Samsung Galaxy S3 review by trustedreviews

Key Features

• 4.8in, 720 x 1280 pixel display
• Quad Core 1.4GHz CPU
• 8MP camera with 1080p video
• Android 4.0 ICS with TouchWiz

Samsung Galaxy S3 - Design and Build

You might say the Samsung Galaxy S3 has been highly anticipated. You also might say Jesus seemed like quite a nice guy…

Few products in recent years that haven't had a bitten Apple logo somewhere upon their chassis have garnered as much attention as the Galaxy S3. After the huge success of the Galaxy S2 last year it is this follow up that many people have expected to again be the flag bearer for Android smartphones. But has Samsung succeeded? Is the Samsung Galaxy S3 the pinnacle of Android smartphones, and indeed of mobile phones in general? Lets find out.

Head straight to Page 2 for our thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy S3 screen and controls or our video comparison of the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 4S.

Video review


Design and Build
Anyone that's already familiar with the Galaxy S3 will know that its design and build has courted controversy. Eschewing the premium feeling materials of the iPhone 4S or HTC One X, it uses a glossy plastic back which, although by no means inherently budget, is a finish more associated with cheaper handsets.



Does this inherently make the Galaxy S3 undesirable? No, it certainly doesn't go that far, and indeed if you put it next to the Sony Xperia S it really shows just how much Sony slipped up on that design, but next to an iPhone 4S or HTC One X it's these two that give off the stronger whiff of craftsmanship.



In practical terms there are a few genuine issues with the Galaxy S3 too. While the polycarbonate that the backplate is made from is very tough due to its pliability, it isn't very scratch resistant, even with an extra scratch resistant coating – either the matt finish of the HTC One X of Xperia S, or glass of the iPhone 4S will standup to more punishment. That said, it should be relatively inexpensive to get replacement backs for the Galaxy, and given that it's a single piece that covers the entire back, this will make your phone scratch-free in one fell swoop. Samsung's choice of finishes – glossy white (Marble White) and faux brushed metallic blue (Pebble Blue) should wear any scratches reasonably well too. That said, we're actually not fans of the styling of the blue version – pretend metal just isn't cool – so it's just as well that's the version that has been delayed.



The other potential issue is that, particularly given the Galaxy S3 is such a large and thin phone, it could succumb to being crushed. Particularly we're thinking in comparison to the iPhone 4S and its tough steel sides here. That phone can take a right squishing and squashing when in a pocket whereas we'd be a little more wary of cracking this phone's screen if crouching down or some such. Then again, this could equally apply to many other large, thin phones and we pretty sure you'd have to be rather unlucky for it to actually happen.

Moving on from the Galaxy's plastic back, we have few complaints about the rest of the design. The smooth glass face with its tapered edges, the tidy silver plastic trim (real metal would again have been nice) and single central home button combine to create a tidy, premium look and feel. The screen is also Gorilla Glass 2 so should be very scratch and impact resistant.



What's more, pop that battery cover off and you're into a whole world of goodness. There's a microSD slot that'll take cards up to 64GB in size, potentially giving you up to 128GB of storage if you opt for the Galaxy S3 version with 64GB of built in memory.

You also get a large 2100mAh battery that not only can you swap out for a spare when needed but also in the future you may be able to get extended batteries that last longer on a single charge. While the SIM slot on the Galaxy may look large, like the iPhone 4S and HTC One X, it actually houses a microSIM. One counterpoint to the removable battery is that you can't hot-swap SIM cards like on the One X.

Also under here, to the left of the battery, are two gold contacts. These are for a future wireless charging backplate and dock that will allow you to simply place your Galaxy S3 on its dock to charge it, without the need to plug in. Its technology we first saw built into a phone on the Palm Pre, and we think it's downright brilliant. Sadly the required accessories are delayed for several months.

Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today!  http://beyondusb.com/

Samsung Galaxy S3 available on Sprint today for $199, next week on Verizon

By Michael Rougeau  

 

Samsung's Galaxy S3 is the flagship for Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Samsung's Galaxy S3 is finally available today on Sprint, after many delays and much confusion on every carrier.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes in 16GB and 32GB sizes, for $199 and $249 respectively with a contract from Sprint.
Verizon's Galaxy S3 is expected to release next week, and its pricing for the Android smartphone is also expected to be $199/$249.
Samsung initially announced that the Galaxy S3 release would take place on June 21, but on that very day the company announced that "manufacturing issues" would delay its release on all carriers.
That didn't stop them from fulfilling many pre-orders on time, but Sprint customers looking to walk into a store and try the phone out before they buy it have been out of luck until now.

Which carrier is best for Samsung Galaxy S3?

Sprint has the advantage of releasing the Samsung Galaxy S3 first, but which carrier's version of the phone is best? Read TechRadar's reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S3 for T-Mobile and AT&T.
The Galaxy S3 is the first Android smartphone to ship with Ice Cream Sandwich, Google's Android 4.0 OS, which has arrived on many phones as an update.
But not every carrier will be taking advantage of the Galaxy S3's 4G LTE capabilities.
Sprint's version will run on 4G LTE, and the carrier's limited LTE network is expected to continue to expand.
Same goes for Verizon and AT&T, though T-Mobile's Samsung Galaxy S3 won't support the fast 4G LTE network.
T-Mobile's version is also more expensive, at $229/$279 after a $50 mail-in rebate.
AT&T's, on the other hand, can be acquired at a discount from Target or Amazon Wireless, at $149 for the 16GB Samsung Galaxy S3.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes in white or "pebble blue" on Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile, and an exclusive red version will be released by AT&T in the coming months.

Samsung Galaxy S3 is the Android 4.0 flagship

TechRadar recently pitted the Samsung Galaxy S3 against its biggest competitors, Apple's iPhone 4S and HTC's One X.
The Galaxy S3 sports a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display, Qualcomm S4 processor, 8MP camera, and 2100mAh battery.
The Android 4.0 smartphone also features NFC capabilities, facial recognition to track users' eye movements, and voice controls mimicking the Apple iPhone 4S's Siri.
Samsung expects to sell 10 million Galaxy S3 phones this month, and now that the phone's actually seeing a wide release, that number could be attainable.


Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today!  http://beyondusb.com/

Samsung Galaxy S3: Which US carrier should you choose?

 Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! 

http://beyondusb.com/

 

Samsung Galaxy S3: Which US carrier should you choose?

