Flagship smartphones on Globe Telecom

Globe Telecom offers the two best smartphones in the Philippine market. Globe has Apples iPhone 4S and Samsung i9100 Galaxy S II. While the Galaxy S II is no longer Samsung top phone, that spot being taken over by the Galaxy Nexus, it is still a formidable smartphone.

Prepaid. If you are opting for the prepaid route, Globe offers the iPhone 4S at the following prices:

• 16GB: Php 37,690
• 32GB: Php 43,490
• 64GB: Php 49,290

Globe does not offer the Galaxy S II on a prepaid kit, so if you want one for use on the Globe network, your best bet is to get one from an authorized dealer. The Galaxy S II can be had for Php26,500 with an official one year warranty. This puts the Galaxy S II all of 11K cheaper than the iPhone 4S. You can get unlocked iPhone 4S units from the grey market for about Php34,000, but this means foregoing the manufacturer warranty.

I wont waste your time if you are looking to go the prepaid route. The Galaxy S II is a much better choice.

Postpaid @Plan 2499. Postpaid is where is gets interesting. Both the iPhone 4S 16GB and the Galaxy S II can be had free at Plan 2499. 

Which one is best for you. Comparing the iPhone 4S with the Galaxy S II is like comparing apple with oranges, or in this case iOS with Android. The two phones have different operating systems and different app stores. Suffice it to say that in their ecosystems both the iPhone 4S and Galaxy S II are fast enough to run any app made for their operating system and both app stores have more apps than you need.

Display size and physical size. The Galaxy S II has a larger 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen. The iPhone 4S has a relatively small by present standard 3.5-inch display, but it does have 640 x 960 screen. But phones have excellent displays and in that will probably be a buyers primary consideration in deciding between these two options.

With the increasing functionality of smartphones today, a larger screen is better. It allows for better surfing, gaming and eBook reading experiance. Less squinting basically. For some the the 66.1 mm wide Galaxy S II may be a bit too wide for their hands to comfortable manipulate the entire screen with one hand.

Basically, with the phone in hand, you should be able to sweep your thumb across the entire display and reach the corners of the screen. If you cannot, it is probably a bit too big for one handed operation and that may make the iPhone 4S with its narrower 58.6 mm case for some, more comfortable to use.

The Galaxy S II is actually the thinner and lighter of the two phones at 8.5 mm think and 116 grams in weight. The iPhone 4S is ticker at 9.3 mm and weighs more at 140 grams. Best bet is to try each out in your hand.

HSDPA connectivity. When it comes to data connection speeds, the Galaxy S II is the clear winner, supporting HSDPA+ 21.1 Mbps connectivity, which is what Globe is rolling out these days. The iPhone 4S uses last years technology and only supports HSPDA 14.4 Mbps speeds.

Storage. The iPhone 4S comes in three models with 16, 32 and 64 GB options. The locally available Galaxy S II comes with 16GB of internal storage expandable to 48 GB via a MicroSD card. Upgrading to a 32 GB iPhone 4S will only cost another Php4,800 cash on Plan 2499 which is not all that much more than the cost of a good 32GB SD card. Upgrading to a 64 GB model will set you back Php10,080 at Plan 2499.

If you need more storage, up to 48GB, the Galaxy S II can provide your more storage for a lower price. 

Higher plans. At higher plans like Plan 3799 you get the the iPhone 4S 32 GB free. There is no upgraded Galaxy S II for higher plans. But higher plans are not all that good these days. A iPhone 4S or Galaxy  S II at plan Plan 2499 plus adds ons like unlimited Globe-to-Globe calls and text will cost less and offer more utility at a much lower price than getting a phone at Plan 3799. If you want more storage on the iPhone 4S, pay more cash out and forget get it on a lower plan.

Lower plans. At plans below Plan 2499 you will get better deals on the iPhone 4S. Unless Globe has revised its Galaxy S II plans, the iPhone 4S 16 GB is can be had for Php4,800 at Plan 1799. The Galaxy S II is an almost 16K cash out proposition at Plan 1799.

Best choice? Pricing plays a big part. Prepiad, the Galaxy S II is a much better choice. Postpaid on lower plans, the iPhone 4S looks more tempting.

At Plan 2499, well it is a hardware decision. It depends on the whether you want the bigger phone or the smaller one. If you are used to 4 to 5 inch large phones you really wont be happy with a 3.5 inch screen. One the other hand, if you want a handier package, you may find that the 4.3-inch Galaxy S II is a bit bigger than is comfortable.

Oh, I forgot about Globe BlackBerrys... I suggest you do too until BlackBerry 10 comes out later in 2012 :)