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Smartphone review: Samsung Galaxy SII

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9th Mar 2012
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A couple of weeks with Samsung’s widescreen smartphone introduced John Stokdyk to the world of Android.

As with the Nokia Lumia Windows phone we looked at last month, this review is based on a particular smartphone, Samsung’s Galaxy SII, but will end up being as much about the Android operating and online “ecosystem” that supports it.

The device itself is bigger and flatter than an iPhone or the Lumia by about 20-30%. The extra screen space is welcome, but as my colleague Dan Martin joked when he first tried it, “It’s a bit big for a phone”.

That’s the trouble with hybrid phone/tablet devices - it’s hard to define what should be the right size and for the moment Apple’s iPhone has set the expected template. The 4.3in Gorilla glass touchscreen is really, really impressive and great for on-screen typing, even if this makes it a bit unwieldy as a handset, as Dan suggested.

There’s no doubt the Galaxy SII is a multimedia thoroughbred, but it’s also a high maintenance device. Even without hammering the phone and media facilities, the battery started demanding attention after around three hours. The remarkable thinness lends a slight feel of flimsiness. No mobile is going to benefit from being bounced on the floor, but this baby gives the impression of needing to be handled with kid gloves.

The Google ecosystem

Samsung Galaxy SII smartphoneHaving put the Windows phone through an online collaboration test, the natural next step is to compare it to the Android/Google experience.

I wasn’t so keen on the overall composition and structure of the Android interface. The Galaxy’s home screen (right) is cobbled together with bits and pieces of different widgets and not as consistent or logical as iOS.

Most of us already have a Google account of some form, and are familiar with its interface capabilities and navigation. Android pulls you seamlessly into this universe - but in that arrogant, “you will do as you are told” way that is so common in modern software. The phone happily accepted my normal Google ID and password, but as I was registering with Gmail I realised it was setting me up with a different user name and wouldn’t link to my existing Google resources (Docs, Google+ and Analytics).

When I did manage to sort it out, all of my Google accounts defaulted to a new, unwanted gmail address, with which I am now stuck for life, it appears.

But the Android app market was easy to access and use and before long I had downloaded the Google Docs app and was off and running.
Because it’s a web-based environment that places a lighter load on the client device, the Android Google Docs app trounces Microsoft Office on a Windows smartphone.

The interface is simple and clean, and takes you straight into your personal and shared Google files - including any that you may have collected using Google Notebook. That made me think again about how I might use that tool and made me realise how useful the Galaxy could be as a mobile research tool. With the free Google Goggles app, you can even take a photo of an article and convert it into text that you can then paste into another app on the phone.

Seeing the chaos of my Google file organisation in a new way made me realise that I needed to do some housekeeping, but this was something that I wouldn’t (or couldn’t) attempt on the phone - better to do that at more leisure with access to the full browser view of Google Docs.

Another disappointment was the spreadsheet implementation within the app. When I clicked a cell, there was no way to see its full contents, That’s just one of the many shortcomings apparent to Excel users, but at least the Google version gives you full access to the app and its capabilities from the phone or web.

It was even possible to switch between the two, or to take a document offline to work on when the phone was out of signal range. The concept is exemplary, even if I encountered some teething troubles. You need to anticipate ahead of time when you might need to switch the document to offline mode, and I encountered a couple of Google server errors switching back and forth as the train I was on passed through tunnels and signal blackspots south of London.

There are other irritations involved: why does the font size and line spacing keep changing in Google Docs files when you work on them on and offline? And a phone-based spell checker would be nice, too. In spite of the limitations, I ended up writing around half of this review on the Galaxy SII. It was very handy to take down notes, fire off emails, catch up with videos and music favourites (oops, I meant to say CPD podcasts) while on the move. I’m confident that with more time and attention to configuration issues, I could do around 80% of my job remotely with Android-powered Galaxy SII. That is not something I could say about my BlackBerry Curve 8900.

What we liked

● Screen size and clarity - great for games/video, and typing
● High quality 8 megapixel camera
● Good integration with online files using Google Docs app
● Growing stable of Android apps.

What we didn’t like
● Needs frequent battery recharges
● Android interface isn’t as slick as iPhone’s
● Minor niggles and shortcomings in Google Apps
● Using Gmail from phone means Google takes over your online life.