• By Sebastian Anthony on June 20, 2012 at 8:52 am

Share This article

Tomorrow, June 21, the Samsung Galaxy S3 arrives in the United States. A carpet bomb launch will see the phone arrive on all four major carriers — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile — at the same time, at the same price ($200 for the 16GB version, with a two-year contract). Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular will also offer the 32GB variant for $250. But which carrier is the best choice for the Galaxy S3?
Fortunately, as you may have noticed, Samsung seems to have pulled off the impossible and convinced every US carrier to call the Galaxy S3… the Galaxy S3. For the time being at least, we won’t be seeing the same hyperbolic noun treatment that previous Galaxy S phones went through (Fascinate, Vibrant, Epic 4G, Epic 4G Touch, etc.) This has the knock-on effect that almost every Galaxy S3 available in the US will be virtually identical — at least hardware-wise.
Every US Galaxy S3 has the same Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 dual-core 28nm SoC, clocked at 1.5GHz, with the Adreno 225 GPU. They weigh the same (133g), have the same battery life (around 9 hours), have the same 2GB of RAM, and most importantly, they all have Qualcomm’s awesome multi-mode 2G/3G UMTS & HSPA/4G LTE radio. The only difference as far as we can tell is that the T-Mobile variant (SGH-T999) doesn’t support LTE, and the AT&T/Verizon/Sprint models (SGH-i747, SCH-i535, SPH-L710 respectively) don’t support T-Mobile’s HSPA+. We believe the Snapdragon S4′s radio might be reconfigurable with some firmware hacking, however; it might be possible to take a T-Mobile S3 and use it on AT&T’s LTE network.
All US Galaxy S3 phones support Bluetooth 4.0 LE, 2.4 and 5GHz WiFi a/b/n/g, and NFC. Except for the Sprint variant (SPH-L710), it is likely that all Galaxy S3s are quad-band GSM and should be capable of GSM roaming in Europe and Asia.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, the main difference between the Galaxy S3 on each carrier is bloatware. While all of the carriers’ S3s will have Samsung’s fancy new apps (S Voice, AllShare Play, Media Hub, etc.), each carrier will have a different selection of bloatware on offer. The Sprint S3 will come with the usual Sprinty stuff (Hotspot, SprintZone), plus Dropbox and Google Wallet. The AT&T S3 is relatively svelte, with just the normal AT&T apps (Navigator, Messages, myAT&T) and YP Mobile. Neither the Verizon or T-Mobile S3s have been released for review, so we won’t know how bloated they are until they arrive on our doorstep tomorrow.
All Galaxy S3s will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, skinned with Samsung’s TouchWiz.
Except for bloatware, then (which you can easily remove), any Galaxy S3 purchased from a US carrier will be virtually identical. There are still two very important variables to discuss, though: Network speed, and the international quad-core Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300).
While the US Galaxy S3 is an LTE phone, there isn’t actually a whole lot of LTE coverage in the USA. Fortunately, our sister site PC Mag has just published its Fastest Mobile Networks 2012 guide. While Verizon is the overall 3G/4G winner, there were still 11 cities where T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network provided faster download speeds than Verizon LTE, and where AT&T LTE is available it simply blows away the competition.
Bear in mind that Sprint’s 4G LTE network is almost nonexistent (though its Network Vision upgrade is underway). T-Mobile is also beginning to roll out LTE (alongside HSPA+), though again you will probably have to hack the radio firmware to be able to use it.
Before you pick a carrier for your new Galaxy S3, I strongly suggest you check the 3G and 4G speeds for your city or region.
Finally, it’s worth remembering that you can also buy an unlocked, off-contract international (i.e. non-US) quad-core Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300) for around $800. The GT-I9300, with its 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad and Mali 400 GPU, seems to clock in significantly higher scores in GPU benchmarks, JavaScript benchmarks, and CF-Bench (a multi-core CPU and memory benchmark). Battery life seems to be roughly the same, but the Exynos version only has 1GB of RAM vs. the Snapdragon’s 2GB.
If you don’t like bloatware, it’s also important to note that there’s already a CyanogenMod 9 (i.e. vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich) build for the GT-I9300 — though I’m sure it’ll only be a matter of days or weeks before we see CM9 for the SGH-i747, SCH-i535, SPH-L710, and SGH-T999. The GT-I9300 should work on AT&T’s HSPA+ network, but it will be incompatible with T-Mo, Verizon, and Sprint.

Samsung Galaxy Tab by Wikipedia

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is an Android-based tablet computer produced by Samsung^[2] introduced^[3] on 2 September 2010 at the IFA in Berlin.
The Galaxy Tab has a 7-inch (180 mm) TFT-LCD touchscreen, Wi-Fi capability, a 1.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 Samsung Exynos 3110 (code-named "Hummingbird") processor, the Swype input system,^[4] a 3.2 MP rear-facing camera and a 1.3 MP front-facing camera for video calls. It runs the Android 2.2 (Froyo) operating system,^[5] and supports telephone functionality as speaker phone, via provided wired ear piece or Bluetooth earpieces (except models sold in the US). It can download videoconferencing apps such as Tango as alternative to telephone functionality.^[6]

Hardware

The tablet is enclosed in a plastic frame^[7] that makes it lighter than other metal-bodied tablets, weighing 380 g (0.84 lb).^[8]
The GT-P1000 model carries a 7" Super TFT instead of the AMOLED which is used by Samsung in its Galaxy S phones.^[9] The screen has a 1024×600 resolution With mDNIE (Mobile Digital Natural Images Engine). Internal flash storage of 2 GB (North America CDMA models), 16 GB or 32 GB can be supplemented with a microSD flash card with up to 32 GB. CPU is a Exynos 3110 Applications Processor (Also known as Hummingbird) features 1.0 GHz ARM architecture Cortex A8 application and has 512 MB of RAM paired with a PowerVR SGX540 graphics processor.
The WIFI only model has a different graphics chip that doesn't support TV out and Samsung has not provided (or promised to provide) an update to gingerbread.

The tablet has two cameras: a 3.2 rear MP camera with a LED flash and a 1.3 MP front camera for video calling (the Verizon model has a 3 megapixel rear camera).^[10] The front camera has auto focus capability. The camera also has auto image stitching, combining 8 pictures. Modes include single shot, continuous, panorama, and self-shot. It can automatically trigger on detecting that the subject smiles. Autogeotagging uses the internal GPS receiver.
The tablet has GPS, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, and handsfree/bluetooth/headphone telephony. Cellular protocols include GSM CDMA, HSPA (HSUPA).^{[citation needed]}
It also has a proprietary 30-pin docking and charging connector not shared with other manufacturers.^[11] This connector appears very similar to the standard PDMI connector (a non-proprietary alternative to Apple's docking connector). It appears so similar to the PDMI connector that it is widely mistaken for it, but it is non-standard and all accessories, including charging cables, are incompatible with other equipment and only available from Samsung.^{[citation needed]}
Samsung says that its 4000 mAh battery will give it 7 hours of video playback or 10 hours of talk time.^[12][13]
The GSM variants of the Galaxy Tab have an externally-accessible SIM card slot. If the SIM card is removed while the system is on, the system automatically reboots. The AT&T and T-Mobile variants of the Galaxy Tab ship with a micro SIM in a micro SIM adapter. For non-US Galaxy Tabs, with phone function, this slot can also accommodate a 3G data-only SIM card if the user does not need telephone functionality.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab also has an optional RCA plug connector through which the screen image is shown on a TV or other display (the Tab's own screen cannot be turned off; it can be dimmed with a backlight dimming app).^[14]

