HTC unveiled this week in Australia its newest Android-powered offerings, the Desire S and Wildfire S. Samsung, on the other hand, launched the Galaxy S II, the smaller and thinner edition of its widely popular smartphone.

The Desire S and Wildfire S are due to be released exclusively by Telstra, and have been billed by HTC as the first of HTC's second generation smartphones. The Desire S will be available from May 31, 2011 and can be purchased on Telstra's $59 Freedom Connect Plan or can be purchased outright for RRP $648. The Wildfire S will be available from July 19 on a range of Telstra Freedom Connect Plans, or, outright for A$360.

The three major telecommunication carriers are releasing the Galaxy S II. Optus will start selling the phone on starting June 1 at for $0 cash on its 24-month $79 business complete ultimate plan. Telstra will start providing the phone starting July. Vodafone is also releasing the phone though the date has not yet been set.

Ben Hodgson, Country Manager, HTC Australia and New Zealand, said, "The HTC Desire S hits the sweet spot for people who want a premium Android smartphone experience. The HTC Wildfire S is affordable and compact without compromising the quality consumers have come to expect from HTC."

"Don't contain yourself. Look beyond the limits of yesterday's technology and unleash the freedom of tomorrow with the next step in the evolution of mobile communication, the next generation smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S II," according to a Samsung Web page for the Galaxy S II, tagged as "Vivid + Fast + Slim".

Which is the best new generation smartphone? You be the judge.

HTC Desire S

HTC says the new Desire S blends together cutting edge display and design. The device is sculpted out of a single block of aluminium making it feel solid and natural in your hand through a slimmer unibody design. With Qualcomm's new 1GHz 8255 Snapdragon processor, the HTC Desire S offers snappy performance and power while its 3.7-inch WVGA display presents multimedia content brilliantly. HTC Desire S also comes with front and back cameras supporting video chat and High Definition video recording respectively.

Key features of the Desire S are:

* Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) with HTC Sense * Super fast 1GHz processor * 5 megapixel colour camera with auto focus and power LED flash * 720p HD video recording * Virtual surround sound via SRS WOW HD * 130 grams (4.59 ounces) with battery * Display screen of 3.7-inch touch screen with 480 x 800 resolution * microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

HTC Wildfire S

The HTC Wildfire S is a compact but powerful device, featuring a 3.2-inch touch screen and a 5 megapixel camera with auto focus and flash. The HTC Wildfire S enables people to build and establish connections and friendships through an easy Facebook share experience, Friend Stream (which groups all your friends' social network updates together) and an intuitive caller ID displaying name, number and vital information including birthday reminders.
HTC Wildfire S Key Features:

* Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) with HTC Sense * 600 MHz processor * 5 megapixel colour camera with auto focus and flash * microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible) * 3.2-inch touch screen with 320 x 480 resolution * 105 grams (3.7 ounces) with battery * G-Sensor, Digital compass, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor.

Galaxy S II

The widely anticipated Galaxy S II has a 1.2Ghz Dual Core processor, way faster than its predecessor. According to samsung, clocking at lightening speeds, the unrivaled performance of its dual core application processor provides unsupassed functionality and density for faster browsing, quicker multi-tasking, a smoother UI, snappier streaming and highly efficient gaming.

The Galaxy S II also boasts of "taking slim to the next dimension" with an 8.49mm form factor, slimmer than the 9.3mm Apple iPhone. Aside from a "luxurious design and an easy grip", the ultra-slim Galaxy S II also has a 3D TouchWiz UX which promises to add an "evolutionary experience with a futuristic user interface."

Key features of the Galaxy S II are:

* Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) * 1.2Ghz Dual Core processor * 8MP rear camera with flash + 2MP front camera * 16GB/32GB memory

* microSD memory card of up to 32GB * 4.3″ SUPER AMOLED Plus Screen display. * ultra slim 8.49mm form factor depth.

* upgraded user interface with the 4.3" SUPER AMOLED Plus and Adobe Flash Player capabilities.

* wireless standard HSPA+ 21Mbps for streaming.

* Wi-Fi Direct to connect with device-to-device wireless transfer speeds of Wi-Fi without a wireless access point

* contains TouchWiz and Google mobile services

* new Enterprise features, including Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, On Device Encryption and Virtual Private Network.