You know how mobile phones used to make calls and suchlike with aplomb? Well, thankfully some engineers have remembered this and made efforts to improve the phone experience on devices, and both the HTC Sensation and Samsung Galaxy S2 have benefitted.
Calling
Both the Sensation and the S2 have dual microphones, but we couldn't see any evidence of the Sensation using the technology very well at all - in even the mildest of breezes we were told we couldn't be heard. Compare that to the Galaxy S2 and you'll see that the noise cancelling is a real boon - every word is clear and the microphone super sensitive.
Both phones have decent speakers on the back, so conference calling shouldn't be a problem, and even throw in a smidgen of bass here and there too.
Contacts
The contacts section of both phones is based on the standard Android system, but both make special effort to customise the experience a little bit better than the normal OS.
HTC is the clear winner here though, as the Facebook and Twitter integration, combined with the ability to link names together automatically better than any other brand on the market, is a super-cool combo. We like the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S2 has a smooth interface for scrolling through the names and an easier method of setting the default contacts, but for a phonebook HTC can't be beaten.
Winner: A tricky one, as both have positives, but we think the Samsung Galaxy S2 shades it with superior hardware offering a better calling experience.
Messaging
This is more about keyboards than the overall messaging systems, as both offer all the bells and whistles Google has built into Android.
We're talking Exchange Mail, all the webmail providers, SMS, Facebook, Twitter, IM through Google Talk - you name it, it's there.
Special mention should go to Samsung here though, as it's managed to finally sort out that Social Hub to actually be useful, making it a great inbox for all your messaging services, including Facebook and Twitter.
When it comes to the keyboard though there's a clear winner: it's the HTC Sensation, with the eerily accurate offering we've seen since the long-forgotten days of the HTC Hero.
Typing a word on the Samsung Galaxy S2 is fine, although the auto-correct is a little bit off and hitting the full stop instead of the space bar happens around once every fifth word.
But the spell checker on the Sensation is out of this world, and while the full stop issue is prevalent here, the overall experience is speedy, accurate and an all-round more comforting experience, meaning you won't accidentally send sexual expletives to your Mother.
Winner: HTC Sensation for bringing the same excellent keyboard to the table
Internet
When it comes to internet browsing, Android is a great browser full stop, offering fast speeds, Flash integration and cool pinch to zoom features.
The Sensation takes the early lead in this category, with the text reflow system working magically as ever - no matter how close you pinch to zoom in, the text will re-jumble around the page to fit.
The Flash integration is slightly, just slightly more sluggish than the Galaxy S2, and while the display is brighter, the Super AMOLED Plus comes into its own here, giving you pin sharp text and the ability to zoom in as far as you'd like - not that you'd need to very often though.
But there's one thing in our minds that takes the HTC Sensation ahead of the Samsung Galaxy S2 when it comes to internet browsing, and that's the ability to switch between mobile and full internet sites – this is most prevalent on websites where an automatic redirect is in place for mobile browsers.
There are always workarounds, but for those unable or unwilling to put these in place the Galaxy S2 will be frustrating compared to a desktop browser.
Winner: The HTC Sensation builds on the Taiwanese brand's solid performance in internet browsing.
