Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 phone: characteristics, comparison with competitors and reviews. Well forgotten old: review of the Samsung Galaxy S II Plus smartphone Samsung galaxy s2 i9100 Korea
Samsung has seriously taken up the project of conquering gadget lovers around the world. Last year we saw a beautiful and controversial masterpiece at the same time - the Galaxy S i9000. Wonderful, because hardly anyone remained indifferent after getting to know this smartphone. Its thinness, excellent performance and the most colorful display left a lasting impression. And the model was controversial because of the glossy plastic case, which at such a price did not look very presentable, as well as some similarities with the competitor “X”.
Galaxy S has become not just popular, it has truly become a religion of android engineering. Other manufacturers looked up to it, they tried to catch up with it in terms of performance, camera quality, etc. Did anyone succeed in this last year? No. May fans of other manufacturers and owners of other flagships of last year forgive me, but the SGS was fast, had a lot of memory on board and, something no one can boast of, the pictures and videos taken with the Galaxy turned out to be Hollywood-like. The first to encroach on the position of leader in photography and videography was , but this is already a new year’s model. And the Galaxy S easily competes with it.
Surprisingly, Samsung managed to release not just good smartphone, but a good long-lasting smartphone. While, by the standards of modern smartphone manufacturing, life Galaxy term S had to fade, the second nexus came out - Nexus S, based on the i9000. After some time, the company releases modifications of the Galaxy S with a different display and a different processor. Surprisingly, even after a year, the smartphone remains relevant almost as much as before. Many of my friends are buying SGS right now, due to the reduced cost and lack of alternatives for the money. I recommend it myself. If you don't already know, I have both a Nexus S and a Galaxy S in my family.
But if you are content with a successful product for a long time, you can follow the path of company “N”. And company “M” will be happy to enter into a partnership with you after some time. It's as if we wrote one successful article, and then didn't write anything for a month. Samsung understands this, so today we will talk not about the i9000, but about the i9100 or Samsung Galaxy S 2.
This is the direct successor of the legendary “galaxy”. Since the parent was a concrete revolutionary in the market, the son should be raised in the best traditions. And it will turn out proportionally better. What happened?
Design and first impressions
Before I first got acquainted with the SGS 2, I was prepared for the following: it is thin, too wide and not very comfortable to hold in your hand. Objectively, this is true. Subjectively, I have huge paws and the sizes are comfortable for me. In the video review, I spin it easily in one hand, demonstrating its appearance. The Galaxy S 2 is truly incredibly thin at just 8.5mm. If for the first SGS I asked the question: “How did all this fit in such a weight?”, now I pose the question: “How did so much technological goodness fit into a smartphone as thick as tights?”
The feeling from the case materials is not enthusiastic. I admired the case, although these devices are in different price categories. The body is completely plastic, and in some places the plastic seems to be of lower quality than in the first Galaxy S. The phone is assembled well, during use I could not feel the appearance of any gaps, I think there will be no problems with this. There is no flexibility of the case in bending and torsion, which I observed in the SE Xperia arc. There are much fewer glossy surfaces, for example, all back cover corrugated. Of course, it doesn’t feel like an expensive thing, as is the case with the iPhone 4, but this is at the level of stereotypes. It’s interesting that Samsung really doesn’t pay attention to such “little things” as metal in the case, but users don’t go on strike over this issue either.
The design clearly shows the features of its predecessor, but the second “galaxy” does not evoke such strong associations with its competitor. Now this is a unique model, no one will consider you a poor smartphone owner who has not saved up for a competitor. To complete the experience, you need to not only twirl the smartphone in your hands, but also turn on the display. This is what gives the most originality to the model.
Overall, the impressions were great, but I won’t lie, I expected a little more.
Location of elements and their description
Let's move on to the tedious part of the review - looking at the elements located on the sides of the SGS 2.
At the front we see a large 4.27″ display with a resolution of 480x800 pixels, made using Super AMOLED Plus technology. The resolution is the same as on the previous model, but with a larger diagonal the clarity should be less. But she's more! The reason for this is the abandonment of PenTile technology; now there are not two, but three subpixels located at one point. It looks like this:
In practice, the 4.27″ picture of the SGS 2 is clearer than the 4″ picture of the SGS. The screen continues to amaze with its colors, I think for a smartphone and mobile device in general - Super AMOLED (even without the PLUS prefix) is the right technology. In addition, now you can adjust the image temperature yourself by choosing a comfortable range of colors for yourself in the settings.
The control key block is similar to that in the original SGS. Above the screen there is a front camera, proximity and light sensors, and a speaker.
On the right is the key to lock the screen and turn on the device, on the left is the volume key.
