Having tested and reviewed all the 3 dual-core Android smartphones available locally, I think I can now share my personal thoughts on the three and lay down my verdict. Read my round-up of the Samsung Galaxy S2 vs. HTC Sensation vs. LG Optimus 2X after the jump.
The LG Optimus 2X got points for design and construction, gaming and price-point. It’s the most affordable among all the dual-core Android phones we reviewed (though not by much but still, thanks in part to LG, Samsung and HTC priced their handsets competitively). The Tegra 2 chipset did very well with games, especially the ones that maximized the NVidia platform (have to say it’s close to console quality graphics). The Android Froyo instead of Gingerbread is a bit of a downer though. See full review here.
The HTC Sensation got points for design and construction, huge screen and display resolution, UI, sound quality and video quality (1080p). With a suggested retail price pf Php31,990USD 545INR 46,213EUR 519CNY 3,970, it’s also the most expensive of the 3 handsets. See full review here.
The Samsung Galaxy S2 got points for form factor (thinnest and lightest), huge screen and display quality, photo and video quality as well as specs and performance. The plastic construction is somewhat of a shortcoming (though it was a factor in making the device very light) and the TouchWiz 4.0 UI, though improved, still needs some work. See full review here.
Benchmarks is not a be-all end-all in a handset but it is a factor. Unless you’re crunching numbers, encoding video and doing really heavy CPU-intensive work on your Android phone, there’s not much real-world difference with day-to-day experience. I’d compare it to playing WinAmp on a Intel Core i5 vs. Core i7 rig — they perform well enough not to have any noticeable difference.
What we’re looking for the top smartphone is a combination of great design (both hardware and UI) and construction, good performance and reasonable price-point.
Of the three, the Sensation has more flair, the Galaxy S2 has more muscle and the Optimus 2X is more pocket-friendly (especially when you got it for 50% off with their special promo).
For the most part (if we count the points), it’s a toss-up between the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the HTC Sensation. The Sensation has a really good fighting chance as it is but if it matched the Php29,990USD 511INR 43,324EUR 487CNY 3,722 price of the Galaxy S2, that would have made it harder to compare (the Php2k difference isn’t much but it’s definitely a factor). The ones who will pick the Galaxy S2 are those who favor over-all performance while the ones who will pick the Sensation are those who prefer design and elegance.
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Imitator says:
It’s really more between the Galaxy S2 and Sensation. Problem with the Sensation is there’s too much flair, to the point of causing lag and performance problems. They sacrificed performance and efficiency for eye candy.
Mark says:
I totally agree with you! Though performance may not be noticeable in real-world day-to-day usage, the 2K difference should matter.
In a few months, I’m sure new phones will be announced. Time to start saving up for those new gadgets!
daniel says:
SGS 2 at LG nlng ako mamimili haha… masyadong mahal ung HTC wala naman pinagkaiba :) tapos ung decreased signal issues pa.
yogz says:
Just a thought.
All this talk about looks and build quality, but hey, were all gonna put some sort of protector or body glove on these 30k phones anyway.
vince says:
LG was really out of te game. nilabas lang nila yung 2X for the World Record and not for the performance eh. Kung may pera, Sensation ako.
baste says:
bakit out of the game na yung 2X? it’s a better gaming handset than the Sensation. so i don’t think it’s out.
blaze says:
question lang po….never had an htc before pero kumusta naman ang service??san po ba service center niyan?? minsan nagka blackberry ako hirap ng service,pag malas malas ka pa papadala pa daw singapore….samsung has a good service center lalo na yung sa greenhills…importante po kasi sa akin service because accidents do happen…
rotero says:
id been working with SIS Phils. (HTC distributor and center)very prompt and pag pick up ng phone pag nireport mo agad.. although units were handling are not personal…they are company phones that we deployed to our field force..
ung nga lang lately ung mga phone units nmin mukhang ma out of life na… win 6.5 pa kasi siya… im waiting for android phone or tablet in our next deployment.
