[the_sleuth]

I was surprised how close these two phones stack up:

Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II vs. BlackBerry Torch 9850 - GSMArena.com

S2 Advantages: screen, support flash 10.1, camera, dual-core, radio, bluetooth 3.0, apps

BB Torch 9850 advantages: 4gb ROM, optical trackpad, BB Push eMail, BBM


Torch 9850 walks away still standing in this match up against a superphone.

[greggebhardt]

As much as I love the 9860 and Blackberry as a whole, I use a Galaxy S2 at times and it is superior in many aspects. For those who want a focusing camera the SG2 not only focuses up close but is 8MP! The images are crazy good.

[bbdub]

As much as I love the 9860 and Blackberry as a whole, I use a Galaxy S2 at times and it is superior in many aspects. For those who want a focusing camera the SG2 not only focuses up close but is 8MP! The images are crazy good.

I can't wait to get the 9860 but the S2 looks amazing. I think at&t is supposed to release their version the Attain sometime soon.

[murnende]

From what I saw, from a hardware perspective, the S2 smokes that 9860 in every possible way. I suspect though, that the battery life estimations for the S2 are a little fanciful.

[Umm Yeah]

From what I saw, from a hardware perspective, the S2 smokes that 9860 in every possible way. I suspect though, that the battery life estimations for the S2 are a little fanciful.

I agree with this, unfortunately. The only way that the 9860 beats the S2 is that the S2 is an Android phone, and that removes it from the running for me, at least. I can't say the same for other OS's though.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

I can't wait to get the 9860 but the S2 looks amazing. I think at&t is supposed to release their version the Attain sometime soon.

Yep it's in field testing currently on AT&T. They're close in comparison in most aspects. It boils down to do you prefer the BlackBerry OS or Android.

[Cheetablaze]

I have a feeling that the SGS II is going to steal some of the 9850/60s thunder if its released first. 200 bucks for both devices...I love BB but you get soo much more for the Sammy. No offense to any BB users here.

[bbdub]

Yep it's in field testing currently on AT&T. They're close in comparison in most aspects. It boils down to do you prefer the BlackBerry OS or Android.

Cool! Do you like it? How is the battery life? I know it's a Samsung but some Android phones, especially HTC, have horrible battery life. My friend has a Thunderbolt and has to charge the thing two or three times a day. I hear Samsung is pretty good though with battery life.

[greggebhardt]

From what I saw, from a hardware perspective, the S2 smokes that 9860 in every possible way. I suspect though, that the battery life estimations for the S2 are a little fanciful.

It might be hard to believe but I get remarkable battery life on the SG2. If you go to the Android forums, many are getting the same. You CAN wear out a battery in a game that stresses both CPU cores but for every day use you will come home with plenty of battery left. The super AMOLED screen uses much less power than others this size.

I will agree that other Android phones on the market have the reputatiuon of HORRIBLE battery life, but that is not true for the Galaxy S2.

[samodelkin]

It might be hard to believe but I get remarkable battery life on the SG2... I will agree that other Android phones on the market have the reputatiuon of HORRIBLE battery life, but that is not true for the Galaxy S2.

I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IF YOU CAN SHOW ME HOW TO GET THE "remarkable battery life".
I just got a new GS2 and, in fact, I am experiencing the opposite effect. The battery life is just awful; with background data sync running, no WiFi or Bluetooth, the battery runs down completely after only 7 hrs; playing a very simple game on the phone for 15 mins (locally, no using the Internet) depletes battery 30% (!).
Email applications - other than Gmail, other email software is rather primitive, I couldn't find how to delete more than one item at a time...
Also, it takes at least 15 mins until an email message is sync'd between my Hotmail Inbox with the device; about 1-2 mins for Gmail
Phone, the sound is not the best, some people complained they could not hear me well; location of the microphone is such that when holding with your left hand, it may accidentally get over the mic...
There might be more, but I have been using this device for only 4 days...I had a BB before and had no issues with reception and my BB battery would run for at least 2 days with a lot of activities in a single day - background synch jobs, BBM, forums, etc.; email/messaging was way faster.
As I mentioned, I was on a BB before, but got sold on the new GS2. I am now considering returning it back and getting BB9860 instead.
Disclaimer: I am not associated with RIM in any way.