The MicroUSB connector is now at the bottom and this is correct; in the first model the location was not the best. Or rather, the only worse placement would be on the front side, near the screen. On top there is only a headphone jack left. There is also a microphone on the top and bottom.
The back side pleased with its practicality. The gloss remained, but only at the very bottom, on the ledge. By the way, this particular solution may not be the most successful, because with this protrusion the phone will rest on all surfaces and will definitely become matted over time. And the quality of the glossy plastic seemed worse to me than in the original Galaxy S, but in general, of course, this arrangement of materials is better.
What is very surprising is the camera. In a body of such thickness they placed not just a camera “for show”, but a full-fledged photo and video camera. Both photographs and videos are of excellent quality and without any discounts on thickness. Photos can be taken with a maximum resolution of 8 MP, and video in 1080p. The manufacturer claims a frame rate of 30 fps even at maximum resolution, but the naked eye can see that the picture is much smoother in 720p.
I can call the Samsung Galaxy S 2 camera, if not the best, then one of the 2-3 best on the phone market in general. At such a size! Yay-yay-yay to all competitors! This is exactly the smartphone that you can safely take on vacation instead of a photo and video camera. This is not a “DSLR”, but it is a very high-quality solution for good memory.
Sample photos
Video examples
The battery cover is so thin that it is difficult to simply grasp without bending it. However, the plastic is elastic; you are unlikely to break it if you use the phone without fanaticism.
We see under the cover battery capacity 1650 mAh. This is almost a record capacity among Android smartphones. The battery of the same capacity is installed in the Samsung i9003 Galaxy SL, but the Galaxy S 2 lasts longer on a single charge. This is due to the more energy-efficient display technology, even compared to the previous generation Super AMOLED, Plus is more careful with the battery. The processor also reduces the frequency when tasks do not require all the performance. The SGS2 easily lasted for a day and looked much nicer in terms of autonomy than my Nexus S.
Card slots are located above the battery MicroSD memory and SIM cards.
Unfortunately, the camera key was never attached; with such dimensions, taking photographs while aiming at the key on the display is not very convenient.
BY
The smartphone is sold with latest version Android - 2.3 Gingerbread. As you would expect, TouchWiz fourth edition was pulled on top of Android. Among the features, I would like to note the modified function of adding widgets or icons to the desktop, advanced settings for energy saving, and many others system settings. The Samsung Galaxy S 2 features a gyroscope. For example, you can zoom images in the gallery or scale pages in the browser by slightly tilting the body, after placing two fingers on the screen. It’s pretty cool, I’ll tell you, and it works well.
I'm glad to see photo and video editors right in the stock smartphone. The controls in these applications are intuitive, and they may be useful to you.
Specifications
This strong point devices. Galaxy S 2 is Samsung's first dual-core smartphone and is powered by a proprietary Exynos 4210 processor clocked at 1.2 GHz. When compared with Nvidia Tegra 2, the difference is unnoticeable. However, there is a nuance: all games developed for dual-core processors are sharpened (read: imposed by marketers) for Tegra 2. Of course, the Galaxy S 2 can easily cope with them, but it cannot be done without adding additional software.
The smartphone not only works quickly, the interface literally flies out of your hands. While using it, I didn’t notice any quirks from TouchWiz. 1 GB random access memory take running applications almost impossible.
The main memory of the smartphone is formatted in FAT32, which negates the ability to record large files. The need for such files on the phone is negligible, but the fact itself is not encouraging.
Audio playback is good. The sound quality should satisfy the unbiased music lover, but it is inferior to the iPhone 4.
Videos of many formats are played out of the box, DivX/XVid are supported.
- Dimensions: 125.30 x 66.10 x 8.49 mm
- Weight: 116 g
- operating system: Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread
- CPU: Exynos 4210 1.2 GHz
- Display: capacitive, 4.27 inches, Super AMOLED Plus, 480x800 pixels
- Memory: 16/32 GB flash, microSD slot (up to 32 GB)
- RAM: 1 GB
- Camera: 8 MP, video recording in 1080p, front camera
- Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0+EDR (A2DP),
- Interface connectors: microUSB, 3.5 mm headphone jack
- Battery: lithium-ion, 1650 mAh
conclusions
Before I said that we have one of the most anticipated new products of the year in our hands, I looked through several large forums and everywhere the discussion threads for the Samsung Galaxy S 2 have already grown larger than the threads of most established models. This despite the fact that the smartphone is not yet sold everywhere. The receiver of the first SGS was interesting long before the announcement; many tried to guess what it would be like. Were your expectations met? I can’t say that this is an ideal smartphone for some reasons, including a self-developed processor, a plastic case and others, but these are minor things. But there were more questions about the first Galaxy S, just remember all the negativity that poured in its direction because of the completely glossy case. However, the model became a real bestseller, even I had to buy it.
