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HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II

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Posted: , by Daniel P.

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Camera:

The HTC One S sports a very rich camera interface with plenty of shooting modes, tweaks and effects you can apply over to your photos and videos. The Samsung Galaxy S II is no slouch in that respect either, offering panorama and macro modes, as well as many effects too, but the choice coming with the HTC's proprietary ImageChip technology is richer, and the interface is more ergonomic to use. The One S has the camera and video shutter keys on one screen, so you can immediately start filming after a shot. The brighter screen also helps in framing a shot well.

Camera interface of the Samsung Galaxy S II - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Camera interface of the Samsung Galaxy S II - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Camera interface of the Samsung Galaxy S II - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Camera interface of the Samsung Galaxy S II - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II

Camera interface of the Samsung Galaxy S II


Camera interface of the HTC One S - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Camera interface of the HTC One S - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Camera interface of the HTC One S - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Camera interface of the HTC One S - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Camera interface of the HTC One S - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II

Camera interface of the HTC One S


The pics from the 8MP cameras on both turned out very good, with the One S oversaturating the colors, whereas the ones from the Galaxy S II were slightly colder than reality, and the truth somewhere in the middle. The handsets make sharp looking photos with good white balance and plenty of detail. They manage fine even in tricky lighting situations, like when the sun shines directly at the lens, with the One S having a slight edge in these circumstances. Where the Galaxy S II does better in auto mode are artificial and low light shots, where its pics come out slightly sharper, while on the One S you have to pick the low light mode from the menu to achieve the same result.

HTC One S - Samsung Galaxy S IIOutdoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
HTC One S - Samsung Galaxy S IIOutdoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
HTC One S - Samsung Galaxy S IIOutdoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
HTC One S - Samsung Galaxy S IIOutdoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
HTC One S - Samsung Galaxy S IIOutdoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II

HTC One S

Samsung Galaxy S IIOutdoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Samsung Galaxy S IIOutdoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Samsung Galaxy S IIOutdoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Samsung Galaxy S IIOutdoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Samsung Galaxy S IIOutdoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II

Samsung Galaxy S II
Outdoor samples


Strong - HTC One S - Samsung Galaxy S IIIndoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Medium - HTC One S - Samsung Galaxy S IIIndoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Low - HTC One S - Samsung Galaxy S IIIndoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Darkness - HTC One S - Samsung Galaxy S IIIndoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II

Strong

Medium

Low

Darkness

HTC One S

Samsung Galaxy S IIIndoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Samsung Galaxy S IIIndoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Samsung Galaxy S IIIndoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Samsung Galaxy S IIIndoor samples - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II

Samsung Galaxy S II
Indoor samples


Overall, the pictures from the HTC One S are more pleasant to look at with their vivid, saturated colors than the more accurate, but colder images from the Samsung Galaxy S II. HTC's handset has one big advantage in terms of camera, though – it takes less than a second to focus and take a shot, and its burst mode is a sight to behold, whereas the Galaxy S II camera feels like a last year endeavor compared to the new sub-second speeds we have in the HTC One series, the iPhone 4S or the Xperia S, for example.

Both handsets shoot 1080p video with 30fps, which runs fluid and without frame skippings or unpleasant artifacts, and with a good level of detail. The video from the One S exhibits the same high contrast and saturated colors as the stills, while the one made with the Galaxy S II is more plain looking in comparison, but overall you can't complain from the footage created by both phones.

HTC One S Sample Video:



Samsung Galaxy S II Sample Video:



HTC One S Indoor Sample Video:



Samsung Galaxy S II Indoor Sample VIdeo:




Multimedia:

The music player on the Galaxy S II is more functional than the one on the One S due to the number of equalizer presets it offers and the mock 5.1 channel surround sound mode. The One S has Beats Audio, which improves the sound with the suitable high-quality pair of headphones, but you could probably achieve a similar result playing around with the Galaxy S II equalizers. The loudspeaker on the Galaxy S II is on par with the One S unit - both are nothing really spectacular, but do the job in terms of strength and sound clarity for phone rings and the occasional call on speaker.

Music player of the Samsung Galaxy S II - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Music player of the Samsung Galaxy S II - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Music player of the Samsung Galaxy S II - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
Music player of the Samsung Galaxy S II - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II

Music player of the Samsung Galaxy S II

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The music player of the HTC One S sports a polished interface - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
The music player of the HTC One S sports a polished interface - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
The music player of the HTC One S sports a polished interface - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
The music player of the HTC One S sports a polished interface - HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II

The music player of the HTC One S sports a polished interface


Both handsets have pretty useful video players that won’t make you resort to the application store, since they support DivX/Xvid by default, and allow for brightness adjustments, subtitle support and basic video trimming directly from their interfaces. With the Galaxy S II you can also set the color tone, though, which might come useful when watching movies.

