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Samsung GS2 versus LG Thrill

Artisan

Newbie
Sep 1, 2011
11
1
There exists a thread like this in the Thrill forum, but I'd like to ask the same here. I'm looking for real world experience with both - I know anything other than a Samsung device will have to be a compromise on the screen. Coming from a Captivate and having an Infuse now, I am not so keen on going to a device without the Super AMOLED technology. But I'm not totally unwilling.

September 18th will (hopefully) see the release of the GS2, which is my last day to return my Infuse. I plan to test both and decide then, unless it's delayed again; then the decision will have been made for me.

While the Thrill is a mid-range phone, the dual core / dual channel setup might just be enough for me in terms of future-proofing, since I don't have any current performance problems with my Infuse.

Anyway, has anyone played with the Thrill and the GS2 (international version)? What were your impressions of each?
 
There exists a thread like this in the Thrill forum, but I'd like to ask the same here. I'm looking for real world experience with both - I know anything other than a Samsung device will have to be a compromise on the screen. Coming from a Captivate and having an Infuse now, I am not so keen on going to a device without the Super AMOLED technology. But I'm not totally unwilling.

September 18th will (hopefully) see the release of the GS2, which is my last day to return my Infuse. I plan to test both and decide then, unless it's delayed again; then the decision will have been made for me.

While the Thrill is a mid-range phone, the dual core / dual channel setup might just be enough for me in terms of future-proofing, since I don't have any current performance problems with my Infuse.

Anyway, has anyone played with the Thrill and the GS2 (international version)? What were your impressions of each?

Both great..but for the price..I think I will be sticking with the Thrill...

For the record..I have played with the US, and international versions of the SGS2 and the Thrill.

I have no interest in buying Samsung anymore at this point. I will revisit phone buying again when we see LTE
 
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Same here. I'm passing up the gs2 and waiting for gs3. Theres not that much of a difference between to two except screens (3D and Super AMOLED). Cameras and processor on a gs2 are better but nothing dramatic. I mentioned this before by saying 3 months from now the GS2 will be overshadowed by something else coming out. We can't keep up with mobile technology. If I could I'd be broke!
I've had the Thrill now for about 4 days now. Its fast, gps works, no lag and the 3D is a pretty cool feature.

I wouldnt go as far as saying the Thrill is a midrange phone. Its a flagship device. A midrange device would be an HTC wildfire, LG Phoenix or even a Motorola Triumph being on metro pcs.
 
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Main problems with the Thrill imo, well overall it's just too much of a "tweener" phone.

-No Amoled
-Only 512 MB RAM (1GB now the flagship standard)
-4.3" screen, where flagship phones are rapidly moving to 4.5" and even above I'm sure soon enough

I guess for now the Thrill is ATT's flagship, but the SGS2 will arguably overtake it, and then a slew of phones will of course overtake that...

There's a lot of big changes coming soon, bigger screens, Ice Cream, LTE, so I think now is a good time to wait.

The Thrill is a decent phone though and as I said, best phone on ATT at least until SGS2.

"Perfect" phone (within the next few months) for me would be something like:

-Extra large screen, at LEAST 4.5", but 4.7 or even larger would be nice (the Galaxy Note at 5.3 almost seems acceptable, so I'm quite sure 4.7 or 4.9 phones will be taking over soon enough, and the Nexus Prime is rumored at 4.65", screens will get a natural bump soon without increasing phone size with ice cream removing the capacitive buttons, as well)

-At least 1GB RAM

-Of course dual core, 1.4 ghz and above

-Ice cream

-LTE (I actually dont care too much about that, living in East Texas it likely wont get here for a long time, but I guess it'd be a nice future proofing or if traveling to areas with LTE)

-Super Amoled or the like

The HTC Holiday seems like it will be the next one to beat on ATT, but I think it might be worth waiting even beyond that. ATT could get a Nexus Prime clone, the Galaxy Note is rumored for ATT (if you can stomach the size, open question for me), etc. It's going to take 3-6 months for that stuff to shake out. And of course as I keep mentioning my upgrade is in March, so it behooves me to wait, though if something compelling enough came along I might jump before then.
 