It’s a little confusing that the model has a chance to become a kind of passing link between the Galaxy S and Galaxy S 3, which, according to some rumors, may appear as early as this fall. The point is not that the second generation will immediately lose its relevance, but the question will arise as to why the manufacturer is so quickly introducing a replacement for the flagship to the market. But in my opinion, this should not happen for completely banal reasons - 3-4 months is too short a period for the life of a flagship. In the third quarter second Galaxy should only get to the states, so the autumn three will most likely remain a rumor.
My opinion is that this is one of the most multifunctional and technically advanced smartphones. I think the Galaxy S 2 will be great for advanced bloggers and journalists, when at any moment there may be a need to create high-quality material and post it on a website without being at their desk. You can shoot a “hot” video (in a good way), edit it, describe it and publish it on your blog or resource. Well, isn't it a song?
Samsung devices are, without a doubt, considered the best among representatives mobile phones. Even the old versions have their own twists and are still capable of surprising.
Functionality of previous years' models
The evolution of mobile devices does not stand still; literally every day something new appears in phones. However, phones Samsung old The models look quite tolerable compared to many of their contemporaries.
The S2 i9100 device is capable of competing in terms of functions, if not with modern flagships, then with phones located in the middle price category. For a device released back in 2011, this is a huge advantage.
Design
The i9100 has a discreet appearance. At first glance, it will be difficult to determine the functional flagship of 2011.
The body of the device is made entirely of plastic, which does not provide much presentability. But among the models produced at that time, the phone stood out pleasantly against the general background.
There are three buttons on the case for operating the phone. On the sides there are keys to turn the device on and off, and at the bottom of the front side there is a button to wake the phone from sleep mode.
On the front side, in addition to the wake-up button, there is a four-inch screen, an additional camera, a speaker for calls, as well as light and proximity sensors.
The back cover covering the battery is made of rough plastic for more comfortable use of the phone.
On the back panel there is a main camera with 8 megapixels and a flash, and below, near the company logo, is the main speaker of the device.
At the end there is a headphone input on top, and a USB connector on the bottom. But that's not all, there are microphones at the top and bottom for stereo recording.
It should be noted that the device is much thinner than many phones, and this increases the comfort of use.
Display
One of the greatest advantages at any Samsung phones is the display. Regardless of the increase in diagonal sizes, the company remains on top, improving and complementing the screens.
Compared to the previous model, the Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100 has a slightly larger screen, now its diagonal is 4.3 inches.
Display in Galaxy device S2 has acquired Super AMOLED technology with the Plus prefix, which significantly improves image quality. This technology provides deeper images and amazing brightness.
In addition to using new technology, manufacturers have also improved the behavior of the screen in bright light. And for greater protection, mineral glass is used to protect the display. Samsung i9100 Galaxy S2 is capable of adjusting the backlight automatically or manually.
The phone screen has a resolution of 480 pixels by 800 and is capable of displaying 16 million colors. Among his competitors in 2011, he was one of the best.
Camera
Another hallmark of Samsung is its amazing quality cameras. Doesn't disappoint and samsung camera Galaxy S2 i9100. Simple and intuitive settings allow you to accurately adjust the camera to your needs.
The Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100 is equipped with an eight-megapixel camera and has a resolution of 3264 by 2448. A fairly good camera, even for modern phones, allows you to take high-quality and deep pictures.
The LED flash installed on the device helps you use the camera in the dark at a distance of approximately several meters.
It has two megapixels, which is good when working with communication applications.
Video recording on the Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100 is carried out in a resolution of 1920 by 1080 and at a shooting speed of 30 frames per second. However, if you use the camera for a long time, you will need a lot of recording space. The sound of camera recordings is improved due to additional microphones that record in stereo.
Filling
At one time, the filling of the Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100 in the form of a 1.2 GHz processor, as well as one gigabyte of RAM, looked very attractive. And even now such hardware can compete with many budget devices.
The phone works without problems with video with a resolution of 1080 p. There will not be any particular difficulties in using many useful programs.
System
The Samsung Galaxy S2 gt i9100 device uses the Android 2.3 system. Unfortunately, it narrows the choice of programs and games to install.
The appearance of the system used has been redesigned to match the corporate cover and has some nice additions.
The main changes affected appearance shell, some widgets have been changed and redesigned, and stuttering has been fixed.
There were certain shortcomings in the standard system on the Samsung Galaxy S2 gt i9100. The firmware had limitations in the amount of online video loaded into the buffer. Most likely, these shortcomings will disappear when installing more new version android.
