04
Jun
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While your average "drop test" video isn't necessarily a source for scientific durability analysis, they can be entertaining to watch. Somehow, seeing expensive devices mercilessly dropped onto unforgiving concrete or pavement feels slightly gratifying, while the process simultaneously educates viewers on the dangers of careless phone handling.

Today, Android Authority uploaded a drop test video which saw Samsung's Galaxy SIII (by all accounts the phone of the moment) and Apple's iPhone 4S faced off against an expanse of hard concrete. Both phones were dropped on their face, back, and side, of course in an attempt to gather more experimental data.

It goes without saying that neither device fared particularly well.

28
Mar
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Clarification: Yes, it is 5 million sold to end consumers, officially confirmed by Samsung to Phone Scoop.

The Galaxy Note - it's a device that stirs up passions among many technology enthusiasts. It's big - so big that is just looks silly held up to your face. But its gorgeous, 5.3" HD display (1280x800) has owners absolutely loving the phablet (alright, I won't use it again - promise).

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Apple iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy Note

It was panned by critics, and online magazine Slate even called it a "disturbing trend," saying Samsung should "take a lesson from [Apple's] success and realize that bigger isn’t necessarily better and that a phone’s utility decreases as its screen inflates." The Galaxy Note debuted with an MSRP of $800, and while carrier subsidies have seen many consumers avoid that price, it's worth mentioning that still means the Note is pricier for carriers than the iPhone 4S.

17
Jan
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When I read the comments of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in an interview with The Daily Beast, my first thought was "this sounds like an eminently reasonable man making some well-reasoned points." Of course, being an Android site, we took interest in Wozniak's comments on Android's superior (in some respects) voice commands, as well as his praise of its workable built-in navigation solution (something iOS currently lacks outright).

I've used Siri. It's pretty fun (and funny) at times. But in my opinion, it doesn't do many things better than Android's voice commands (word recognition is, perhaps, a little better - though I've not compared it to Android 4.0's instant STT engine, which I've heard is a big improvement).

20
Oct
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If there's one thing the iPhone 4S seems to be screwing up after its very successful debut, it would seem to be Sprint's 3G. Since the launch of Apple's newest iThing, Sprint 3G speeds have absolutely tanked for users in many areas. How widespread is the problem? Well, this 45-page (and growing) thread with nearly 700 replies over on the Sprint Community forums would seem to indicate the answer is "very."

The problem has affected everyone - as shown by lackluster results from some of our own Sprint devices of late while on 3G.

Samsung Epic 4G:

DL: 370kbps

UL: 306kbps

Ping: 165ms

Motorola Photon 4G:

DL: 214kbps

UL: 542kbps

Ping: 963ms

iPhone 4S users are reporting speeds even lower than these, sometimes much lower (like 50kbps).

17
Oct
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Last Updated: January 30th, 2013

So, do you want to see how the Galaxy S II compares to the iPhone 4S when dropped directly onto concrete? Yeah, we thought you might -- and you you may actually be surprised at the results. Before you watch the video, though, I must warn you: watching these electronics plummet to their (presumed) demise can be a bit cringe inducing, even to not-so-squeamish among us. With that caveat out of the way, have a look at the video:

Pretty impressive, no? While the iPhone 4S was rendered basically unusable after a couple of drops, the Galaxy S II's Gorilla Glass kept it safe, secure, and intact.

11
Oct
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Last Updated: August 20th, 2012

The folks over at the always impartial, numerically obsessed hardware review and benchmarking site Anandtech have gotten their hands on some results comparing the iPhone 4S to a slew of Android devices in browser and GPU performance. The results are, well, interesting. Take a look at these graphics comparing browser JavaScript performance:

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The closest competitor to Apple's iPhone 4S? The testers decided to make the Galaxy Tab 8.9 the Android Honeycomb representative, and even with its aging Tegra 2 chipset the Tab pretty much matched Apple's iPhone 4S inch for inch. But we think we have an explanation for the Tab 8.9's extreme browser performance figures: Honeycomb.

05
Oct
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I’d like to start by stating I am not a rabid Android “fanboy.” In fact, I heavily considered the iPhone 3GS back in the day (er, last year), before deciding to pick up my Nexus One instead. Admittedly, I was a bit bedazzled by the concept of a “Google phone” and, as a confessed mega-geek, I found the bleeding-edge experience Android offered to be more exciting for some reason.

So I chose an Android device. When the iPhone 4 was released, I'll be the first to admit that I was jealous. Like it or not, Apple’s Retina display and buttery-smooth iOS UI remain rivaled only by Samsung’s Galaxy S II, and I still staunchly believe Apple builds superior products to anyone in the smartphone industry in terms of build quality and hardware design.