card Slot
LG Optimus 2X: 8GB onboard, 512MB RAM, Micro SD Card Slot
WINNER: Samsung Galaxy S II
You can purchase the Galaxy S II in two storage configurations; 16GB and 32GB. From the start you get more onboard storage than with the other two handsets, so there’s less need to add a MicroSD card to boost your storage. The Optimus 2X offers a decent 8GB of onboard storage, but the Sensation only offers a paltry 1GB to get you started. All three offer expandable storage by means of a MicroSD card, but it’s nice to have a good amount of storage without the need for one. RAM-wise, the Galaxy S II tops the chart with 1GB, meaning it will cope with multiple applications, multitasking and HD Video smoothly and without a hitch.
Conclusion
It’s a hands-down victory for the Samsung Galaxy S II in this case, coming top in all categories but one. The LG Optimus 2X may have been the first dual-core smartphone on the market but unfortunately it has been superseded by both the Galaxy S II and the Sensation. Both the Galaxy S II and the Sensation are very powerful, fast smartphones, coming out equal in the processor category.
The Sensation took top place in the camera category, so if you’re looking for a new smartphone and camera quality or video capture is your main focus, then this would be the new phone for you. However, as an all-round smartphone that has everything and more, we would highly recommend the Samsung Galaxy S II. It’s fast, it’s slim and lightweight, it has a beautiful screen and so many fantastic features like the Games Hub, All Share DLNA technology and the TouchWiz UI v4.0 browser.
Will you be ordering the Samsung Galaxy S II or do the great camera skills of the HTC Sensation do it for you? We’d love to hear your opinions on any of the three devices we’ve compared, so let us know by leaving a comment or tweeting us @Gadget_Helpline.
