Nokia N9 or Galaxy S2?

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Raithlin

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I'm up for upgrade in a week or two. I've managed to narrow my choices down to either the Samsung Galaxy S2, or the Nokia N9.

I need some help deciding. I don't need any hardware comparisons, or the benefits of the Android App Store vs the non-future of Meego. I'm a tinkerer, both by trade and by choice, so the complexities of both OSes appeal to me equally. Both are open, both have passionate homebrew communities, and both have great hardware. Oh, and the price difference is about R20 per month, so no real differentiator there either.

Give me an idea of what you would take, and why.

Essays should be 500 words or shorter. Use punctuation, keep your paragraphs from being too lengthy. Extra marks will be given for good grammar. :p


[PS]
Should I hold on for a Lumia 800?

Update:
My list of possible phones stands as follows (greyed out phones are no longer in contention):
Nokia N9 (Meego)

Samsung Galaxy S2 (ICS)
HTC Sensation (ICS)
Google Nexus S (ICS)
HTC Desire S (Can run ICS, but may not get the official update)
Motorola Atrix (Can run ICS, but may not get the official update)
HTC Evo 3D (ICS)
LG Optimus 3D (okay, not really) (ICS)

Samsung Omnia 7 (WP7 Mango)

Now, I like HTC Sense, and I like vanilla Android too. Also still like the beauty of the N9, and the simplicity of WP7. Too many choices!!!
 
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I'd hold out for the Lumia 800. At worst, there should be something better available in a couple of months if the Lumia isn't released by Feb.
 
Thanks, Cameron.

What do I want in a phone? Good call quality, and connectedness. :) I'm connected at home with my iPad 2, so my phone will really be used for on-the-go connections. I use my current phone (5800 XpressMusic) for calls, messages (WhatsApp/GChat) and a Wi-Fi hotspot for my iPad. I used to use it for Twitter and Facebook updates before I got tired of the small screen (3.2"). Some gaming would be nice too, for those boring moments (and my kids). Other than that, I don't want an iPhone on principle, and I have always liked the ability to "hack" my phone. Case in point - I had WM6 running on my K-JAM, and I am currently running custom X6 firmware on my 5800. Take from that what you will. ;)

Ooh, ooh, and I love the people-centered approach - hence the look at the N9 and Lumia 800...
 
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I have an N9 and an HTC Desire, and I've chosen the Desire. Android is a lot more flexible and has a lot more apps that allow you to get the full benefit of having a smart phone. Actually, I'd like to call my Desire a 'super phone' - the N9 is a smart phone.

The N9 is fantastic if you want a good phone. And you can get into Meego and hack the part linux underbelly if you really want to.

Android is fantastic if you want a flexible phone.

Also, I found the N9 wifi radio to be weaker than the HTC - very annoying for me.
 
I'll be honest - the Desire S as well as the Nexus S have crossed my table before, and both are very tempting. I picked the Samsung because of the hardware - but am truthfully open to all comers. I want a phone that will last me the next 2 years without my losing interest in it, or it becoming too slow to upgrade, etc.. The K-JAM held my interest until the very end - not so much with the 5800.
 
Raithlin said:
Thanks, Cameron.

What do I want in a phone? Good call quality, and connectedness. :) I'm connected at home with my iPad 2, so my phone will really be used for on-the-go connections. I use my current phone (5800 XpressMusic) for calls, messages (WhatsApp/GChat) and a Wi-Fi hotspot for my iPad. I used to use it for Twitter and Facebook updates before I got tired of the small screen (3.2"). Some gaming would be nice too, for those boring moments (and my kids). Other than that, I don't want an iPhone on principle, and I have always liked the ability to "hack" my phone. Case in point - I had WM6 running on my K-JAM, and I am currently running custom X6 firmware on my 5800. Take from that what you will. ;)

Ooh, ooh, and I love the people-centered approach - hence the look at the N9 and Lumia 800...
Click to expand...

