Apple Retakes Smartphone Lead in Q4, Samsung Wins 2011

[kartu]

[citation][nom]watcha[/nom]Oh and there's nothing inaccurate about the off-screen measurements. That's the only way to compare directly, and it's common knowledge that the 543 in the iPhone 4S runs rings around the Mali-400 in the SG2.[/citation]
Bullshit.
The point of doing "off scren" benchmark is to fool the user about the performance of the PHONE. You buy a phone, not GPU on it's own, and if phone forces GPU to do more work, to render the same thing, it's, you know, phones problem.

[citation][nom]watcha[/nom]He said the A5 processor came out, not the 4S[/citation]
Which was again FUD. Most "new phones" get CPU that "came out" a while ago.

[citation][nom]watcha[/nom]Some people don't want a brick in their pocket, and want the highest performing phone.[/citation]
I have yet to find a user that would care about off-screen syntetic benchmark and won't have "oh dear, this screen is so much better". But I don't have iZombies around me either, people with iphones have no problems admitting problems with them.

 

[NuclearShadow]

Apple was able to grow its phone sales by 96 percent in 2011, while Samsung achieved a 278 percent jump.

Those are both fantastic results for both companies. This is the sort of growth every other market could only dream of.

 

[Guest]

Well then lets put galaxy note into the mix at 1.4ghz it completes blow away every processing benchmark and after being upgraded to ICS all the graphics will be rendered by GPU. If galaxy nexus is faster than iphone 4s in web based benchmarks, note should kick its a** & we all know amd has better graphics in their apu's but are they better than an i3 for just about everyone I doubt it. And last but not the least galaxy s was the best performer in both the cpu and the gpu section so you left the iphone 4's? Everyone please grow up.....

 

[watcha]

[citation][nom]kartu[/nom]Bullshit.The point of doing "off scren" benchmark is to fool the user about the performance of the PHONE. You buy a phone, not GPU on it's own, and if phone forces GPU to do more work, to render the same thing, it's, you know, phones problem. [/citation]

iPhone 4S: 960-by-640
Samsung Galaxy S2: 480 x 800

On a larger screen too - what a fail! See, people who actually look at screens like higher resolutions. Deny it all you like, and the display looks even more pixellated if you both LOWER the resolution and INCREASE the screen size. Some people prefer clarity over a large, pixellated display. You say the phone forces the GPU to do more, and you're right - the iPhone 4S is capable of higher quality display AS WELL as having much, much superior hardware. Along with better battery life, of course, and more apps, and Siri, and iCloud, and a better camera. You may as well refer back to an old Nintendo and argue that it is better than the Samsung Galaxy S2 because it offers better FPS? Same ridiculous logic would apply. Point is, SG2, much like the iPhone 4S vs the SG2, is much, much higher quality, and the feat of engineering is being able to pull that off without slowing down performance.

[citation][nom]kartu[/nom]Which was again FUD. Most "new phones" get CPU that "came out" a while ago. [/citation]

I don't care if phones use GPU's or CPU's which 'came out' a while ago, such as the 2 year old GPU in the Nexus Prime, the Android flagship. You didn't say that. You tried to correct his factual statement. Wrongly. As he said, the A5 came out almost a year ago in the iPad 2. If you had called that 'FUD' (you might wanna elaborate what that means by the way), then I wouldn't have necessarily disagreed. I simply informed you that his comment was correct. It still is.

[citation][nom]kartu[/nom]
I have yet to find a user that would care about off-screen syntetic benchmark and won't have "oh dear, this screen is so much better". But I don't have iZombies around me either, people with iphones have no problems admitting problems with them.[/citation]

This sentence makes no sense. I already told you most people don't want a brick of a phone and the larger screen is that brick. Indeed, this is backed up by the significantly higher sales of the iPhone 4s despite its higher price. You describe a larger, lower resolution screen as better? That's worse, and large enough to exaggerate being worse. Having a screen size which is a) more usable (thumb reaches over whole screen for ALL users, b) Clearer (higher resolution in smaller size) and c) powered by a better GPU (so higher quality graphics can be displayed on said screen and d) Having the ability to wirelessly display it on your TV where the increased resolution is even more relevant, is obviously appealing to a lot of people, myself included.

Indeed, your pathetic argument that the iPhone 4S has 'more to do' because it's screen is such a superior resolution applies to the moderately faster (despite 50% relative overclock) of the Android CPU. See, not only is iOS much more efficient so utilises the CPU much more effectively, demanding 'less' of the CPU - it also uses the much, much faster GPU acceleration as part of the UI - meaning that resolution isn't always the most relevant factor, and the CPU isn't the only hardware doing the hard work.

 

[del35]

Galaxy S2 runs circles around the iP4S and soon the S3 will leave all of them in the dust.