Software

This tablet comes with a version of the Android 2.3 (originally 2.2) operating system with some custom skins and applications.^[15] Most Android 2.2 apps developed using Google's guidelines for Android should scale properly when displayed on larger-screen devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, according to Samsung.^[16] Adobe Flash 10.1, DivX,^[17] MPEG-4, WMV and Xvid, H.263, H.264^[18] support has also been announced. The Tab uses Atmel's maXTouch multi touch capacitive touchscreen,^[19][20] and supports multi-tasking.^[21][22]
The Tab supports calendar, email and instant messaging applications. It has a launcher for e-reading applications which starts PressDisplay when reading newspapers, Kobo when reading e-books, and Zinio when reading magazines.^[23] For viewing and editing Microsoft Office documents, the Galaxy Tab also comes bundled with the Android version of ThinkFree Office Mobile.^[24]
The Tab can also provide tethering, acting as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 5 devices. Stored addresses can be displayed in Google maps with one click. It also allows linkage with a contact's Facebook profile if the phone address is linked with the contact's Facebook address.
Several HD video content multimedia formats, including DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263, H.264, are supported.^[25] It can play video content either stored on the device itself or streamed from YouTube, and can output 720p video to a TV either as composite video or via HDMI when using the optional dock.^[26]
Text can be entered using Swype, by tracing a path over letters on a virtual keyboard, and standard XT9 predictive typing is also supported.^[27]
TouchWiz Samsung Galaxy Tabs allow the screen display to be saved.^[28] Honeycomb tablets without TouchWiz, including the 10.1 in Galaxy Tab, must either be rooted or have the SDK installed in order to capture screenshots ^[29]
As of November 2011, the apps market for Android tablets remains tiny with only a couple hundreds of apps dedicated to Android tablets, compared with some 90,000+ apps on the iPad's Apps Store.^[30]

Upgrades

In May 2011 it was reported that Android Gingerbread 2.3.3 was being made available in Italy, with other regions expected to follow.^[31]
Several updates have been made throughout the world and in February, 2012, android version Gingerbread 2.3.6 is available. Samsung has announced that the tablet will not receive Ice Cream Sandwich, although a value package is in the works. This package will not include a full Ice Cream Sandwich build, but instead a Gingerbread build with a few Ice Cream Sandwich features.^[32]

Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! 

http://beyondusb.com/

Motorola Xoom Review: The latest tablet computer to hit the market, is fast and well built, but a little bit of a bugger to play with and way too overpriced

 Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! Visit http://www.BeyondUSB.com for more details!

 

Motorola Xoom review

Love

• Blazing fast
• PC-like functionality
• Sturdy build, good battery

Hate

• Software needs improvement
• Just a handful of tablet apps
• Poor media performance

Update: We now have a Motorola Xoom  2 and Apple iPad 2 video which you can watch (above). 
Since it was first announced at CES, we’ve been eagerly waiting for the Motorola Xoom – the first tablet with Google’s brand new Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) operating system. This is truly the first real competitor to the Apple iPad, and Xoom actually manages to outperform Apple’s tablet in quite a few areas. It has just launched in the US, where T3’s US correspondent Jeppe Christensen has been checking it out.

Motorola Xoom: Screen
The hardware is sturdy and impressive. The Xoom weighs in at 730 grams and is 12.9 millimeters thick –almost identical to the iPad, but the roomy 10.1-inch screen is wider, with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution. That gives the Xoom an edge when watching movies and browsing larger websites, but it also makes it feel a tad long and narrow while one is holding it vertically. No doubt, this beast was made for landscape mode, where the Honeycomb software is able to make great use of all that screen real estate.
Sunny weather is a problem though, the screen looks great when inside but there’s just too much glare to use the XOOM comfortably outside in direct sunlight. Turning the screen brightness all the way up helps but it’s nowhere near good enough.
The Xoom has better specs all-around than the current iPad. The processor is faster with two cores, there are four times as much memory, better speakers, and a bigger and higher resolution screen. Currently, it’s equipped with EVDO 3G for use on the Verizon cellular network in the US, but later in the year a free upgrade will be available for the company’s faster 4G network. When it arrives in the UK/Europe, the built-in Broadcom 3G chip will be configured to enable HSDPA performance of up to 10.1 megabits per second.
There is 32GB storage for apps, movies, music and photos. The Xoom actually does have a slot for MicroSD memory cards, but unfortunately, it’s not working right out of the box. Motorola reports it is waiting for a software update from Google to enable support for memory cards in Honeycomb.
Motorola Xoom: Camera and Google Talk
Finally, there’s a 2.0 megapixel front-facing camera for video chat or narcissistic self-portraits and a five-megapixel shooter on the back that also produces 720p video with 30 frames per second. The five meg shooter on the back actually produces decent well-balanced pictures, and 720p video looks pretty decent. although it’s really awkward holding the XOOM when shooting pictures or video for more than a few minutes at a time. The Google Talk app is a joy to use, so instant messaging on the XOOM feels natural when you’re sitting lazily on your couch.
The two-megapixel camera on the front enables you to make video calls, and while not crystal clear HD quality, the quality is good enough, especially over Wi-Fi and a decent broadband connection, with video and audio being mostly fluid and in sync. Tying to make the same call via Verizon’s 3G EVDO network produced a choppy and much less enjoyable experience, hopefully in the UK with HSDPA things will improve.
Motorola Xoom: Android 3.0
So, the Xoom is quite a well-equipped package, but does that really translate into a fast, functional and accessible user experience? In most instances, the answer is a resounding “yes!” Having used quite a few Android phones over the last couple of years, we quickly felt at home in the Honeycomb user interface. You have five home screens for apps and widgets and a permanent navigation and notification bar at the bottom of the screen. In the past, Android has been criticized for being a bit nerdy and complicated, and while Honeycomb does have kind of a cold and digital look (TRON, anyone?), most actions are easy and intuitive.
Composing e-mails, checking your calendar, browsing the Web, using Google Maps, or simply playing with the settings are allsimple tasks, and it’s a joy working with apps built and optimized for the larger screen. The user experience is definitely much closer to that of a PC than that of a smartphone.
Surfing the Web is a breeze thanks to tabbed browsing, the ability to open and render new Web pages in the background, and the sheer speed of the device.This thing is fast, and now it’s actually preferable to look up something or check a link on your tablet than it is on your laptop. We’re a bit bummed to discover there’s no support for Flash straight away, but Adobe is assuring us that their software for Honeycomb will arrive in just a few weeks. We hope that this won’t impact the speed too much.
Most Android apps for phones work fine and fill out the entire screen, but occasionally, you’ll run into apps that won’t work properly or simply crash, and this is something we’d like Google to fix immediately. As of writing this, there are only 16 tablet apps in the Android Market, and this puts the Xoom at a huge disadvantage compared to iPad and Apple’s booming app store that carry more than 60,000 apps for the iPad. The few apps that are in there are generally of a high quality, and we enjoyed checking the latest news with the Pulse News Reader, checking out movie listings and reviews with the Movies app from Flixster, and just killing time with the tablet-optimized version of Angry Birds Seasons.
The built-in keyboard is easy to use and just as good (or bad) as that on Apple’s iPad, so it’s fine for short messages and e-mails and you can actually type pretty fast enabling correction suggestions.
Motorola Xoom: Video and music
The Xoom’s 10.1-inch screen just begs for Hi-Def video, but currently there are no compatible video rental or download services available. Google states this will change soon enough, but right now, you have to make do with converting your DVD or Blu-ray collection. Unfortunately, the built-in movie player is very picky and won’t play even the most popular file formats. Forget about DivX and MKV files, and nothing with DTS or AC3 sound will play either. The “easiest” solution is to fire up a program like Handbrake and convert or re-encode your movies into MP4 files with AAC or MP3 audio.
The lack of support for a variety of movie and audio formats is seriously disappointing, especially considering that a device like Samsung’s Galaxy Tab will play nearly everything you throw at it.
Handling your music collection is easy, and the built-in player looks beautiful with its fancy 3D-effects and album graphics. Unfortunately, Honeycomb has trouble recognizing embedded album artwork, which is a shame. Also, if you stuff the tablet with gigabytes and gigabytes of music, the music player tends to become overwhelmed and then takes quite a while to change between different views. You can’t help but feel that the software needs time to mature.
Motorola Xoom: Battery



