Motorola Atrix 2 With Android 4.0: Can it Blaze Past Samsung Galaxy S2?

Motorola announced it would update the Atrix 2 to Android 4.0 in July, so AT&T customers may be wondering if it can now blaze past the Samsung Galaxy S2. It's $50 cheaper than the Galaxy S2, and it has plenty of features to recommend it, but even with the new software, it can't knock off the reigning Android king. While the Motorola announcement may be bad news for people who bought the Droid Razr, Samsung has still not said when the Galaxy S2 will get the Ice Cream Sandwich update. There's little reason to think it will take until July to get it, but even if it does, we would recommend it over the Atrix 2.

Obviously, the $50 price tag increase over the Atrix 2 will stop some from choosing a Galaxy S2, but features like Voice Talk, a Super AMOLED Plus display and AllShare streaming technology are worth the extra cash. But, in terms of software, there are even more differences. That's because both the Atrix and the S2 come with manufacturer software on top of the Android system. What we don't know is what that overlay will look like with Android 4.0. As it is, the TouchWiz UI on the Galazy S2 is, to our eyes, less intrusive than MotoBlur on the Atrix 2.

Compatibility with these overlays, and the carrier included pre-loaded apps, are likely the reason Samsung hasn't released Android 4.0 to the Galaxy S2 just yet. Galaxy S2 features a 4.3-inch WVGA display with 800x480p resolution, 16 gigabytes of storage, super-thin profile (8.5 mm), microSD card reader and 1080p video capture. Atrix 2 comes with a 4.3-inch 960x540p resolution qHD display, eight gigabytes of storage, full gigabyte of memory, LapDock compatibility that turns it into a notebook computer, micro HDMI port and kickstand to prop it up while watching videos. Tell us in the comments if you think the Atrix 2 can hang with the Galaxy S2 once it gets ICS.