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LG Thrill's biggest drawbacks are android 2.2.2, and small 512Mb RAM, 8Gb of internal storage. SGSII is on the latest gingerbread and has twice the RAM, internal memory. Also, it's much thinner, lighter than Thrill.

Though SGSII is now several months old since its early May launch oversea, it's still flagship device in spec, performance until next Sammy beasts like Prime, Note arrive.
 
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Thrill is definitely no "mid-range" phone....far from it. Now by late this year or next year there will be more phones that top it spec-wise, but for now on AT&T its probably the most powerful phone. You can ding it for only have 512 of ram, but its dual channel which keeps it quick. That said, I'd much rather take the SG2 and I'm currently waiting on it....still.

Shark, you mentioned wanting a phone with larger than 4.5" screen....thats fine. Everyone is different and wants different things, but I can't imagine it. A friend today had his new LG Thrill with a case on it and it looked huge to me (again, I'm used to seeing my fiancee's Iphone4 and I just have an old messaging phone). The only way I'd ever consider something with a 4.7" screen is if it had almost no bezel at all. That would make it rougly the same size as today's 4.3" screens.

Just go out and buy a tablet already, and then use some kinda app to make it into a phone, because thats basically what your asking for. :D:D (I kid I kid....sort of)
 
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You guys do realize that 512mb ram is not your average run of the mill ram right?

I am currently running some tests on the thrills usage of ram compared to others.

And of course.... suggest you do a bit more research :p

I would hardly call the thrill a tweener (?) Or a mid range phone. I am not exactly sure what basis those assumptions are made of.

Does it have 5 megapixel vs 8...yes....the 2 5 MP came are needed for the 3d (which again is amazingly better than the garbage on the 3ds and the evo3d)

Did you know it also records in 1080? Any idea of its benchmarks? Etc etc


I really expected to be returning this phone on day 28 or so. ....but so far it has exceeded my expectations
 
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Main problems with the Thrill imo, well overall it's just too much of a "tweener" phone.

-No Amoled
-Only 512 MB RAM (1GB now the flagship standard)
-4.3" screen, where flagship phones are rapidly moving to 4.5" and even above I'm sure soon enough

I guess for now the Thrill is ATT's flagship, but the SGS2 will arguably overtake it, and then a slew of phones will of course overtake that...

There's a lot of big changes coming soon, bigger screens, Ice Cream, LTE, so I think now is a good time to wait.

The Thrill is a decent phone though and as I said, best phone on ATT at least until SGS2.

"Perfect" phone (within the next few months) for me would be something like:

-Extra large screen, at LEAST 4.5", but 4.7 or even larger would be nice (the Galaxy Note at 5.3 almost seems acceptable, so I'm quite sure 4.7 or 4.9 phones will be taking over soon enough, and the Nexus Prime is rumored at 4.65", screens will get a natural bump soon without increasing phone size with ice cream removing the capacitive buttons, as well)

-At least 1GB RAM

-Of course dual core, 1.4 ghz and above

-Ice cream

-LTE (I actually dont care too much about that, living in East Texas it likely wont get here for a long time, but I guess it'd be a nice future proofing or if traveling to areas with LTE)

-Super Amoled or the like

The HTC Holiday seems like it will be the next one to beat on ATT, but I think it might be worth waiting even beyond that. ATT could get a Nexus Prime clone, the Galaxy Note is rumored for ATT (if you can stomach the size, open question for me), etc. It's going to take 3-6 months for that stuff to shake out. And of course as I keep mentioning my upgrade is in March, so it behooves me to wait, though if something compelling enough came along I might jump before then.


