Galaxy S2 vs Xperia S - looking for a cheap upgrade

[Rich'[ard]]

Hey guys,
I'm just looking for some advice on the 2 phones above.
I know they're fairly old but there's nothing better for $30 cap (don't want to spend more since i'm a student). It's all we get here in Australia

Specs wise, the Xperia S seems to be a nicer phone. Better resolution, better camera. Only think i don't like is that it doesn't have a micro SD slot.
i'm not too fussed since the Xperia S internal storage is more than enough for the amount of music i listen to.
I'm looking to put custom roms on the phone straight away and i know you can't beat the support for Galaxy phones (using a Galaxy S atm)
After a quick look on XDA forums there seems to be decent support for the Xperia S with a few Jelly bean roms etc so pretty happy with that.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1950706

I'm currently using 160dpi on my Galaxy S so everything looks tiny. I'm no doubt going to do this to which ever phone i get because i hate the stock setting as everything looks huge. I'm bringing this up because i'm wondering; if i shrink the resolution on the Galaxy S2, will the Xperia S's native resolution still provide a better viewing experience? The Galaxy S2 is 480p whereas the Xperia S is 720p.

If anything, I can change again in 6 months or so, and i'd like to try out a Sony phone as they look pretty damn nice
So if the Xperia S is a worthy competitor i'd like to give it a shot, but if there's something i'm missing i'll stick to the trustworthy S2 for sure.

The 2 most important areas for me are specs and support for custom roms etc

Cheers for any suggestions!

 

[iThomas]

Modding support for Galaxy S2 is huge, I myself currently have one and have went through countless amounts of ROMs as there is so much variety, yet so little time.

Sony...meh. Hardware is always a downside in Sony phones. I have not touched much Sony related phones since past experience have been so poor:- always ended up breaking within 6 months.

Have no issues in last year and a half with my Galaxy S2, and it's been through the wash, literally.

Resolution on the S2 is decent enough, not 720p standard, but for a phone 480p is more than adequate.

Modding support is usually higher with Galaxy devices as the chipsets are more communally used.

As I have had bad experience with Sony phones in the past I would say go for the galaxy S2; the hardware is still maintaining with the newer phones and it was in the top 10 for so long, if not still there.

 

[Rich'[ard]]

thanks for the reply

to be honest, i only looked at the Xperia S because of it's design; the Galaxy S2 does look a bit tacky...or maybe my brother just keeps his in crap condition lol.
The sony looks much sleeker and high-end, and the specs didn't look too bad.

I'll see what i can find on google about the overall durability of sony phones

 

[Rich'[ard]]

update:
tested out the Xperia S at the shop today...the thing feels quite laggy, compared to even the Galaxy S2. Then switching over to test the Galaxy S3 and there was just no comparison lol.

The Xperia S on display was on gingerbread while the S2 on display was using ICS so that might be a factor...but still i think i'l be sticking with the S2

any other thoughts/suggestions much appreciated!

 

[iThomas]

update:
tested out the Xperia S at the shop today...the thing feels quite laggy, compared to even the Galaxy S2. Then switching over to test the Galaxy S3 and there was just no comparison lol.

The Xperia S on display was on gingerbread while the S2 on display was using ICS so that might be a factor...but still i think i'l be sticking with the S2

any other thoughts/suggestions much appreciated!

I can't fault my S2, even after a year and half it is still quick and flawless.

We have about 7 S3's here in the office for testing and of course they are quicker, but so is the price tag

We also have a few Note 2's in the office, which are again quicker, but they are a prime phone lol.

I have never been fussed with Sony in general due to previous experiences. If you went for the Galaxy you wouldn't regret it tbh.

 

[Rich'[ard]]

mm yeah, my brother has one and it sure does feel a little flimsy, but then again on the plus side it's lightweight.

i think i'll stick with the S2 then. It's not that i don't like it, i just thought maybe i'd give something else a shot
If i get bored of it i'll be able to change handsets in another 6 months so hopefully the S3 or something similar gets a bit cheaper by then!