There'svery little to dislikeabout the Samsung Galaxy S2. This smart phone is astonishingly fast, with a gorgeousdisplay,a good camera and all the power of the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. And it's somehow all crammedinto acase so slim and light that it seems to break the laws of physics.
Samsung Galaxy S2
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
There's no doubtthis is a phone that will impress the geeks in the room. But, if you'renot sokeen on expressing your geeky side by spending hours tweaking the sevenhomescreens, deleting some of the app bloatware, and customising themillions ofoptions, this phone may be more of a chore than a treat.
It's not cheap,either. Expect to pay around £500 for the SIM-free version. You can also pick it up for free on a £30-per-month contract.Clove and Vodafone provided our review samples.
If your budgetdoesn't stretch as far as the Galaxy S2, take a peek at the pared-downbut stillimpressive Galaxy Ace.
Note that we've replaced our original review with this one, as Samsung has updated the Galaxy S2's software since the phone's launch.
Samsung Galaxy S2 vs iPhone 4
Having Android on-board also meansthat the Galaxy S2 tendsto display Google's rather pragmatic approach to user-interface design.Ratherthan the rounded corners and bright white and grey of the iPhone 4's interface,Androidtends to be dark, wordy and packed with menus. Apps generally sport amix ofon-screen virtual buttons, and plenty more options that appear when youpressthe menu key beneath the screen.
Android's usability improves with each update -- and there havebeenplenty since the software arrived on the scene a couple of years ago. But wethink Android still has a long way to go before it's a genuine pleasure touse.
Samsung hasn't messed around much with the defaultAndroid look and feel. Despite our desirefor more user-friendly Android software, we think that's a good thing, becausesoftware isn't Samsung's strength.
Of the three sample Galaxy S2 handsets thatwe tested, one was almostuseless due to software bugs, and all of them required us to perform over-the-airsoftwareupdates right out of the box. The two working models that we testedweregenerally very stable, but we felt burned by that one bad apple. Theoriginal SamsungGalaxy S required several updates before it became really solid, so we were expecting software issues with the S2.
Don't be afraid to insist on a replacement if your Galaxy S2 hasbugs likeours did, such as continually resetting the wallpaper to the default option, or refusing to unlock. Also, besure to check for software updates as soon as you tear your phone from its box.
It's not all bad news concerning the GalaxyS2's software. In fact,moving through the Galaxy S2's screens feels wonderfully whizzy, thanks to thephone's powerful, dual-core processor. Menus pop open without delay, andscrollingis satisfyingly smooth. All the apps we tested also opened withalacrity.
Not having to suffer lag, stutter orhang-ups when openingapps, rattling out text messages or downloading new software makes aworld ofdifference to the overall user experience. Indeed, we struggled to slow theS2 down. Even when we had a bunch of apps running, with more downloading inthebackground and Flash video playing in the browser, it still felt veryfast.
But, compared to the king oftouchscreen scrollingsmoothness, the iPhone 4, the Galaxy S2 does lack a certain creaminess.Scrolling through long text on Web pages is fast, but the phonedoesn'talways do a good job of figuring out when you want to quickly flipdown, andwhen you want to reposition the page. That makes it all too easy tomove theside of the text off the screen when you merely meant to skip to thenextparagraph. It's not a terrible problem on the Galaxy S2, it's just not a perfect situation.
The lock screen also takes just afraction of a second toolong to appear after you wake the phone up, even if you're not using a password.
The phone fares better with thetwo-fingered multi-touch gesturethat you use to zoom into photos and Web pages. The zooming is as smoothassilk. It's too bad the Android browser displays a grey and white checkedarea whereit's struggling to render the page, as this looks less classy than theiPhone's system,which manages to throw up what we think is a cached screenshot.
Samsung's added some motion-controlfeatures to help you outtoo. While in the browser, touch the screen with two fingers, and thentilt thephone forwards and back to zoom in and out of Web pages. This feature is slightly toosensitive, and we're not convinced it's easier than just zooming in andoutusing a pinching gesture, but it's easy to turn off.
