Back in May 2011, sales of the Samsung Galaxy S2 started. The characteristics of its hardware and software parameters, owner reviews and other important information about this flagship smartphone will be discussed in detail later in this material.
List of accessories and components in the box
The characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S2 phone from the position of its hardware parameters at the time of its release made it possible to attribute it to flagship devices. But the equipment of this gadget obviously does not correspond to this fact. The reason here, most likely, lies in the fact that Samsung, like other manufacturers, focuses on Apple products, which sets the tone in the segment of mobile gadgets. Smartphones iPhone brand can not boast of excellent packaging. So with S2 a similar situation. The boxed version of this gadget includes:
- Smartphone.
- Battery.
- Charger.
- Manual.
There can be no talk of any memory card, an OTJ interface cable, a protective case and a sticker, and a stereo headset. Although it will be quite difficult for the owner of this device to do without any accessory indicated above.
Appearance
S2 has much in common with its predecessor, the S smartphone, but it is not an exact copy of it. On the front side of the gadget there is a display protected by tempered glass "Gorilla Eye". Above, above the screen, there is a front camera, sensor holes and a speaker. Below, under the display is a typical control panel. It consists of 2 touch (located at the edges of the panel) and one mechanical (it is displayed in the middle) buttons. The lock button is located on the right edge of the device, and the rocker for adjusting the volume level is displayed on the left side of the smart phone.
On the bottom side of the smartphone is the opening of the conversational microphone and the main wired port of the device - MicroUSB. On the top of the gadget there is only one wired audio port. The back cover of the device is made of structured plastic. Here are the main camera with backlight, the manufacturer's logo and a loud speaker.
The processor and its computing capabilities
One of the best processors of 2011 was used in the Samsung Galaxy S2. The characteristic of its hardware parameters allowed this chip to solve any tasks of any complexity at that time. We are talking about Exynos 4210. This is an own development of the South Korean giant. This CPU includes 2 cores of the Cortex-A9 architecture. Each of them could dynamically accelerate to 1.2 GHz in the highest load mode. If there was no need for such a high level of performance of the central processor, then one of the computing modules was turned off, and the second reduced its frequency to 200 MHz. Such an engineering solution allowed to significantly save battery level. Samsung Galaxy S2 DUOS also boasted similar technical specifications. The characteristics of its processor are identical. But only in this case the Qualcomm MSM8660 chip was used. The same can be said about the rest of the representatives of this family of smartphones: S2 Plus and S2 Mini. As a result, their level of performance is comparable.
Gadget graphics
The graphics subsystem in the Samsung Galaxy S2 is pretty well implemented. The characteristics of the technical specifications of the Mali400-MP4 graphics accelerator are not impressive today, but its availability is quite enough to run most applications. The diagonal of the display, as already noted, is 4.3 inches. Its resolution is 480 x 800. It is also based on the SUPERAMOLED matrix. The only thing that definitely causes complaints is the presence of an air gap between the touch panel and the surface of the screen. This leads to a distortion of the screen image with a significant deviation of the display from a right angle. Almost all devices in this series have identical technical parameters. The exception to this is the Samsung Galaxy S2 Mini. The characteristics of its display will be more modest. The resolution is exactly the same, but the diagonal is reduced by 0.6 inches and is 3.7 inches. Therefore, it will not be so convenient to work on it.
Cameras
Two cameras for taking photos and recording videos are equipped with the Samsung Galaxy S2. Specifications they have mediocre today, but at the time of the device’s release, their parameters were among the best. The camera is based on an 8 megapixel sensor. Also at the software level, it implements a system for stabilizing images and autofocus. As a result, the quality of the photo and video is not satisfactory. And the developers have not forgotten about the LED backlight, which allows you to take pictures and record videos even in the dark at a distance of up to 2 meters. A more modest sensor in the front camera is only 2 megapixels. But for video calls this is enough. Well, you can’t expect more from her.