Memory
The Samsung Galaxy S2 gt i9100 device is equipped with 16 or 32 gigabytes of memory. In addition to the available memory, it is possible to increase its capacity using a flash card.
The phone is capable of working with cards up to 32 gigabytes. As noted in the reviews, when using a flash drive with a capacity of 32 GB, problems with the operation of the device do not arise.
Battery
The device is equipped with a rather weak battery with a capacity of 1650 mAH, which is clearly not enough for the Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100. The high-capacity battery begs to be replaced with the installed one.
The device is quite capable of functioning all day long if you do not work very actively. With constant use and the Internet turned on, the time will be reduced to approximately 4-6 hours.
The battery for the Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100 will most likely have to be replaced with a more powerful analogue, because 1650 maH is not enough for such a device.
Sound
The phone's speaker produces very high-quality sound, and there are no complaints about the microphone's performance. An interesting advantage is that the rear speaker, despite its small size, produces quite tolerable and pleasant sound.
In addition, the presence of two microphones that allow you to create stereo recordings looks like a nice bonus.
Additional features
The smartphone is equipped with the usual functions - Bluetooth 3.0, microUSB 2.0, Wi-Fi, GPRS, EDGE. The device supports operation in GSM 800, 2100, 900, 180 modes.
Equipment
The device package includes already familiar things. Among them are headphones, a battery with a capacity of 1650 maH, network adapter and USB cable.
Navigation
Standard navigation program that works with Google maps, copes with his responsibilities quite well. In addition to the route itself, the program displays traffic jams, which is undoubtedly a plus for motorists.
The main disadvantage of working with the program is its constant dependence on the network connection. Accordingly, it affects both the traffic consumed and the increased battery consumption.
Dimensions
The smartphone is noticeably thinner than its predecessor, due to this the weight of the device has also decreased. The smartphone, having a thickness of only 8.49 millimeters, weighs 116 grams.
Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.
| Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 66.1 mm (millimeters) 6.61 cm (centimeters) 0.22 ft (feet) 2.6 in (inches) |
| Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 125.3 mm (millimeters) 12.53 cm (centimeters) 0.41 ft (feet) 4.93 in (inches) |
| Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units measurements. | 8.5 mm (millimeters) 0.85 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft (feet) 0.33 in (inches) |
| Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 116 g (grams) 0.26 lbs 4.09 oz (ounces) |
| Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. | 70.4 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 4.28 in³ (cubic inches) |
SIM card
The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.
Mobile networks
A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.
Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds
Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.
SoC (System on Chip)
A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.
| SoC (System on Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components, such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation. | Samsung Exynos 4 Dual 4210 |
| Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is manufactured. Nanometers measure half the distance between elements in the processor. | 45 nm (nanometers) |
| Processor (CPU) The primary function of a mobile device's processor (CPU) is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications. | ARM Cortex-A9 |
| Processor size The size (in bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of the registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have more high performance compared to 32-bit processors, which for their part are more productive than 16-bit processors. | 32 bit |
| Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute. | ARMv7 |
| Level 1 cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently used data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small in size and works much faster than both system memory and other cache levels. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for it in the L2 cache. On some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2. | 32 kB + 32 kB (kilobytes) |
| Level 2 cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1 cache, but in return it has a higher capacity, allowing it to cache more data. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or in RAM memory. | 1024 kB (kilobytes) 1 MB (megabytes) |
| Number of processor cores The processor core executes software instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to be executed in parallel. | 2 |
| CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 1200 MHz (megahertz) |
| Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) Graphics processing unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphic applications. IN mobile devices it is used most often by games, consumer interface, video applications, etc. | ARM Mali-400 MP4 |
| Number of GPU cores Like a CPU, a GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle graphics calculations for various applications. | 4 |
| GPU clock speed Running speed is the clock speed of the GPU, measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 266 MHz (megahertz) |
| Amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted. | 1 GB (gigabytes) |
| Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device. | LPDDR2 |
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.
Memory cards
Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.
Screen
The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
| Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the quality of the information image directly depends. | Super AMOLED Plus |
| Diagonal For mobile devices, screen size is expressed by the length of its diagonal, measured in inches. | 4.3 in (inches) 109.22 mm (millimeters) 10.92 cm (centimeters) |
| Width Approximate screen width | 2.21 in (inches) 56.19 mm (millimeters) 5.62 cm (centimeters) |
| Height Approximate screen height | 3.69 in (inches) 93.66 mm (millimeters) 9.37 cm (centimeters) |
| Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.667:1 5:3 |
| Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means clearer image detail. | 480 x 800 pixels |
| Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be displayed on the screen with clearer detail. | 217 ppi (pixels per inch) 85ppcm (pixels per centimeter) |
| Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about maximum quantity colors that the screen can show. | 24 bit 16777216 flowers |
| Screen area Approximate percentage of screen area occupied by the screen on the front of the device. | 63.75% (percentage) |
| Other characteristics Information about other screen features and characteristics. | Capacitive Multi-touch Scratch resistance |
| Corning Gorilla Glass |
Sensors
Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.
