The Galaxy S II Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy S II lineup is launching in a much similar fashion (and with seemingly higher expectations) as its predecessor: the US models are reaching the market several months after the phone's global release, and carriers have made a few design tweaks along the way. What's so different this time around is the selection of devices. Last summer, each mobile operator took the concept of "carrier customization" to extremes, tweaking the S to their every whim -- in some cases changing the chassis altogether. For instance, the Epic 4G added a full QWERTY keyboard, the Captivate had a metal battery cover along with sharp edges and the Fascinate sprinkled Bing throughout the device's firmware. The three US variants of the sequel, however, have been a deal more subtle, making only slight adjustments in the design where the carriers see fit, and each one has even retained the Galaxy S II name in at least some way (the full title of Sprint's darling, for example, is "Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch.").

At first, it really is evident the provider failed to try to acquire a lot of any starting from your learn replicate. We would like to believe that it is followed the particular "if that is not out of cash will not resolve it" mindset, yet we have been not necessarily totally positive just what the particular thinking will be. We all is not going to whine, even though -- we all provided large good remarks for the international model's layout, and also keep on to take action the following, given that it really is almost any spitting graphic. The sole considerable modify we're able to locate could be the introduction regarding several capacitive-touch course-plotting switches in the bottom, rather than the particular a few located on the I9100. 'Course, a couple of several tips the following is practically nothing fresh for your US ALL; committed lookup switches appear common about these kinds of elements, whilst it doesn't always have any reputation around the international model.


Anyone searching for the thinnest smartphone on the market won't find it here, though most casual observers will be perfectly content. Coming in at 8.89mm (0.35 inches) at its thinnest point, the Galaxy S II on AT&T is marginally thicker than the I9100, which measures at 8.49mm (0.33 inches). Unless you're viewing the two side by side, this slight difference won't be noticeable. With that said, it's still the thinnest of the US trio: the Epic 4G Touch is 9.65mm (0.38 inches) and T-Mobile's GS II comes in at 9.4mm (0.37 inches). At 4.3 ounces (122g), it's also the lightest of the three, though it's a full 0.2 ounces heavier than the global ditty.

As with the others, we can enjoy the GSII's 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos CPU, a full gigabyte of RAM, an 8MP camera with 1080p HD video capture, a 2MP front-facing cam, 16GB of internal storage and quadband GSM and tri-band UMTS / HSPA (850 / 1900 / 2100) to make for smooth international travelling. A slot for a microSD card is included, but that'll be a separate accessory you need to purchase on your own if you require more space.


AT&T opted to include a 1,650mAh battery, which is the same size as the I9100's, but there's one intriguing twist -- a Near-Field Communication (NFC) chip. Or, at least, the words "Near Field Communications" are inscribed on the battery itself -- lending credence to the presence of an embedded chip. We've previously reported that instances of NFC are littered throughout the device's firmware, and after some digging through the task manager we found a NFC Service app which proffers little details and can't be opened. In reaching out to Samsung, we were told that the AT&T Galaxy S II is not NFC-enabled, but the company didn't volunteer any details about chip placement or if it will be enabled at a later date. Our theory is that the NFC functionality is laying dormant for now, perhaps until the carrier is ready to unleash the fruits of its partnership with ISIS. We'll update if we get any more clarification.

We are going to don't become an excessive amount of any weary simply by discussing just what will come within the package, yet besides the common charger and also consumer instructions, AT&T wanted suit to be able to chuck in a HIGH DEFINITION adaptor at the same time -- a great accent that has been absent with all the Unbelievable 4G Feel. Of course, the particular Samsung Universe Azines II collection provides MHL empowered, gives the device the ability to employ a individual cable tv to be able to create uncompressed 1080p HDMI although asking upwards concurrently. It really is effortless adequate to get a great MHL or perhaps HDMI cable tv to suit your wants, yet it's really a great touch about AT&T's portion to be able to no less than are the adaptor proper which wants to get in touch like that.

This particular model of the Samsung Galaxy S II uses an identical display to that of the international version, with a stunning 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus with WVGA (800 x 480) resolution. It's been said with the other two phones, but it's worth repeating: regardless of how many pixels it packs in, it's still one of the most gorgeous and color-saturated displays we've had the pleasure to cast our eyes upon. The colors are brighter, more vivid and saturated than most displays you'll see on the market today, and just like the others, it's easy to view in direct sunlight. It's in close competition with the Retina Display found on the iPhone 4 -- we'll see if there's any change to that statement next week, of course -- but has the larger screen size to give Sammy a major plus (pun not intended, but greatly welcomed).

It's true that Sprint and T-Mobile decided to go with a larger display, which may be a bit intimidating for anyone with smaller hands. For what it's worth, our average-sized hands didn't have any more difficulty holding the Epic 4G Touch than we did the AT&T version, mainly because of the small difference in width (4mm) between the two devices.

One aspect we loved in the Epic 4G Touch and wished we could've seen here was the LED notification light. Unfortunately AT&T stayed so true to the original I9100's design, it seems, that the little blinking alert was left out.