Samsung Galaxy S II

[mrk Reviews]

Hi again :p

^ Picture updated August 2011, this is how I have my handset configured. You won't see another Droid with the same look at this point in time :p

I've had the GSII not even two days so far and this review will compare it directly to the HTC Desire which it is replacing. I have had the Desire for a year now and it has been rooted since day one, just like this GSII, although no custom ROMs exist for it yet. Root access alone is good enough for now though because out of the box this phone is very good.

Out of the box the phone looks posh and minimalist, and most of all VERY lightweight, far lighter than it looks. There are no two tone colours other than the polished thin bezel and home button surround. Everything else is thin and flat.

^ The battery cover is very slim and very flexible but once attached to the phone it hugs the back of the battery and feels more like a unibody device than you'd imagine.

^ I am using WidgetLocker to customise the lock screen.

Compared to the Desire it's a welcome difference. The Desire's rubberised matte body would show up marks and greasy marks far too easily and the screen smudged quickly as well. not so on the SGSII, the screen seems to be less prone to fingerprints and smudges but when they happen it's easier to wipe with less effort required. The back is textured so doesn't require any cleaning from smudges or whatever else.

The camera lens seems exposed too much for my liking, it might scratch easy down the line.

Some review sites said the bundled headphones were quite good. They are not, they are rubbish but the output from the phone is good and was able to satisfy my musical listening needs via my Sennheiser HD595 and Ultimate Ears 100 series.

The built in speaker is also of a higher quality than the Desire and any other Android phone I have seen. It is not as high quality as higher end Nokia phones or the iPhone 4 though.

The Samsung customisations try to stick to the look and feel of AOSP Gingerbread as much as possible but Samsung has still managed to put in their own apps such as the social/gaming/media hubs. I care not for these so didn't check these out, in fact I removed them from the phone via Titanium Backup.

The Touchwhiz launcher that Samsung use is better than the stock Android launcher but it's still not as customisable compared to others on the Market. I have LauncherPro Plus and GoLauncher EX and have ADW EX in the past. Go Launcher is what I use day in day out.

Samsung's lock screen is possibly the worst lock screen I have ever seen. It's ugly and has a delayed response. This is the reason I paid the ?1.20 odd for WidgetLocker shown above, I would highly recommend this as you can do a lot of stuff with your lock screens and it's relatively cheap as well.

I was quite pleased to see Samsung patched in notification bar widgets for core functions but it would have been nice to customise what widgets are there like in Cyanogen ROMs but I am not complaining here because the phone is already rooted and only a matter of time before custom ROMs start cooking via the good folks at XDA.

As of now the latest version of Android for non tablet devices is 2.3.4 and the GSII ships with 2.3.3

2.3.4 brings video calling via Google Talk and integrates it with the contacts app. It also fixes bugs for the Nexus S that users have reported. The GS II already has video chat integrated so thumbs up to Samsung for having this feature in already.

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That's the overview out of the way, let's discuss speed and differences to virtually all other phones out right now.

This phone beats them and beats them hard. It's so fast at almost everything. You click the camera and in less than 1 second it's loaded and ready to take a picture or record video. Those 1.2GHz cores are being utilised throughout the phone very effectively. The browser has been modified by Samsung and is hardware accelerated too, you can see this acceleration in action in pinch zooming, scrolling and navigating tabs (windows). It also accelerates page rendering by the looks of it. Pages load faster and even with active media running pages still scroll and zoom as fast as ever.

The multitouch capabilities are up there with the Atrix and 2X, I was able to register all 10 fingers but sadly I don't have more to spare and there's very little room for more fingers to touch the screen :p Maybe a test with my nephews and nieces one day though haha!

Once you've used a 4.3" phone as slim and as fast as this, everything else just feels old fashioned. It really does spoil you. I feel it's on a level above the iPhone 4 in all aspects bar very fine text reading but the pixel rendering of the Retina display lends itself well there although at less than 4" screen size it it dwarfed. The GSII's Super AMOLED+ display is magnificent as well and will wow anyone who uses it.