Rear camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its back panel and may be combined with one or more secondary cameras.
| Sensor type Information about the camera sensor type. Some of the most widely used types of sensors in mobile device cameras are CMOS, BSI, ISOCELL, etc. | CMOS BSI (backside illumination) |
| Sensor size Information about the dimensions of the photosensor used in the device. Typically cameras with larger sensors and lower pixel densities offer more high quality images despite the lower resolution. | 4.54 x 3.42 mm (millimeters) 0.22 in (inches) |
| Pixel size Pixels are usually measured in microns. Larger pixels are able to capture more light and therefore provide better low-light photography and wider dynamic range than smaller pixels. On the other hand, smaller pixels allow for higher resolution while maintaining the same sensor size. | 1.391 µm (micrometers) 0.001391 mm (millimeters) |
| Crop factor The crop factor is the ratio between the dimensions of the full-frame sensor (36 x 24 mm, equivalent to a frame of standard 35 mm film) and the dimensions of the device's photosensor. The indicated number represents the ratio of the diagonals of the full-frame sensor (43.3 mm) and the photosensor specific device. | 7.61 |
| ISO (light sensitivity) The ISO value/number indicates the sensitivity of the sensor to light. Digital camera sensors operate within a specific ISO range. The higher the ISO number, the more sensitive the sensor is to light. | 100 - 800 |
| Svetlosila F-stop (also known as aperture, aperture, or f-number) is a measure of the size of a lens's aperture, which determines the amount of light entering the sensor. The lower the f-number, the larger the aperture and the more light reaches the sensor. Typically the f-number is specified to correspond to the maximum possible aperture of the aperture. | f/2.6 |
| Focal length Focal length indicates the distance in millimeters from the sensor to the optical center of the lens. Equivalent focal length (35mm) is the focal length of a mobile device camera equal to the focal length of a 35mm full-frame sensor, which will achieve the same viewing angle. It is calculated by multiplying the actual focal length of a mobile device's camera by the crop factor of its sensor. Crop factor can be defined as the ratio between the diagonals of a 35 mm full-frame sensor and the sensor of a mobile device. | 3.97 mm (millimeters) 30.22 mm (millimeters) *(35 mm / full frame) |
| Flash type The rear (rear) cameras of mobile devices mainly use LED flashes. They can be configured with one, two or more light sources and vary in shape. | LED |
| Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of cameras is resolution. It represents the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in an image. For convenience, smartphone manufacturers often list resolution in megapixels, indicating the approximate number of pixels in millions. | 3264 x 2448 pixels 7.99 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum video resolution that the camera can record. | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
| Video recording speed (frame rate) Information about the maximum recording speed (frames per second, fps) supported by the camera at maximum resolution. Some of the most basic video recording speeds are 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps. | 30fps (frames per second) |
| Characteristics Information about additional software and hardware features of the rear (rear) camera. | Autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Digital image stabilization Geographical tags Panoramic photography Face recognition White Balance Adjustment ISO Setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene Selection Mode Macro mode |
Front-camera
Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a rotating camera, a cutout or hole in the display, an under-display camera.
Audio
Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Location determination
Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.
WiFi
Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.
| Version There are several Bluetooth versions, while each subsequent one improves communication speed, coverage, and facilitates easier detection and connection of devices. Information about the Bluetooth version of the device. | 3.0 |
| Characteristics Bluetooth uses different profiles and protocols that provide faster data transfer, energy savings, improved device discovery, etc. Some of these profiles and protocols that the device supports are shown here. | A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) AVCTP (Audio/Video Control Transport Protocol) AVDTP (Audio/Video Distribution Transport Protocol) AVRCP (Audio/Visual Remote Control Profile) GAVDP (Generic Audio/Video Distribution Profile) GAP (Generic Access Profile) HFP (Hands-Free Profile) HID (Human Interface Profile) HSP (Headset Profile) MAP (Message Access Profile) OPP (Object Push Profile) PBAP/PAB (Phone Book Access Profile) SPP ( Serial Port protocol) SAP/SIM/rSAP (SIM Access Profile) H.S. |
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.
HDMI
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a digital audio/video interface that replaces older analog audio/video standards.
Headphone jack
This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connecting devices
Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
| Browser Information about some of the main characteristics and standards supported by the device's browser. | HTML Flash |
Audio file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support different audio file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital audio data.
Video file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.
