Motorola Atrix vs. Samsung Galaxy S II: Smartphone showdown
- — 16 May, 2011 15:37
2011 is set to be the year of the dual-core powered Android phone and two of the biggest upcoming releases in Australia are the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Motorola Atrix.
Read our comprehensive Motorola Atrix review and our Samsung Galaxy S II preview, and check out our roundup of the best upcoming smartphones in 2011.
Techworld Australia: Nokia N9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S 2
HTC EVO 3D vs. Samsung Galaxy S 2
Both of these Android phones have similar specifications — the Motorola Atrix has a 1GHz dual-core processor, a 4in qHD display, a 5-megapixel camera that records 720p HD video, and a fingerprint reader.
The Samsung Galaxy S II on the other hand has a slightly larger 4.3in display, and uses Super AMOLED Plus screen technology. It also has an 8-megapixel camera that doubles as a 1080p HD video recorder, while the Atrix has a 5-megapixel camera. The Galaxy S II also has a slightly faster 1.2GHz processor and is just 8.49mm thick, making it thinner than the iPhone 4 and likely the thinnest smartphone in the world.
So how does the Motorola Atrix compare against the Samsung Galaxy S II when it comes to specifications?
Motorola Atrix vs Samsung Galaxy S II: Specifications
| Feature | Motorola Atrix | Samsung Galaxy S II | Verdict? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system (OS) | Google Android 2.2 (Froyo) | Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) | Galaxy S II |
| Display size | 4in | 4.3in | Galaxy S II |
| Display technology | Capacitive TFT | Capacitive Super AMOLED Plus | Galaxy S II |
| Display resolution | 540x960 pixels (qHD) | 480x800 pixels | Motorola Atrix |
| Multitouch | Yes | Yes | Draw |
| Camera | 5 megapixels, LED flash, autofocus, geotagging, image stabilisation | 8 megapixels, LED flash, autofocus, geotagging, image stabilisation, face and smile detection | Galaxy S II |
| FM radio | No | Yes | Galaxy S II |
| GPS | Yes | Yes | Draw |
| Internal memory | 16GB | 16GB or 32GB | Galaxy S II |
| Expandable memory | microSD card slot | microSD card slot | Draw |
| Dimensions | 117.8 x 63.5 x 11mm | 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5mm | Galaxy S II |
| Weight | 135g | 116g | Galaxy S II |
| Application store | Google Android Market | Google Android Market | Draw |
| Processor | ARM Cortex A9 dual-core (1GHz) | ARM Cortex A9 dual-core (1.2GHz) | Galaxy S II |
| 3G networks | HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100 | HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100 | Draw |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11b/g/n | 802.11a/b/g/n | Galaxy S II |
| Bluetooth | 2.1 with A2DP | 3.0 with A2DP | Galaxy S II |
| NFC (Near Field Communication) | No | Yes | Galaxy S II |
| HDMI-out | Yes | Yes (via MHL) | Draw |
| Quoted talk time | Up to 9 hours | Up to 8 hours | Motorola Atrix |
| Quoted standby time | Up to 250 hours | Up to 750 hours | Galaxy S II |
| Adobe Flash support | Yes | Yes | Draw |
Motorola Atrix vs Samsung Galaxy S II: Design
Both the Motorola Atrix and the Samsung Galaxy S II are constructed largely from plastic. Although both may lack the aluminium unibody design of competitors like the HTC Desire HD, the plastic frame of the Atrix feels relatively well constructed, and also has an attractive carbon-like pattern printed onto the rear. The Motorola Atrix is less than 11mm thick, which is a nice surprise given it comes with a large 4in capacitive touchscreen.
If Motorola deserves credit for making the Atrix relatively thin, then Samsung deserves a gold star for making the Galaxy S II almost thin enough to slide under a door. At just 8.49mm thick, the Galaxy S II is likely the thinnest smartphone in the world (at least until another competitor trumps it). The Samsung Galaxy S II has an attractive carbon-like finish on its rear battery cover that Samsung claims makes it easier to grip given its featherweight design.
Motorola and Samsung both deserve credit for their respective designs, but the clear winner here is the Galaxy S II. In addition to boasting a larger display, Samsung has managed to trim the fat and make the Galaxy S II just 8.49mm thick. This is a great example of excellent engineering that deserves to be applauded.
At just 8.49mm thick, the Samsung Galaxy S II is likely the thinnest smartphone in the world — at least until another competitor trumps it.
Comments
Bobby
1
Motorola is more innovative than Samsung who usually have been big copycats over the years... Motorola's multi-use idea with the Accessories is awesome...in the car, on the bed stand, at work , browsing, TV/Webtop connectivity...its all there...Antenna RF performance is usually top rate with Motorola also... good luck Moto...its time to regain your position again..
Rollin Shultz
2
I am very unhappy with my Atrix. I depend on its ability to manage a few very simple, but important functions, flawlessly, and it under performs. Case 1: I listen to podcasts for hours per day every day over bluetooth, and i depend on the pause/play functionality to give me control when i need to interact with someone. I frequently must unselect bluetooth control on stitcher, quit the application and restart, reselct to get pause/play to work even though the audio is playing over the bluetooth.
If I start another media player and use my bluetooth pause, it ignores the currently playing app and starts the default media player, now I have two playing at once. This is making the android OS look bad, as now I have only apple to compare to and it worked flawlessly for these functions.
So far my verdict is Motorola has done a poor execution of the OS.
genereed
3
I have had iphones for years now. I felt.like it was time for a. Hangs. I was. It too impressed with the iphone 4. It is the same ole look and. It is considerably slower. The attic ( for me and the htc inspire for my son) gives me something new and fast. I have a lot of learning to do and I am happy to learn. I feel that the iphone has dropped the ball and the are so expensive. I guess I just don't see the value that apple does. To be quite honest, the iphone is riding on their reputation and just aren't gi img the bang for the bu k they once did. The iphone is simply.boring. the motorola attic is new and cull.of very usefull features. I am happy with my choice.
Ray
4
I see that no one cares about pricing anymore...