OS: Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread
About a month ago, I got the beautiful Android phone that is the Samsung Galaxy S II. This phone is AMAZING. It’s fast, well designed and the screen will make your eyes water. Samsung created a masterpiece which I think is the best Android phone existing, and the update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (which I think will be available sometime next year January) will only make this phone better. Some people may argue that the Galaxy Nexus is better, but their main point would be that it has ICS, which the S II will get soon enough. The S II is overall the most powerful of the two. Here’s what I think.
Hardware:
The S II has a beautiful Super AMOLED Plus screen, and it can play movies in 1080p full HD (looks great). It can also record video in HD, has a 8 MP camera and it has HSDPA+ data connection (where available). Samsung tried to minimize the number of buttons on the phone, there is a home button, menu soft touch key (very helpful) and the usual back key. Samsung has chosen to leave out the search button, which I think is a good idea as I don’t use it and it disrupts the aesthetics. This button is easily replaced by holding in the menu button to search. The lightning fast 1.4 GHz dual core processor and powerful graphics card make for a great multimedia aspect and seamless usage.
Software:
The S II is currently using Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread, which has a very TRON-like feel, in that it uses lots of black and blue in menus. The user interface feels good and works smoothly, but I don’t think Samsung has allowed for enough customization. You will, however, have enough homescreens as there are 7 which allows for easy access to vital apps and a bunch of widgets. The upcoming update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will make this phone completely outclass any other Android phone available.
Apps:
The Galaxy S II allows you to download every app on the Android Market, all +-300000 of them. My previous phone was an HTC Wildfire so I know how it feels to have blocked apps. It burns. That makes the S II automatically better. There is a huge choice of apps on the Android market, some great, but unfortunately a lot of bad ones because Android does not seem to have quality control. However, when you find a good one, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Invest a couple of hours trawling best Android Apps lists and it will enhance your experience immensely.
Extras and Features:
The S II has an NFC (Near Field Communications) chip which allows you to share information with other NFC devices, which is mainly used for apps that allow you to pay with your phone (Google Wallet etc.). It also has DLNA which allows streaming to other devices, such as Samsung’s Smart TV, useful if you store movies etc. on your device (and you don't need a USB cable to transfer files from PC to phone). One of the draws for social media enthusiasts is that it has a 2 MP front facing camera, usable in programs like Skype. This means when ICS gets pushed to the S II you will be able to unlock it with facial recognition. The S II has a lot of features you will still be discovering months after getting the phone.
I love the S II, and I would recommend it over any other phone on any operating system. If you have a choice, get it.
About a month ago, I got the beautiful Android phone that is the Samsung Galaxy S II. This phone is AMAZING. It’s fast, well designed and the screen will make your eyes water. Samsung created a masterpiece which I think is the best Android phone existing, and the update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (which I think will be available sometime next year January) will only make this phone better. Some people may argue that the Galaxy Nexus is better, but their main point would be that it has ICS, which the S II will get soon enough. The S II is overall the most powerful of the two. Here’s what I think.
Hardware:
The S II has a beautiful Super AMOLED Plus screen, and it can play movies in 1080p full HD (looks great). It can also record video in HD, has a 8 MP camera and it has HSDPA+ data connection (where available). Samsung tried to minimize the number of buttons on the phone, there is a home button, menu soft touch key (very helpful) and the usual back key. Samsung has chosen to leave out the search button, which I think is a good idea as I don’t use it and it disrupts the aesthetics. This button is easily replaced by holding in the menu button to search. The lightning fast 1.4 GHz dual core processor and powerful graphics card make for a great multimedia aspect and seamless usage.
Software:
The S II is currently using Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread, which has a very TRON-like feel, in that it uses lots of black and blue in menus. The user interface feels good and works smoothly, but I don’t think Samsung has allowed for enough customization. You will, however, have enough homescreens as there are 7 which allows for easy access to vital apps and a bunch of widgets. The upcoming update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will make this phone completely outclass any other Android phone available.
Apps:
The Galaxy S II allows you to download every app on the Android Market, all +-300000 of them. My previous phone was an HTC Wildfire so I know how it feels to have blocked apps. It burns. That makes the S II automatically better. There is a huge choice of apps on the Android market, some great, but unfortunately a lot of bad ones because Android does not seem to have quality control. However, when you find a good one, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Invest a couple of hours trawling best Android Apps lists and it will enhance your experience immensely.
Extras and Features:
The S II has an NFC (Near Field Communications) chip which allows you to share information with other NFC devices, which is mainly used for apps that allow you to pay with your phone (Google Wallet etc.). It also has DLNA which allows streaming to other devices, such as Samsung’s Smart TV, useful if you store movies etc. on your device (and you don't need a USB cable to transfer files from PC to phone). One of the draws for social media enthusiasts is that it has a 2 MP front facing camera, usable in programs like Skype. This means when ICS gets pushed to the S II you will be able to unlock it with facial recognition. The S II has a lot of features you will still be discovering months after getting the phone.
I love the S II, and I would recommend it over any other phone on any operating system. If you have a choice, get it.
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