OT: is their anyone here using huawei s7? musta experience nyo?
pom says:
In other words, Samsung Galaxy S 2 are those only for pang MASA. While HTC SENSATION pang sosyal.
al says:
i dont think “masa” would spend 30k on a phone and “sosyal”era would rather go for iphone. not that im defending samsung as they have one of the most uninnovative designs, htc is no better most of their phones looks the same, this specific phone also has locked bootloader
adam says:
Agreed with al.
rotero says:
personally im for HTC,, but my budget is not enough hay!!! very durable and htc.. we had experience in htc touch (1 – 2nd release) un nga lang mahal ang LCD and panel if nasira mo…
baste says:
pano nanagyari yun?
makenzo says:
hahaha ang yaman naman pala ng pinas ngayon pang masa na lang ang 30k worth of cellphone..
Jologs says:
Natawa din ako sa masa/sosyal comment, as if we’re still back in the days talking about nokia 3210 vs 8250, hehehehe.
baste says:
+1 to that!
Shakey says:
I don’t think price will be a factor since you can get a Sensation for 27.5K if you know where to look.
I think you can’t go wrong with any of the phones. Lahat yan may pros and cons. Just buy one and don’t look back.
pom says:
sige na nga! iphone 4 & htc sensation para sa mga elite pipol, while samsung sgs 2, pang masa talaga! hahahahaha.
tama ka Shakey.
eto pa…. samsung, ang plastic mo! bwahahahaha
no-sense says:
sige na nga replyan kita baka maiyak ka at walang nag reply sa iyo kaya eto
reply reply reply
Kira says:
I would still choose Samsung Galaxy S2 for the simple reason its the unit that stays on the middle. Specs for not so expensive gadget. And besides its Fast.
Night says:
so, who won?
csseyah says:
I also consider LG Optimus 2x.. I like the style… but the price holds me to buy it..
mike says:
once you have put the a hard case and screen protector on the phone ‘design and elegance’ do not apply anymore. They are all the same. And the Galaxy S2 also has more cases and accessories than the other 2 phones.
mike says:
and have you seen the service center of samsungs at the mall? they are like spa, with comfy chairs, foot massage, and Galaxy tablet on seats to play with while waiting.
HTC does not have that.
Abe Olandres says:
@mike – when people buy the device from the store, they don’t come with a case and protective cover. And it’s in the store where the Point of Sales happens.
klondyk says:
Mike, saang mall meron service center ang samsung? also, can you buy sgs2 from there?
Dan MD says:
I disagree Sir Yuga… Aesthetics and taste are very subjective but I think the Galaxy S2 aces the competition both in muscle and design. It’s build is much more distinctive than the tired and tried look of the HTC Sensation which is probably the 3rd-5th iteration of such design that is starkly similar to the designs used in HTC Incredible S, Desire S, HD7, Desire HD.
Super AMOLED… Another feature worth mentioning why you one should pick SGS 2.
Konting effort naman sa design HTC…
Abe Olandres says:
@Dan MD – yes, you’re right about design as subjective. That’s why I’m just talking from my own “taste” or perspective.
musmos says:
Im planning to buy Sensation sa Friday, para matest ko buong weekend for any defect. Mas gusto ko talaga specs ng samsung but I like the design ang build ng sensation. trip ko din ung UI nya.. dissapointing lang is lock ung bootloader but on going na ung development ng software na maguunlock so theres nothing much to consider for me.. SAMOLED is not much of an issue for me, extra privacy pa nga un para mahirapan mabasa ung msg if may sumisilip sa side.. :)
erickkk says:
well, just a thought, does shelling out 3+,+++ pesos for a PHONE really worth it?
remember. you’re buying a PHONE. smart or dumb, it’ still a PHONE.
charli3 says:
Of course it is. just remember to live within your means. a phone does not need to cost you an arm or a leg. :)
jooomy says:
@charli3
the most “sensational” comment i’ve read!
live within your means! 2x kang tama!