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Over all I think it's a big step up from the HTC Desire. I use my smartphone quite a lot, it is my navigator, appointment keeper, social networker, communicator and my portable imager and speaking of imager, the camera is very good too, probably inline with what I've shot with the iPhone 4 really (maybe better in many areas). The camcorder auto focuses while it's recording too which is nice but it focus hunts in low light, maybe a software bug, I don't know. There are many settings within the camera software. ISO ranges from 100 to 800 and metering can be spot, centre weighted or matrix. You can even control the exposure compensation and apply basic filters and effects. Video settings include resolutions in standard form from mobile video to 480P, 720P and 1080P.

Here's a picture I shot at night at iso400, 1/40sec using the stock camera app.

More samples with and without flash can be seen in an update here and daylight samples here

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The battery life seems to be better than the Desire although heavy usage of media apps does drain the battery (expected) although I haven't run the usual charge cycles fully yet so I will give it a week before putting a final thought to battery life.

Can't wait until the MHL cables are out so I can plug it in to a HDTV and play NES/MEGADRIVE and also wathc HD movies. A sidenote on gaming, you can't pair a Wiimote etc with this over bluetooth like you can on AOSP ROMs, the same goes for HTC phones running Sense. Need a custom ROM...

Speaking of movies, this will play 1080p videos no problems and hardware acceleration works in both Flash and local media too and I found no problems playing media but do note that if you intend to watch BluRay rips on this then filesizes should be split into 5GB chunks as the storage is FAT32 formatted and then just playlist the chunks in the media player. I use Mobo Player for video playback as it has an excellent UI and folder watcher system.

What about using the phone in sunlight?

My Desire was just about readable in sunlight but I tried to use it in the shade as much as possible. It had an AMOLED display so was easier to read than LCD phones but still sometimes you'd struggle and have to squint.

The Galaxy S II is excellent in sunlight as you can see from this picture:

VIEW HIGH RES

I had no trouble reading text but I do note that the screen is glass fronted so you probably want to avoid glare from the sun (as with all glass fronted phones).

The microphone on this phone is very good too, the voice recorder app Samsung include is quite flash as well with a very smooth equaliser graph that loioks very cool.

Here's an audio recording I did with the app: http://robbiekhan.co.uk/root/android/Rec001.3ga (play on your smartphone or use VLC)

Missing bits and stuff "I" don't like (but ultimately should be sorted in custom ROMs):

1: No silent state in the volume up/down, only volume + vibrate.

2: No option to adjust lock screen timeout.

3: Screen cannot be left awake while plugged in, the option has been removed by Samsung.

4: Cannot enable private browsing in the default browser.

5: Cannot enable user agent switching in the browser. - Type about:useragent in the URL bar, thanks H!

6: Camera zooms in a bit when set to 1080p, this seems to be the norm for many phones though.

7: Cannot customise notification bar widgets.

8: Cannot turn off camera sounds. I deleted them using root explorer instead, requires root.

9: Cannot manually focus when recording a video, would have been nice to manually fix the focus to a subject! You also cannot zoom when recording in 1080p, only 720p or below. The focus hunt when recording can be annoying at times but I'm sure this is more a software thing. Video sample at the end of this post.

11: Samsung's T9 dialler is very nice but when using the search function it only lists the first number for a contact if they have more than 1 applied to their card, this is an issue because you can't click them in the search result and view other numbers, it immediately starts dialling that one number instead. In this regard I highly recommend Dialer One using the dark theme. It's very good and also supports landscape orientation (Samsung one does too) unlike other diallers (HTC etc). ***UPDATE*** I found a solution to this although a secondary issue still remains. See my update in this post.

12: There are many areas that trap dust in the casing, I guess this is a problem for a lot of devices these days but it's nothing major for a device that's got grilles and filters protecting the internals. Below are a set of macro photographs showing where the dust gets trapped:

And to finish, few more photos and a video sample:

Vs iPhone 4

The stuff I'm using:

Launcher:

- GoLauncher EX

- Custom dock icons

Lockscreen mod:

- WidgetLocker

Homescreen widgets:

- Minimalist Text

- Snowstorm (weather)

Keyboard:

- Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread (modded version from Cyanogen 7 nightly)

Root method:

- @ XDA Devs, www.goo.gl/3MY0x

Until next time, thanks for reading!

UPDATE 2

Cases info in my update post here.

[TheElite]

Looks good! Definitely looks like they've sorted out some of the performance issues that were prevalent in the Galaxy S.

My uncle has his on order. Will give it a test when it comes.