In general, we prefer the Androidbrowser on theGalaxy S2 over its Apple rival, for one big reason -- Flash support. Flash videos,menus andgames are all visible where they'd just be empty holes on the iPhone.
Searching is easy -- you type into thesame address bar whereyou enter a site's URL, and you also have the option to hit themicrophone iconto say your search out loud.
Homescreensand widgets
If you're not sure where to start,you may want to stickwith the widgets that are already there until you get used to them. A few ofthemsuggest that you tap them to get started -- for example, the photo-gallerywidgetwill show a slideshow of your favourite shots, but first you need to decide which photos you want to appear in the gallery.
We like to start with ablank slate, though. To removeitems from the home screen, simply hold your finger on them for asecond, and,when an icon of a bin appears at the bottom of the screen, drag them down into the bin. Manywidgets can also be resized in the same way -- hold them down with yourfinger, and then drag the yellowlines thatillustrate how big the widget can be.
Samsung has sorted out its own methodfor adding widgets andshortcuts to the home screen. When you hold your finger on a black areaof ahome screen, a menu pops up along the bottom from which you can select yourchoiceof widgets, shortcuts and folders, and change the wallpaper. Theselection ofwidgets is shown in a scrolling menu that looks very slick as you swipethrough it.
The downside of this fun menu, though, is that youcan only see four widgets at once. Once you've installed a lot ofapps, which then automatically add their corresponding widgets to the menu, the list of widgets can become pretty long and difficult to move throughquickly. We wish we could have more of an overview of what's on offer.
Nevertheless, we like Samsung'smethod of letting you additems to your home screens from a menu at the bottom, because you canstill seethe screen clearly enough to help you make up your mind what to add.
The motion-control feature is alsoemployed for home-screencustomisation -- hold down an app for a moment, then tilt the phone from side toside toslide through the seven available home screens, and drop the app whereyouwant.
Samsung's own widgets improve with every phone itmakes. But Samsung's Android skin, TouchWiz, stilldoesn't stack up to the best skin in theAndroidworld -- HTC Sense, seen on phones such as the HTCSensation. HTC has whipped up a customised skin that's moreextensive than the ink on a Hells Angel, and its light, curvaceouswidgets make Android appear more accessible. Samsung's widgets tend tobe more straightforward and squarish. Which you prefer depends on yourown taste, but, overall, the Galaxy S2 sticks closer to the basic appearance of Android than its HTC competition.
Moving between the Galaxy S2's manyhome screens is madesimple by two quick navigation tricks. You can jump to a specificscreen bytapping one of the numbered dots along the bottom of the screen, or you can perform a two-fingered pinch to shrink them all down to thumbnail size, and thentap theone you want to see. We first saw this thumbnail view on HTC phoneslike the Desire, and it demonstrates how Samsung makes a habit ofreproducing someof its rivals' best ideas on its own phones.
Apps and games
Samsung's own app store appears on the S2,as well as its music, ebook and gaming hubs, but we think these are mostly worth ignoring in favour of the Android Market and, for example, the Amazon MP3 store.
We'd also get rid of the pre-loaded app that lets you play trial versions of games. Does anyone really want to play a single freeround of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, only to be told that the trial isover? No way -- especially when mobile gaming hits like Angry Birds aretotallyfree in the Android Market. This gaming bloatware simply clogs up yourapp menuuntil you have time to delete it.
Google puts plenty of store in itsvoice features, butwe're not big fans. Things like proper names never seem to work for us,and we always end up resorting to typing. We also tend to use ourphone on the go, so shouting at it isn't as practical as stealthy typing. Furthermore, we often don't have the presence of mind to dictate text withoutrepeating ourselves or hesitating.
Samsung adds evenmore vocal tricks to the default Android features by including Vlingo on the Galaxy S2. The app makes it possible to dictate textmessagesand emails, open apps and play music. Technically, it's an impressiveapp, butit can have some unexpected consequences. After accidentally activatingits 'driving mode' by tapping a widget, our Galaxy S2 decided to startreadingout calendar reminders, letting everyone in the office know that about our yoga lesson. This could be disastrous if you have secret liaisons orembarrassingappointments in your diary, so beware.