Battery
Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.
| Capacity A battery's capacity indicates the maximum charge it can hold, measured in milliamp-hours. | 1650 mAh (milliamp-hours) |
| Type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries being the most commonly used batteries in mobile devices. | Li-Ion (Lithium-ion) |
| 2G talk time 2G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 2G network. | 18 hours 20 minutes 18.3 h (hours) 1099.8 min (minutes) 0.8 days |
| 2G latency 2G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network. | 710 h (hours) 42600 min (minutes) 29.6 days |
| 3G talk time 3G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 3G network. | 8 hours 40 minutes 8.7 h (hours) 520.2 min (minutes) 0.4 days |
| 3G latency 3G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network. | 610 h (hours) 36600 min (minutes) 25.4 days |
| Characteristics Information about some additional characteristics of the device's battery. | Removable |
Predecessor of this smartphone — Samsung model Galaxy S was very successful, the company did not expect such success (both in sales and reviews of the device). As we see Samsung Galaxy S2 became a bestseller in every sense. The model has powerful characteristics, thin body, very high-quality display, etc. The model set a new standard for a flagship. What's so special about it? You can find out about this by reading our review.
Samsung Galaxy S II is the new phone of the Korean company Samsung and the successor best smartphones today, thanks to the processor with 1.2 GHz clock frequency, ultra slim body and truly wonderful ergonomics.
The race for dual-core processors is intensifying more and more, the LG Optimus 2 can already be found in the market. With the advent of Motorola Atrix, and , the race for the throne in the market will always be uncertain, and all eyes of loyal Samsung fans and customers are fixed on the Samsung Galaxy II hope that it will be successful like its predecessor. The Samsung Galaxy S II is simply incredibly thin, provided that its size cannot be considered small. Although it measures 125.3mm x 66.1mm, the 8.5mm thickness of the device is truly an innovation, making it one of the thinnest mobile phones on the market, next to and Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc.
Contents of delivery:
Telephone
Battery Li-Ion 1650 mAh
Wired stereo headset
USB cable
Charger
Design
There are many different opinions and visions here. Some people judge by the picture and say that this model has the same appearance as its predecessor, while others complain that the device has become wider. Some expected a change in design. Samsung decided that the design first Galaxy S is successful, so we decided not to change it.
Due to the fact that the device became larger, it was made thinner. only 8.5 mm, and this makes the device one of the thinnest devices on the market.
For clarity, we present the dimensions of the phone - 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm, and for comparison, we give the dimensions of its predecessor Galaxy S - 122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9 mm, and its weight is only 116 grams. Although the device is slightly wider than the Galaxy S, you quickly adapt to it quite quickly, there is no discomfort. It’s nice that the device is invisible in your pocket despite its size.
Many people ask why the back cover is plastic and not metal? There is a very simple answer to this question. When you actively use your phone (watching videos, downloading large files), it starts to get very hot. If the back cover were metal, then the device would burn the user's hands. And the plastic cover with notches was invented for a reason; it is a kind of radiator. But even so, the phone gets a little warm. The lid is thin and when you close it you have to run your finger around the perimeter to make sure the lid is completely closed. Despite the thin cover, it is resistant to both impacts and bends.
The phone has a 2 MP front camera, a proximity sensor and a light sensor.
The menu and return buttons are touch sensitive, but the central one is mechanical.
On the left side we can find a paired volume key,
and on the right side is the on/off button.
The camera button has not yet been removed from the outside, so the camera will have to be called from the menu. But to take photographs, you can use the volume key.
On the top of the phone we can see a 3.5 mm headphone jack, but the microUSB connector is located at the bottom of the phone.
On the back of the phone there is an 8-megapixel camera lens, an LED flash and a speaker.
Although the body is plastic, it is not erasable anywhere. The exception is the rear projection, which appears here slight wear. Which is visible only in good lighting. Even if you have previously used a small candy bar and decided to buy this phone for yourself, you will not regret it. In the first few days you will not feel any inconvenience in use.
Display
There are many reviews Super AMOLED Plus- this is just a marketing ploy. For a clear example, let’s compare the picture on it with a picture from a regular SuperAMOLED. It is brighter, sharper with an increased screen diagonal, the main thing is that the screen began to consume less energy (an energy saving option appeared in the settings).
The first SuperAMOLED matrices used PenTile technology, which is when one point is formed from two pin points. a small number of pinpoints caused some distortion on the screen, which, together with high definition, irritated some phone owners. The only visible drawback was that the fonts had a sharp outline outlined by a ladder. Galaxy II showed that this problem has been solved. This solution is associated with Real RGB Stripe technology, which was used in SuperAMOLED Plus matrices. now the point is formed from three subpoints. The image shows the difference between these two technologies, the increased number of dots makes the picture smoother, including the fonts.