And don’t forget to give alms and tithes before you buy a phone! you are not alone in this galaxy! :-)
icesteam says:
Sir Abe pls check kung may heating issues or temperature rating yun 3 phones samsung galaxy S II is very hot.. as in very hot its like holding a ceramic cup of coffee when poured from the water dispenser .. especially when playing games. i have a SGS and my wife had SGS 2 everything is better with SGS 2 but.. it gets very hot. if you could review three with temperature reading it may help people decide which is for them.. i havent played for more than 30 mins yet
benchmark says:
Hi, I am not sure if this would help. But I think it is normal for the phone to get hot if in use for a long time. Maybe yun na din reason why Samsung prefer to use plastic body, para di nakakapaso talaga :)
In my opinion, any gadgets that uses a high end processor do heats up. Maybe soon, phone will also have a built in fan on them…or maybe not. :)
Well like laptops, we use cooling pads to cool it down when in use.
Pero if it heat up so much na talagang nakakaburn na…probably there is something wrong na with your unit.
wreek888 says:
Sa optimus 2x nako kasi i only got it at 50%. and if you are into gaming, it is the best compare to s2 . You cant beat it if you only got it at 14k same price of that cheap galaxy ace.
adam says:
Pwede ba malaman kung sang store ka naka bili ng 50% of na LG optimus 2X.
karl says:
Update: HTC Sensation is CHEAPER than SGS2.
HTC Sensation is 27500 at CMK.
SGS2 is 27800 at CMK.
*HTC did this because they can’t compete against Samsung with a higher price.
Jay says:
currently im using HTC DHD, plan ko dapat magpalit to SGSII pero nung na test ko kahapon sa rockwell medyo disappointed ako sa response nung SGSII. since wala naman palang pinagkaiba sa gamit ko, core-duo lang naman halos so no need to upgrade muna. or baka bias lang ako… hehehe
Jay says:
and pagdating sa physical appearance, parang mas nakaka in love pa din yung face value ng HTC sa SGSII… :)
pabs says:
Ha ha ha, I wish I could buy all of them. But I choose a phone not because I will show it off, I buy one because I need it and it fits my small budget and that would be the Nokia dual sim currently being endorsed by Vic Sotto. mura na reliable pa.. Ako kasi ang Masa…
Ryan Ang says:
Haha.. the Phones being MASA is waaaay too much. C2-00 perhaps, but none of the three.
let’s not forget while SGSII might have a Super AMOLED screen, Sensation has a SLCD qHD screen, 960×540 for bigger screen real estate. the 2k difference for this one is pretty much worth it.
Optimus 2X should be marketed better. While it can compete. Samsung and HTC has better mindshare, so high end phones end up being only the three (being HTC, Samsung and Apple)
Great work though on LG, SE and Nokia for continuing the innovation in their products.
Jonaflormicfren says:
These phones posses different features that makes them different to each other. It’s up to user if what answer his need.
Gem says:
ang problem na nakikita ko sa HTC is un memory niya, masyado mababa.
just got the SGS2 and I must say, sobrang sulit!
itsmeagain says:
With respect to your review –
“Unless you’re crunching numbers, encoding video and doing really heavy CPU-intensive work on your Android phone”
How can on do this anyway. Really for all the talk about these “smart phones”, they’re nothing but a phone/texting device with some pretty lame games. You cannot do anything decent with these things work wise. Let’s not kid ourselves. If I didnt have 30 odd thousand to blow, I’d buy a cheap phoneand a decent laptop.
Abe Olandres says:
@itsmeagain – I was actually doing video editing (via iMovie) on my iPhone 4 before I lost it. It was very efficient that I preferred using iMovie on the phone than the iMovie of my Macbook Air.
klondyk says:
how’s the plastic build? I got turned-off by it the 1st time i held the sgs2. Sobrang gaan pa, parang maganda sana kung mabigat-bigat konti. para kseng pag nahulog sira agad
TechSkyer says:
I love Samsung Galaxy S II most :D
Orville Tadle says:
Good luck sa yellow tinting issue sa S2!