Mentioning the crappy drm infested locked-down iPhone 4S coffin in the same line as the sleek and superior Samsung Galaxy S2 is sacrilegious.

 

[watcha]

[citation][nom]Vaibhav Sharma[/nom]Well then lets put galaxy note into the mix at 1.4ghz it completes blow away every processing benchmark and after being upgraded to ICS all the graphics will be rendered by GPU. If galaxy nexus is faster than iphone 4s in web based benchmarks, note should kick its a** & we all know amd has better graphics in their apu's but are they better than an i3 for just about everyone I doubt it. And last but not the least galaxy s was the best performer in both the cpu and the gpu section so you left the iphone 4's? Everyone please grow up.....[/citation]

Processing performance is not usually the limiting factor on phones, particularly with the move to GPU accelerated OS's, such as iOS. Graphics are. Despite having a moderately faster CPU, the slowness of the GPU is a much greater hindrance. The Galaxy Nexus web based benchmarks showed a tiny, barely noticeable performance benefit over the iPhone 4S (despite being a newer phone), but the GPU performance is 3x slower:

http/images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph5310/43402.png

Or lets compare battery life...

http/images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph5310/43385.png
http/images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph5310/43387.png

... oh dear.

Finally, to not realise the difference between now, and the era of the iPhone 4 vs Samsung Galaxy debate, is ridiculous.... and it was not clear which one had the performance lead:

http/images.anandtech.com/graphs/samsungfascinate_100310015502/24990.png
http/images.anandtech.com/graphs/samsungfascinate_100310015502/24985.png
http/images.anandtech.com/graphs/samsungfascinate_100310015502/24998.png

Now clearly, I just showed the benchmarks in which the iPhone 4 trounced the Galaxy S, which is also larger, by the way, but lets look at battery life:

http/images.anandtech.com/graphs/samsungfascinate_100310015502/24986.png
http/images.anandtech.com/graphs/samsungfascinate_100310015502/24987.png
http/images.anandtech.com/graphs/samsungfascinate_100310015502/24988.png

.. and we see the obvious reasons to select the iPhone 4. Not only that, but Android at this time was much less advanced and had SIGNIFICANTLY fewer apps (and still lacks many apps on iOS) - another reason.

So, while performance between SG2 and iPhone 4 was debatable, battery life, apps, software support, were not. Now, if all of the aforementioned reasons to buy an iPhone 4 were not true, and SG2 did have significantly better performance (the iPhone 4S is 2x faster graphically than SG2) - then the performance would have been reason alone to choose the SG2, just like now, performance is just one of the MANY reasons why iPhone 4S is clearly superior to the SG2. But, you see, all the aforementioned realities DID exist, so overall the iPhone 4 was a better proposition.

 

[watcha]

So, while performance between SG* and iPhone 4 was debatable

performance would have been reason alone to choose the SG*

 

[watcha]

[citation][nom]del35[/nom]Mentioning the crappy drm infested locked-down iPhone 4S coffin in the same line as the sleek and superior Samsung Galaxy S2 is sacrilegious.[/citation]

There is no DRM on the iPhone 4S.

You can install more ROMs on iPhone exactly in the same way you can on Android.

'superior' by having a much slower GPU (half as fast), worse battery life, smaller app store missing many important apps, and lower resolution screen?

Yeah, right...

 

[del35]

I just fell in love with the Motorola Droid Razr, and I thought I was a Samsung man. Review here. Will wait for the Samsung S3 though, cause I love the Galaxy S2.

There is no way I will ever be seen with an Apple phone. They can give me that piece of trash and it will be returned back to the trash bin; and yeah I will post it on youtube.

 

[__-_-_-__]

[citation][nom]razzb3d[/nom]I would not buy Apple products even if they offered iFellatio.[/citation]
the battery could blow.

 

[Guest]

You apple fan boys have the most flawed arguments and justifications I think I've ever heard? Its ok to admit that the mighty apple has been out manoeuvred, just accept it and move on to bigger and better things. It happens to all companies eventually.

Plus you've all missed the major problem with any Iphone. When you've got one your stuck in the apple ecosystem being run like some outdated dictatorship/communist state. The future is open and free, you don't need apple holding your hand forever.

 

[kartu]

[citation][nom]watcha[/nom]Some people don't want a brick in their pocket, and want the highest performing phone.[/citation]
Some don't. Most did want larger screen, that's why you have S2 having larger screen than Samsung Galaxy S.

Not only that, but Android at this time was much less advanced..

Right. I couldn't just swipe the screen and switch on Wi-Fi. Or GPS. Or Bluetooth. Or change brightness. Or auto-rotation sensing. Or fly-mode. Oh, wait, I actually could...

and had SIGNIFICANTLY fewer apps

399 000 apps that I'll never bother even having a look at vs 449 000 apps that I'll never bother reading description of. Oh yeah, that makes a difference.