Memory
Despite the fact that sales of Samsung Galaxy S2 started in 2011 , the characteristics of its subsystem even now, after 4 years, are impressive. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, and this wave is enough for the normal and smooth operation of the gadget. Well, the internal storage capacity is 16 GB. Of these, 4 GB are occupied by preinstalled software. The rest, the user can use at his discretion. This is quite sufficient for installing additional application software, as well as for storing personal data (documents, photos, videos, music). There is also the possibility of installing an external drive with a maximum capacity of 32 GB. The corresponding slot is hidden behind the back cover of the device. There is the possibility of connecting with the help of OTZH-cable (it needs to be bought separately, it is not included in the delivery package of the device) of a conventional flash drive.
Autonomy
This smartphone is equipped with a very modest battery. And exactly the same battery comes with the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus. Its characteristics are identical to the flagship solution, but only the capacity of the built-in drive is reduced by 2 times and is equal to 8 GB. The battery capacity is 1650 mAh. If we add to this a 4.3-inch display diagonal and a 2-core productive processor that cannot boast of good energy efficiency, we get a very bad situation with autonomy. In the best case, in the maximum saving mode, you can stretch 1.5 days. If you increase the load on the smartphone, then you can count on 1 day of work. Well, if you make a call, then one charge of the battery is enough for half an hour of communication. You can solve the problem with autonomy by purchasing an additional battery with increased capacity.
Communications
Impeccable communication set in S2. There is everything you need in order to start fully using the device immediately after purchase. The list includes the following:
- Full support for mobile networks of the second and, of course, third generation. In the first case, it is theoretically possible to obtain a data acquisition rate of 450 kbit / s. In practice, this value is significantly less. But in the case of work in 3G networks, the speed can theoretically reach 21 Mbit / s. In reality, as in the previous case, the speed will be less.
- The main wireless interface is Wi-Fi . Almost all of its modifications are supported, except for "ac". This standard appeared much later and therefore is not implemented in this device. The maximum speed in this case can theoretically reach 150 Mbps.
- The developers did not forget about such an important wireless way to obtain information as bluetooth. It is indispensable in cases where you need to transfer or receive a small file from a similar mobile device or connect a wireless stereo headset to a smart phone.
- For navigation, the device is equipped with a GPS sensor and the A-ZHPS system . The integrated use of these two components allows you to accurately determine the location of this gadget. Also, with their help, it is not difficult to turn this smartphone into a ZhPS navigator.
- There are only 2 wired interfaces in this device: MicroUSB (charging the battery, connecting to a PC) and an audio port for connecting headphones.
A similar communication set is implemented in other smartphones of this series, for example, in the very Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus. Their characteristics are almost identical in this regard.
Software
As the system software in this family of smartphones, the most popular platform today is Android. And in the initial state version 2.3 is installed. But the first time you connect to the Internet, the software will update, and the OS version will already be 4.0. On top of the operating system, the TouchWiz shell version 4 is installed. With its help, you can easily and easily reconfigure the interface of a mobile gadget strictly to your needs. Otherwise, the software set is standard: social services (only international, and their domestic counterparts will have to be additionally installed from the Play Market), mini-applications from the OS and a set of programs from the search giant and part-time developer of the operating system, Google .
User Feedback
A very balanced solution is the Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100. Its characteristics clearly confirm this. The processor, memory subsystem, display and graphics accelerator - all this is perfectly matched, and there are no problems with this. Also, cameras allow you to receive photos and videos of acceptable quality. But what the owners of this gadget had problems with were their autonomy and accessories. The battery capacity is really modest, on a single charge, as noted earlier, it is possible to extend a maximum of 1.5 days. This problem can only be solved by purchasing an additional battery for extra money. In a similar way, one can solve the problem of a modest configuration. If you need a stereo headset or interface cable, then we buy it separately for an additional fee. And in this case, the accessory is chosen the one that is needed, and not the economy option from the manufacturer.
Price
One of the most expensive smartphones at the time of sale was the Samsung Galaxy S2. Specifications made it the best solution among the "Android" gadgets. Accordingly, his cost was about 800-900 dollars. But now, after 4 years, its hardware and software specifications allow you to compete only with entry-level devices. Accordingly, his value fell to 150-160 dollars. This price makes it one of the best deals in the entry-level device segment.
Summary
Over 4 years of sales, it smoothly descended from the segment of premium smartphones to the niche of entry-level devices Samsung Galaxy S2. The characteristics of its hardware resources clearly indicate this. But, on the other hand, even now, most of everyday tasks can be easily and simply solved on this device. Not every gadget boasts similar performance.