A great deal on the HTC Desire S can be had from O2 (see HUKD) which works out to be £230 for the phone. There is also a great deal on the Samsung Galaxy S which is £250 from Mobiles.co.uk (see HUKD)

I'm quite torn between the two as from what I understand the Samsung has a better screen and is slightly bigger, but the Desire S is newer and has a faster processor.

Would anyone care to comment and share their opinions on either phone?

I have heard that the Galaxy S is a brilliant phone and now has Android 2.3, however it's the TouchWiz skin that they put ont hings that can make or brake the phone for some people.

I personally feel that it makes the phone feel very childish and it's quite ugly. I had a Samsung Tocco Ultra and I really didn't like TouchWiz back then and I don't like it any better now - they've taken a 2.5 year old interface and slapped it over Android.

It's personal choice. For me I'd go for the bigger screen size Galaxy S.
These sensible prices may well be down to either the 'San Francisco' or the new dual core competitors.

re - BATTERIES - are the batteries still standard easy access user replaceable things?
For me quick easy battery access is top priority.

I've gone for the Desire S deal myself, including quidco and removing the bolt on means the phone works out around £160 over the two years. I hope to sell my Blade (2.3.3) with oled screen for around £120 so all in all a cheap upgrade

Done the same, also have the blade (oled, cm7) but not sure how much I'll get for it if a few people are selling them.

If you believe the quoted battery life (which we generally don't, but it can be a good indication) then the Galaxy S has a much longer battery life (750 hours) than the Desire S (455 hours).

Also, the Galaxy S is 119g compared to 130g, not much lighter, but a lot considering it has a larger screen!