Main problems with the Thrill imo, well overall it's just too much of a "tweener" phone.
Your opinion but my opinion a tweener phone would be a samsung sidekick 4g

-No Amoled
Somebody correct me but only samsung has SuperAMOLED
-Only 512 MB RAM (1GB now the flagship standard)
Dual channel. So think of a 2 lane freeway rather then one.
-4.3" screen, where flagship phones are rapidly moving to 4.5" and even above I'm sure soon enough

Anything 4 inches and above is definely ok. Some people might say 4.3 is to big. Different sizes for different people.

The Thrill is a decent phone though and as I said, best phone on ATT at least until SGS2.
The SG2 will probably be the top flagship device until Holiday shows up. That'll probably hold it until the rumored SG2 3D comes out at the end of the year.



Like i mentioned before....if you wait for the next best thing to show up you'll never own a phone. Everyone knows the Attain is a better overall performance phone then the Thrill but honestly 1.0 ghz to 1.2 ghz isn't lighting faster. 512 dual channel to 1ghz ram isn't ungodly better. The biggest features that should be compared are the 8mp camera, weight, thickness, battery life and OS upgrade (which we all know sammy and lg aren't the greatest. samsung just a little suckier). Those are you apples and peas on what makes a good phone great.
 
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I think they both will but WHEN. Samsung is real horrible when it comes to updates. Those guys in the infuse forums are hating it right about now.

Both LG and Samsung had bad record with android updates. But at least Samsung is showing sign of getting acts together on it with SGSII. Any small bugs that oversea users found were quickly fixed with firmware updates. Also US SGSII launching with 2.3.4 from get go is good improvement compared to SGS last year which started with 2.1. They sent several SGSII to dev for custom ROM developments as well. So I think SGSII will have better chance of getting updated to ICS.

LG still has to prove they are changing, getting better on updates. Thrill launching with 2.2.2 at this time is disappointing.
 
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I think they both will but WHEN. Samsung is real horrible when it comes to updates. Those guys in the infuse forums are hating it right about now.

I'm SURE the SGSII will get ICS. Eventually. It may be late and we may complain, but it will come.

I'm not so sure that the Thrill will get ICS. I don't know, maybe because LG hasn't had flagship phones for very many updates and doesn't have an established track record.

Also currently the SGSII has a much larger development community than the Optimus 3D. That may change, but it's something I'm thinking about.

I think regardless I'm going to go through with my planned "battle royal" between the Thrill and the SGSII. I have the Thrill now, and I'll trade for the SGSII when it comes out. Then if I decide I liked the Thrill better, I'll trade back.
 
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I think regardless I'm going to go through with my planned "battle royal" between the Thrill and the SGSII. I have the Thrill now, and I'll trade for the SGSII when it comes out. Then if I decide I liked the Thrill better, I'll trade back.

If your planning your "double exchange" at AT&T (or any retailer) you'd have a problem. They only allow ONE equipment exchange during the 30 (or 90 days @ Costco). I believe the same applies for Sprint & T-Mo.

From AT&T return policy:


AT&T Returns Policy
AT&T values our relationship with you and offers a return policy for equipment and services purchased directly from AT&T. It may not reflect the policies of AT&T's authorized dealers or retailers. Equipment purchased from authorized dealers or retailers must be returned to those dealers or retailers.
Equipment
If the equipment you purchased directly from AT&T does not meet your expectations, simply return it either to a store or by mail within 30 days from the date the equipment was purchased or shipped. Refunds will be applied to the original payment method. Gift cards and ringtone cards are not returnable. Any rebate associated with the returned equipment will be voided.

Returns/exchanges must be like new, with all original packaging, accessories, manuals and proof of purchase. You may exchange equipment one time within the 30 day period. iPhone returns/exchanges will be subject to a 10% restocking fee, except where prohibited. A $20 restocking fee applies to devices purchased at an AT&T-owned retail store except where prohibited. Restocking requirements and fees may apply to purchases made elsewhere, and may vary by market or type of equipment. See your receipt or an AT&T store for details. Equipment received through an insurance claim cannot be returned or exchanged under this policy.