Vlingo is a perfect example of thetype of softwaresomersaults that are possible on Android. Vlingo is available for the iPhone too, butyoucan't do the same stuff -- launch text messages, for example -- becauseAppledoesn't like apps digging down so deep in the OS. Android allowsalmostany app into its official Market, and doesn't stop you frominstallingnon-Market apps, if you want to.
The downside of all this app freedomis that you can'talways trust Android apps to be of the highest quality. Just oneexample is theofficial National Rail app, Train Times. Although we can't fault theS2's abilityto run the app smoothly and quickly, the poor design, compared toitsiPhone cousin, reminds us why, in some ways, Android is still lesscrave-worthy thantheiPhone software.
It's not the Galaxy S2's fault thatsome app designers don'tknow their way around a user interface. But, if you're thinking ofinvesting big bucks in the Galaxy S2, you need to know how it stacks up againstthecompetition. Apps in the Android Market definitely win when it comes toinnovation, but the Apple App Store has a bigger selection and its apps tend tobe of better quality.
Notifications
Another place where Samsung'simagination is evident is inthe settings shortcuts that sit above the notification bar. Batterylife on asmart phone like this one tends to be short, so it's important to beable toturn off features like Wi-Fi and GPS when they're not needed. The batterylife ofthe Galaxy S2 isn't bad -- check out our battery section to read moreon thistopic. But even so, we love being able to drag down the notificationbar from thetop of the screen to tap battery-hungry features on and off quickly.
We still see room for improvementhere. For example, we'dlove to see a screen brightness control too, and it would be handy tobe ableto open the wireless settings so that we could do things like connect toa new Wi-Finetwork. But, for even more control, there's a settings widget that youcanstick on your home screen -- it does all this and more.
The notification system on Android phones is so groovy that Apple isessentially reproducing it in the next version of its iOS software, iOS5. TheGalaxy S2 doesn't do anything special with the notification system, but it's really handy to be able to see your unread email,messages,Android Market updates, and other gubbins all in one place, withoutsuffering abarrage of pop-ups, like on the iPhone.
One quirk of notifications is thatyou only get one chanceto hear that you've got a new text message. That means that, if you'reout ofthe room when the message arrives, you have to actually look at the phone to see that someone'sbeentrying to reach you. This can't be changed, so you may want to try thefree HandcentSMS app to adjust this setting, along with tonnes more text-message options.
The S2's notification sounds in general are too quiet for ourliking, with a gentle bonging for texts and a far too ignorablechiming for calls. Happily, it's a snip to adjust the ringtone and volume inthe soundsettings menu.
Case and physical design
The S2 sports minimalist buttonsalong the bottom of thescreen -- a squarish home button, and two touch-sensitivebuttonsfor going backwards and opening the menu. Pressing the menu button for atadlonger launches the search option.
These two buttons light up for a fewmoments after you pressthem, but otherwise they're invisible. This makes the S2 look stealthy andcool,but it means that you have to memorise where the buttons are. That's not toughonceyour muscle memory is used to the S2, but it canbe disorientating at first. If it bothers you, dig down into the display settingsto turn the lights on for longer, or all the time.
The volume rocker button on theleft-hand side of the phone sticks up enough to use easily, without ruiningthe S2's sleek lines. Thepowerbutton, which doubles as the unlock button, is also on the left, rather thanthe top, where it has come to rest on many other smart phones. The button is big enough, but we found it awkward to press it and then unlock the phone, by swiping the screen, if we were operating the S2 with onehand.
Android software
The Galaxy S2 is one of the most desirable phones running Google'sAndroid operating system. The fact that it's Google-powered means thisphone works best if you have a Google account -- in fact, you must signin withyour Google account before you can even use some features, like the Android Market.
If you've got a few different Googleaccounts -- one forwork and one for home, for example -- the phone can support all ofthem. But we'dsuggest picking one main one, and logging into that first. That'stheaccount that will be linked with all the apps you buy, so you canrestorethem if you need to swap phones or reset your S2 to its factory settings.