(and still lacks many apps on iOS)

Like, say, Timerific, which on Android could switch wifi or bluetooth or switch flight mode on or off at given time and on iOS could, cough, allows you to create... timers... ))

Android runs circles around iOS as far as "advanceness" goes. And it will only get worse for iOS.

SG2 did have significantly better performanc

Bazinga, I (and most of the consumers) don't care about synthetic benchmarks. My SGI never keeps me waiting it's all what I care. What I care even more, though, it DEVASTATINGLY superior screen. Not some marketing BS megapupsels, but vibrant colors and deep blacks.

battery life

I really hope you were sarcastic. )

There is no DRM on the iPhone 4S.

/facepalm

 

[eddieroolz]

Considering the only thing Apple is selling is their high-end phone, 93million for that is crazy. All companies can learn a thing or two from the way they do things.

 

[gpog]

my phone can beat up your phone..

 

[techcurious]

[citation][nom]razzb3d[/nom]I would not buy Apple products even if they offered iFellatio.[/citation]

.. actually... for me that would be the feature that would win me over..

 

[ericburnby]

Funny - so many stupid comments. I don't know where to start.

OK, how about the offscreen test. People say it doesn't matter. Yet people on Tom's probably pay close attention to video card benchmarks. These tests will always start out at a low resolution and will be run with ever increasing resolutions and settings. Many video cads will perform similarly at lower settings, but will fall behind at higher settings. This is what separates the truly fast cards from the average cards.

If we apply that logic in this thread, then people shouldn't buy video cards that perform better on high settings because it doesn't matter. Stupid. Never mind the fact I can stream from my 4S to my HDTV and play games in high-def. Suddenly the off-screen performance actually matters. Face it, haters, the A5 GPU kills everything out there except the Tegra 3.


Now for the Apps question. People just don't get it. We don;t need xxx versions of the same App. But that's not the only reason the App Store has so many Apps (although it's one reason). A good example are banks. Any major bank will have a specific version of an App available to access your accounts and services (and will have BB, iOS and Android versions). The same could be said for major news outlets, sports teams, universities and so on.

But what about smaller institutions? If they're going to try developing an App to see if it would benefit them, they'll try an iOS one first. This is cold, hard fact. If you're going to take a chance on entering a newmarket, you'll do it with the one where your chance of success is higher (iOS).

Years ago businesses realized they had to have a well-designed website for their company. Today it's switched to Apps. I know a lot of iOS deveopers and what a lot of them do are the exact same thing web developers used to do - create a custom App (website) for a small business. A lot of businesses are finding that being able to put a link on their website that says "Now available in the App Store" to be a major selling point over their competitors.

If you search the App Store you won't find any of these Apps for countless small businesses unless you knew the exact name to search for (or followed a link). Yet they are there in droves and account for a lot of Apps.

 

[motheninja]

[citation][nom]darkavenger123[/nom]The S2 was an older phone...so, big deal. The S3 will blow the 4S to pieces.Btw, you do know all the latest and greatest Apple CPU/GPU is MADE BY SAMSUNG, do you?? LOL.[/citation]


A5 processor in the 4S came out almost a year ago in the iPad 2. And yet today the ONLY processor that's faster is the Tegra 3. Everything else (esp Tegra 2) blows.

Many of Tom's readers are the types to build their own gaming rigs. I wonder which they'd pick:

A CPU that's 10% faster with a GPU that's half as fast. (Samsung GS2)
or
A CPU that's 10% slower with a GPU that's twice as fast. (iPhone 4S)

Of course they'd pick the latter as everyone knows the bottleneck for performance is your video card. 10% CPU is hardly going to be noticeable, but doubling the GPU will be very noticeable.

What's even funnier is the Samsung is clocked at 1.2GHz (vs 800MHz for the 4S), a difference of 50% yet still only performs about 10% faster. Not very efficient, is it?

S3 will blow the 4S? Are we talking about phones that haven't even been announced yet? Then let's include the next generation quad core A6 processor Apple will be using.

Plus dumbs we aren't even discussing about who makes the parts. If samsung makes the CPU why not use it? because Samsung doesn't want to. plus don't talk shit without facts. ohh.... the s3 will own the iPhone 5? are you kidding me idiot? wait till the phones are released..


SIDE NOTE: Tomshardware anti apple douchers will thumbs this down.

 

[_gamer_]

You reckon Toms posts random iOS v Android to sit back and giggle at all the comments, like the ones in here?
I know I would if I worked for Toms. its bloody hilarious haha!

[SCENARIO]
"Oh Yeah! another iOS v Android ready to go up on the sites guys, check it out..."
(5 Minutes later)
*Office errupts in laughter*
Wooo!

But in all seriousness, it makes my lunch break just that lil bit more awesome.
Keep up the good work.