Samsung Galaxy S2 Review

Samsung saw great success with the original Samsung Galaxy S smartphone. With that success, they went on to build a tablet or 2. Now, we have the Samsung Galaxy S2 which is a new and updated version of the original Galaxy S.

When taking the Galaxy S2 out of the box you immediately notice you are looking at a very nice smartphone. The device is sleek. It’s slim and not heavy at all. Most of the front is taken up with the large 4.3 inch screen. Other than that, there’s a small speaker, camera and a couple of sensors. Below the screen a button can be found which has a touch sensitive button on either side of it.

On the bottom edge of the device, there’s a USB connector allowing you to sync it up to your PC as well as charge via the USB cable or supplied PSU. The micro USB connector also works as an HDMI output. The left side is home to the volume rocker switch while on the right, a single power/sleep button. Along the top edge is a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as a noise cancelling mic. The back of the device can be described as being mesh that allows you to more easily grip the smartphone. Also, an 8.0 megapixel camera and flash can be found on the back of the Galaxy S2.

Samsung Galaxy S2 Technical Specs

The operating system on the Galaxy S2 is Android 2.3 Gingerbread. This is powered by a dual-core processor which runs at 1.2GHz. The screen measures 4.27 inches and has a resolution of 480×800 pixels. The screen is a generation on from the previous Super AMOLED and is now the Super AMOLED Plus screen which is more efficient and brighter to put it in its simplest form.

For connectivity it has Wireless N as well as HSDPA and Bluetooth 3.0. aGPS is also built in for navigation and location based services.

The 8 megapixel camera can capture full HD video at 30 frames per second. The camera on the front is 2 megapixels.

Size and weight wise, the Galaxy S2 is 116g and measures 125x66x8.49mm making it quite thin and light at the same time. The weight decrease is due to Samsung using plastic as the structure of the phone.

Samsung Galaxy S2 Review

The Samsung Galaxy S2 is an excellent smartphone and one that could quite easily tempt me back to Android. The 2.3 Gingerbread OS works extremely well. Menu transitions are smooth and fast and apps load up quickly. The hardware looks good and the screen is large, bright and crisp. The resolution isn’t as high as the iPhone 4 for example, but thanks to the AMOLED technology used, it works extremely well.

The camera works extremely well at capturing both video and still pictures. Of course, the video quality isn’t quite up to scratch when compared with a dedicated camera due to the small lens, but for capturing video while out and about with just your smartphone, I think you’ll be pleased with the quality.

There’s a few small quirks about this phone such as the built in Samsung Apps which we didn’t really use in testing. The unlock screen is a tad weird which requires you swipe an image away from the screen… we prefer the original but of course, not a deal killer by any means. Other than that, we are suitably impressed with the Galaxy S2 and recommend it to those who want an Android smartphone.

The Galaxy S2 is available on the Three network in the UK. Price wise, it’s £499.99 on a PAYG tariff or you can opt for the One Plan at £35/month where you get 5000 messages, 2000 minutes and 5000 Three to Three minutes per month with all you can eat data.