Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs Samsung Galaxy S II
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Samsung Galaxy S II, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Galaxy S II |
|---|
| Price | $45 | $15 |
| Our rating | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 1,750 mAh | 1,650 mAh |
| RAM (max) | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Storage (max) | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Screen size | 4.65 in | 4.3 in |
| Main camera | 5 MP | 8 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 135 g | 116 g |
| Released | Nov 2011 | May 2011 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy Nexus is ahead on battery, screen size. Samsung Galaxy S II is ahead on our rating, main camera, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S II is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Galaxy S II |
|---|
| Type | Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | Super AMOLED Plus |
| Size | 4.65 inches (~63.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 4.3 inches |
| Resolution | 720 x 1280 pixels, HD (~316 ppi density) | 480 x 800 pixels |
| Protection | Dragontrail Glass | Corning Gorilla Glass |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Galaxy S II |
|---|
| OS | Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), upgradable to 4.3 (Jelly Bean) | Android 2.3 Gingerbread, upgradable to 4.1.2 Jelly Bean |
| Chipset | TI OMAP 4460 | Exynos 4 Dual (Exynos 4210) |
| CPU | Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 | 1.2 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 |
| GPU | PowerVR SGX540 | Mali-400MP4 |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Galaxy S II |
|---|
| Internal | 16GB or 32GB storage, 1GB RAM | 16GB 1GB RAM, 32GB 1GB RAM |
| Card slot | No | microSDHC (dedicated slot), up to 32GB |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Galaxy S II |
|---|
| Single | 5 MP, 2592x1936 pixels | — |
| Features | LED flash | LED flash |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps |
| Modules | — | 8 MP, AF |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Galaxy S II |
|---|
| Single | 1.3 MP | — |
| Video | 720p | Yes |
| Modules | — | 2 MP |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Galaxy S II |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion 1750 mAh battery | Removable Li-Ion 1650 mAh battery |
| Stand-by | — | Up to 710 h (2G) / Up to 610 h (3G) |
| Talk time | — | Up to 18 h 20 min (2G) / Up to 8 h 40 min (3G) |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Galaxy S II |
|---|
| Dimensions | 135.5 x 67.9 x 8.9 mm (5.33 x 2.67 x 0.35 in) for GSM variant | 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.49 mm |
| Weight | 135 g (4.76 oz) | 116 g |
| Build | Plastic body, Dragontrail curved glass front | — |
| SIM | — | Mini-SIM |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Galaxy S II |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 3.0, A2DP, LE | 2.1, A2DP, EDR |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS | Yes, with A-GPS |
| NFC | Yes | Optional |
| Radio | No | Stereo FM radio, RDS |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 (MHL TV-out) |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Galaxy S II |
|---|
| Announced | October 2011 | February 2011 |
| Status | Released November 2011 | Released May 2011 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy Nexus or Samsung Galaxy S II?
Samsung Galaxy Nexus — 1,750 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus versus 1,650 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S II.
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy Nexus or Samsung Galaxy S II?
Samsung Galaxy S II — 135 g for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus versus 116 g for the Samsung Galaxy S II.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy Nexus or Samsung Galaxy S II?
Samsung Galaxy Nexus — Nov 2011 for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus versus May 2011 for the Samsung Galaxy S II.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus or the Samsung Galaxy S II rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 7/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S II 8/10.
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