HTC Sensation XL vs Samsung Galaxy S2

We compare two of the finest Android based devices on the market, the Samsung Galaxy S2 and HTC's newly minted Sensation XL

HTC's Sensation range has tripled in size in the last few weeks and the latest addition to the flock is the Sensation XL, a device that looks to up the ante with expanded multimedia features including the much vaunted 'Beats' audio enhancement, which has apparently been provided by none other than Dr. Dre himself.

Its competitor in this comparison is the fantastic, all conquering Samsung Galaxy S2. A device which re-wrote the rule book on smartphones when it was released back in April. Will the Sensation XL have what it takes to stand-up the might of the Galaxy S2 though? Let's see.

Power
HTC's Sensation XL comes with a fair bit of horsepower for you to play with, in the shape of a single-core 1.5GHz Scorpion CPU and Adreno 205 GPU, which will make mincemeat of the latest games and HD content.

The device offers up 16GB of storage and 768MB RAM too, giving it a pretty impressive spec-sheet all told.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 includes a dual core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and Mali-400MP GPU, giving it more than enough poke to deal with anything at all you could possibly demand of it, both now and even into the future.

On top of this ample drive-train the Galaxy S2 offers 1GB RAM and either 16 or 32GB of on-board storage.

Both devices comes with support for MicroSD card slots, with the option to add up to 32GB.

Winner - Samsung Galaxy S2

Display
Samsung seldom disappoints with its displays and the 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus on offer in the Galaxy S2 is no exception.

With a resolution of 480x800, pixel density of 217ppi, Gorilla Glass and the sort of responsiveness that wins awards, you'll be hard pressed to find a better screen on the market.

The HTC Sensation XL packs a 4.7-inch Super-LCD. The screen operates at a resolution of 480x800 pixels, offers up a pixel density of 199ppi and is perfectly responsive, but in comparison with one of the best mobile screens on the market it just seems average. Sorry, HTC!

Winner - Samsung Galaxy S2

Camera
HTC isn't known for its photographic nous and the 8-megapixel autofocus primary camera on the Sensation XL illustrates this shortcoming ably.

Geo-tagging is included, as is a dual-LED flash and 720P video capture, but this modest selection of features won't save the device from the usual flaws, foibles and idiosyncrasies that we've come to know and detest from HTC.

Though a nice 1.3-megapixel secondary snapper does ease the burden somewhat.

The Samsung Galaxy S2, on the other hand, is quite a peach. The included 8-megapixel primary camera features autofocus, touch-focus, geo-tagging, face & smile detection and image stabilisation, plus an LED flash and 1080P video capture!

Performance is solid too, though the lack of a hardware shutter button does impede its usefulness to some extent.

The Galaxy S2 comes with a 2-megapixel secondary camera too, which will allow you to video chat in surprisingly good quality.

Winner - Samsung Galaxy S2

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