Do you think that an upgrade from my Galaxy S is worth it?

[mrk Reviews]

If your S is rooted and it's all good then I'd say stick with the S and get a quad core phone this fall. The differences between this and the S are still quite wide though but the S is no chump :p

[ShadowPHP]

Slightly off topic - but what keyboard do you have on your desk???

[TheElite]

If your S is rooted and it's all good then I'd say stick with the S and get a quad core phone this fall. The differences between this and the S are still quite wide though but the S is no chump :p

Yeah I just managed to put CyanogenMod 7 on it last night and it runs nice.

Quad core phones this fall? Wow. The mobile phone industry is moving lightning quick. (Y) Will have to give it a little wait then.

Slightly off topic - but what keyboard do you have on your desk???

He's got the Logitech K750 Solar keyboard.

[Digitalx]

can't wait to upgrade from desire to this when it becomes relatively available down this part of the earth... It's a good phone but atm can't justify paying ?580-?600 or so to be one of first with it lol. good review though :)

this picture:

certainly demonstrates the SAMOLED quality blacks ... can't even see where the screen and bezel end :cool: other then where the sliders show.

[Billus]

Sound will be excellent once Voodoo sound or equivalent makes it onto the phone and unlocks the full potential of the built in amp, like it did with the Galaxy S. The Galaxy S trumps the iPod/Phone/s, my Zune 120 and my mates Nokia N8.

Great review by the way. How is the video/sound quality, particularly at live gigs? My Galaxy S produces good video but the sound is complete crap. I know that some phones are able to lower their microphones dynamically and adjust to the current surroundings. Does the S2 do this as well?

[The_Observer]

nice looking at getting this phone! 1300NZD is the price tag, but i would like to know more about the battery, i consider myself a heavy of on-line things, twitter, Facebook, rss feeds.

[Billus]

nice looking at getting this phone! 1300NZD is the price tag, but i would like to know more about the battery, i consider myself a heavy of on-line things, twitter, Facebook, rss feeds.

Engadget reviewed its battery life. Should be able to get two days of use or so.

[mrk Reviews]

Cheers all! I am using the Cyanogen keyboard which is stock 2.3 but modded with some extras like long press delay which I find useful.

Sound will be excellent once Voodoo sound or equivalent makes it onto the phone and unlocks the full potential of the built in amp, like it did with the Galaxy S. The Galaxy S trumps the iPod/Phone/s, my Zune 120 and my mates Nokia N8.

Great review by the way. How is the video/sound quality, particularly at live gigs? My Galaxy S produces good video but the sound is complete crap. I know that some phones are able to lower their microphones dynamically and adjust to the current surroundings. Does the S2 do this as well?

Is there any date on the Voodoo release? Sounds amazing!

Sound quality of the videorecorder is very good, the mic supresses noise and in the call you can enable noise reduction and so on. There are various videos on Youtube too to demonstrate mic quality in videos.

[MiG-]

Cheers all! I am using the Cyanogen keyboard which is stock 2.3 but modded with some extras like long press delay which I find useful.

Is there any date on the Voodoo release? Sounds amazing!

Sound quality of the videorecorder is very good, the mic supresses noise and in the call you can enable noise reduction and so on. There are various videos on Youtube too to demonstrate mic quality in videos.

Currently it is unknown whether the SGS II will receive Voodoo Sound, as it is not known whether the chip used is any good (Some sort of Yahama chip), or being restricted like it was the SGS.

The SGS 1 uses a uber high-end Woflson DAC that when shipped with 2.1, had a terrible EQ applied by default in the driver. in 2.2, this EQ was removed but the sound was still a bit iffy (FM Radio especially, No Bass and terrible processing). A guy over at XDA played about with the Kernel source to remove all the crap and get the output as clean and provide a few tweaks.

The results are a source that i've found hard to beat. I would love a parametric EQ now as it is insanely clear and flat, sometimes a bit of Bass wouldn't go a miss (It does support this, but needs the driver modifying).

The SGS 1 also had a terrible Mic recording, which Voodoo Sound fixes (And gives various pre-sets).

The SGS 1 also had terrible display settings out of the box, which has also been fixed with custom kernels.

Also, the blacks are amazing on these panels but much like on the SGS1, the whites do suffer because of this. They are like an off-grey.

