What a year Samsung is having!
First there was the Boston-based research company that estimated Samsung may have sold more smartphones during Q2 than Apple or Nokia and may well claim to be the new king of the smartphone market.
Then its flagship device, the Galaxy S II sailed past the 5-million-unit-sales mark.
And then a brand new Samsung Galaxy handset was unveiled that offers much that there is to love about the S II together with a smaller price tag – the Galaxy R.
So how do these two Galaxy mobile phones fare when compared side-by-side, spec-by-spec and mm-by-mm?
While you may think – especially if you’re one of the 5 million people to have snapped up the Galaxy S’s successor since its launch – that the S II will win hands down against the Galaxy R, taking everything into consideration it actually makes for a fairly close fight.
Let the showdown commence!
Design
Cast a casual glance at the S II and R phones and they are both attractive, premium devices. However, when it comes to the nitty-gritty, the S II begins to outshine its affordable alternative.
The Galaxy S II has a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus display which Samsung described during the phone’s launch as “the best in quality in colour gamut, contrast ratio and edge sharpness”. Yep, this display is super impressive, especially when you combine the large, clear screen with its 116g weight and slender 8.5mm deep frame.
While the Galaxy R can’t quite live up to Samsung’s “slimmest, lightest, fastest smartphone” in the build department, it comes close. The Samsung Galaxy R has a 4.2 inch Super Clear LCD display, twinned with a reasonable 135g weight and slim 9.5mm deep frame. Still pretty impressive, we think you’ll agree.
Ability
Both the Galaxy S II and R run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, and benefit from all the extra delights this brings with it. And both have dual-core processors which support a quick and seamless user experience together with long-lasting batteries that last the best part of 9 hours when it comes to talk time and up to 25 days on standby.
When it comes to connectivity, both these Samsung Androids provide rapid downloads and transfer times, so you can make the most of movies, games, music and more on the move. These phones are packed with connectivity support including HSPA+, Bluetooth 3.0 HS and USB 2.0.
As a result of the more powerful 1.2GHz processor fuelling the S II, compared to the Galaxy R’s 1GHz chip, the S II just pinches this round – albeit by a snip.
Features
These Samsung smartphones come pre-loaded with lots of lovely Hubs, including ones for Music, Readers and Games. So entertainment is certainly covered on the Galaxy R and S II.
The S II does have a better camera inbuilt – 8-megapixels with full HD recording and playback support compared to 5-megapixels, HD 720p video capture and full HD 1080p playback support. Mind you, as the cheaper device, you have to hand it to the Galaxy R for boasting a high-end snapper, capable of taking quality images.
And for storing all your photos, videos, music and data, both phones have ample space. The Galaxy R has 8GB of inbuilt space and the Galaxy S II 16GB, and both can be expanded to up to 32GB.
Verdict
For simply being the more advanced smartphone, the S II is our winner. But this is a close fight as the Galaxy R is a top device, and given that it will arrive with a smaller price tag, there isn’t a huge amount between these two.
We’d say, if you can afford the S II it’s an excellent choice and if you want to pay a little less for your next handset, the Galaxy R is an equally excellent choice.
Which one is your winner?
| Samsung Galaxy R | Samsung Galaxy S II | |
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| Operating System | Android OS Gingerbread (v2.3) | Android OS Gingerbread (v2.3) |
| Dimensions: | 125 x 66 x 9.5 mm | 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm |
| Weight: | 135g | 116g |
| Display: | 4.2″ | 4.3″ |
| Camera: | 5 MP | 8 MP |
| Internal Storage: | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| External Storage: | up to 32GB | up to 32GB |
| Processor: | Dual-core 1GHz | Dual-core 1.2GHz |
| Talk Time: | Up to 9h | Up to 8h 40min |
| Standby Time: | Up to 620 h | Up to 610 h |
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