Archive for the ‘Samsung’ Category
Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II review: Brightest star
Introduction
It looks like the point where it all ends. A galaxy outgrowing its own limits. An explosion of energy and speed. An overdose of smartphone power. A phone that makes you love the smell of Android in the morning.
Samsung Galaxy S II official photos
The likes of Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II make it easy to get carried away. But wait a minute. There’s nothing quite like the Galaxy II. The brightest stars on the smartphone scene have graced our homepage, but this one is trying to eclipse them all. The Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II is in no mood to share – the spoils or the spotlight.
Samsung Galaxy S II official photos
With a spec sheet like that, it’s a beast of a droid. Even in today’s viciously competitive market, the Galaxy S II has so many firsts to be proud of. Samsung’s very own Exynos chipset, the unmatched Super AMOLED Plus screen and the ultra-slim body only begin to tell the story.
Key features
- Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support
- 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
- 4.3″ 16M-color Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen of WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution
- Android OS v2.3.3 with TouchWiz 4 launcher
- 1.2 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU, Mali-400MP GPU, Exynos chipset, 1GB of RAM
- 8 MP wide-angle lens autofocus camera with LED flash, face, smile and blink detection
- 1080p HD video recording at 30fps
- Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g and n support
- GPS with A-GPS connectivity; Digital compass
- 16/32GB internal storage, microSD slot
- Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
- Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
- Charging MHL microUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p) support
- Stereo Bluetooth v3.0
- FM radio with RDS
- Great audio quality
- Extremely slim waistline at only 8.5mm and low weight (116g)
- 2MP secondary video-call camera
- Full Flash support and GPU-acceleration for the web browser permit 1080p flash video playback
- NFC support (optional, not without a software update)
- Document editor
- File manager comes preinstalled
- The richest video format support we have seen
Main disadvantages
- All-plastic body
- No dedicated camera key
- Super slim body has poor grip when taking pictures
- Non-hot-swappable microSD card
With manufacturers busy making facelifts and sequels to get our hard-earned cash, we are often wondering if an upgrade is worth it. Well this time, it takes but a glance at the specs to tell that the answer is yes.
You’ve got a problem with the PenTile matrix of the original Galaxy S – the Galaxy S II is here to fix that. Or was it the laggy RFS file system bothering you? Well, be our gest and enjoy it the EXT4 way. The GPS issues or the lack of flash for the camera too much for you to handle – they’ve got it all fixed here.
The Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II at ours
But fixes are just the beginning and they come to show that Samsung has listened to the customers. The key selling points of the Galaxy S II will most certainly be the impressive 1080p video recording, better still photos and, probably most important of all, the new Exynos chipset that powers the whole thing.
You get an extra core, higher clock speed and the new Mali-400 GPU that’s supposed to blow everything we know out of the water. Not to mention the sweet gig of RAM to make sure that multitasking is a walk in the park for the Galaxy S II.
As long as everything works as promised, there’s no doubt users will be delighted with this one. But let’s find out – the Samsung Galaxy S II is back after the break for a proper hardware inspection.
Samsung Galaxy Gio S5660 review: Average Gio
Introduction
It’s devices like the Samsung Galaxy Gio that helped Android gain so much ground in so little time. They are a better bargain than the uber-smartphone and find their way into people’s pockets a lot easier. With that goal in mind, the Galaxy Gio must be an all-round pleaser of a phone.
Samsung Galaxy Gio S5660
They may soon be running out of names for the Galaxy lot. But it will be when number plates start to fall short that they’ll know they’re in trouble. Back to the point though. Boy number S5660 is called Gio. He’s a teenager – mischievous and fun, too young for a suit and tie.
It’s a decent offer for the midrange: with a good enough version of Android (2.2.1 Froyo), good enough screen, a powerful 800MHz processor and a great connectivity set, ranging from 3G to GPS. There’s little to complain about, save for the imaging skills perhaps.
Here’s the rest of what the Galaxy Gio has to offer.
Key features
- Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
- 7.2 Mbps HSDPA support
- 3.2″ 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen of HVGA (320 x 480 pixels) resolution, multi-touch
- 800MHz ARM 11 processor, Adreno 200 GPU, Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset; 278MB of RAM available to the user
- Android 2.2.1 (Froyo) with TouchWiz 3.0 UI
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n with Mobile Hotspot functionality
- GPS with A-GPS connectivity; Digital compass
- 3.2 MP autofocus camera with geo-tagging and face-detection
- QVGA@15fps video
- microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
- microSD slot (up to 32GB, 2GB in box)
- Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
- Accelerometer and proximity sensor
- DNSe sound enhancement
- Stereo FM radio with RDS
- Document viewer
- Smart dialing
- Swype text input
- Samsung Apps brings a few nice apps for free
Main disadvantages
- Poor video recording
- No shutter key for the camera
- No Adobe Flash support in the web browser
- No ambient light sensor for auto brightness
- No DivX/Xvid video support out of the box
The Samsung S5660 Galaxy Gio obviously isn’t a camera-centric device. QVGA video and 3.2 MP stills don’t go a long way. But as a smartphone it has what it takes to be taken seriously.
Samsung Galaxy Gio S5660 live shots
The Samsung Galaxy Gio is a phone of compromise. If you’re looking to give smartphones a try, you may be willing to live without a killer screen and a brilliant camera. The Gio will be a good choice for newbies or budget upgraders, if the price is right.
Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570 Review: Right on the mini
Introduction
Minis are supposed to be the cheaper, stripped down version of the bigger and superior gadgets. There’s a long list of bigger and superior siblings for the Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570 to choose from but it has its own two feet to stand on.
Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570 official photos
So, the Galaxy Mini is the last shake of the bag. It will never get to rub shoulders with the big and scary smartphones. But it’s not all bad you know. Not bad at all actually for what basically is an entry level smartphone with complete connectivity, social networking, internet, Android apps and music. It’s the right kind of device for smartphone newbies. A good option if you just don’t want to spend a truck-load of money on a smartphone.
Key Features
- Quad-Band GSM and dual-band 3G support
- 7.2 Mbps HSDPA
- 3.14” 256K-color QVGA TFT touchscreen
- ARMv6 600MHz processor, 384MB RAM
- Android OS v2.2 (Froyo) with TouchWiz v3.0 UI
- 160MB internal storage, hot-swappable MicroSD slot, 2GB card included
- 3.15 MP fixed-focus camera with geotagging
- GPS receiver with A-GPS
- Stereo FM radio with RDS
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Document editor
- Accelerometer and proximity sensor
- Swype text input
- MicroUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth 2.1
- Social network integration
- Good build, youthful styling
Main disadvantages
- Low screen resolution limits choice of apps
- Fixed focus camera
- No secondary video-call camera
- No flash, no dedicated camera key
- Poor video recording QVGA @ 15fps
The Galaxy Mini was not made to impress. It was made to serve and be simple to use. It’s a solid little smartphone that has all the important ingredients. It can do most of the things your Galaxy S can, just without the stuff that pushes the price up.
Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570 live shots
With this one, Samsung look to encourage their loyal users to consider a smartphone. Versatility and friendliness make Android quite inviting. The Mini has the specs to back that up too.
Budget-conscious users are having a range of competing phones to choose from and the Samsung Galaxy Mini will have to work harder to get noticed. But the right price tag will put it on the radar of the young, novice smartphone users. That gives the Mini something to start with.