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The Galaxy S2 is the successor to the popular Samsung Galaxy S and brings an updated set of features in an even sleeker frame. The device has upto 16GB of internal memory, an 8MP camera capable of 1080p HD video recording and an additional 2MP camera for video calls.
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One of our team members +Sujeetharan Sounthararajah purchased the international version of the Samsung Galaxy S II, so we felt it would be best to review it for our site.
The Galaxy S II is the successor to the popular Samsung Galaxy S and brings an updated set of features in an even sleeker frame. The device features a 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen, 16GB of internal memory which can be expanded through microSD, an 8MP camera capable of 1080p HD video recording and an additional 2MP camera for video calls.
The international variant features a single home button similar to the home button on the iPhone, but Samsung chose to stick to the general Android layout in the AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint variants of the device. AT&T even has a separate LTE version of the device due to it's immense popularity.
Samsung has decided to take the iPhone head on with their Galaxy S series. The device even comes with Samsung's own Exynos chipset which powers this android device to one of the top smartphones of the year. Featured Specifications
- 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus display
- Gorilla Glass screen protection
- 480x800 pixel resolution
- 8MP wide-angle autofocus lens
- LED flash
- smile, face and blink detection
- 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps
- 2MP camera for video calls
- attractive form factor
- Slim 8.5mm waistline
- 116 g weight
- Great application support
- Full 1080p playback support for Adobe Flash videos online
- Document Editor
- File Manager
- Power under the hood
- 1.2 GHz dual core processor
- 1GB of RAM
- Mali 400 GPU
These are just some of the features which makes this device great. The Galaxy S II is available in Black and White and available in 16GB and 32GB variants. Check out the official photos from Samsung.
Samsung has worked hard to improve their sequel to the popular Samsung Galaxy S. Almost every element of the device has been improved. The overall faster performance with improved display, and camera performance make the Galaxy S II a must have device for the hardcore Android fan.
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Unboxing
(Coming Soon)
Device Closeup - Hardware
As we mentioned before the Galaxy S II upgrades the original Galaxy S in almost every aspect. Samsung has chosen however to stick with a full plastic body instead of using too much metal. The plastic helps keep the device light and also helps with the reception. Still it would have been nice to see some premium materials used on Samsung's flagship smartphone.
The device has a large 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display in front which is flanked by a metal bezel which protects the display while giving it a classy look. Samsung hasn't improved on the screen resolution on the device but we should be seeing HD resolution displays by the time the Galaxy S III makes it's rounds. Still the display on the device is very impressive with near perfect sunlight visibility and an amazing viewing Angle.Above the display is the earpiece and the 2MP front facing camera which along with the ambient light sensor and the proximity sensor. You can even use the front camera for capturing photos or video but at a VGA (640x480) resolution.
Below the display is the home button with two capacitive buttons on either side - similar to the original Galaxy S. The left button is the menu button while the right button is to go back. Long pressing the menu button will activate Google Search, while a long press on the Home button will let you switch through running applications. Double pressing the home button will start up voice control which is a little too similar to the iPhone.
The left side of the device houses the volume controller which also acts as a zoom when the camera is on. The device unfortunately doesn't come with a dedicated camera key.
Removing the back cover you will see the SIM card compartment, 1650 mAh battery and the microSD slot. While the memory card isn't hot swappable, you can have up-to 64GB of memory by adding a 32GB microSD card to a 32GB Galaxy S II device.
The LED flash can't compare to the power of a Xenon flash, but does provide video lighting. You can also use the LED light as a flashlight if you find the correct app.
The 8MP camera has a picture resolution of 3264x2448 and features autofocus, face and smile detection and image stabilization.
The video recorder can capture 1080p HD video at 30fps which is the highest available on devices these days.
Device Closeup - Software
The Samsung Galaxy S II ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread (Android 2.3.3) with Samsung's own TouchWiz 4.0 user interface running on top. (More coming soon)
Conclusion
Motorola may have been the first manufacture to bring the Android name into the smartphone mainstream, but it seams like Samsung is the name best associated with the Android brand at this point. With their release of the Galaxy S series and building the Nexus S for Google anyone who loves an Android would set their eyes on a Galaxy S II.
All the big Android handset manufactures have dual core flagships which offer quite a solid set of features for what you will spend on them and Apple users would have the iPhone 4S which also does well to compete with the Galaxy S features, but somehow the Super AMOLED display with the large screen and the powerful Exynos processor gives the Galaxy S II an edge in our eyes.
Are you a proud owner of the Galaxy S II ? Share your thoughts on our review in the comments section below.
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