I wouldn’t usually put up a post detailing my first thoughts on a device, seeing as though I only just received the Samsung Galaxy S II this afternoon, but you guys are just too insistent that I supply my thoughts to you as quickly as possible. So hit the break for a quick read of what I currently think of the SGSII.
Software..
The Galaxy S II is running Android 2.3.3, which is a .0.1 off receiving video calling for Gtalk, and it’s very fluid and hasn’t frozen on me once (unlike the original Galaxy S). My only niggle with the launcher is that I’d like the homescreens to scroll through a little bit faster when you swipe across. I straight away removed the TouchWiz widgets except for the time & weather ones, as they didn’t really serve any major purpose. I also hate the lock screen, it’s a real pain in the arse.
There are quite a few Samsung apps on the Galaxy S II, most of which I’d never touch in everyday use such as the Music, Social, Game and Readers Hubs. I have no interest in any of the social media syncing within TouchWiz as the individual Twitter (Plume) & Facebook apps do a better job. Both photo and video editors are included on the Galaxy S II. They provide a few extra effects to add to videos and images to make them look a little less crap.
Hardware..
The most exciting part of the Galaxy S II is by far its hardware. The 4.3″ Super AMOLED + screen looks really, really nice, but it does make some images look a little over-the-top and unnatural. I can’t make out the individual pixels easily like can be done with the Motorola Atrix, which is a testament to the way Samsung has developed this display at a lower resolution than the qHD Atrix. It’s quite a shame that one of the pixels on the display of my review unit is malfunctioning and constantly displays red. Annoying. At 8.5mm at its thinnest point, the phone is a real joy to hold onto and is exceptionally light, which may make some people think it’s a bit cheap.
The loudspeaker doesn’t produce the greatest quality sound at full volume and won’t let you turn on the 5.1 channel surround sound effect which usually makes the quality much, much nicer. But what does work at the highest of qualities is the 8MP shooter on the rear of the device. I’m currently uploading a video to YouTube and will take some pics and put them just below here so you can see them..
The Galaxy S II is fitted with a quadband 3G modem on bands 850/900/1900/2100MHz meaning it will work on every single network in Australia (yes, even that pesky NextG). The downlink speed is a theoretical 21Mbit, when in reality I’m yet to hit anything above 3Mbit; don’t worry, we’ll get there eventually.
Yes this phone is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos dual-core CPU, and yes, it does kick all kinds of butt. It’s clocked at 1.2GHz, no doubt to match HTC’s upcoming launch of the HTC Sensation which is also clocked at 1.2GHz. I’m sure I’ll certainly feel its speed during more in-depth and full on use in the coming days.
Final Summation
First off, if you get the reference in this subtitle, you spend way too much time on the internet. Secondly, I’m really liking the Galaxy S II so far. I love how thin it is and I love how fast it is. I know it is certainly too early to make any major judgments, however I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to use and I’ll keep you updated on our Twitter before I write up the review.
If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below and I’ll go through and answer them as best I can.