The screen behaves worse in the sun than in the first Galaxy, this is explained by the fact that the matrix has increased, but the expansion remains the same, plus the technology has changed. On the SuperAMOLED Plus matrix, the image looks smooth, with well-chosen brightness controls. The main point is that the user can choose the image saturation (Movie, Standard, Dynamic).
The screen has a diagonal of 4.3 inches (in the Samsung Galaxy S it is 4 inches, but the difference is huge, it’s striking), the resolution is 800x480 pixels (displays 16 million colors). Protective glass tempered Gorilla Glass and coated with a special anti-glare coating. Technology used VibeZ with the help of which, when you press control keys, you will feel a slight vibration of the phone, which means confirmation of the key press.
For clarity, we will show what the image looks like on the screen.
Battery
The phone uses a Li-ion battery with a capacity of 1650 mAh. According to the manufacturer, the battery can last up to 6.5 hours of talk time and up to 350 hours of standby time. Charges in approximately 3 hours. The video plays for approximately 8.5 hours. Plays music for up to 30 hours.
To test the endurance of this phone, I took its predecessor. With the same Samsung settings Galaxy SII showed itself with the best side and lasted much longer. Of course, each user can customize this device for themselves. Of course, the fewer programs are running and the lower the screen brightness, the longer the phone will work before the next charge.
USB, Bluetooth, NFC, communication capabilities
Bluetooth. Version 3.0, often called High Speed. When transferring files to devices that support this technology, Wi-Fi 802.11 n is used, and in theory the speed should be 24 Mbps. The test showed that when transferring a file of 1 GB in size, maximum speed was about 12 Mbit/s at a distance of up to three meters between devices. The model supports various profiles, in particular, Headset, Handsfree, Serial Port, Dial Up Networking, File Transfer, Object Push, Basic Printing, SIM Access, A2DP. The headset does not raise any questions.
USB connection. There are three modes (Media Player, Mass Storage, Samsung Kies), one of which can be selected from the menu.
When choosing USB mode Mass Storage phone is perfectly recognized without additional drivers, you can copy the necessary data. USB version - 2, data transfer speed - about 25 MB / s.
One inconvenience when connecting to a PC is the inability to simultaneously USB operation i Bluetooth, the phone requires turning off bluetooth. The positive thing is that when USB connection the device is charging
The USB on the Go function is also supported, which means that using the phone’s microUSB adapter you can connect any flash drive or external HDD, then in file manager It will be possible to view files, copy them, etc.
This is the first dual core phone from Samsung, and uses an Orion processor inside, which was recently renamed Exynos 4210. The processor is dual-core with a maximum frequency of 1.2 GHz.
The amount of RAM is 1 GB, after downloading there is about 800 MB free. This is enough for all programs; the phone's RAM capacity is one of the best on the market.
Camera
The model is equipped with an 8-megapixel camera. Maximum photo resolution is 3264 x 2448 pixels. It is possible to record video with a resolution of FullHD-1080p. The maximum video resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels. The zoom is digital, 4x, you just need to swipe the screen with two fingers to activate it. This is a very convenient implementation. There is also a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video calls.
The flash operates in three modes: always on, off, automatically.
Focusing - autofocus, face, macro.
(Important for students. The following photographs show that you can clearly and accurately photograph small text (cheat sheets) both from close range and from a distance of up to 50 cm.)
Menu and Programs
For a more detailed look, we will demonstrate the menu and some programs in this device.
Below is the main menu. It is quite convenient to move around it; you just need to move the picture left or right with your finger, since the menu is divided into four screens.
A similar “installation” menu is the “Files” menu. In this menu you can view, copy and delete all files on your phone and memory card.
Radio and player
Let's review some standard programs that you will use, although not all of them, but one of the two for sure.
Let's start with sound, that is, with players.
You can store up to 99 radio stations in the device’s memory, the range of available frequencies is from 87.5 MHz to 108 MHz. The radio is running in the background.
Now about the audio player. The device supports 5.1 mode for headphones, the sound becomes surround. There are equalizers, but they are not customizable. Everything else is quite familiar - filter by artists, albums, song titles. The quality of music playback is not bad, the device sounds good. To my unpretentious taste, this is the ideal device for music.
Calendar
Do you know what I miss in a regular calendar on Android OS? Week number designation. Samsung took care of this and shows this little detail in all calendars, which is convenient. Also, the calendar in SGS2 has been greatly redesigned compared to previous version. When viewing a month, days with events are highlighted with small squares; the more of them, the more events. For a single day, you can view three events, they are reflected below. A fairly convenient calendar, which is very different from the standard one in Android.
Readers Hub
This application combines three functions at once - working with periodicals such as newspapers, working with books, and magazines.
