CTIA 2010
Phone Scoop spent some time with Samsung's latest Android handset, the Galaxy S. The Galaxy S follows in the Wave's footprints in that it offers an impressive 4-inch AMOLED display and 1GHz processor inside.
The form factor itself is rather boring, a recent trend we've seen in touchphones. There's no real pizzazz that sets it apart (at least until you turn on the screen). The weight feels great, and despite the 4-inch screen, it doesn't feel too wide or too big to put into your pocket. It is but 9mm thick. The buttons and controls were all easily found and worked well. I noticed no build quality issues with the demo units on hand, despite the fact that they were showing early prototypes.
The only glitch was the d-pad button. It looks like — and fools users into thinking — it is an optical mouse pad. It's not. At least, it didn't work that way when we played with it. The only other two buttons on the front are capacitive touch buttons. They worked well enough.
The real killer feature of the phone is the display. It spans 4 inches, packs in 800 x 480 pixels and uses Samsung's "Super AMOLED" technology. It looks absolutely phenomenal. Bright, sharp, crisp, and colorful. Our images and video don't do it justice. It's truly a marvel to behold.
The 1GHz processor means the device runs very quickly. We noticed no lag, no delays — only lickety-split action. The phone will come with some Samsung applications, including the new "Daily Life" application. Basically, the application feeds users information about their day — including appointments, weather updates, scheduling changes, etc — as the user progresses through the day. It's pretty neat, though we can see how some might find it distracting or annoying.
In all, it is an impressive Android device. I was glad to see Samsung ditch the TouchWiz and go with a naked Android experience on this device. That will lead to better usability and happier customers.
Here is a video demonstration: