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Strat 2 is running Android 4.0.4 out of the box, is sporting a 4-inch Super AMOLED display powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and has NFC and is ISIS-ready, plus a microSD card.

Strat 1 is has Gingerbread on it, 4" AMOLED display, I'm not sure if it's Super. It also comes with a 1ghz single-core processor and no NFC or ISIS, whatever that is. It does have a SD card.
 
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Strat 2 is running Android 4.0.4 out of the box, is sporting a 4-inch Super AMOLED display powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and has NFC and is ISIS-ready, plus a microSD card.

Strat 1 is has Gingerbread on it, 4" AMOLED display, I'm not sure if it's Super. It also comes with a 1ghz single-core processor and no NFC or ISIS, whatever that is. It does have a SD card.

I read the description of the Strat 1 on this page via the advisement. It says:

The Samsung Stratosphere is a 4G LTE device for Verizon. It is a mid-range handset featuring a 1GHz processor, 4-inch Super AMOLED display and 5MP camera, and is the first LTE device in Verizon's lineup to feature a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. ... Read More

So, the display is the same.

I have to say that the dual processor sounds cool, but I don't think I'm going to run out and replace my S1 ahead of schedule due to their price.

As for the battery:
The battery life for mine was real crappy so I got an extended life battery. It is twice as thick as the original and came with a new back cover. The battery still drains a bit, but if I forget to plug it in, I don't find a dead phone.

________________________
Just Me
Sassafras
 
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I upgraded from a Strat1 to a Strat2 a week ago. The change is fantastic.

The Strat2 isn't just using a dual core CPU but the Snapdragon S4 with integrated LTE like most of the current Verizon lineup. This is two generations more recent than the A8-based CPU in the Strat1.

In Dolphin, my sunspider score is 1680. My AnTuTu score is 9443. For reference, the Strat1 scored 3307.

Battery life on idle (same apps/widgets) is much better... on the order of 2-3x better. I used to struggle to eek out 15 hours on my Strat1, and now I have 50% battery remaining at the end of a day. Just to give you an idea, my Strat2 has been unplugged for 8 hours and has 76% remaining.

Since switching to the Strat2, I disabled all radios but wifi on the Strat1 and it still only lasts 48 hours idle.

1GB RAM also makes a huge difference for me. Before, my launcher would swap out of RAM all the time, and I could basically only be running one app at a time (navigation or web browsing would frequently kill Pandora).

Other differences:
Multicolored Notification LED
Slightly thinner
Slicker back cover (I think I prefer the Strat1 for this... it always feels like it is going to drop out of my hands)
NFC
global GSM radios (I've read this in specs but can't confirm this and don't know how to unlock)
Android 4 (The changes they've incorporated into the notifications for Touchsense actually make sense)
Cellular and Wifi reception seems slightly improved

The keyboard is a little different and I'm still getting used to the comma and question mark keys. My best friend hated his and returned his for an S3, but I think it's perfectly fine.

This phone is the phone I've been wanting since I had the OG Droid and I found out VZ was bringing out LTE. It improves absolutely everything about the OG Droid. My one complaint is just that no one is talking about it (presumably not buying it either) and VZ isn't advertising it. Sucks because I can't imagine anyone choosing a Droid 4 over this, but I wonder how long rooting will take and whether any ROMs will appear.


EDIT
I don't notice a difference in screen quality.

Oh, if you're thinking about upgrading to the Strat2 from the Strat 1, there are some physical differences between the phones.
1. The camera has moved to the center of the back
2. The volume and power buttons have moved downward about 1 inch
3. The aforementioned slick cover and thinness
4. Shiny border outside of the bezel around the edge of the phone
5. Battery is a slightly different shape, has a different # of connectors, and supports NFC

The Strat1 desktop dock technically works, but because the volume button is moved downward, the weight of the phone will cause the volume to be muted when it is inserted in the dock. Also, because the phone is slightly thinner, it is just a hair loose on the dock. I've stopped using mine altogether or even keeping it plugged in all the time due to the great battery life.
 
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My husband ended up upgrading to the Strat2 in May. It's speed is great, but it sucks data like a hot knife through butter. Also, the camera lens is scratched bad enough it looks like the room is filled with smoke.

Someone suggested some tricks to help with ram usage and cache (I guess) to save data. Small help, through.

He shuts off the data at night. That's the only thing that helps him keep under the 2 gb limit.

_______________
Sass
 
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My husband ended up upgrading to the Strat2 in May. It's speed is great, but it sucks data like a hot knife through butter. Also, the camera lens is scratched bad enough it looks like the room is filled with smoke.

Someone suggested some tricks to help with ram usage and cache (I guess) to save data. Small help, through.

He shuts off the data at night. That's the only thing that helps him keep under the 2 gb limit.

_______________
Sass
This is not a Stratosphere issue, this is an application issue... check the Data Usage in Settings and open it, it will tell you what applications are using data. My guess is there is a rogue app sucking data in the background, uninstall it and the problem should disappear. Go to Settings->Data Usage and scroll down, the highest usage apps are towards the top of the list. My guess is the culprit will be fairly obvious.
 
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