One thing that I find very appealing about the SGSII is that the device is proven. It's been out for a couple of months now in Europe and we know exactly what the hardware and software look like and we know that they both work extremely well.
With the Nexus Prime we have no solid details and no guarantee that the phone won?t have technical issues when it comes out. I know that you wouldn?t expect problems from a ?Google? phone but take a look at some Nexus S reviews. Even after all this time that phone is plagued with reception issues that stem from the design of the antenna. I?m not saying the Prime will have the same problems but just using it as an example to show that even Nexus phones can have design flaws.
The SGSII is a known commodity with no major flaws to speak of.
Some specific concerns that I have about the Prime:
It has a 4.6? screen. I know everyone says that the lack of physical buttons will prevent the phone from being too big but? I need to see that first. I have major doubts about that and I don?t want a huge phone. The size of the SGSII is as big as I'm willing to go.
The Nexus S didn?t have removable/upgradeable memory. I would expect that the Prime will remedy that situation but until we know for sure this is a minor cause for concern.
When will it be released? Who will release it? By the time it comes out, won?t there be some other ?next big thing? on the horizon that will dwarf its specs? I don't want to get caught in that cycle where I never end up getting anything because there is always going to be something that looks better on the horizon.
The SGSII is an incredible phone. Current consensus from reviewers is that it's the best android phone ever made. I think that's good enough for me.