Samsung Galaxy S II / SGH-i777
Phone Scoop Review
Sep 28, 2011 by Eric M. Zeman
Phone Scoop looks at the Galaxy S II smartphone for AT&T's network. While this version packs a smaller screen than its larger brothers, there are some surprising benefits. Read on for our full take. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
The new Galaxy S2, out of this world!
I got the new Galaxy a week ago to replace my HTC Inspire, which I liked, but the battery just didn't last. The battery life on the galaxy is much better, the processor it's faster and the screen is flat out beautiful. The only drawback so far is that I haveto manually link contacts with Facebook, which maybe I just missed something. A great phone I would recommend to anyone, in fact I just bought one for my fiancé.
Best Android yet
coming from a verizon iPhone 4, loving the S2. great screen, battery, and love being back on my android. i worked for verizon and now at ATT, no downside to the phone yet. love it!
Galaxy S II is a HIT for AT&T
First, I must get this out, I do not ever give a 5.0 for any phone. This phone is a whopping 4.9/5.0, but I must round up in the rating system.
This phone is absolutely the best phone out there right now. The dual core 1.2 Ghz processor is flawlessly quick. The 4.3" AMOLED display is the nicest on the market. The 8mp camera that records in true 1080p is simply stunning. The phone is a perfect size. Not too big such as a 4.5, and not too small such as a 4.0 and below. It is super thin as well, so adding a case compliments the size. This phone is simply a must have. Apple has a lot to fear with this thing being released right before the 5/4S. Hands down victory to Samsung and Google.
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Definitely the best phone I've ever owned.
I have been using an iPhone 3GS for almost two years and finally had an abrupt battery failure, which forced me to upgrade. I'm so glad I did. Anyway, enough general things, on to the phone itself:
PROS:
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* Excellent call quality. Signal strength doesn't seem to be much better than the iPhone was unless I turn off 4G (AT&T - Jersey Shore), but the quality of the calls certainly is much better! Very clear.
* Blazing fast browser and internet speeds. Regardless how good the signal is (unless there is 1 bar or less coverage), the browser loads pages VERY quickly, and internet-enabled apps never seem to have problems in normal- or good-service areas. On Wi-fi, it's comparable to viewing the page in a desktop browser.
* Battery life is superb. At first I would have said otherwise, but I found a free app on the market called "Battery Defender" which has improved standby battery time tremendously. The first few days I used it for MANY hours each day with no breaks and was still impressed with the battery life.
* Ample memory and fast processor. Processes do what you want, when you want. No need to describe these in detail, just look at the specs. They speak for themselves.
* Beautiful, large LED-backlit display. It's a fairly large phone compared to the iPhones, but it's not too big like the Skyrocket (Which has terrible battery life as well. Get this one even if you live in an LTE coverage area. You'll thank me.)
* Very small profile (light and thin). Even with a case and screen protector on it, still narrower than my previous phone.
* Excellent cameras, front and rear. Haven't tested video recording, but it's capable of 1080p.
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Cons:
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* Still haven't really found any cons other than my big fingers pressing the wrong buttons when typing, but that's not the phone's fault.
Galaxy SII, The Real McCoy
What can I say light, thin, excellent screen (of course), very good batt. life (NFC on batt),excellent reception on AT&T in rural Central Texas. Very fast & smooth processor, with good graphics. Like button locations, power on rgt.(1/3rd way down) & volume on opposite side. Several interesting features not on other phones. Such as being able to turn on & listen to CB channels.!
While back cover is a textured composit, unit is has a very solid feel. Perfect size & feel with white TPU case.
Would have been nice to come with HDMI adapter & cable, like the Samsung Infuse did. Load a few apps from Android market, thumb keyboard, advanced task manager etc.& u're Good to Go. Have not found way to change four bottom apps yet. Latest & greatest for less than $200.
Dual core comes with cons
In terms of processing speed, this phone does what it should. The huge drawback is that the battery life is terrible! Coming from an iPhone where I get 8-9 hours of battery life, I'm only getting around 2-4 hours on the galaxy.
The phone's design is cheap, very light in the hand with cheap plastic all around, does not give a quality feel. I feel like if I were to drop this, I would need to make an insurance claim.
Whats the point of the phone if it isn't even on? I work most of the day and can't get to a charger, making this phone absolutely useless. I'm going to return the phone and get something with better battery life.
Nothing Special
The phone does whatever any other android does. It's fast in terms of processing. No LTE connectivity means that this phone is already outdated. Why be stuck with this phone for two years if it can't connect to 4g?
No true sense of Microsoft Office on phone. Tried sending office documents through the stock app, coworkers could not open files.
The phone doesn't offer anything special and feels cheap. The phone is fairly light and the plastic backing comes off easily if the phone is dropped. The phone just feels a little too fragile in the hand.
If your going to buy an android, buy a 4g phone.
Definitly Better Then HTC
I had an htc inspire and many problems switch to a samsung galaxy all problems were gone plus it had much more features then the htc
Pros
-Front facing camera
-Fast
-Great Signal
-great for web browsing
-Huge
-Thin
-Love all the apps in the play store
-love that i can be all day on a phone without dieing
Cons
Don't Really SELL Much covers or case.
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Best phone I've ever used!
I got this phone free from an Amazon Wireless black Friday deal and beside a couple minor issues has been the best phone I've ever used. I got the phone free with no activation fee so I can't complain too much.
Pros: The nav buttons at the bottom are awesome and give good feedback when touched. The Super AMOLED plus screen is beautiful and the textured back help keep the phone from slipping out of my hands, the phone only has minor lag.
Cons: Ok battery life for a dual core 4.3" phone unless you're on it all day then you'll barely get 6-8 hours. The speakerphone is a little hard to hear with significant background noise. The phone gets warm with heavy use. The Camera has good quality but seems slightly darker than normal. The search button is not needed.
It take alot to amaze me
NEVER have I ever given a 5* rating to a phone or for that matter anything else but this phone is as close as it comes!!!! I had a Nexus One and sadly gave it up for an Atrix (big mistake) After 3 months of the aggravation I bought the Galaxy S2. This is by far the best phone on the market today.
PROS:
Lightning fast.
Good battery life
solid build despite the plastic back cover
an awesome screen resolution
great daylight pictures
video is better than any other I've used but not perfect.
fluid movement between screens.
perfect sized screen
I could go on but I won't
CONS:
average night time pics.
poor night time video
plastic back cover.
no HDMI output
can't get it to sync with windows 7 (had to hunt for the drivers)
Samsung hit a home run with this phone folks!!!