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1. OmarF82 posted on 18 Apr 2012, 05:33 1

How about a video between both devices HTC One S vs Samsung Galaxy S II

26. jonahleq posted on 21 Apr 2012, 00:33 1

htc one s is better

2. redmd posted on 18 Apr 2012, 06:00 6

How about a comparison between HTC one x vs Samsung galaxy note.

3. jackhammeR posted on 18 Apr 2012, 06:20 6 15

vote for S II. I just don't like HTC. Something is not right...not polished enough. S II is a more balanced phone.

21. wendygarett posted on 19 Apr 2012, 05:56 2

Both of them sucks!!! Iphone4s all the way :D

4. darktranquillity posted on 18 Apr 2012, 06:24 17 4

There's no way on earth that i'll buy a smartphone that doesn't have sd slot, no matter how good is it.

5. Joshing4fun posted on 18 Apr 2012, 06:43 11 5

This isn't even a comparison. The One S wins easily. Not that the SII could ever be called bad, it's just aging. Newer almost always wins and this is no exception.

33. 99n100 posted on 25 Apr 2012, 08:20 1

Don't agree that One S won the race over SG2, don't forget that was one year old technology and HTC have not learn to improve their design with what most people want in their wish list.

34. gwuhua1984 posted on 25 Apr 2012, 10:27

I thought the two devices pretty much tied?

6. taz89 posted on 18 Apr 2012, 06:43 4

Sd card is a must 4 me.... I have 1 sd card which has all my media and I use it o,every new one o get... Only time sd card didn't hold me back was when I got the iPhone and how I hated that... Now every time I get an android phone it needs to have a sd card slot.. Design wise no argument, but I much rather prefer tw over sense because it is much less bloated and less ram hungry than sense...

28. Berzerk000 posted on 21 Apr 2012, 21:49

The new Sense 4 is actually a lot better than Sense 3.x when it comes to being bloated, so performance should be equal or greater than Touchwiz on the S2. Especially now since the Tegra 3 and S4 are running it on the One X and One S, it's absolutely no problem

7. REYNER posted on 18 Apr 2012, 07:36

finally wishes do come true a comparison of SG2 and ONE S! :)
hmmm... impressive i like one s for its built and interface but its sad that it only has 16gb and a dropbox that is good for only 2 years :( i have to think though im still enjoying my WP for now i just want to try the new ICS built phones :) how i hope ther next match wil;l be galaxy note vs one s
and xperia s vs one s please...

8. kshell1 posted on 18 Apr 2012, 07:56 6 7

I still prefer the galaxy s2 because of the non-pentile super amoled, exynos, and sd card.

13. Mario1017 posted on 18 Apr 2012, 15:02 1 4

You still prefer it even though it has a slower processor, worse display

24. kshell1 posted on 19 Apr 2012, 09:43 1 3

better camera, my 1.8ghz dual core exynos is plenty fast, and i don't need an insanely high resolution display on a phone, sure its nice to have but its not needed, im waiting on the sgs3 before i get a new phone, hoping it will have expandable memory and if not multiple storage options

9. kunzj646 posted on 18 Apr 2012, 08:32 3 1

I still love my galaxy s2...! One s may b a grt phone..bt just imangine..it is being compared with Gs2 which is almost a year older.!

29. Berzerk000 posted on 21 Apr 2012, 21:52

Well, it's only natural to compare it to the GS2. The GS2 was basically crowned the king of the android phones, so it should be a necessity that every high end phone being released be compared to it. But it seems now that the One X is king ;) well, the GS3 might de-throne the One X lol

39. ricky0702 posted on 01 Aug 2012, 05:23

I would prefer the smausng S3 because its features like the
S-Voice and S-Beam, with the bigger screen and a better feel towards it software as well as having a MORE user friendly interface. The S3 also has expandable memory and better audio visual abilities. I would think the Samsung S3 as a HTC one x but with more features and a better design therefore there is no reason why I wouldn't go for the Samsung S3.read another briefed comparison of the One X and Galaxy S III
http://www.careace.net/2012/05/16/superphone-showdown-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-vs-htc-one-x/

10. taz89 posted on 18 Apr 2012, 09:34

duh if you have a phusical/capacitive menu button already then of course you are still going to use it...it would be silly to disable the menu button on the s2..

