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After the Samsung Galaxy S II unboxing video, it is now time for the hardware review. This device has quite a reputation to hold up, and let’s see if it matches expectations.
The device feels really good in your hand. The first time you pick it up you probably will just notice how thin it is, but if on regular usage the sleekness of this device amazes! Trust us on this one. You WANT to pick up and just hold this device. It is That awesome. At only 8.5mm thin, it is one of the thinnest smartphones on the planet. The device has a candybar form factor measuring in at 125.3mm x 66.1mm.
On the front of the device you have the gorgeous 4.3inch Super AMOLED Plus display. It is capable of displaying upto 16 million colours, and has a standard resolution of 800 x 400. There has been comparison between iPhone4′s retina display and the screen on the Galaxy S II. If you are looking to always have ultra fine print you will find that the 800 x 400 resolution will disappoint you sometimes. But aside from that the screen is absolutely gorgeous. Colours are extremely vibrant, especially colours like blue and yellow. Blacks are pitch black. The screen is Gorilla Glass, meaning it is extremely difficult to scratch accidentally, for example with your keys.
The picture above compares Super AMOLED screens with the screen off and the screen on with a black background. You definitely have some battery saving happening here, that’s for sure.
The screen also features 10 point multi touch sensors. In all likelihood one isn’t going to use this to it’s full capability given the size of the screen, but it is nice to know Samsung have left no stone unturned.
There is a 8 MP camera on the back, capable of autofocus and video recording of upto 1080p. The camera has a single LED flash present along side it as well.
The right side of the device has the Lock/Unlock button, and the left side contains the volume rocker. The device is quad Band, with Bluetooth, WiFi, WiFi-Direct, HSPDA, DLNA and WiFi hotspot capabilities out of the box, which we think is pretty cool. Our device did not come with NFC.
On the front you will find a 2MP secondary camera present, next to the proximity and the ambient light sensor.
The Samsung Galaxy S II has a dual Core Processor 1.2 Ghz Hummingbird processor, and 1GB of Ram. It also features a Samsung Exynos chipset as a dedicated GPU. The device has a built in accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate, a Gyroscope sensor which enables an additional input method for gaming.
The device is also capable of HDMI-out MHL A/V link via the micro USB, present on the bottom of the device, which also has the microphone.
In an unusual move Samsung have allowed the SIM to be hot swap-able, but not the MicroSD card. The device has 16GB internal memory, but this cannot be used to store applications. If you want to use Apps2SD you will have to install an additional memory card in the microSD slot.
The top of the device houses the 3.5mm jack and an additional secondary noise cancellation microphone.
We question Samsung’s choice of placing the speakers at the back of the device right on the chin. Place the phone on its back on a hard surface, sound will echo back and you’ll still hear your phone ringing, but if place it on a cushion and the phone almost sounds silent. If you rely on your phone entirely for all of your alarms in the morning, this may not be your best bet.
The device is powered by a Li-Ion battery of 1650 mAh rating. Other competitors offer 1500mAh batteries, and while this may appeal to some fans, practically we did not find any difference. As with the Galaxy S original and the Nexus S, there is no notification LED on this device, which is a shame.
Do let us know if you have any questions about the device. We’d be more the happy to help. You can contact us on Twitter. And stay tuned for the full software review, coming soon!
[...] can check out our SGS2 Hardware review for more [...]