For more info, visit Samsung UK

Vodafone UK BusinessThis review was conducted using a trial Vodafone UK Business package. The Samsung Galaxy SII is available free with Vodafone plans starting from £30 a month.

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Replies (31)

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By alandawson61
09th Mar 2012 11:21

I Love mine

Best smartphone I've ever had!

Thanks (1)
By iandc6
09th Mar 2012 13:58

A great bit of kit

I recently wrote a blog about using my Samsung Galaxy S2 to create a personal WiFi hotspot and connect to a hosted desktop and run accounts production software via 3G - the results are surprising!!

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By steve.oldham
16th Mar 2012 14:54

I run an S2 and an iPhone 4S

My Galaxy S2 is my personal phone, my 4S is my work provided phone. I MUCH prefer the S2. The interaction between the various Google account modules is seamless. The setup just worked (not sure how the writer ended up with a spurious Gmail account, unless he didn't have one linked to his Google Account previously?).

Like all top end smartphones, battery life needs managing. I switch off GPS and Bluetooth when I'm not using them and manage the frequency the various Apps sync automatically on an App by App basis - some are fine with once a day, others I sync on demand, still others (email for example) are on immediate push.

My biggest irritation is finding Apps - I've got about 12 screens now with assorted Apps on and the navigation could be easier. But for sheer performance, it's an amazing piece of kit.

Overall the S2 is the best handset I've ever had, and I include my 4S in that comparison.

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By chatman
16th Mar 2012 15:22

Great Phone. Google no problem, To-do list not very good.

I didn't have any trouble logging into my Google account. You must have been unlucky John.

What I got bogged down on was synching it with Outlook. By the time I found Kies on the Samsung web site I had already tried another couple of synchs via Google and now I end up with all my appointments duplicated or triplicated on my phone. Still working on that.

I don't find the to-do list very manageable either. I don't know if I am missing something, but I don't seem able to see a list of uncompleted tasks in date order like I could on my Nokia N95.

Also, one of my headsets (the loud one) doesn't fit into the jack properly and I only get sound in the left ear. It fits fine into my iPod so I assume it is a problem with the S2.

Yeah the battery life is terrible, but at least with micro-USB charging there is always somewhere to charge it. I think I will get a spare battery too.

Everything I haven't mentioned is excellent (well almost everything). I love the speed of the assisted GPS (even if Google Maps navigation isn't the best) and the voice recognition, but for me, the biggest plus point is that it is not made by the fruit-themed toy manufacturer.

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By Alan Bagnall
19th Mar 2012 15:58

Best phone on the market

I've had a great experience with my SII. Good for work - reliable, good battery, strong signal reception. I get a full days use (including 2.5 hours of using it as a wifi hotspot for my iPad on the commute) and the map is sensitive to compass direction which makes it usable as a walking GPS.

Best of all - Ice Cream Sandwich hits your screen in the next few days! If you haven't seen this on the Nexus you're in for a massive treat. Looks great...

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By chatman
19th Mar 2012 16:25

Ice Cream Sandwich

Does it automatically upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich?

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By chatman
19th Mar 2012 16:28

Default to speaker on answering a call

Does anyone else's S2 default to speaker on answering a call? Mine does, and I cannot figure out how to stop it.

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By Alan Bagnall
19th Mar 2012 16:33

ICS update

It should do - depends how you have updates configured. I would suggest you activate wifi only downloads... ICS could put a big dent in your data allocation!

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By chatman
15th May 2012 11:39

Battery draining fast

I seem to have something draining the battery even when wifi GPS and Bluetooth are switched off. How can I see what it is?

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By Alan Bagnall
15th May 2012 17:12

Battery - S2

Yeah - I had a weird day last week. Full battery went flat in 30 minutes. No idea why but I've noticed that Ice Cream Sarnie seems to be more power hungry. I have got in the habit of making sure that unwanted apps are closed fully (press and hold home button - then enter task manager).

I suspect that ICS holds more apps open and these need power. If that's the case it's a standard fix on the next update.

To be fair, though, my S2 is 14 months old and the battery still gets the full day no worries and that's with 3 hours acting as a WiFi hotspot on my commute to connect the iPad. Can't moan!

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31st Jul 2012 21:13

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10th Jul 2013 05:21

Great Gadget

Samsung Galaxy SII is the greatest smartphone ever. Many of my friends were using Samsung mobile product. We just love using it. I like the features and the applications are great. I can download anything i like. The graphics are awesome.

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