11. Tsepz_GP posted on 18 Apr 2012, 09:51 7 1

The GS2 seems to hold its own very well for a phone that's a year old.
In summary i'd say GS2 for us smartphone enthusiast who want SD slot, and mem expansion and One S for the average user, either way you're getting an excellent smartphone.

12. jackhammeR posted on 18 Apr 2012, 10:45 3 8

Sorry HTC...you lost again:)

16. Mario1017 posted on 18 Apr 2012, 16:02 2

The one s won...

17. pegasso posted on 18 Apr 2012, 17:39

they're comparing a new phone versus a year old phone.
guess who win the battle, and who win the war?

18. Mario1017 posted on 18 Apr 2012, 20:09

it doesnt matter how old the phone is. it was still the best phone out there. A lot of people who like samsung are starting to become like apple fanboys

20. HTCiscool posted on 19 Apr 2012, 02:56 2

They won because they provided a product which cost the same, and was better in most regards. You compare things by price, not age.

14. 1701nino posted on 18 Apr 2012, 15:19 2 1

I just don't get it!!! Please help me understand, how can anyone buy a samsung phone over htc one???Samsung has an uuuugggglllyyyy UI the worst in the techworld. And the ICS upgrade for the SGII,is that a joke??? It looks and feels the same as gingerbread.
Personaly I would never buy a samsung phone except maybe galaxy nexus.
I know you got custom ROMs and this and that but an regular user should not know about that stuff. And one more last thing,samsung you better amaze us with GS III, not just the hardware the UI must look awesome;)

32. jan25 posted on 22 Apr 2012, 17:36

i agree with you, but dev support + removable battery + SD card makes the GSII a winner for me, and on par with One S to many. if those three aren't a biggy for you then the One S is a better option.

15. khanmhsn posted on 18 Apr 2012, 15:23 2 1

GS2 is too amazing........because after a year it is still standing upto current phones.

25. gwuhua1984 posted on 19 Apr 2012, 18:25

Don't compare the phones by how long they've been in the market, just simply compare the specs and see which is better at the moment.

GS2 as a high end phone at the time of it's release should be able to stand up to current mid level phones and that's nothing to be surprised about. I think that the One S itself is pretty amazing that it has the capability to do better than One X.

19. HTCiscool posted on 19 Apr 2012, 02:55 1

Stop complaining about how it is unfair to compare the 2. He even said they cost around the same, and if they both cost the same, then the One S wins because it has more value for money and is better in most aspects.

Again, this is assuming thy both cost the same

22. henrickrw posted on 19 Apr 2012, 06:01 1

HTC developed a great device. I'm still enjoying my gs2 and galaxy note.

23. henrickrw posted on 19 Apr 2012, 06:20 1 1

Gs3 is my next alternative

27. abcdefucker posted on 21 Apr 2012, 21:21

HTC's screen made by Samsung.

30. jonahleq posted on 22 Apr 2012, 06:59

The brand of Samsung can't be trust.http://www.ce.cn/cysc/mobile/xw/201204/18/t20120418_21150100.shtml

31. DigitalMD posted on 22 Apr 2012, 08:32

Boring, please phone vendors, Bring us something new, not retread of the same old tired UI from 3 years ago........... yuck.!!!

35. JamesVURV posted on 29 Apr 2012, 15:40

You miss a big point here when comparing screens. The SGSII has a "Super AMOLED Plus" screen which has sub-pixels that make the screen amazing and its brightness and outdoor view-ability on the SGSII are amazing because of this!

37. JamesVURV posted on 02 May 2012, 00:32

Another note on this is the photos clearly show the "Auto" screen brightness feature enabled on the SGSII and this will automatically dim the screen indoors to save battery life. This would be a more fair comparison is the SGSII had the screen brightness turned all the way up! I think the this review needs some editing done to make this a more accurate comparison.

38. BrettNDodds posted on 26 May 2012, 16:37

I purchased the GalaxyS2, it's brilliant for phone photography. HTC doesn't compare!

40. rahuliyer1996 posted on 16 Oct 2012, 13:43

I think ONE S has a better performance clocking at 1.7 GHz Krait Dual-core processor! Is'int it?

41. janiro posted on 25 Jan 2013, 09:21

I had both of them.Both of them are good

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