Battery life seems to be comparable to that of the iPad, with better or worse performance depending on your usage scenario. We got a whopping 10 hours of heaving Web browsing over 3G before the battery finally ran out of juice. That is, in all respects, pretty impressive. It doesn’t handle video quite as well, but still managed to squeeze out eight hours with brightness at 65 percent and Wi-Fi and 3G turned on. In a mixed-use scenario, you can probably squeeze out between 10-14 hours of use.
The Xoom is an enticing device with a very promising operating system, but we must note that despite the long wait, Honeycomb feels a bit rushed-to-market and somewhat rough around the edges. We love the user-interface, the Web browser, and all the Google-oriented apps, but the poor media handling is seriously disappointing, and we desperately need more tablet-apps in Android Market. We will update this review when we get a UK review sample, so we'll see if this improves.
We could overlook all this were the Xoom priced competitively, but Motorola is asking for a whopping $800 dollars without a contract or $600 with a two-year Verizon contract. In the UK pricing has just been announced at £499, which seems respectable. Considering we’ll see iPad 2.0 in just a few days, with expected availability within a few weeks, and with the Honeycomb running Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and LG Optimus Pad coming soon, we'd suggest waiting before investing.

Samsung Galaxy Note in pink is in bound for the UK sometime in June

The last time we heard about the elusive “berry pink” version of the Samsung Galaxy Note, was back last month when it officially made its debut in Samsung’s home country of Korea. Of course, the new color added a little bit of flavor to the white and typical black versions of the larger than life smartphone, but word has it that it’s in bound for the UK as well.

From the looks of it all, Carphone Warehouse is expected to take hold of the pink-a-fied version of the Samsung Galaxy Note sometime next month in June – albeit, no official date has been attached to it just yet. However, they’ve opened up a pre-registration page for those individuals itching on the opportunity to learn more about its inevitable arrival.

As much as our friends from over the pond can rejoice about its pending arrival, there’s no word whether or not it’ll be making an appearance stateside. Therefore, if you’re really desperate for this new color variant, you’ll probably want to look into importing an unlocked version of it. Color scheme aside, there’s nothing else different about this handset, as it sports the some old lovable specs as before – like a that ginormous 5.3” WXGA Super AMOLED display.

Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! 

Visit http://www.BeyondUSB.com for more details!

Samsung Galaxy mini 2 Review - Samsung USB OTG

 

Beyond USB 2.0 - OTG USB - Smartphone USB to Computer USB Interface

Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today!

 Visit http://www.BeyondUSB.com for Details!

Samsung Galaxy mini 2 Review

Review index

Posted: yesterday, 03:50 , by Nick T.

Introduction:

Android smartphones come in all shapes and sizes, including cute and cuddly, as the case is with the Samsung Galaxy mini 2. This petite-sized entry-level device is the successor to last year's Galaxy mini, and as such, it comes with improvements both on the inside and on the outside. To start, the screen is not only slightly bigger, but also sports HVGA resolution whereas the previous model had a modest QVGA display. Furthermore, the 600MHz processor has been ditched in favor of an 800MHz single core chip. But is its $270 launch price tag justified by what you get in exchange? Let's check the smartphone out and see...

The box contains:

• Wall charger
• Data cable
• Quick start guide

Design:

As you might expect out of an entry-level smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy mini 2 is made out of plain old plastic. There is a chrome-like shiny bezel around its side, while the back cover sports a fine texture that adds a little bit of extra grip and keeps fingerprints at bay. So yeah, no fancy materials anywhere in sight, but thankfully, the handset looks presentable and feels properly built.

The Samsung Galaxy mini 2 looks presentable and feels properly built

You can compare the Samsung Galaxy mini 2 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

What we are quite happy with is the way the Galaxy mini 2 fits in the palm. It feels like a pebble and rests naturally without being too small to use comfortably. All you need to operate the device is a single thumb. Additionally, the lock key and the 2-button volume rocker are very easy to find and respond with a nice click when pressed. As it is on any recent Samsung Galaxy device, underneath the handset's display we have a physical home key and two capacitive buttons for the home and back functions – properly spaced out and not prone to accidental presses.

Volume key and microSD slot (left)	Power key (right)	3.5mm jack (top)	microUSB port (bottom)
The sides of the Samsung Galaxy mini 2

Back	Camera	Battery compartment

Display:

Occupying the front of the Galaxy mini 2 is a 3.27-inch TFT LCD display with a resolution of 320 by 480 pixels (176ppi), which is okay for a low-level smartphone. In terms of quality, we are treated to a fairly accurate color reproduction. Only shades of red appear slightly undersaturated, but we don't consider that a dealbreaker in any way. Be aware, however, that the screen's surface reflects a lot of sunlight, which greatly reduces outdoor visibility. It is also inconvenient that an ambient light sensor is missing, meaning that users have to adjust the display's brightness the old-fashioned way – manually. 

Samsung GALAXY mini 2 360-degrees View:

‹leftright›

Drag the picture or use the keyboard arrows to rotate the phone. Double click or press keyboard Space to zoom in/out

USB OTG Supported Phones?

The hardware on the Nexus 1 (like many other phones) supports USB host mode even though the vanilla drivers that comes with it do not.