By the way, if you purchase with most any of the AMEX cards they will refund your restocking fee under their "return satisfaction" policy. You need to check the features of your original card.
 
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Main problems with the Thrill imo, well overall it's just too much of a "tweener" phone.
Your opinion but my opinion a tweener phone would be a samsung sidekick 4g
The Thrill is no slouch of a phone....but it suffers from some of the same issues the SGSII does....just a lil too late of a release. Again, had these phones dropped in late July / early August....I'd feel better about pulling the trigger. With that said, keep in mind my intention is to sign a 2 year contract and ride this puppy into the sunset (until my 2yr contract term is up)

For you guys that upgrade every 6 months.....its a sweet pickup I think if the 3D is attractive to you. We don't expect to see any comp in that area until the rumored SGSII 3D in late 2011.

-No Amoled
Somebody correct me but only samsung has SuperAMOLED
Its rumored that Sammy would be doing AMOLED screens for iPad3s. So if Apple can subcontract their screens....why can't other manufactures? I'm sure they come at a heafty price tag....but it is soooo hard to go to anything else after getting a taste on my old Infuse.

-Only 512 MB RAM (1GB now the flagship standard)
Dual channel. So think of a 2 lane freeway rather then one.
But it's still only got 512 (feet) of road. LOL Okay bad example...everything I've read says the dual channel RAM performs much better than comparable single channel.....and that may help with the performance of a specific application....but it doesn't do much to help the amount of apps or services you can have running at the same time.

Maybe not a big issue considering the limited amount of multitasking you'll be doing on a phone. All I know is that on my SGT10.1 has 1 Gig of RAM and without making a whole lot of changes (or adding too many widgets to my desktop), atleast 475-550MB of my RAM is spoken for before I really do anything. It doesn't take much to push 70-80% of maximum RAM resources @ 1 gig.


-4.3" screen, where flagship phones are rapidly moving to 4.5" and even above I'm sure soon enough

Anything 4 inches and above is definely ok. Some people might say 4.3 is to big. Different sizes for different people.
For sure....that Infuse sized form factor will shut some people out. I'm 6"1" and I could barely operate the phone with one hand....especially when trying to pull down the notification bar. And If I'm struggling with it, I'm sure many others are.

Another reason to wait for ICS naitve phones might be because they will be have to house a larger screen without making the physical size too big (due to ICS removing need for hardware buttons).

The Thrill is a decent phone though and as I said, best phone on ATT at least until SGS2.
The SG2 will probably be the top flagship device until Holiday shows up. That'll probably hold it until the rumored SG2 3D comes out at the end of the year.
I looked up the Holiday's specs and nothing jumped out at me why this would trump the SGSII. I get that people tend to like HTC's Sense UI better than TouchWiz...and Samsung has had some GPS issues with their older phones....but spec wise, whats the big diff?

They both have dual core 1.2 Ghz processors, 1 Gig of RAM, rear 8MP camera...SGSII has a 2MP front while the HTC has 1.3

Is it LTE?
Does it have more native output ports (HDMI, USB)?
Does it have NFC?



Like i mentioned before....if you wait for the next best thing to show up you'll never own a phone. Everyone knows the Attain is a better overall performance phone then the Thrill but honestly 1.0 ghz to 1.2 ghz isn't lighting faster. 512 dual channel to 1ghz ram isn't ungodly better. The biggest features that should be compared are the 8mp camera, weight, thickness, battery life and OS upgrade (which we all know sammy and lg aren't the greatest. samsung just a little suckier). Those are you apples and peas on what makes a good phone great.

I disagree. I think you have to be willing to accept (especially in the Android Market) that you won't get much time at the top..spec wise....but some product cycles introduce bigger & better tech than others.

