• One Plan
• Ultimate Internet
• Essential Internet
• Pay As You Go

Our Samsung Galaxy S II Review

The Samsung Galaxy S II is a radical departure from the big screen Android smart phone devices. You immediately notice something is up when you lift the phone and feel how lightweight it is – shockingly so. It has a lot of high expectations to live up to – it is marketed as thinner, lighter, and faster than its ancestor, the Galaxy S. How does this lightweight smart phone stack up?

The Basics

Reviewers and users are divided when it comes to this device. Do we love it or do we hate it? The sticking point appears to be in the phone’s design. First, you have a stylish, lightweight phone. However, can such a small lightweight piece of technology deliver? We think it can. When you first heft the phone there are no loose bits and it appears o be solidly built at 116 grams. In fact, Samsung seems to have thought about the wear and tear a smart phone gets with daily use. Gorilla Glass is marketed as super tough and if the phone drops its weight will dissipate and keep from causing major damage, (we hope).

With the large screen on the Galaxy S II you will feel like you have a small tablet instead of a smart phone. It is excellent for movies, games, and more. Data entry is easier than with other smart phones due to the larger keyboard. The power button is on the right hand side of the device with a headphone jack at the top. On the bottom you will find the microUSB port and volume buttons. On the front you get menu and back keys – pretty bare for a Samsung phone. Without the search key the designers were able to increase the size of the home button.

Hardware and Performance

We are impressed with the camera. It lacks a dedicated camera button – the only camera button is on screen which is a drawback, but the resulting photos and the UI are quite good. The same is true for video. The screen size is one of the biggest pluses for the phone. It is large at 4.3 inches.

Let’s talk about performance. The S II is fitted with a 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 1 GB RAM, Android 2.3 also known as Gingerbread, and 16 GB of internal memory. All of the pieces add up to power in your pocket. The phone powers on quickly, loads programs quickly, and more.

What We Liked

We are happy with the overall touch and feel of the phone. It is lightweight but feels solid to us. Fast load times with Gingerbread and the 1.2 GHZ dual core processor are excellent. Call quality is great for a device in this class and the speakerphone has very little distortion.

What We Disliked

It is hard to say what we did not like about this phone. It is that good. The one serious drawback was the placement of hardware buttons . Plus, there is no search button on the device. Finally, it takes a pretty reach to make your thumb interact with all areas of the screen, especially the top, right corner.

Our Final Verdict

Yes, we love this phone for the value and the style it offers smart phones in its class. The Samsung Galaxy S II beats the competition with a great screen size and fabulous lightweight build. On top of that, fast loading and processing times and clear calls put it at the top of our lists.

Compare Handsets

	Read Review
	Samsung Galaxy S II
General
Form Factor	Candybar
Dimensions	125 x 62 x 8.5 (mm)
Talk Time	700 mins
Standby Time	400 hours
Weight	116 g
Quad Band	Yes
Photo and Video
Integrated Camera	Yes
Camera	8.00 megapixels
Camera Flash	Yes
Video Player	Yes
Phone
Vibrating Alert	Yes
Voice Recognition	Yes
Polyphonic Ringtones	Yes
Smart Phone	Yes
Internal Memory	16GB
Memory Card Type	MicroSD (max 32GB)
Messaging
Instant Messaging (IM)	Yes
Video Messaging	Yes
Screen
Colour Screen	Yes
Touch Screen	Yes
Connectivity
3G	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes
Email	Yes
HSDPA	Yes
WAP	Yes
Web Browser	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes
GPS	Yes
Music and Radio
FM Radio	Yes
MP3 Player	Yes
MP3 Ringtones	Yes
Additional Content
Downloadable Content	Yes
Downloadable Games	Yes
Downloadable Ringtones	Yes

Samsung Galaxy S II Full Specification

General

Photo and Video

Phone

Messaging

Screen

Connectivity

Music and Radio

Additional Content