However, there's a driver available on the net that allows you to turn the support on.See here: http://sven.killig.de/android/N1/2.2/usb_host/ and since it's a Google dev phone "rooting" is a supported feature, not a hack.

 Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! Visit http://www.BeyondUSB.com for more details.

Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular) by Jessica Dolcourt

Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! Visit http://www.BeyondUSB.com for details.

Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular)

Review
User Reviews
Specifications
Check Coverage
Compare

CNET Editors' Rating
4.0 stars

Excellent
Average User Rating
2.5 stars

7 reviews

As shown: $229.99
See manufacturer site for availability
Set price alert
Play Video

Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular) - Video
Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular) - Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular)
Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular) - Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular)
Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular) - Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular)
Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular) - Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular)

CNET Editors' Review

Want it (6)
Got it (2)
Had it (0)

CNET Editors' Rating
4.0 stars Excellent

Design: 8.0
Features: 9.0
Performance: 8.0

Reviewed by: Jessica Dolcourt
Released on: 02/29/2012
Reviewed on: 03/12/2012

The good: The Samsung Galaxy S II has a large, beautiful 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a great 8-megapixel camera and 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and 16GB built-in storage.

The bad: U.S. Cellular's Samsung Galaxy S II has a slower network. It's significantly pricier than other handsets in the carrier's lineup.

The bottom line: With venerable specs, including a terrific camera and large, beautiful screen, the Samsung Galaxy S II is holding true to its claim to fame as the everyman's high-end Android phone.

Photo gallery: Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular)
Photo gallery:
Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular)

With the rapid-fire release of one smartphone after another, it's easy for once-great phones to quickly become obsolete. Luckily, the Samsung Galaxy S II is one device with staying power, and its appearance on U.S. Cellular's network is a slam dunk.

There are two things to be aware of: this is a 3G phone on U.S. Cellular, and the cost is a little steeper than on other carriers: $229.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate, and with a new two-year activation. It's also costlier than other U.S. Cellular phones at the time of the review.

Editors' note: This review focuses on the differences between the Samsung Galaxy S II on U.S. Cellular and the Samsung Galaxy S II on other networks. You can read up on the full feature set here.

Design and features
The Samsung Galaxy S II maintains the same design as the T-Mobile and Sprint versions of the phone. It starts with a trim, rounded rectangle candy bar design, and has a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED screen that's just beautiful, rich, clear, and vivid. (AT&T's model has a 4.3-inch screen. Its Galaxy S II Skyrocket variation has the larger display.)

The Samsung Galaxy Note is perfect for data centric consumers (review) By Matthew Miller

The Samsung Galaxy Note is perfect for data centric consumers (review)

By Matthew Miller | April 2, 2012, 7:01am PDT

Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! Visit http://www.BeyondUSB.com to see more details!


Summary: The Samsung Galaxy Note is either a large phone or a small tablet, but whatever you want to call it I think it is fantastic for the data centric consumer.

Last week I reported that the Samsung Galaxy Note passed 5 million in sales and Samsung later confirmed that this was sales to consumers and not just shipments out from their factory. I briefly saw the Note at CES, but was now very intrigued to get more time with one so Samsung sent an eval unit to me the next day. After just three days I was so impressed that I ordered my own Galaxy Note on Saturday.

I didn’t put this review on my Smartphones & Cell Phones blog because I consider this device more of a data-centric tablet than a phone. Then again, AT&T sells it with a phone contract and people are using it as their phone. If I considered it a phone then it would have been in at least my top five of 10 best smartphones to kick off 2012. However, I don’t plan to use the phone functionality much and see it taking the place of my 7 inch Android tablets so am considering it a small tablet. People have started using the term “Phablet” for this device as it is a phone-tablet hybrid. You can check out a few photos of the Samsung Galaxy Note, screenshots of the device, and pictures taken with it in my image gallery.
Image Gallery: Check out photos and screenshots of the Samsung Galaxy Note and a couple sample photos I took with it. Image Gallery: Galaxy Note retail package Image Gallery: Galaxy Note and the S Pen
In the box and first impressions

The Galaxy Note comes in a typical AT&T package and the box really doesn’t seem that big. When you open the lid you will see the Galaxy Note taking up nearly the entire length and width of the box. AT&T and Samsung include a Quick Start Guide, the Note, a USB cable, and USB charger/adapter. The eval unit is the Carbon Blue one with a back that is nearly black with very subtle dark blue color to it. Samsung sent along a brown Note Flip Case and that is what I have been using since I pulled the Galaxy Note out of the box.

The Galaxy Note is definitely a big phone, but after turning it on and seeing the display I soon forgot about the size. The HD Super AMOLED display is gorgeous and for those who use their devices for email, browsing, media, games, and more the size is desirable and beneficial. Samsung makes some excellent hardware and the Galaxy Note reminds me a bit of their latest Tab devices.

Specifications

Specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Note include the following:

5.3 inch HD Super AMOLED display at 1280 x 800 pixels resolution with Corning Gorilla Glass
1.5GHz dual core processor
Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread
GSM Quad-band: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
UMTS; Tri-band: 850/1900/2100MHz. Supports up to 21 Mbps HSPA+
LTE; Dual Band: Band 4 & Band 17
16GB internal memory, microSD card expansion capability
1GB RAM
8 megapixel camera with LED flash and 1080p video recording capability
2 megapixel front facing camera
Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi, GPS, barometer, and compass
TV out via MHL adapter
2500mAh battery with stated 10 hour talk time
Dimensions: 5.78 x 3.27 x 0.38 inches and 6.28 ounces

I understand that NFC is in the device, but that AT&T has not enabled the functionality. I enjoy using Google Wallet with NFC on my Galaxy Nexus to buy things and also use NFC to scan my Orca transit card to see how much I have left on the card. I hope AT&T eventually enables this, maybe with the ICS update, but think that developers will probably enable this if it doesn’t get the update officially.

I was very pleased to see that Samsung put a good camera in the Galaxy Note since they dropped the ball with the Galaxy Nexus, especially after the Galaxy S II already had a great camera. I also love that there is a microSD card slot for up to 32GB more memory capability as I plan to load this up with lots of content.
Walk around the hardware

The defining feature of the Samsung Galaxy Note is obviously the large 5.3 inch display that dominates the front. You will also find a good quality 2 megapixel front facing camera above the display and four Android capacitive buttons below the display (Menu, Home, Back, and Search).

The volume button is on the left side, the power button is on the right side, the microUSB port is on the bottom, and the 3.5mm headset jack is on the top.

The 8 megapixel camera and LED flash are found on the upper back of the Note with the mono speaker and S Pen silo on the bottom left of the back. The speaker blows away the crappy quiet one on my GSM Galaxy Nexus and is good enough to even allow me to listen to podcasts in my car. The back cover is similar to the Galaxy Nexus and made of rather flimsy plastic material where many snaps are required to place it on the back. Under the cover you will find the SIM card slot, microSD slot, and 2500 mAh battery.

