Apple iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S II: Spec showdown

By Andrew Couts October 4, 2011

galaxy-s-ii-iphone-4s — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple just unveiled the new iPhone 4S, it’s newest addition to the most-popular smartphone line in the US. While demand for the device sits at an all-time high, Apple faces stiff competition from a growing array of high-end Android handsets. The iPhone 4S won’t be available until October 14, when it ships in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, and Japan. An additional 22 international markets will receive the device on October 28. So we haven’t yet had the chance to get our hands on the device. But let’s take a look at how the technical specs of the iPhone 4S stack up next to those of our favorite new Android smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S II.

**Apple iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S II**
	iPhone 4S	Galaxy S II
Price (with contract)	$199 to $399	$199.99
OS	iOS 5	Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) w/ TouchWhiz 4.0
Processor	Apple A5 (dual-core)	Samsung Exynos (dual-core)
Display	3.5-inch 960×640 IPS	4.3-inch 800×480 SAMOLED+
Dimensions	115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 (mm)	129 x 66 x 8.9 (mm)
Weight	140g	117g
Cellular	CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A/GSM/HSPA	GSM/HSPA+
Max. speed	14.4Mbps down/5.8Mbps up	21.1Mbps down
Wi-Fi	802.11 b/g/n (single-band)	802.11 b/g/n (dual-band)
Rear camera	8-megapixel AF w/ LED flash	8-megapixel AF w/ LED flash
Front camera	VGA	2-megapixel
Video capabilities	1080p at 30fps	1080p at 30fps
Internal storage	16GB/32GB/64GB	16GB
Mini SD	No	Yes (expands storage up to 48GB)
Max. battery life	8 hrs talk/6 hrs browsing 3G/10 hrs video/40 hrs music	8 hrs talk
Construction	Glass w/ aluminum band	Plastic

*For this comparison, we pitted the iPhone 4S against AT&T version of the Galaxy S II. T-Mobile and Sprint versions have a few different specs, but are more or less the same phone inside. The same model of the iPhone 4S is available on AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…

Mobile

Galaxy AI is coming to more Samsung phones very soon

A person using the Generative AI wallpapers on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Samsung is bringing its Galaxy AI technology to more Galaxy smartphones and tablets. This comes just months after the software was revealed with the Galaxy S24 series.

Samsung has begun rolling out Galaxy AI features to anyone with a Galaxy S22 series phone, Galaxy Z Fold 4, or Galaxy Z Flip 4. You will soon be able to download One UI 6.1 to get all of the benefits of Galaxy AI. The update appears to be rolling out in Korea now, suggesting it should hit U.S. devices very soon.

Mobile

5 phones you should buy instead of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus

A Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus laying on concrete.

Looking to upgrade your phone this year? You may be considering Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 Plus, which is the middle child of the S24 lineup. Given how solid the S24 Plus is, that's not a bad idea at all.

But is the Galaxy S24 Plus the best phone you can get? Maybe not, as there are plenty of other great choices that you can choose from as well. Here are some of the best alternatives to the Galaxy S24 Plus that you should take a look at before spending your hard-earned dollars.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Mobile

Are you having iPhone alarm problems? A fix is coming soon

A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

If you’ve slept through an important meeting or missed your alarm lately, it may not be entirely your fault if you’re an iPhone user. For weeks now, iPhone users have been reporting on social media that their devices are no longer ringing.

Today, The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern finally confirmed this. According to Stern, Apple has confirmed that it’s aware of the issue causing some alarms not to play a sound and is working on a fix.
iPhone alarm issues explained
The iPhone alarm problem seems to be tied to Apple’s Attention Aware features. For those unfamiliar, it’s a feature that lowers the volume sound of your alerts and alarms if you’re looking at your device and avoids dimming the screen, similar to how Samsung phones keep the screen on if they see you looking at your screen.