Having Android on-board means the Galaxy S2 is packedwith useful features, from Google Maps to free turn-by-turn navigation software.Googleeven gives its email program, Gmail, special treatment, keeping its ownappseparate from the app that supports other types of email, suchas POP and Outlook mail.
This separation of email apps can be annoying, but Google says it's necessary because it hastosupport Gmail's unique features, such as archiving mail instead ofdeleting it.It's a valid point, and the bespoke Gmail app is better at reproducingtheonline experience than other email clients. But, if you're used to beingable tosee all your accounts in a unified inbox, like on BlackBerry phones,you'll bedisappointed.
Next page: Samsung Galaxy S2 screen and battery life
Screen and battery life
The Galaxy S2's screen is itscrowning glory. It's trulyepic, nudging into tablet territory, at 4.3 inches. We still had no troublepackingthe S2 into our pocket, though, since the bezel around the screen isnarrow andthe phone is so thin. We did, however, have nightmares about thephonesnapping in two like an After Eight mint when we sat down.
Samsung calls the screen's technology Super AMOLEDPlus, and it's apparently brighter than ever and more visible in direct sunlight. We can vouchfor thefact that it's eye-searingly bright in dim environments, and it'spossible touse it in very bright sunlight as long as it's turned up to maximum brightness. That makesit abig improvement over the first AMOLED screens, like the one on the GoogleNexus One, which was beautiful but invisible outside.
The brightness of the screen is alsoits undoing if you like realistic-looking images. Colours look stunning but they're far too oversaturated. Images and videos generally look brighter and more saturated than they would on a monitor or TV screen.
Pixel count stands at 800x480, which equates to 217 pixels per inch. This pales next to the 330ppi on the iPhone 4S. Compared to an LED screen like the one on theiPhone,the Galaxy S2 seeks to blow your eyeballs away, rather than massage themwith arealistic image. Still, we don't think the screen will annoy anyone except those who are obsessed with calibrating thecolourtemperature of their monitor.
As an added bonus, the S2's displayfloats spookily closeto the top of the glass front of the phone, which lends it an extremelyclassyveneer. It's something we also appreciated on theoozing-with-class SonyEricsson Xperia Arc. Theviewing angle is very wide, so you'll be able to appreciate everycolour andhue even if you're not looking at the screen dead on.
With a smart phone this light and withso muchresource-guzzling tech inside, the battery life was a pleasantsurprise. We'dwager you'll still want to top this bad boy up every night, but, basedon ourtests, a fullday'suse shouldn't be a problem.
There's an automatic battery-saving mode that comes invery handy, and it can be customised to kick in at whatever point suitsyou. For example,you can set it to turn off Wi-Fi and GPS when thebatteryhits 20 per cent. This feature is much more extensivethan otherbattery-saving modes we've seen on phones like the HTCDesire HD, andit's areal help on a phone this powerful. There's also a home-screen widgetthat keeps its eye on your various apps and warns you when one is consuming morebattery power than it should.
Watch out when the battery iscompletely discharged. OurS2 took forever to wake up after we plugged it in when the battery was totallyflat. Ifyou're frantically stuffing in more juice in the hope of not missinganimportant call or text, that's torture.
Speed andmemory
You have the choice of 16GB or 32GBof internal memory,which means there's loads of space for storing your photos, music andapps.There's also a microSD slot that comes with an 8GB card in it, soyou canpump the storage space up even more. You'll have to take out the battery to swap thecard,though.
We tested the slot with a 32GB cardthat worked in severalother Android phones and the S2 struggled at first to scan it.But, once we'd reformatted the card in our computer, it workedwithout ahitch, so try that if you have problems.
Callquality
Camera andvideo
The camcorder mode shoots 1080pvideo, which plays back smoothly, and looks very crisp. The Galaxy S2's snapper isn't ascapable as a decent compactdigital camera, but, forcapturing decent photos and videos quickly, it's a worthy substitute.