The edges are rounded and the device is quite thin at 0.38 inches. While it is wider than just about every other smartphone out there, if you use it more as a tablet replacement you may find it is just about perfect for portability and usefulness.

The Galaxy Note supports LTE on AT&T, but unfortunately LTE is not yet available where I live and work. Thus, I see the 4G indicator that means I am connected to AT&T’s HSPA+ network. I am regularly seeing download speeds in the range of 5.6 to 8.4 Mbps, which is plenty fast for most activities. I look forward to seeing LTE roll out soon though.
Walk around the software

The Galaxy Note currently has Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread loaded on it, but an update to Ice Cream Sandwich (known as the Premium Suite update) is promised to take place in the 2nd quarter. I hope that AT&T doesn’t hold this back too much since I am really looking forward to the advanced S Pen functions that are being added. Gingerbread works well though and it is still a great device with this version of Android.

Unfortunately, AT&T went a bit crazy (don’t they always) and loaded up a bunch of bloatware on the Galaxy Note. However, I quickly found out that you are allowed to uninstall these apps so it is really only a minor inconvenience and there does look to be a couple of useful utilities, such as AT&T Code Scanner. You will find most of these apps on one home screen and they include AT&T Messages, AT&T Code Scanner, AT&T U-verse Live TV (be careful here, you only get 7 days free and then it is $9.99/month), AT&T FamilyMap (again, this is a $9.99/month service), myAT&T, AT&T Navigator (once again, this is $9.99/month, but there is a free limited version available), AT&T Ready2Go, mSpot Movies (I prefer Google Movies), and YPmobile.

Samsung includes utilities and apps such as AllShare, Crayon Physics game (S Pen optimized), Kies Air, Samsung Media Hub, Mini Diary, Polaris Office, Qik Lite, Social Hub, Task Manager, Voice Talk, and Voice Recorder. Kies Air is a pretty slick utility that lets you manage your device and transfer media via a web browser on your computer when you have your Note connected to the same WiFi network. Voice Talk is a service provided by Vlingo and is an excellent service that enables you to use your voice to perform tasks such as voice dial, send a text message, navigate, create a memo, play music, update your social network, open an app, record your voice, and more.

For those readers who are considering the Galaxy Note for work, you will be pleased to hear it is SAFE (Samsung Approved for Enterprise). This means that the device includes support for Mobile Device Management (MDM), on-device encryption (ODE), Exchange ActiveSync for corporate email/calendar/contacts (EAS) and Virtual Private Networks (VPN). It also comes with Polaris Office so you can view, edit, and create Office and Google documents on the go.

Samsung Galaxy S2 review by t3.com

Samsung Galaxy S2 Review: The S2 offers an exciting batch of features, from a super repsonsive 4.3-inch touchscreen to a generous 8-megapixel camera
Samsung Galaxy S2 review

Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today!Visit Http://www.BeyondUSB.com for more details!


Love

Glorious screen, thin body
Decent battery performance
Good camera/video mode

Hate

Feels plasticky
Can't play some Tegra games

Update: We've now got a round up of the latest Samsung Galaxy S3 rumours, in preperation for the launch of Samsung's next-gen Android smartphone. Want to know more? Our Samsung Galaxy S3 news video says it all.

We first saw the Android Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) mobile phone at MWC earlier this year and it was love at first sight. The successor to the Samsung Galaxy S includes a gorgeous next-gen 4.2inch AMOLED screen in a slimmer body.

Well, the handset finally landed on T3’s doorstep a few days ago, and we can confirm this is more than a fleeting attraction. Samsung is seriously challenging HTC for the Android crown.

Samsung Galaxy S2: Build

Pick up the phone and the first thing you notice is how light it is – it’s just 116g. Measuring 8.49mm, it’s incredibly slim in comparison to 9.9mm for the original Galaxy S; 9.3mm for the Apple iPhone 4 and 8.7mm for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc.

While the Galaxy S2 will certainly fit into the tightest jeans pocket, the compromise is build quality - the body just feels cheap and uninspiring. Things don't improve when you remove the wafer thin back to insert a sim - we’d be seriously worried about snapping it.

Controls are limited to volume on one side, power on the other, MHL port, which serves a dual purpose of charging via USB and outputting to HDMI, and a 3.5mm jack on the top, Samsung includes a range of streaming options including DLNA.

Samsung Galaxy S2: Screen

The highlight of S2 is the 4.3-inch 800x480 screen, which incorporates Super AMOLED Plus technology. Colours are eye popping and blues and greens literally jump out of the screen at you. Off-angle viewing is excellent too - the first phone we’ve seen to match the iPhone 4.

A larger screen sizes means that the phone is bulky, but it’s a joy for movies. When playing back our test HD movie clips, detail is sharp and action smooth. We found that whites aren’t as pure or bright as those on the Apple iPhone 4, although blacks seem darker and colours are bolder and warmer. It handles action smoothly too.

Samsung Galaxy S2: Android
Samsung Galaxy S2 deals

Samsung Galaxy S2 deals
Samsung Galaxy Plus deals
Samsung Galaxy S Super LCD deals
All Samsung phone deals



Running Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread, you get seven homescreens customisable with widgets and shortcuts. Swipe down to quickly activate WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and Auto Rotation settings. Phone, Contact, Messaging and Application settings along the bottom are static when you are browsing the homescreens. Like other Android phones, press down to customise with Shortcuts, Folders, Wallpaper and numerous Samsung widgets.

Samsung’s overlayed Android with its TouchWiz UI which is functional and adds some neat features, including four hubs: Music (see below), Games, Readers and Social Hub, which acts as a portal to Kobo bookstore and Magazines via Zinio.

Social Hub syncs social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, to IM accounts including Google Talk; and MySpace and Linked-in. It’s functional, syncing your contacts, but we prefer HTC Sense. In addition Sony Ericsson’s Xperia skin is slightly easier to use, for example here you can only organize the Applications via grid or list and to create App Folders you make the folder first before dragging items onto it.

Samsung Galaxy S2: Processor

The Galaxy S2 has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor. In use the phone feels incredibly quick – one of the fastest smartphones we’ve used, whether you’re browsing a web page or swapping between applications it never feels slow. During our tests it loads web pages over WiFi quicker than the iPhone 4 - loading a content-rich website like T3.com in just 15 seconds.

This isn’t a Nvidia Tegra 2 chip, so we couldn't download games designed specifically for this (such as Samurai II: Vengence THD), but there are a decent selection of games to play. We defy anyone to not enjoy Shrek Karting with the 3-axis gyroscope, and it ably handles speedy gameplay.

Samsung Galaxy S2: Camera

Samsung has boosted the camera resolution from 5-megapixels to 8-megapixels, instead of a dedicated shutter; you tap the virtual shutter, which is fairly quick if not quite as nippy as the offering on the iPhone 4.