Newspapers, you can sort by country or language, select those newspapers you are interested in and download them. You can also subscribe to selected newspapers. The cost is not very high, it may vary depending on the country where you are. At first, up to 7 free downloads are offered, you can try looking through newspapers to see how interesting the service is to you.
Magazines, the idea here is about the same as in newspapers, but the implementation is more interesting. You can subscribe to your publications or buy individual issues. The service is well known on Android platform, so I won’t describe it in detail.
Books, you can search for literature in different languages, download books, buy them. The selection of books is quite large, there are free editions, usually classics. As a program for reading books, this application is convenient, it’s a pity that you cannot download your own books into it, so if you plan to read on the device, then you will have to install your own reading program (and there are quite a few of them).
Social Hub
One of the most controversial points in the phone, Social Hub is actually a feature from the Bada platform that was transferred to Android. The user does not see this, but all his accounts are entered on Samsung servers in order to provide push (enabled only for mail). In the application itself, you are shown mail and SMS/MMS messages in one thread, which is very inconvenient and duplicates the usual SMS items, as well as the mail section. The second tab is Feeds, where messages from Twitter / Facebook (if configured) come in a continuous stream. For people who have many acquaintances on sites and you communicate with them through sites and several at once, this program is very convenient because it will give you all messages in one stream. Instead of such a list, I would have preferred separate programs for Twitter, as well as a separate application for Facebook (the good thing is that they can be easily downloaded on Android). There is no particular sense in reinventing the wheel in the case of Social Hub; the function turned out strange.
Photo editor
Quite an interesting program, it allows you to apply various filters to your photos, add text, change them, and so on. The editor is suitable for changing the picture on your phone when you don’t need a computer, but you need to do something very quickly.
Task Manager
Presented as a separate application, it allows you to both close individual programs and completely clear memory. Quite a convenient utility that replaces the standard one.
Now let's look at other programs.
Contacts
And finally, to make sure that this is not only a good smartphone from a software point of view, but also an excellent phone (in the sense that it’s easy to make calls and text messages). By default, the phone prompts you to save contacts in the phone memory. In my opinion, this is not the best solution; it’s good that you can choose the default action, i.e., for example, save only in one or another memory. In the general list, you can swipe a contact from left to right, then the default dialing will begin, or swiping in the other direction will start dialing a message. A little thing that is not obvious, but speeds up working with the phone. Exactly the same principle in the list of recent contacts, dialed, and so on.
Conclusion
The speaker on the phone is loud, at the same level as the first Galaxy S, there are no differences as such. If you liked the first model through the speaker, then a friend will do. The vibration alert is quite weak, you can’t always feel it through clothes, this is a small drawback.
I like the device without any reservations; from a technical point of view, it is one of the best devices that is on the market today. Almost no manufacturer today has the technical capabilities of the same level of technology. And it's really impressive.
The release of the first Galaxy S brought Samsung company leaders in the Android market, other manufacturers began to create similar devices. But the release of Samsung S II means that many companies simply will not be able to afford this level of technology. For example, at Sony Ericsson, the creation of a similar product will cost a lot of money, and it will turn out to be unprofitable, the same story for other companies.
The heated discussion of this model in various forums shows a simple truth: this model has not gone unnoticed by people. Moreover, the same discussions took place when the first Galaxy was released. On the other hand, one could often hear the voices of those who believe that there is nothing new in the device, and the price is high, and it is worth buying the first Galaxy. This is a classic situation, which means that both products can exist on the market at the same time.
An alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S II is Optimus 2x, which is built on the NVIDIA Tegra2 platform. Hardware solutions in terms of performance are at the same level, but the solution from LG is inferior in terms of screen, lack of a large number of additional features(I don’t even take into account the interface or additional programs, but only hardware solutions). Considering all this, the prices of these devices are at a similar level. Let us remember that a little later the i9003 (Galaxy R) model was released, which is built on the NVIDIA Tegra2 platform, but with a regular SuperClear TFT screen. But it seems to me that it has the worst price/quality ratio.
As an alternative, I like the Sony Ericsson Arc. It is also thin, quite comfortable and stylish. But the processor is single-core, which will confuse technology enthusiasts. In terms of interfaces and capabilities, this device from Sony Ericsson is also simpler than the model from Samsung. Life cycle there are fewer models, and it is aimed more at those who choose the design, and consider everything else less important. In fact, this device repeats the fate of the Sony Ericsson X10, which was sold successfully for several months, and then fell into disrepair. And it’s worth noting that the Arc’s camera is somewhat weaker.
3G, Android 4.1, 4.27", 800x480, 16GB, 116g, 8MP camera, Bluetooth
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