Samsung Galaxy S Advance vs Samsung Galaxy S2

We pitch Samsung's new Galaxy Advance S against the mighty 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