Android Phones by Samsung: Galaxy Nexus or Galaxy S2 Skyrocket?

Samsung's Galaxy S2 has sold millions of devices around the world in 2011, and now the world's number one smartphone manufacturer is set to release two more high end devices this week - the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S2 Skyrocket.

The highly anticipated Nexus smartphone will be the third iteration of the Google branded smartphone, and has several innovative new features like the newest update to the Android operating system. The S2 Skyrocket on the other hand, is an expanded version of the Galaxy S2, features 4G speeds and will debut on Nov. 9.

The biggest difference between the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S2 Skyrocket is that the Skyrocket has a slightly smaller screen and will not ship with Android 4.0. Galaxy Nexus gets to be the first to come with 4.0 (it's Google's phone after all), but Skyrocket should be ready to upgrade to the new version within a few weeks. So while the Galaxy S2 Skyrocket is an AT&T branded update on the wildly popular Galaxy S2, the Nexus is the next generation release from Samsung. Here are some of the other specs on these two devices for comparison.

They both feature Samsung's patented Super AMOLED display technology, but the Nexus has a 4.65-inch screen compared to the Skyrocket's 4.5-inches. That's pretty close when you're talking about a screen that is at the very highest end of screen sizes on premium smartphones. iPhone 4S, for example has a 3.5-inch screen.

Technically, the Galaxy S2 Skyrocket has a better camera than the Nexus; eight megapixels compared to five for the Nexus. They both shoot video in 1080p resolution, but the Nexus comes with a feature that allows you to take a panoramic image all in one motion, with no stitching needed.

Additionally, the Nexus will come with a near field communication chip that allows for wireless transactions like tap to pay. You could use your smartphone as a debit card, basically. Google is even promoting a function called Android Beam that uses the NFC chip. It lets two people who have the NFC chip and Android 4.0 to transfer music, movies and games to each other's devices just by holding them next to each other. More and more phones will be including the NFC chip in the near future, but the technology is not yet widely adopted.

Nexus also features a slightly curved glass screen for increased privacy and comfort. There's plenty to like about both of these phones, and if you want the best of the next generation devices out there, iPhone 4S and Galaxy Nexus are hard to beat. On the other hand, if you don't mind waiting at least a month for Android 4.0 then the Galaxy S2 Skyrocket is a good bet.

Tell us in the comments if you have a Samsung smartphone and what you think of it.

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