Camera
Both of the phones are well matched in this area, with an 8MP offering making a decent fist of things, although the Sensation has a dual, rather than single, LED flash (the S2 version is so bright it might melt your eyes though).
Both phones can also record in 1080p at 30fps, which is jolly clever, so check out our photo and video comparisons below to see the difference in quality:
Samsung Galaxy S2:
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HTC Sensation:
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A standard shot with a lot of backlight - neither camera picks out the tower particularly well
Samsung Galaxy S2:
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HTC Sensation:
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The touch to focus option really only marginally helps the Sensation - the Samsung Galaxy S2 barely at all
Samsung Galaxy S2:
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HTC Sensation:
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The Samsung Galaxy S2 is more capable in dappled light though, differentiating well between the light levels
Samsung Galaxy S2:
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HTC Sensation:
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The Galaxy S2 clearly has the better macro mode, with higher sharpness and more natural colours thanks to a dedicated focus setting
Samsung Galaxy S2:
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HTC Sensation:
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Again, the colours are the key thing here - the detail is roughly the same from both cameras
Samsung Galaxy S2:
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HTC Sensation:
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The Samsung Galaxy S2 has a 2MP front facing camera compared to the HTC Sensation's VGA offering, and is a superior option
Samsung Galaxy S2:
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HTC Sensation:
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Samsung Galaxy S2:
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HTC Sensation:
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The exposure settings do help a lot to improve darker scenes, although the detail is slightly lower when the brightness is increased
Samsung Galaxy S2:
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HTC Sensation:
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These more natural scenes show the difference between the cameras - the Sensation prefers more vivid colours, where the Galaxy S2 is better at detail capture and snapping more natural colours
Video
Here's a couple of videos we took simultaneously with both cameras - there's not a lot between them in terms of quality, but the stereo recording of the Sensation helps reduce wind noise.
(Remember to hit up the 1080p option in the corner of each video to see them at maximum resolution).
With this sample, you can see and hear the differing reactions to strong wind - plus see the HTC Sensation's ability to re-work the lighting conditions to match a tapped focus.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S2 - with a faster shutter speed and slightly more features to play with, combined with a smoother shutter action, it takes the title from its HTC rival.
