Samsung Galaxy S Advance vs Samsung Galaxy S2

We see how Samsung's reboot of the original Galaxy S stacks up against the Samsung Galaxy S2.

Form

Samsung Galaxy S Advance - 123.2x63x9.7mm, 120g

Samsung Galaxy S2 - 125.3x66.1x8.5mm, 116g

Samsung's Galaxy S Advance uses the same shell as the original Galaxy S, which, to be fair has aged rather well all things considered.

It follows the usual ‘candy bar' format common of most modern smartphones and is still one of the thinner and lighter handsets available. It might not be visually groundbreaking but it's almost difficult to believe the design is well over a year old.

The Galaxy S2 is physically larger and a bit more imposing than the Galaxy S Advance, it's also the slimmer and lighter of the two handsets.

This is in part due to the use of lightweight plastics but don't be fooled into thinking the Galaxy S2 is flimsy, the plastic surfaces might feel a bit cheap but Samsung uses some fairly sturdy materials and a build quality which ensures the device isn't going to break anytime soon.

Visually it's a bit more interesting than the Galaxy S Advance, the corners are sharper and the elongated proportions create a much nicer shape, in our view. We have heard of some people finding the larger size a little cumbersome, however, so if you prefer smaller handsets it probably shouldn't be your first choice.

Winner - Samsung Galaxy S2

Display

Both phones use Samsung's Super AMOLED technology, but the Galaxy S2 is a little higher up the chain on display quality as it has Super AMOLED Plus technology. The Galaxy S Advance uses a 4-inch multi-touch capacitive screen with a resolution of 800x480 pixels, giving a pixel density of 233 pixels-per-inch (ppi).

Being the larger of the two handsets the Galaxy S2's screen is also bigger at 4.3-inches but packs the same resolution and a slightly lower pixel density of 217ppi. The Super AMOLED Plus display more than makes up for this, however.

Both devices also use Corning's reinforced Gorilla Glass.

Each handset has an excellent display which should please even the most demanding pixel-counter but we think the Galaxy S2 just has the edge in this contest.

Winner - Samsung Galaxy S2

Storage

The Galaxy S Advance has two available options for internal storage, either 8GB or 16GB, while RAM has been upgraded from the original Galaxy S's 512MB to 768MB to help things run a bit smoother. There's also 2GB of ROM onboard.

That 16GB upper-tier option for the Galaxy S Advance is the Galaxy S2's minimum internal capacity and there's a 32GB model for even more onboard space. It also carries much more RAM than its opponent with a whole 1GB to play with.

Both handsets support microSD cards to expand phone storage by up to 32GB.

Of course the Galaxy S2 wins here by offering much more storage space and oodles of RAM.

Winner - Samsung Galaxy S2

Processor
The main update for the Samsung Galaxy S Advance over the original Galaxy S, alongside the RAM, is that the processor has gone from a single core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 to a comparatively supercharged dual core Cortex-A9, though it keeps the same 1GHz clock speed.

The Galaxy S Advance is running on the NovaThor U8500 chipset which includes a Mali-400MP graphics processing unit (GPU) so performance should be well above its predecessor.

The Galaxy S2 also uses a dual core ARM Cortex-A9 setup, this time clocked at 1.2GHz and using Samsung's fantastic Exynos chipset, which features the same Mali-400MP GPU as the Galaxy S Advance.

It's worth noting that the Galaxy S Advance upgrade is significant, it's going to perform much faster than the original Galaxy S especially with that beefy graphics processor boost. However, the Galaxy S2 has got a lot more power from the Exynos chipset which will offer a smoother experience.

Winner - Samsung Galaxy S2

Operating System
Currently both phones run on version 2.3 Gingerbread of Google's Android operating system.

While the Galaxy S2 is due to receive an update in the first quarter of this year to the latest 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich build, there hasn't been any word on whether the Galaxy S Advance will get the same treatment. We'd expect it to, as it's a new launch and is expected to be priced outside of what would be considered budget territory.

In the meantime as they're both on the same platform there's nothing to compare the two here.

Winner - Draw

Camera
The Galaxy S Advance features a 5-megapixel primary camera with a 2592 x 1944 pixel resolution and 720p video capture, with LED flash, geo-tagging, touch focus, autofocus and face and smile detection. There's also a 1.3-megapixel front-facing secondary camera.

Against this the Galaxy S2 brings an 8-megapixel primary at 3264x2448 pixels, 1080p video capture and a 2-megapixel secondary. Like its rival it features an LED flash, autofocus, touch focus, geo-tagging and face and smile detection and also boasts the addition of image stabilisation.

Winner - Samsung Galaxy S2

Final Thoughts
The Galaxy S2 is the better phone here but not by a huge stretch, Samsung's upgrades of the original Galaxy S are significant enough that it makes a viable competitor in the current smartphone market and is certainly worth considering if you're looking for a new phone.

However, it depends very much on how Samsung will price the Galaxy S Advance when it hits store shelves, if its price is not far off the Galaxy S2 then it becomes a less appealing option as you might as well get the Galaxy S2 instead.

The other big issue is the operating system, if Samsung reveals the Galaxy S Advance will get Android Ice Cream Sandwich it'll be a much more attractive prospect but the Galaxy S2 is our preference for now as we know it will definitely get the upgrade.