We were a bit confused when we found out about the Samsung Galaxy S Advance. Spec-wise, it’s a Galaxy S1.5; sitting between the Samsung Galaxy S and Samsung Galaxy S2, and it’s priced accordingly. Which one should you go for? Lets find out.
Design
Design wise, from the front both look very similar, although the Galaxy S Advance has slightly less surface area thanks to the 4-inch screen. The back and sides are very different, the S Advance is a little bit wedge shaped and is thicker at 9.7mm, whereas the Galaxy S2 is 8.7mm and is flatter. We reckon the Galaxy S Advance is a tad more stylish, with a little bit more chrome and a little bit more edge. However anyone who wants a simpler, slimmer handset can opt for the Galaxy S2.
Screen
The Galaxy S Advance has a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, whereas the Galaxy S2 has 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen. Despite being bigger, thanks to its non-pentile display the S2 is just as sharp as its little brother. Both are vibrant with saturated colours and deep dark blacks, coupled with great viewing angles.
UI
Both devices run Samsung’s UI TouchWiz 4.0. The Galaxy S Advance has Android Gingerbread, whereas the Galaxy S2 has the latest greatest Ice Cream Sandwich, despite being an older phone. Most users won’t notice too much of a difference, but any keen-eyed person out there will notice ICS adds a host of handy perks, such as a neat task manager and swipe-able notifications.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S Advance has a 5-megapixel camera, in contrast to the Galaxy S2, which has an 8-megapixel camera. This means the S2 will give you better detail, although both offer good colour reproduction and an excellent flash.
Video is a real differentiater. The Galaxy S Advance offers 720p, whereas the S2 shoots at 1080p. While the quality is comparable; because of the inclusion of continuous autofocus the Galaxy S2 can use macro mode.
Performance
When it comes to connectivity, both offer NFC variants, along with 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth.
The Galaxy S Advance offers 8GB internal storage on board, whereas the Galaxy S2 has 16GB twice as much, both are expandable using a microSD card.
They also both have dual-core processors, while the Galaxy S Advance has a 1GHz dual-core processor, the Galaxy S2 includes a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor. Performance is virtually identical both are powerful enough for standard UI functions and 3D gaming.
Battery wise, the Galaxy S Advance is a little better, this is probably due to the slightly underclocked processor and smaller screen. But both last a day, the S Advance maybe lasts a little bit longer and both are replaceable
All in all, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is a better phone, naturally being about £30-40 more expensive. While we prefer design of Galaxy S Advance and the smaller screen may suit some, overall the Galaxy S2 wins in terms of specs, screen and storage.
Thanks to Expansys for the Samsung Galaxy S Advance sample
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