Since I first read about the Samsung Galaxy S 2 it peaked my interest as a possible replacement for my now old HTC Hero. But the more I think about it the more I wonder if the world is really ready for dual core phones? I'm all for progress and glad they are coming out with this type of new technology, but you have to question whither currently and in the near future users will actually see the full potential of these phones.

I'm hoping someone can prove me wrong but right now the only advantages I can see of owning a Dual Core phone is that they allow 1080p recording and playback, better games and are apparently a bit more energy efficient. The reviews of the LG 2X seem to suggest that unless your for example downloading apps, install apps, playing music and viewing Facebook all at the same time your not really going to tax the average processor in the current generation of smartphones.

Is it really worth such a high premium right now to be at the forefront of mobile technology when your not really going to see the full potential of it?

My sensible part of my brain is telling me to get a cheaper phone right now such as the Nexus S, then in a year or so time once Dual Core phones are established and hopefully cheaper pick one up then. As by then one would hope there would be more uses for a phone that has two cores than just playing games.

How good are actually the optical lens on phones. Having more pixels for photos or videos brings nothing if the signal the device has to process is not good. Anyway you need a huuuge TV screen to see a difference between 720p and 1080p.

[quote=IvanIV;48475790Anyway you need a huuuge TV screen to see a difference between 720p and 1080p.[/QUOTE]
22" is fine.

Dual core processors in smartphones should prevent them stalling when you try to do things. Many of them just die for periods processing stuff when multi-tasking.

Downside is that dual-core processors will consume more power so prepare to have to plu-in and charge more often when they are introduced.

Battery technology is letting down the mobile device arena, they are just not up to the job with poor battery life being moaned about on all phone makes and models pretty much.

I take an old Nokia when I go to my place in Portugal or remote camping because I can go days between charges As for laptops *&@?:*(*& things.

Thing is, I read a review on Engadget of the LG X2 and they said that the battery life is about the same as the current batch of smartphones due to how the dual core CPU is more energy efficient. As in it will probably see you through to the end of the day under average use.

But yeah it would be nice if they spent as much money on designing new longer life battries as they did with everything else. Just imagine a smartphone that is a decent spec and can last more than a day under heavy use? It would sell by the bucket load!

I meant it more from a consumer's point of view, watching a TV from a recommended distance, not somebody with their nose on their PC monitor.

The processor on my HTC Desire is fast enough for my needs at the moment, I'm not a big mobile gamer, just Angry Birds etc so there's no rush for me to migrate to something faster just now.



That's what I've done when I go abroad too, although I've just invested in a spare battery for my next trip.

This obsession some manufacturers have with thin may be part of the issue, my Nokia 5800 isn't exactly a brick, but there doesn't seem to be (m)any current smartphones anywhere near the same width which would allow space for a battery with a longer life.

get your eyes checked... oh and you don't view mobile phones from 8 to 12 feet.

My son gave me his old G1 Android and I've picked up an extra large battery and back plate to fit the phone. Its double sized and may be good enough so I can leave the Nokia at home...undergoing 'trials' at home just now; less than a tenner off eBay.

For your 5800 try this perhaps
http://www.oddsandpods.co.uk/nokia-5...rce=googlebase

re 1080p v 720p:

apparently, according to the maths, and the resolving limit of the human eye, one can only differentiate between 720p and 1080p on a 50" TV if you are less than 8 feet away.

Thanks but sorry, I edited my reply a couple of times before posting it and it seems to have a lost a lot of its meaning. I meant I have already bought a spare battery for my Desire so I won't be taking the Nokia with me any more.

On holiday I tend to use a phone less, where I go regularly (inside the Arctic circle) the reception is often better than what I'm used to with o2 in the UK. Maybe it puts less stress on the battery as it's not looking for a better signal as often.

typed a post and lost it...

But it's not always a straight comparison outside of a lab... when you throw in compression, hardware performance and even environmental variables it's easily to see the differences.

Your right - a good quality 720p will outperform many cheap 1080p TVs.

The Galaxy S2 Shoots HD and then it does not even plug in your telly!

The useful extra power with HDMI would also mean third parties can sell HDMI laptop docks with a built in screen.

all true. but it does mean that on a 32" tv from 10ft away there is no way you're seeing the difference.

1080p recording on most mobiles is just a check box on a want list; until the optics catch up, which doesn't tend to be a prime area as people are also wanting the phones to be slimmer and slimmer, in which case the optics will normally suffer.

1080p playback on device is useless, but if you have a standard HDMI/mini HDMI connector at least it should allow you to pipe the output to a suitable TV.

Dual core in mobiles isn't new though; Nokia were doing that back with the N95; that two processor cores, and also a GPU. If someone at Nokia had got their act together they would have been able to steal a major early lead. But outside of their hardware engineers Nokia rarely ever seemed to have any coherent direction.

At the moment dual core in mobiles isn't anything like a necessity, but I can understand how plenty of uber geeks would want it. As some others have said, I wish they'd prioritise battery life improvements. Just getting through a day is the least smart part of a smart phone.

One thing I'm hoping Dual Core phones will do, cause other phones to come down in price as people start to consider them "inferior" models.

A little bit on the silly side when 1080p is far less than the actual 3264x2448 capability of a 5MP camera.

They just won't help you win movie oscars.

one of use doesn't understand what megapixels are

Yet the phones that are claiming to do 1080p recording are 8MP

I thinks its DNLA compatible - not really fussed about HDMI connection, but I can see why people would want it.