Kies and keyboard
If you fancy connecting the Galaxy S2 with a cable -- totransfer photos in bulk, for example -- it's possible totiptoe through its foldersjust as if it were an external hard drive, without using Kies. If youjust stick the USB cable in, Kies will launch automatically, so don'tdo that. Instead, browse to the 'wireless and network' settings andselect 'USB utilities'. Tap the connection button before you plug in thecable, and then you're ready. Unfortunately, you have to do thisevery time, and there are a flurry of confirmation screens to getthrough, but, once you're up and running, you can see all the folders onyour microSD card and the phone's internal memory.
There's more -- you can also use Kies Air to trawl throughyour phone overWi-Fi. It's very simple to use. When you open the app from the phone, you'll be given an IP address to visit. Type this out on your PC orMac, and you'll see an exploded view of your phone in your browser,from which you can upload or download media, stream music saved on thephone and even send text messages.
It's a cool feature, radically more useful than the Kiesdesktop software, and, because it uses your Web browser, you can use itanywhere without having to download bulky programs.
The Galaxy S2's keyboard offers a smorgasbord of options. Thedefault keyboard is a standard Qwerty affair with number shortcutsalong the top row.
If you hold your finger down in any text field, you can changethe keyboard to the Swypeoption. With Swype, you don't tap at letters -- instead, you run yourfingers over all the letters in the word in one motion. It's an unbelievably fast system, once you get used to it. In fact, it's been used to break texting records.
Our favourite thing about Swype is that it gives you the ability to accuratelytype long, complicated words with a quick swoop over the keys. Butanother of its advantages is the fact that you're less likely to hitrogue buttons and insert unwanted full stops. That'sbecause Swype uses an algorithm to guess what you're typing, and, evenif it picks the wrong word, whatever it chooses is pristinely spelled.It's also easy to swap incorrect guesses with other words youmight have meant to type.
You can also install alternative keyboards from the AndroidMarket. By default, the Galaxy S2's keyboard makes a noise andvibrates with haptic feedback when you press a key, but both of these features can be turned off in the settings menu.
Vodafoneapps
But the apps are even worse. The Vodafone 360 Shop, which weassume contains Android apps, failed to load, producing an incomprehensibleerror message. The Music Shop wouldn't work when we were connected toWi-Fi. The 360 MyWeb app looked more like an old-fashioned WAP site.And the Updates app won't come in handy until the Shop works, and youchoose to install something from it, which, in our case, will be never.
At least the Music Shop and 360 MyWeb apps can be deleted. You'll just have to pretend the other two don't exist.
Samsungapps
The Social Hub collects together youremail and socialnetworks into one massive, friendly feed. It works without a hitch, butwe'd besurprised if many users choose it over the standard email applicationor theplethora of social-networking apps available in the Android Market.It produces a simple stream of updates, and you can't sort it intoTwitter lists or use similar filters. On the plus side, you can comment and 'Like' directly from the app, and update your status across all yournetworks at once. Compared to apps like TweetDeck and HootSuite,Samsung's effort does the bare minimum.
The Game Hub is much the samestory, offering some free gamesto download. But there's little incentive to visit a secondary appstore whenthe Android Market is so easily accessible, and crammed with manythousands ofgames.
The ebook and music apps are morepromising. The Reader Hublets you download books (powered by Kobo), digital newspapers (fromPressDisplay) and magazines (powered by Zinio). We were initiallysceptical,but there's enough content and variation here to make it worth lookinginto,even if you do ultimately plump for the excellent Kindle app from theAndroidstore. Note that, like the Kindle Store, most of the content in theReader Hub costs money.
The Music Hub is powered by7digital, letting youshop for MP3s. It's functional, but we found the music selection tobe slightly chaotic, with plenty of duplicate entries for popular songs.It'sup against the Amazon MP3 app, which performs the same service, and wefound the Music Hub's prices to be slightly more expensive.
Finally there's Samsung Apps, whichis a secondary, largelyredundant app store. We'd avoid the extra complication and bypass thisentirelyin favour of the Android Market.
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