There are plenty of manual controls. Adjust the ISO from 100-800, choose from five white balance settings and choose between three metering settings. Samsung has also included Smile Shot, Beauty, Action, Cartoon and Panorama scene modes. Alongside auto focus, Macro mode captures sharp shots to around 10cm and there’s an effective Face Detection mode.

Still results are pleasing, the S2 is pretty good at controlling noise, and we’d like them to be a little sharper, colours are very natural. The S2 shoots HD video at 720p and 1080p at 30fps and results are pleasing; it’s smooth, with natural colours, perhaps lacking a little definition.

Samsung Galaxy S2: Music

Music Hub lets you browse and buy tracks from 7Digital, downloading directly to your phone, expect to pay around 99p. It’s very well laid out with Featured, Genres, My Music and My page icons along the top.

Confusingly there’s also a Music Player, the interface is very similar, although can create playlists here. We’ve no complaints about the sound quality, when you plug some headphones into the 3.5mm jack, and here you can access nine Equalizer modes and some Sound Effects, including the useful Bass enhancement and Wide.

Samsung Galaxy S2: Other features,

Samsung’s included motion controls. Hold an app down then move the phone left or right to scroll through the homescreens and reposition it. Elsewhere hold two fingers on the screen and move towards you and away from you to zoom in and out. We're not sure how useful these are - to us they felt awkward, but maybe with more time with the phone you will become more familiar with them.

Polaris Office lets you create and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents. In portrait mode we did find the keyboard a bit cramped and frequently tapped the wrong keys and the predictive text isn’t as impressive as the iPhone 4. Alternatively the Swipe keyboard detects words as you drag your fingers over the keys, it works pretty well, although frequently didn’t recognize our choices, although this probably has more to do with us hitting the wrong keys. In landscape mode typing is far easier.

Elsewher you get Exchange Activesync, and Kies Air for accessing phone content over WiFi from a PC

Samsung Galaxy S2: Battery

With WiFi on, maximum brightness, moderate browsing, some video and photos we got into our second day. One of the most useful features is Task Manager, where you can view and kill active applications and clear the RAM, and you can enable Power Saving Mode to cut in when the power gets to 50%

Samsung Galaxy S2: Verdict

Our main complaint about the S2 is the build. It’s doesn’t feel premium and considering it will set you back close to £500 on pre-order, this isn’t good enough.

From the HTC Incredible S to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, there have been some great Android handsets this year; however none have been fantastic, until now. Combining top-notch connectivity with one of the best screens available on a smartphone, backed by a powerful dual-core and good camera, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is quite simply a fantastic phone, we just wish the Korean giant had produced a handset with build closer to the feel of a top-end HTC or Apple handset.

Samsung Galaxy S II , From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Samsung Galaxy S II (GT-I9100) is a smartphone running under the Android operating system that was announced by Samsung on February 13, 2011 at the Mobile World Congress. It is the successor to the Samsung Galaxy S, with a different appearance and significantly improved hardware.[6] The phone is also the predecessor of the yet-to-be unveiled Samsung Galaxy S III.[7] The Galaxy S II was one of the slimmest smartphones of the time, mostly 8.49 mm thick, except for two small bulges which take the maximum thickness of the phone to 9.91 mm.[8] The Galaxy S II has a 1.2 GHz dual-core "Exynos" system on a chip (SoC) processor,[9] 1 GB of RAM, a 10.8 cm (4.3 in) WVGA Super AMOLED Plus screen display and an 8 megapixel camera with flash and full 1080p high definition video recording. It is one of the first devices to offer a Mobile High-definition Link (MHL),[10] which allows up to 1080p uncompressed video output to an MHL enabled TV or to an MHL to HDMI adapter, while charging the device at the same time. USB On-The-Go (USB OTG) is supported.[11][12]

The user-replaceable battery on the Galaxy S II gives up to ten hours of heavy usage, or two days of lighter usage.[13] According to Samsung, the Galaxy S II is capable of providing 9 hours of talk time on 3G and 18.3 hours on 2G.[13][14]
Contents
[hide]

1 Launch and availability
1.1 Asia/Pacific
1.2 North America
1.3 South America
1.4 Africa
1.5 Europe
2 Hardware
2.1 Processor
2.2 Memory
2.3 Display
2.4 Audio
2.5 Camera
2.6 Connectivity
2.7 Accessories (optional)
3 Software
3.1 Android operating system
3.2 User interface
3.3 Bundled applications
3.4 Media support
3.5 Community support
4 Reception
5 Variants
5.1 Galaxy S II GT-I9100G
5.2 Galaxy R (GT-I9103)
5.3 Galaxy W (Galaxy S II Mini)
5.4 Galaxy S II LTE and Galaxy S II HD LTE
5.5 U.S. variants
5.5.1 Sprint's Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch (SPH-D710)
5.5.2 T-Mobile's Galaxy S II (SGH-T989)
5.5.3 AT&T's Galaxy S II (SGH-I777)
5.5.4 AT&T's Galaxy S II: Skyrocket (SGH-I727)
5.5.5 AT&T's Samsung Captivate Glide (SGH-I927)
5.5.6 U.S. Cellular's Samsung Galaxy S II (SCH-R760)
5.6 Japanese model (NTT DoCoMo)
5.7 South Korean variants
5.7.1 SK Telecom's Galaxy S II (SHW-M250S)
5.7.2 KT's Galaxy S II (SHW-M250K)
5.7.3 LG U+'s Galaxy S II (SHW-M250L)
5.8 Canadian variants
5.8.1 Rogers' Galaxy S II LTE (SGH-i727R)
5.8.2 Bell's Galaxy S II (GT-I9100M)
5.8.3 Telus' 4G Galaxy S II X (SGH-T989D)
6 Successor
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Launch and availability

The Galaxy S II was given worldwide release dates starting from May 2011, by more than 140 vendors in some 120 countries.[15]

On May 9, 2011, Samsung announced that they had received pre-orders for 3 million Galaxy S II units globally.[16]

In some time after the device's release, Samsung also released a Nvidia Tegra 2 powered Samsung Galaxy R (or 'Galaxy Z' in Sweden) variant version. The release of the Galaxy R 'GT-I9103' corroborated with early pre-release reports of an Nvidia powered Galaxy S II smartphone.[17][18] Eldar Murtazin, of Mobile-Review.com, hinted that Samsung might have faced delays in meeting worldwide shipment of both its Exynos chip and Super AMOLED Plus screens. He noted that nobody expected the "huge success" and "sky high" demand for the previous Samsung Galaxy S.[19]

Different regions around the world have received this device to market beginning from the earliest of April 2011.


Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! Visit http://www.BeyondUSB.com to learn more!

Comparison of Samsung Galaxy S2 and Samsung Galaxy R specs are located below .