Considering your operating under the notion that you will have this phone for the next 2 years of your life, you want to make sure that the features you find most appealing aren't undergoing HUGE jumps in tech in the near future.

The difference between the current A Grade phone & an A Grade phone in 2-3 months is...

NFC
LTE
Considerable increase in Resolution
Considerable increase in screen size (without compromising overall phone size)
New Android OS (to rule them all....I expect Android development to take off once the fragmentation is limited with ICS)

I get your point...its all a rat race, but there are better times than others to upgrade. For example, picking up an Infuse in late July is probably not a great idea.
 
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I disagree. I think you have to be willing to accept (especially in the Android Market) that you won't get much time at the top..spec wise....but some product cycles introduce bigger & better tech than others.

Considering your operating under the notion that you will have this phone for the next 2 years of your life, you want to make sure that the features you find most appealing aren't undergoing HUGE jumps in tech in the near future.

The difference between the current A Grade phone & an A Grade phone in 2-3 months is...

NFC
LTE
Considerable increase in Resolution
Considerable increase in screen size (without compromising overall phone size)
New Android OS (to rule them all....I expect Android development to take off once the fragmentation is limited with ICS)

I get your point...its all a rat race, but there are better times than others to upgrade. For example, picking up an Infuse in late July is probably not a great idea.

What part do u disagree?
 
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You guys do realize that 512mb ram is not your average run of the mill ram right?

I am currently running some tests on the thrills usage of ram compared to others.

And of course.... suggest you do a bit more research :p

I would hardly call the thrill a tweener (?) Or a mid range phone. I am not exactly sure what basis those assumptions are made of.

Does it have 5 megapixel vs 8...yes....the 2 5 MP came are needed for the 3d (which again is amazingly better than the garbage on the 3ds and the evo3d)

Did you know it also records in 1080? Any idea of its benchmarks? Etc etc


I really expected to be returning this phone on day 28 or so. ....but so far it has exceeded my expectations


Megapixels is less important than lens quality. Do you find that the Thrill takes good pictures?

And how does the screen visually compare to the SGS2?
 
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Megapixels is less important than lens quality. Do you find that the Thrill takes good pictures?

And how does the screen visually compare to the SGS2?

No it does not take very good pictures. My wife's iPhone 4 takes a much better picture than my Thrill 4G. I took a picture of the same thing and there is a huge difference. If you want, I can post comparisons.
 
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Okay, so here is a perfect example of why bigger is not better. Not everyone who is carrying around an Android phone is a 6' tall man with large hands. This is my 4" screen phone in my hand. For me, 4.3" is an absolutely maximum.

imagejpeg_2_51.jpg
 
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Okay, so here is a perfect example of why bigger is not better. Not everyone who is carrying around an Android phone is a 6' tall man with large hands. This is my 4" screen phone in my hand. For me, 4.3" is an absolutely maximum.

imagejpeg_2_51.jpg

What's on the lift?


So... to answer you other question...the Super Amoled plus is simply amazing...but over saturated. Evertying dark looks way too dark and bright colors are way to bright...but it works and maintains a "wow" factor

the Thrill has a clean crisp screen, no wash out, and was MUCH easier to see in daylight for me, which was shocking. If you hold it right, the 3d works great!
 
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No it does not take very good pictures. My wife's iPhone 4 takes a much better picture than my Thrill 4G. I took a picture of the same thing and there is a huge difference. If you want, I can post comparisons.

Hrm...mine takes pictures just as good as my infuse and sony dc10

speaking of which, it's actually a pretty good sony cam inside the Thrill.
 
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Here are some comparison pictures. These were taken inside of the first results of my new smoker (a bacon encrusted pork tenderloin smoked over apple wood).

Default camera settings and both using the flash. First is with the Thrill and second is with iPhone 4.

Thrill -
thrill.jpg


iPhone -
iphone.JPG
 

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