Samsung has taken the Indian market by storm with its top notch models, the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Galaxy Note.If you are equally smitten by the Ads and the rave reviews surrounding these two models and wish to buy one of these, Which one should you go for? Is it just a difference of Rs 1,000 for a bigger screen or are things more complex? Let us examine
Specifications: Is big screen everything?
On the face of it, the choice seems to be to go with the smartphone with the bigger screen(5.3″ vs 4.3″ is a no contest) and the cool new features, but a closer look is important.
Factors favouring Samsung Galaxy Note
- Samsung Galaxy Note comes with a much higher resolution of 1280*800, which is 2.5 times greater than the Samsung Galaxy SII, Samsung Galaxy Note also provides richer text and picture quality with a higher PPI screen.
- Samsung Galaxy Note also comes with a faster processor at 1400Mhz which is more powerful than Galaxy SII which means Note is more responsive and smoother to run heavier applications such as games.
Samsung Galaxy SII has the simple advantage of being smaller, lighter and just plain, carriable. The phone is arguably packed with most of the features Note has but there are few you may need to consider, when you make the final choice:
Factors favouring Samsung Galaxy S2
- Samsung Galaxy S2 has more internal storage than Galaxy Note. We are talking about 16 GB more internal storage. While this is just a minor problem considering memories can be expanded, for those obsessed with internal storage, this is indeed important.
- Samsung Galaxy S2 has almost a quarter of a day longer talk time compared to Galaxy Note. At 18 hrs, S2 is surely the better choice for all travellers and big phone users. This is true in case of standby time as well (S2 has 29.6 days of standby time)
- Samsung Galaxy S2 is capable of higher data speeds. We are talking double the data speed capability than Note (42.2Mbps vs 21.2Mbps). While this is not really something relevant to India where network speeds are still sluggish and not uniform, it is important for people who travel abroad.
- The Samsung Galaxy S2 is marginally cheaper than the Note (Samsung Galaxy Note price is Rs. 29,999 while the Samsung Galaxy S2 price is Rs. 28,968). However at this price point a difference of one thousand hardly matters.
Creative Usage-Note, Ideal for the Artists
If one goes by the Ad campaigns and the activities that Samsung Galaxy Note has done in the IFA 2011 and CES 2012, the strategy for Samsung Galaxy Note is to be the ultimate smartphone for artists and other creative professionals (designers, architects etc).
The Stylus, redubbed the S-pen is undoubtedly the biggest Unique Selling Proposition for Samsung Galaxy Note. It provides the capability to draw, capture screen shots and edit them on the go. It is the kind of perfect toy for those artistically inclined. If you are someone who loves to doodle or create your own designs or someone in the creative fields such as Advertising, Brand marketing, Fashion designing etc, this is the kind of phone you always dreamed about but either never thought possible, or never thought affordable (Rs. 32,000). One can expect more applications and games made exclusively for the S-pen in the near future which is a big plus for a Samsung Galaxy Note aspirant
Click for video of IFA 2011,Germany
Click for video of CES 2012,LasVegas
Form Factor- That awkward moment when your phone rings
There has been countless amount of reviews about the massive size of the Note. It is debatable whether it is just pushing the envelop of ergonimics or ripped it apart and making new logic. Is the Samsung Galaxy Note simply too big for a phone? It may be thin and light and fine enough to carry around but is that enough? From a user perspective the moment of truth definitely lies in the answering of your phone. Does the Note make you look good in the eyes of the onlooker? www.itgeeg.com
Covering almost the entire half of your face, the Note is just not meant for a typical “on the ear” answering. Thankfully we live in the age of Bluetooth headphones. So if you have to choose a phone solely based on the looks of it and how it feels to carry around, the Note may fall short of all your aspirations.
The Samsung Galaxy S2 on the other hand is nifty and handy. It is bigger than most of the smartphones in the market but still feels handy and light to carry. With its clear glossy back and brilliant display, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is an object of constant admiration. No awkward moments in answering calls either.
Summary
Samsung has definitely provided two unique and powerpacked smartphones for the android fans.Whether you choose the Galaxy Note for its artistic potential or Galaxy S2 for its simple usability in terms of performance and talktime depends on the kind of person you are. The Galaxy Note is power packed, has great advantage for artists and comes with a truely unique feature the S-pen. The S2 on the other hand brings with it a thin, handy and comfortable phone that is ideal for travelers and heavy users. The choice is indeed tricky for someone looking to upgrade themselves into high performance smartphone.What would your choice be?