iPhone 4s vs. Galaxy II - I'm so torn, HELP!

My husband and I were set on the the new iPhone 4s, but have also been shown the new Galaxy which looks great...so now we are so torn! We are obsessively reading reviews and watching video reviews...anybody have any reviews or advice?

basically we've had blackberry, and we have handled both these new phones in store, we are just debating over the features/speed/quality of the two right now!

What phone company?

What cell phone company do you have?

I will be signing up with a new 2yr contract...was thinking Sprint because they have the unlimited everything plan...

If you live in the apple closed garden like me, iTunes, iCloud, etc. go with the iPhone. If you are still among the free, spotty, google apps, etc. go with the Galaxy

Saw you opened this thread too, so posting my reply here as well:

I have used Android and iPhone as well and currently using iPhone 4S. To make your decision, you need to decide on a few things:1) Android allows you to tweak things a lot, You can have a customized look to your home screen etc, widgets and what nots. iPhone comes with a standard look. You may feel that iPhone look is boring with only blocks of apps. - In the end, I found that I used to waste a lot of time customizing my android than using it. But that's a personal opinion. One thing I have realized is that iPhone , by virtue of its design, forces you to use a smartphone apps. Since you cannot customize much, you end up using apps more. I feel this experience makes me use my phone better rather than worrying about it's looks. And of course, iPhone looks very cool. So does SGS2 btw.
2) 3G vs 4G - Question is what will you use this for? Streaming videos on the go? I don't. I am mostly on WiFi so 3G vs 4G doesn't matter. But 4G speeds will work for you if you stream a lot of youtube etc. on the go. Do remember though that the all carriers reduce your speed if you are heavy user. In my opinion, this doesn't matter much. What matters is your experience with the phone itself.
3) Specs - I feel both SGS2 and iPhone 4S are good in specs. Perhaps SGS2 has a better screen resolution and few other things. But believe, me it doesn't matter. What matters is the software on the phone. Android's have great specs but they also come at the expense of battery life.
4) If you have to buy an Android then I'd advice you should wait for some deal to come your way. iPhone's would not come free any day but Android's often come for 1cent. Amazon keeps doing that very often. This could be a good way to save money.
5) Both Android and iPhone have lots of apps now. But iOS apps are more polished since they go through a review process.
6) Also - another point to ponder would be your monthly bill.
7) And of course, you can always take 1 SGS2 and 1 iPhone and experience both.


In the end, based on my personal experience, I like iPhone because it's a no nonsense phone. It just works. I always had some issue or the other with my Android. But yes, in future I would again try an Android just for a change.

Quote from briguymaine : If you live in the apple closed garden like me, iTunes, iCloud, etc. go with the iPhone. If you are still among the free, spotty, google apps, etc. go with the Galaxy

thanks for the help...do you mean "spotty" as in spotty service? as far as the apple garden, this would be my first venture into apple...

Quote from dancergrrrl3 : thanks for the help...do you mean "spotty" as in spotty service? as far as the apple garden, this would be my first venture into apple...

Spotify a music service.

Quote from ginsoakedboy81 : Saw you opened this thread too, so posting my reply here as well: I have used Android and iPhone as well and currently using iPhone 4S. To make your decision, you need to decide on a few things:1) Android allows you to tweak things a lot, You can have a customized look to your home screen etc, widgets and what nots. iPhone comes with a standard look. You may feel that iPhone look is boring with only blocks of apps. - In the end, I found that I used to waste a lot of time customizing my android than using it. But that's a personal opinion. One thing I have realized is that iPhone , by virtue of its design, forces you to use a smartphone apps. Since you cannot customize much, you end up using apps more. I feel this experience makes me use my phone better rather than worrying about it's looks. And of course, iPhone looks very cool. So does SGS2 btw. 2) 3G vs 4G - Question is what will you use this for? Streaming videos on the go? I don't. I am mostly on WiFi so 3G vs 4G doesn't matter. But 4G speeds will work for you if you stream a lot of youtube etc. on the go. Do remember though that the all carriers reduce your speed if you are heavy user. In my opinion, this doesn't matter much. What matters is your experience with the phone itself. 3) Specs - I feel both SGS2 and iPhone 4S are good in specs. Perhaps SGS2 has a better screen resolution and few other things. But believe, me it doesn't matter. What matters is the software on the phone. Android's have great specs but they also come at the expense of battery life. 4) If you have to buy an Android then I'd advice you should wait for some deal to come your way. iPhone's would not come free any day but Android's often come for 1cent. Amazon keeps doing that very often. This could be a good way to save money. 5) Both Android and iPhone have lots of apps now. But iOS apps are more polished since they go through a review process. 6) Also - another point to ponder would be your monthly bill. 7) And of course, you can always take 1 SGS2 and 1 iPhone and experience both. In the end, based on my personal experience, I like iPhone because it's a no nonsense phone. It just works. I always had some issue or the other with my Android. But yes, in future I would again try an Android just for a change.

thank you so very much for the detailed review it is very helpful and repped! I have never had an apple or android device...

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my main usage will be surfing the web/checking email/facebook/SD of course, so the large screen of the galaxy appeals to me...however the apple takes better pics/video, which is a huge plus for me as I am a photographer and don't always want to tote around my Canon.

I don't do much gaming, videos, movies or things like that so that is not my biggest concern.

I currently have the blackberry 9700 and it is kind of buggy and not the fastest anymore.

You'll be happy with either one - they're both excellent devices. Biggest difference is:

Apple: easier to use, more intuitive & nicer interface (Siri is amazing)

Android: more powerful, more flexible, but steeper learning curve

Other than that, even most of the apps are the same across both platforms.

You are likely to get more resale value with iPhone if you decided to sell it.

Quote from jimuk : You are likely to get more resale value with iPhone if you decided to sell it.

exactly.

get the iphone 4s, and sell it.
then buy a galaxy ii with clean esn

Quote from dancergrrrl3 : thank you so very much for the detailed review it is very helpful and repped! I have never had an apple or android device... -------------------------------- my main usage will be surfing the web/checking email/facebook/SD of course, so the large screen of the galaxy appeals to me...however the apple takes better pics/video, which is a huge plus for me as I am a photographer and don't always want to tote around my Canon. I don't do much gaming, videos, movies or things like that so that is not my biggest concern. I currently have the blackberry 9700 and it is kind of buggy and not the fastest anymore.

And of course - you bring a good point about photography. I too am in to photography and this is definitely one thing I realized. When I had the android, I did not use to take pics or videos much. I believe that at some subconscious level, it was the user experience of an Android camera that was responsible. But with my iPhone I keep taking pictures and videos. As an added experience, all pics I take on my iPhone automatically show up on my Mac. So overall, I am quite happy with this arrangement. And believe me on this - Email on iPhone is much much better. I was so sick on Android for not letting me access my office emails because it does not support exchange 2010. Had to buy more apps to get it. Bummer...

iPhone 4s for sure.

Better camera
Better/More apps
Easier to use
Better resale value

Lastly, and something most people overlook, more 'things' are made and support the iPhone, and not the android. For example, Home Theatres nowadays are coming equipped to play your iPod/iPhone. Most car stereos allow you to hook up your iPod/iPhone, but not an android. Many alarm clocks are made for iPod/iPhone, not android etc etc.