[susanslp1967]

I have been a Blackberry Bold user and thought I needed to convert to Android. The Samsung Galaxy S2 seemed like a good thing but I returned it on day 14 of the trial period (with a $50 penalty). My complaints:
1. Terrible battery life: with low to average usage (limited calls, some web browsing, few games) it had to be charging most of the time. At home, it was connected to the wall charger. Then in my car, to the car charger. Still, it would go to "under 30% battery -- power saving mode" at least once a day. And I work with patients in a hospital all day so do not use my phone constantly. I could not imagine using it for business purposes.
2. Poor speakers: with my Bold, I could listen in the car without my speaker and I could still enjoy the music. With the SG2, impossible.
3. Unable to use the SG2 one handed for speed dialing, music playing, etc. In the car it was fairly useless, unlike the Blackberry.
4. Burned my face: the device heated up so quickly, even when it had been in standby mode all day, that Friday I had to end a call because my right cheek was burning. That was the final straw...
So I'm back to the Bold but it feels so limited without the variety of Android programs.
I'm considering the Torch but wonder if I'll face some of the same problems (battery, heat) I just ditched with the SG2?

[up488]

I have no issues with regards to battery life with the Torch. I'm a fairly heavy user and can usually get through the day without needing charge. As for heating up, i've never had that issue, not even with the phone getting warm.

[kb5zht]

No heating issues with my Torch, and battery life is good for a device with this much hardware + screen realestate... With heavy useage i still get 8 hours (by heavy i mean using it for bbm, texting and streaming music with slacker all at the same time.

[emirozmen]

IMO S2 would take the cake.

[eclipse33]

I'm on replacement #5 so I have had some experience with the back button (on 2 replacements) isssue. This fifth replacement is, so far, flawless after a month and I wouldn't trade my BB 9850 for any other phone including an iPhone 4S.

The only issue I have encountered with v7.1 is the immediate 8-9% battery drop, but then it levels off to about 6-7% an hour.

[TTBGF]

I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IF YOU CAN SHOW ME HOW TO GET THE "remarkable battery life".
I just got a new GS2 and, in fact, I am experiencing the opposite effect. The battery life is just awful; with background data sync running, no WiFi or Bluetooth, the battery runs down completely after only 7 hrs; playing a very simple game on the phone for 15 mins (locally, no using the Internet) depletes battery 30% (!).
Email applications - other than Gmail, other email software is rather primitive, I couldn't find how to delete more than one item at a time...
Also, it takes at least 15 mins until an email message is sync'd between my Hotmail Inbox with the device; about 1-2 mins for Gmail
Phone, the sound is not the best, some people complained they could not hear me well; location of the microphone is such that when holding with your left hand, it may accidentally get over the mic...
There might be more, but I have been using this device for only 4 days...I had a BB before and had no issues with reception and my BB battery would run for at least 2 days with a lot of activities in a single day - background synch jobs, BBM, forums, etc.; email/messaging was way faster.
As I mentioned, I was on a BB before, but got sold on the new GS2. I am now considering returning it back and getting BB9860 instead.
Disclaimer: I am not associated with RIM in any way.

This made me laugh!!

Seriously though with all those combined issues, your decision now should really be a no-brainer.

FWIW......my ONLY issue with my 9860 is a memory leak in OS v 7.1x, otherwise this little device is SUPERFANTABULOUS!!!!!!!!!

[TTBGF]

The only issue I have encountered with v7.1 is the immediate 8-9% battery drop, but then it levels off to about 6-7% an hour.

Really??? I had this with 7.0.0.585.........then I did a hybrid using the .540 radio with the .585 OS........the initial battery drop was no longer an issue after that. Next upgrade was 7.1.0.190.....then 7.1.0.205.........neither have that initial battery drop after full charge. What's the full version 7.1 OS you're running?