Samsung compares Galaxy S II to Apple's new iPhone

Computerworld - Samsung countered this week's iPhone 4S announcement by proclaiming that its Android-based Galaxy S II is superior to the Apple device in many ways, especially with a bigger screen size.

Just hours after Apple unveiled the new iPhone on Tuesday, Samsung, the largest supplier of smartphones in the U.S., sent reporters a chart comparing the features of Samsung Galaxy S II and the iPhone 4S.

The chart was accompanied by a note pointing out a distinction not picked up by many reviewers: that the AT&T version of the Galaxy S II with its 4.3-in. touchscreen is 42% larger than the iPhone 4S model's 3.5-in. diagonal touchscreen.

Also, Samsung's 4.5-in. Galaxy S II screen covers 58% more screen area than the iPhone 4S screen, Samsung noted in its email.

Many Apple iPhone fans had been hoping Apple would unveil a model with a larger screen on Tuesday, but the company chose to keep the dimensions of the iPhone 4S in line with the predecessor iPhone 4.

The iPhone 4S, however, does include many internal improvements, such as an A5 dual-core processor and an 8-megapixel camera.

Samsung did note to reporters that its device also sports a dual-core processor -- up to 1.5 GHz depending on the smartphone model. Samsung said the Galaxy S II also matches the rear camera at 8 megapixels, though many reviewers give Apple the edge for a faster loading camera.

Samsung also noted that its Galaxy S II is still the thinnest smartphone at 0.35-in., compared to iPhone 4S's 0.37-in. thickness.

Samsung said its networks offer faster speeds than Apple -- 21 Mbps on AT&T's HSPA+ networks speed and 42 Mbps on T-Mobile's HSPA+42. Those compare to iPhone 4S's 14.4 Mbps speeds on AT&T's HSPA network.

Sprint's WiMax network for the Galaxy S II is rated at 9 Mbps on average for downloads.

Other Galaxy S II advantages include a removable battery and an open ecosystem, which means consumers can buy music from Amazon and other music services, not just iTunes, Samsung noted.

Also, Samsung said, video chat clients on Galaxy S II include Google Chat and Skype, not just Apple FaceTime.