Samsung-Galaxy-S-II

Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! Visit http://www.BeyondUSB.com for more details!!

Samsung-Galaxy-R
Phone Model Samsung-Galaxy-S-II Samsung-Galaxy-R
Prices
Price (RM) 1899 - 1979 -
AP Price (RM) 1630 - 1710 1435 - 1515
General
Date Announced February 13, 2011 (1st Quarter) July 30, 2011 (3th Quarter)
Status Current Model New Model
Network Technology GSM 850/900/1800/1900 GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
HSDPA 900 / 2100
Processor/ Memory
CPU 1.2GHz ARMv7 dual-core Application Processor Dual core, 1 GHz Tegra 2 Cortex-A9,
RAM - -
Internal Storage 16GB/32GB, 1GB RAM 1 GB RAM, 2GB ROM, 8GB storage
External Memory microSD, (up to 32GB), 8 GB included MicroSD, up to 32GB
GPU - -
Chipset - -
Body
Dimensions (mm) 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.49 125.3 x 66.1 x 9.45
Weight (g) 116 135
Available colours Black, White And Pink -
QWERTY Keypad No No
Display
Screen Size & Resolution 4.3 inch, WVGA 480 x 800, Multi-touch input method 4.0 inch, 480 x 800, Touchscreen, Multi-touch, Scratch resistant surface
Screen Color Super AMOLED Plus, 16M Super Clear LCD 16M colors
Design Candybar Blok
Screen Protection - -
Multi Touch No No
Software
Platform / OS Android 2.3 Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread)
Java (J2ME) - -
Messaging SMS, MMS, Email SMS, MMS, Email, IM
Others Software Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration, Social Hub / Readers Hub / Music Hub / Game Hub A-GPS, Document viewers, Facebook, Picasa, Twitter
Sound
Alert - -
3.5mm Jack No No
Extra Feature P3, OGG, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB AMR-WB, WMA, WAV, MID, AC3, IMY, FLAC, XMF MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WAV
3.5mm stereo headset jack;
Battery
Battery Type/ Capacity Li-ion 1650mAh Li-Ion 1650 mAh
Stand-by Up to 710 h (2G) / Up to 610 h (3G) 620
TalkTime Up to 1100 min (2G) / Up to 520 min (3G) 540
Entertainment
FM Radio No No
TV Receiver No No
Entertainment Others - -
Connectivity
HSDPA Yes, HSPA+ 21Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps Yes
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
EDGE Class 12 Yes
GPRS Class 12 Yes
WiFi Hotspot No No
GPS Yes Yes
NFC Support No No
Bluetooth No No
USB Port Yes Yes
Camera Specifications
Type/Capacity 8 Megapixel 5 Megapixel
Max. Resolution 3264 x 2448 3264 x 2448 (Secondary Front Camera)
Flash No No
Video Recording - -
Secondary Camera No No
Extra Features - Auto focus, Smile detection, Panorama
Compare With Other Cellphones
Compare VS Compare VS

Samsung Galaxy S2 review by techradar

Samsung Galaxy S2 review

Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! Visit http://www.BeyondUSB.com for details!

Dual-core power, beautiful screen - the Galaxy S II is the kind of sequel we like

Our Score 5

Last reviewed: 2011-04-26April 26th 2011



the-definitive-samsung-galaxy-s2-review

The definitive Samsung Galaxy S2 review

The Samsung Galaxy S II is the phone the Korean firm deems the successor to its best smartphone so far. And with a 1.2GHz processor, super-slim chassis and feather-light innards, it's easy to see why.

The dual-core race is set to heat up massively over the next few months, with the LG Optimus 2X already released, and the Motorola Atrix, HTC Sensation and iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S all set to bring the tech to market too.

Coming in at £35 a month and £519.99 SIM-free, the Galaxy S 2 isn't the cheapest phone out there by a long chalk – so let's see if it can match up to that larger price tag.

You can check out our Samsung Galaxy S 2 video:

The Samsung Galaxy S2 is almost impossibly thin when you pick it up – dimensions of 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5mm mean it's one of the thinnest smartphones on the market at the moment, rivalling the likes of the iPhone 4 and Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc for the title.

Samsung galaxy s2 review

It's crazy-light too – when we show you what tech is rammed under the hood, you'll be amazed that it all goes in a device that weighs only a shade over 100g (116g, to be precise).

Samsung clearly traded the premium feel an all-metal chassis might have brought to keep the grams off the Galaxy S2 – pop the battery cover off and you'll find you're holding a piece of pretty flimsy plastic.

Samsung galaxy s2 review

However, most of the time you won't be removing this and it fits nicely into the contoured chassis – the mesh feel on the rear also helps keep your hand from getting warm during extended holding.

The other thing you'll notice when you first pick up the Galaxy S2 is the screen – at 4.3 inches it's hard to miss, and when you turn it on the Super AMOLED plus technology hits you square in the eyeballs (once it's got through the toughened Gorilla Glass).

Samsung galaxy s2 review

We called the Samsung Galaxy S "the best phone on the market for media" when we reviewed it, thanks to its first-gen Super AMOLED screen. Now the Galaxy S2 has definitely improved on that, with a superbly crisp and vibrant screen.

The only problem is a slightly schizophrenic auto-brightness - if you try and save battery by having the sensor monitor ambient light levels, then the screen decides to bounce about with light levels even in same conditions.

UPDATE: Samsung has released a fix to solve this problem already, so forget about it. Un-read what you just read. We could delete it, but that would be lying to you.

In the hand, the Galaxy S2 sits much better than we'd have expected, given the whopping screen on offer, and that's mostly down to its slim depth.

Samsung galaxy s2 review

The front of the phone is pretty sparse, with the home key the only piece of furniture on offer. This rectangular button flanks two touch-sensitive buttons – Menu and Back – so there's no room for contextual search here.

The volume keys are located on the left-hand side, and the power/lock key is on the opposite flank; both are easy enough to hit without error, and crucially the travel on the power key is softer so that it's much easier to hit when you're juggling it in the palm – compare that to its predecessor, where you could accidentally drop it trying to shut off the screen.

Samsung galaxy s2 review

The 3.5mm headphone jack lives on the top of the phone, bucking the lower placement on other 4.3-inch screen phones, and the microUSB slot (which also doubles as an HDMI out port) lives on the bottom.

The only other element of note is the 8.1MP camera with single LED flash on the rear – it's slightly raised, but not so much that it disrupts the Galaxy S2 when you're placing it on a table, thanks to a rear lip to help you hold the phone.

Samsung galaxy s2 review

We actually (foolishly, in hindsight) unboxed the phone while bouncing about on a powerboat on the Thames - and luckily, there was a camera rolling the whole time. (note - we're well aware of the stupid spec mistakes on the boat. Some were down to information given to us by Samsung that has since changed, and some due to sheer confusion at being thrown ten feet in the air and having our spine crushed.)