The HTC Sensation XL with Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine to bring Beats Audio software and headphones to an HTC smartphone and that gives this package one hell of an extra shine, but is it quite shiny enough?
The current King of the Androids in the shape of the Samsung Galaxy S II begging the big question for any would be buyer - just which one is the better phone.? It’s the HTC Sensation XL vs Samsung Galaxy S II.
Design
- 2nd: Sensation XL : 132.5 x 70.7 x 9.9 mm, 163g
1st: Galaxy S2 : 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.49mm, 117g
In terms of measurements, it’s the first round to the Samsung Galaxy S II is all about how thin and how light a smartmobile phone is, when it comes to something that’s going to be sitting in yourpocket, weighing you down. The SGS2 is a touch thinner and considerably lighter.
The only possible disadvantage to the Sensation XL is that it’s physically bigger on the other dimensions as well.
Once you use Galaxy S2 after few minutes you cant help but fall in love with the phone.
Display
- 2nd: Sensation XL : 4.7-inch, 800x480px, 199ppi, LCD
1st: Galaxy S2 : 4.27-inch, 800x480px, 218ppi, Super AMOLED Plus
Although HTC Sensation XL screen offers a bigger viewing platform than that of the SGS2 but, sadly, at the same resolution. So, it’s one thing to lose that sharpness as a result of a lower pixel density but what it is that tips the balance is down to the screen technology itself.
HTC went straight to LCD but Samsung has all that panel innovation to lean back on when it comes to its Super AMOLED Plus. This concludes that SGS2 has better display .
The screen is a real high point of the HTC Sensation XL. It's bright, with vibrant colours – though they seem a bit overblown at full brightness, they're really appealing if you turn it down a little.
Engine Room
1st: Galaxy S2: 1.2GHz dual-core processor (Samsung Exynos 4210) 1GB RAM
2nd: Sensation XL: 1.5GHz single-core processor Snapdragon MSM8255 , 768MB RAM
When comes to the systems-on-chip in both phones offer plenty to be happy about but it’s the lack of a dual core CPU on the Sensation XL that will draw the criticism. The Samsung Exynos 4210 consists of a 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU running the show compared to the 1.5GHz ARMv7 Scorpion on the Sensation XL.
In the graphics department, it’s Samsung’s Mali-400 vs the HTC’s Adreno 205 in a battle where the former out-benchs the latter. Additionall the memory, here is where the Samsung wins, the phone has 1GB of RAM while 768MB on the Sensation XL. Again Samsung Galaxy S II wins.
Camera
- 1st: Galaxy S2: 8MP rear, 2MP front, 1080p video capture
- 2nd: Sensation XL: 8MP rear, 1.3MP front, 720p video
HTC Sensation XL Camera only has 720p video capturetion XL. The slight dip on the resolution of the front-facing webcam doesn’t really help much either. Although the XL might shoot better quality images but we won’t know until when the HTC Sensation XL gets out.
Connectivity
- 2nd: Sensation XL: Wi-Fi, BT 3.0, DLNA, Wi-Fi tethering
1st: Galaxy S2: Wi-Fi, NFC, 4G, BT 3.0, DLNA, Wi-Fi tethering
Both phones have got the basics and the SGS2’s constant everything that XL has plus 4G and NFC. However this might not be a big deal in the UK that there’s no 4G radio or NFC technology included but in other countries where both infrastructures exist, that could be quite a let down. SGS2 has more advantage over XL.
Battery Life
- 2nd: Sensation XL: 1600mAh, up to 11 hours talk time and 6.50 hours 3G talktime
1st: Galaxy S2: 1650mAh, up to 8 hours talk time
Both phones has a good battery life although XL has more talk time than Samsung. Mind you Samsung has a larger batter unit, Samsung has stated 3G talk time while HTC's refers to 2G talk time and up to 6.50 hours 3G talk time. In additiona Samsung running a dual core processor and has a different screen technology or RAM. Therefore Samsung wins in this category
Software
- 2nd: Galaxy S2 : Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread + TouchWiz 4.0
1st: Sensation XL: Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread + HTC Sense 3.5
They both running Andoid Gingerbread although Sensation running the slightly the latest version of Gingerbread SGS2 has TouchWiz 4.0 which is ok while the Sensation XL, gets the benefit of HTC Sense 3.5 UI which is known for its neat integration of your contacts and their details, as well as an excellent graphical look and feel.
Futhermore the XL also comes with the Beats by Dr Dre audio circuitry inside to improve the quality of your digital music.
Storage
- 2nd: Sensation XL: 16GB
1st: Galaxy S II : 16GB + microSD
Both has a decent siize of 16GB internal storage, whch is good enough to stre music or pictures. However if the 16GB storage is not enough with Galaxy S2 you have option of extended up to 32GB additional stoarage with MicroSD card slot. It is a big disappointment with the HTC Sensation XL as the phone does not come with MicroSD card slot.
Price
Galaxy S2 : £410 (16GB)
Since there is no prices for the HTC Sensation XL at the time of the review, so this category is inconclusive until when we get the price for XL.
Conclusion
1st: Galaxy SII |
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