- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- LG Nexus 4
- Samsung Galaxy S III
- Samsung Galaxy S III mini
- Nokia Lumia 820
- Samsung Express Galaxy
Rated 80% by by c|net (Sep, 2012)There's a nice, strong 2-megapixel camera on the front that's great for video chats, but the best lens yet is the 8-megapixel one on the back, which continues to take excellent shots on every Galaxy S II variation we've seen.
by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)Black are deep, colors are bright and the detail the ultra-high resolution provides is unparalleled.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Samsung Galaxy S II compared to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus
GHz1.5
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich 3.5G
by GSM Arena (Apr, 2011)To match the field of view of the still camera in the 720p mode, Samsung is using the whole surface area of the sensor and combine the information of adjacent pixels into one to get the resulting single megapixel resolution.
1.2 GHz
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich 4G
screen size
4.5"
4.7"
Galaxy S II by Karla-Velarde (Dec, 2012)Is very simple to use when you get used to it, nice camera, very good HD screen quality, is the perfect size for those like me who think that we don't need a phone of the size of a tablet.
Galaxy Nexus by Javyrmz (Jun, 2012)This phone has very many positive's the screen size, screen size, fast 1.2Ghz processor, Google apps, Google music, 720p display, great camera with no shutter lag and panoramic mode are great.
screen resolution
Galaxy S II by GSM Arena (Apr, 2011)The images captured with the 8MP camera of the Galaxy S II are very good – low noise, plenty of fine detail and the color and contrast are good too.
Galaxy Nexus by Pedro-Gil-A (Feb, 2013)It is a good phone that works in the five bands used in cellular telephony, ie 3G works 850/900/1700/1900/2100 Mhz, your screen is 16 million colors with resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, size of 4.65 inches and has 316 ppi pixel density.
memory
| 0 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB |
processor
Galaxy S II by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)With a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU and a powerful GPU, the Galaxy S II for T-Mobile can run every Android app designed for phones.
Galaxy Nexus by MusicFan (Dec, 2011)Between dual core and the optimized ICS, this baby is smooth and fast.
camera resolution
| 0 MP | 8 MP | 8 MP |
Galaxy S II by c|net (Sep, 2012)Notable features include a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a front-facing 2-megapixel camera, NFC support, and of course support for AT&T's LTE network.
Galaxy Nexus by c|net (May, 2012)The main camera has a 5-megapixel resolution, but you also can shoot in 3 megapixels, 1.3 megapixels, QVGA, and VGA.
Performance Real world tests of Samsung Galaxy S II vs Samsung Galaxy Nexus
cpu speed
Galaxy S II by c|net (Sep, 2012)Though Qualcomm's chip has a slightly faster CPU, we didn't notice a huge difference in speed in everyday use, and in fact the AT&T and Sprint models felt just a touch more responsive.
Galaxy Nexus by MusicFan (Dec, 2011)Reinforced glass is nice too, really no need to put a screen protector on it and dull the clarity.-Processor speed.
browser benchmark
Galaxy S II by Fer (Oct, 2011)Overall the phone is great, the phone is really fast, the screen is gorgeous, and its customization capabilities are great as well.
Galaxy Nexus by The Verge (Nov, 2011)It feels fast and modern, and frankly might be better than Gmail in the browser in some ways.
download speed
Galaxy S II by c|net (Sep, 2012)Using Ookla's Speedtest.net, we averaged a download speed of 6.49Mbps, peaking at 9.61Mbps, and upload speed of 0.76Mbps, peaking at 1.59Mbps.
Galaxy Nexus by Richard-AllenIn my personal usage I have seen LTE download speeds in excess of 30 Mbps and EVDO at a solid average of 1 Mbps.