[Vice]

Looks like an iPhone 4 running Android to me. Is that the look they were going for?

[TheElite]

Looks like an iPhone 4 running Android to me. Is that the look they were going for?

The iPhone has a very generic look. Most new phones look similar due to this.

[mrk Reviews]

Currently it is unknown whether the SGS II will receive Voodoo Sound, as it is not known whether the chip used is any good (Some sort of Yahama chip), or being restricted like it was the SGS.

The SGS 1 uses a uber high-end Woflson DAC that when shipped with 2.1, had a terrible EQ applied by default in the driver. in 2.2, this EQ was removed but the sound was still a bit iffy (FM Radio especially, No Bass and terrible processing). A guy over at XDA played about with the Kernel source to remove all the crap and get the output as clean and provide a few tweaks.

The results are a source that i've found hard to beat. I would love a parametric EQ now as it is insanely clear and flat, sometimes a bit of Bass wouldn't go a miss (It does support this, but needs the driver modifying).

The SGS 1 also had a terrible Mic recording, which Voodoo Sound fixes (And gives various pre-sets).

The SGS 1 also had terrible display settings out of the box, which has also been fixed with custom kernels.

Also, the blacks are amazing on these panels but much like on the SGS1, the whites do suffer because of this. They are like an off-grey.

Ah that's a pretty clear explanation thanks! if it does use a similar chip then this could also mean that camcorder recordings could further be improved as well?

[Swift-R]

May I have those home screens icons? :blush:

[mrk Reviews]

May I have those home screens icons? :blush:

Here you go!

http://robbiekhan.co.uk/root/android/desktops/icons/

[Chasethebase Reporter]

Those folder icons, are they default? This isn't looking good for Samsung in Apple's case if that's true.

[mrk Reviews]

No that's my launcher (Go Launcher EX).

[Digitalx]

nice looking at getting this phone! 1300NZD is the price tag, but i would like to know more about the battery, i consider myself a heavy of on-line things, twitter, Facebook, rss feeds.

If you wait till June we should be getting it a bit more locally for about $1000 so better off waiting till then also vodafone are getting it apparently eventually won't be till late june or july though i think.

[crazzyyfool]

Good review. I have just ordered this phone - coming from an iPhone 3G user. I can't wait. I'll have my sexy SGSII Monday. :blush:

[carmatic]

Yeah I just managed to put CyanogenMod 7 on it last night and it runs nice.

didnt they say that the CM7 still has bugs etc?

[Boz]

Looks like an iPhone 4 running Android to me. Is that the look they were going for?

Ha ha.. Galaxy 2 is light years ahead of iPhone 4. It's not even worth comparing and the OS really doesn't look like anything like iOS because it's 10 times better and more useful not to mention smarter and doesn't require garbage iTunes and other stuff. If you ever used an Android phone and Google Apps, you would see what "magic" really is.

[Roger H. Veteran]

Aww man, I think this will be my next phone. I had my Nexus and loved it then got the Inspire 4G (Desire HD) and liked it but dunno, maybe it was too heavy? Now i'm rocking a WP7 Samsung Focus and while i miss the metalic feel, plastic does feel a whole lot lighter :D I think 4" is also the perfect size too. I also told my self that my next phone needs to have Super AMOLED!! The screen on the focus is gorgeous but WP7 still feels a little "young" now. I'll test it out again another time but for now going back to Android.

(Had an iPhone 4 - some guy traded me his for my Inpsire 4G, didn't like it though, seemed too small plus just didn't seem as "magical" as i thought it would be)

[Jan Veteran]

Ha ha.. Galaxy 2 is light years ahead of iPhone 4. It's not even worth comparing and the OS really doesn't look like anything like iOS because it's 10 times better and more useful not to mention smarter and doesn't require garbage iTunes and other stuff. If you ever used an Android phone and Google Apps, you would see what "magic" really is.

Not even going to bother.

[mrk Reviews]

I'm exploring a haunted house tomorrow with a mate of mine (previous Urbex pics here: http://robbiekhan.co.uk ) so expect an update demoing the HD camcorder being put to actual use instead of just some trees, cars and **** ;)

(Had an iPhone 4 - some guy traded me his for my Inpsire 4G, didn't like it though, seemed too small plus just didn't seem as "magical" as i thought it would be)

But the iPhone 4 changes "everything", again!

;)