DJK says:
SGS2 plastic build is light and sturdy. no guarantee if phone is heavier meaning it wont break depends how u drop it. its light on hand which is positive point since the phone is big atleast it wont strain the hand. sensation style ofcourse is there but screen clarity vote on sgs2. my 2 cents!
soduhwhatever says:
Hmmm okay I agree but then I still love my HTC desire hd. It might be craziness heavy but it’s all good. Btw I dropped it several times already and it’s still perfectly working. =))
RJ says:
I still would go to SGS2. Phones aren’t designed to be thrown and let it fall. Its going to be part of your everyday life so just have to take care of it.
TequilaRose says:
are the demo units for galaxy s2 and htc sensation already avail at globe and smart respectively? If so, which branch?
thanks!
Dr.J says:
had my sgs2 for almost a month now and i have nothing to complain about.The speed is really great. The htc sensation is great but what turned me off is the 1gb internal memory so i suppose that can slow things down. As for style i really like the minimalistic approach of the sgs2 but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
jumsjums says:
http://topelectronics.multiply.com/photos/album/146/Samsung_Mobile_Phones
mas mahal pa yung SGS2 kaysa HTC.
dan says:
sgs2 is always a winner
gavinjameson says:
first time q makita htc sensation na-inlove agad aq sa ichura! plus the fact that its the flagship phone haha lupet! not to mention the features and sa unang tingin mukang matibay pagkakagawa nonetheless pricey but so cool and elegant! actually when I saw other flagship smart phones like sgs2 lgoptimus 2x or even iphone 4 it didn’t even occur to me the thought of chosing them since I grew tired of brands that are popular.. saka samsung ambilis magpalit ng model!
karl says:
I have a SGS2 which I bought last July 4. It is blazing fast no matter how many apps I open. It has no yellow tint or any display issues. The Super AMOLED Plus is just the BEST display among smartphones today. Better than S-LCD, Reality Display and Retina Display.
RL says:
I am a proud owner of LG Optimus 2x. I bought it without any discounts. I also added 1500 for another 1yr. warranty. No problem with it. What I like about it? The Video recording, and of course gaming. Also contented regarding its physical appearance.
phonqx says:
dun ako sa LG Optimus 2x kse lupet sa gaming performance at ayus din ang camera at video recording . pwede pa multi-task kahit marami akong apps na nagru-run . ung design at style , simple lang . di kaylangan ng masyadong manipis o msyadong magaan , well meron din namang ganun charateristic ang LGO2x . so, i go for LG Optimus 2x . meron pa nga bagong labas ung LG Optimus 3D pero di ako mahilig sa 3D msakit sa mata .
arjay says:
htc sensation prin ako kc pgdating sa htc sense ui nya ms mganda compair other androids. chaka prdting nman sa update ng software ng ibang android kramihan pipila pa sa service hndi tulad ng htc sensation tru your celphone puede kna mgupdate ng o.s na hindi nyo kailangan pmula sa service center at hghintay. maliit yung memory 1 gb pero my external 32 gb. kng pic at video lng yung isasave nyo sa external nlng ksa sa internal kc hindi safe mag save ng files sa internal kc baka mavirus ung phone nyo….tnx
james says:
my SGS2 is beyond compare.. :)
bong says:
Performance is still important like the SGS2 can play 1080P Flash videos on youtube but the optimus 2x hirap up to 480p minsan then the camera of the sgs2 is the best amongst the three. Pati display.
But optimus 2x now is way cheaper.
It really depends on how much you want to pay.
My problem with these phones is that they lose value so quickly that im hesitant to make a big investment on what would be essentially obsolete in just a few months.
If only money grew on trees :)