talk time
515 min
506 min
Galaxy Nexus by hsrob (May, 2012)My battery stats when it's nearly drained show 1.5+ hours of talk time and 2.5+ hours of the screen being on, with 4G in use some of the time.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the Galaxy Nexus
| Has expandable storage | microSD, microSDHC | vs | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use storage cards to increase your phone's capacity for apps and data | |||
| Supports FM radio | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Listen to music and news from local radio stations | |||
| Significantly higher resolution front camera | 8 MP | vs | 5 MP |
| 60% higher resolution front camera; Video chat with other people | |||
| Faster processor | 1.5 GHz | vs | 1.2 GHz |
| Around 30% faster processor; run computation-intensive applications, such as photo editing, faster | |||
| Lighter | 135 g | vs | 149 g |
| Around 10% lighter | |||
Advantages compared to the Galaxy S II
| Is 4G | Yes | vs | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somewhat common; Supports the fastest, most reliable networks | |||
| Significantly sharper screen | 315 ppi | vs | 206 ppi |
| More than 50% sharper PPI; enjoy photo-realistic, crisp images | |||
| Significantly faster real world upload speeds | 3.58 Mb/s | vs | 2.1 Mb/s |
| More than 70% faster actual upload speed | |||
| Significantly higher resolution screen | 1280 x 720 | vs | 800 x 480 |
| Around 2.5x higher resolution screen | |||
| Store significantly more stuff | 32 GB | vs | 16 GB |
| 2x more storage capacity; free yourself from memory cards | |||
| More highly reviewed by consumers | 84.66% | vs | 78.4% |
| Around 10% more highly reviewed by consumers | |||
| Longer standby time | 17,400 min | vs | 10,020 min |
| More than 70% longer standby time | |||
| Faster real world download speeds | 10.87 Mb/s | vs | 7.6 Mb/s |
| More than 40% faster actual download speed | |||
| Marginally newer | Nov, 2011 | vs | Apr, 2011 |
| Release date 6 months later | |||
| Better theoretical download speed | 20 Mb/s (LTE) | vs | 7.2 Mb/s (HSDPA) |
| Around 3x better theoretical download speed; enjoy lightning fast downloads on modern networks | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Samsung Galaxy S II | Samsung Galaxy Nexus | ||
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|---|---|---|---|
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 | Rated by 446 users at amazon.com Rated 80% by by Wessam-Mesieha (Nov, 2011) Rated 100% by by samsung-I-9100-galazxy-s-II (Jul, 2012) | Rated by 634 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Fred Rated 80% by by umguy Rated 100% by by Keith (Dec, 2011) | |
operating system
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by migever (Feb, 2012)Well, there are 2 real options for smartphones these days, and I won't touch an iOS based device with a stick, so the choice is quite easy - get the best possible Android mobile that is out there.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by ViBu--Striderhayasa (Nov, 2011)There are many other great additions to ICS that are too numerous to list here, movie studio from Honeycomb is included for editing videos taken with your mobile device, better camera software, NFC beam, Panorama software, Sound EQ as standard with a FX booster, bass boost and 3D effects, and more.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)It's got an amazing display with the highest resolution on a GSM mobile phone yet, 1080p FullHD video recording, dual-core 1.2GHz CPU with powerful graphics chip but most importantly it's the first handset to make use of the latest and greatest from Android.
type
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by ViBu--Striderhayasa (Nov, 2011)For instance, the notification bar in Android has clearly been one of the best on a mobile device since it was introduced.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by Saravana-Kumar (May, 2012)The best feature of the phone is Android 4.0 (ICS), which in my opinion is a really great mobile OS, way better than Windows phone and Apple iPhone operating systems.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2012)It's a recipe for plenty of out-of-focus images, but is more in-keeping with the way many mobile snappers take photos than Android 2.
screen
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | by GSM Arena (Dec, 2011)And what a screen it is - the 316ppi pixel density makes for an amazing image sharpness and completely hides the PenTile nature of the matrix.Top-notch connectivity is also a big plus and the browser is hands down the most capable mobile browser currently available.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by D.-Harry (Apr, 2012)it turns off the mobile data radio when your screen is off, saving valuable power.
apps
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by C.-Marriott (Oct, 2012)I use this phone like my mobile laptop because it can do ANYTHING a laptop can except play games.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by aaron-molina (Feb, 2013)I have pretty poor vision, so it was hard for me to to read mobile apps on it, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a smart phone.
camera
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by Enrique-Catalano (Nov, 2012)Smart and elegant, in a convenient form factor and with all the sensors you can expect in a mobile.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | LG Nexus 4 Rated the best by consumers |
 | 4 | Nokia Lumia 820 4-way tie: High resolution front camera |
 | 5 | Samsung Express Galaxy Longest battery life during active use |
 | 6 | Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 5-way tie: Supports FM radio |
 | 7 | LG Optimus L9 Better than usual battery capacity |
Popular Questions
October 29, 2012
Galaxy SII or Galaxy Nexus for 13 year old?
I am a thirteen year old and I love to play games and download apps. Which is better for me?
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4
Answers September 9, 2012
Specs and info about both phones, galaxy nexus and galaxy s2
Can you please tell me more about the whole phone including the Games, apps, Camera, Internet, flash, design, hardware, software, calls and everything else. Thanks.
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Answers December 22, 2012
Hd gaming nexus or s2
I want to play games that are build on unity engine so which is better
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October 13, 2012
New (first) smartphone
I want to buy a new smartphone, a have to choose between Galaxy S2, Glaxy Nexus and Xperia P. I would go for the XP (better materials, better camera from what i've seen and comparable but I don't...
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Answers September 9, 2012
International support?
I will be doing some traveling to Europe. Will both of these phones work there?
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