Since you're a tinkerer, I would suggest the S2 (root + install mods if you want, or simply just interfere with the apps and home screens)
Since you use Whatsapp/gchat, And Cameron has confirmed that you won't get some of that on the N9, I would again suggest the S2.
Since you would like some gaming, I would suggest the iPhone as the first choice, and Android second (although Android is quickly catching up to Apple in this regard)
Android can also make the phone work as a wifi hotspot, I don't know if the N9 has this feature or not.

Overall it looks like the S2 would be a better choice for your needs.

I wouldn't recommend the WP7 phone purely because, you're a tinkerer, and there's not as much you can change on Windows Phone, there's fewer apps available for it, and that will only change months AFTER the Nokia deal helps them gain market share and IF the Nokia deal helps them gain market share. You would ultimately be waiting for months to get the phone, and then more months for the POSSIBILITY of better 3rd party support. I can confirm however that as of the last update, WP7 has support for tethering to share the internet connection, not sure if they included wifi in that update.
 
Im A nokia fan, but will have to say go for the Galaxy if you want a phone now or if no hurry wait for the Lumina range.
Reason being the n9 yes is a very beautiful phone, and if its anything like the n8 damn near indesdructable :) but thanks to them dropping meego your apps will be limited and yes they wil support it but what will be the point of people developing apps for only 1 phone. Realy a waste IMO.
On the galaxy thats a prety good looking phone and one of the more powerful at the moment, and it weighs like nothing (which can also be a bad point), the versatilityof android is great not to mention the apps and if you want to tinker thats pretty easy to do just root the device, and carry on.
 
@Cameronsmith63 - have you added any custom repositories to see what else is out there? The OVI store is not the only place to get apps. Shame about WhatsApp though - I use that to chat with my son on his BB. What about Google Talk/Jabber? BBM? :p
 
@TheMightyP - I'm intrigued that you would pick the Desire S above everything else - but you're not the first to do so. Can you give me a good reason why? It's not exactly the newest phone out there...
 
I'm on MTN.

Galaxy Y? I'll look into that. Depends if it is on the upgrade list though.
 
Raithlin said:
I'm on MTN.

Galaxy Y? I'll look into that. Depends if it is on the upgrade list though.
Click to expand...

I think he meant it as a joke. :)

The N9 is most probably the most beautiful phone I've ever seen, but you always gonna struggle finding apps for it.

And if you use the Galaxy S2 and see that great Super Amoled Plus screen + how insanely fast the phone is, you'll know you made the right choice. That's how I felt after taking two months to decide on my next phone.

And it's a phone that will last you much longer than two years.
 
Raithlin said:
I'm on MTN.

Galaxy Y? I'll look into that. Depends if it is on the upgrade list though.
Click to expand...
I meant it has a placeholder phone, a phone to get on cash while you wait for the Lumia. My understanding of the CPA is that your contract should continue has normal even after the 24month until you decide to upgrade. Am I right?
 
Thanks, kingrob. I'm more than a little concerned about the build quality. How flimsy is it really? It's always raised as a low in reviews...
 
mmmig said:
I meant it has a placeholder phone, a phone to get on cash while you wait for the Lumia. My understanding of the CPA is that your contract should continue has normal even after the 24month until you decide to upgrade. Am I right?
Click to expand...

Ah. Funnily though, the Samsung Omnia 7 was also on my list, but I'm not sure if it is worth getting a 1st gen WP7 phone. Even the best one.
 
Raithlin said:
Thanks, kingrob. I'm more than a little concerned about the build quality. How flimsy is it really? It's always raised as a low in reviews...
Click to expand...

Check youtube out for drop tests. You should see that the SGS2 is tough. I've dropped mine twice and other than a scuff or 2, the phone is fine.
 
Okay folks. The S2 stands at 4.5" - that sounds a tad big. I was hoping for around 4"...
 
I'm in the same boat. Upgrade in 2 weeks. May I ask y u not going for the sensation ? Or am I missing something ? I'm torn between s2 , n9 and sensation .
 
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