Checked out the S2 at Sprint store; will pass

[wynand32]

I need to get a new smartphone for my wife soon, who's finally needing to get rid of her Treo 650 and step into the modern world. This will mean a new line for her (her current line, without contract, won't work), and the choice of smartphone. I'm currently using a Photon (gave my Epic 4G to my daughter in trade for her upgrade; saved her money and got me a new phone), which could easily go to my wife in exchange for the ET4G.

Problem is, I'm having trouble deciding if the ET4G would be a better choice than the Photon. What's great about the Photon--outstanding call quality and reliability, rock-solid GPS, and perfect Bluetooth, in addition to a superior car dock--are the things that drove me crazy about the Epic 4G. And what's best about the ET4G--performance, screen, and skin--are good enough on the Photon. The ET4G is better than I expected in all but screen size (I really do think 4.52" is too big, just in terms of handling the UI), and so I'm torn between getting my wife her own Photon and keeping mine, or giving the Photon to her and getting an ET4G for me. I'd still have my own upgrade in January in case something crazy good comes along.

So, my point? Just that the ET4G is apparently a very nice phone, but I do agree with OP in that it's not SO much better than everything else that's recently been released. It would have, however, been simply astounding if released a few months ago. And, there are enough hints of better stuff coming out in the next few months that it does make one pause. Doesn't answer my own question, because I need to get a new smartphone very soon, but for someone who has a last-gen smartphone, I can see some sense in waiting a few months to see what else comes out.

 

[techgeek32#WN]

I agree. I just picked one up today to test out. I have a Photon and an EVO 3D and I wasn't too impressed. The Photon is not as crisp as the EVO 3D due to the pentile technology, but the SII was pixelated in the opposite direction due to the size of the screen and lower resolution. The colors and blacks are sharp, but the Photon is actually brighter than the SII and outside in the there was no difference. Touch Wiz stinks, not many widgets. I did like their calendar, but the contacts and email was not impressive. There is no select all option in the email section to delete several at a time like the Photon and EVO 3D. This is a pain when you have to delete several emails. The other issue is that the signal strength is poor, just like the Nexus S 4G. I can use my Photon at my house without my Airrave, but will need the Airrave for the SII. The SII is loud and music playback is louder. Louder than the Photon which is the loudest I have heard. The screen sensativity is poor. Almost every touch requires two taps, either in menus or on the capacitive buttons. Call quality is much better than the EVO 3D, but does not touch the Photon. GPS is just as quick as the Photon, but no car dock software like the Photon or EVO. You would think that Samsung would have made something pretty special. The camera is awesome, no question. The build quality is all plastic, it is solid, but too light. Even with the textured back it is still very slippery to hold on to.

I will be taking this back. As the OP stated. If you have a Palm Pre, EPIC, Hero, or older Blackberry then this is an excellent upgrade. If you have a Photon, EVO 3D or even an EVO 4G I wouldn't recommend an upgrade. Had they put a higher resolution on this screen I would say, this could last me two years, but not as it is.

 

[oddlou]

I thought about passing and waiting for the next best thing (Nexus whatever whenever it comes out), but I don't know when that is coming out, so why keep dealing with my Evo's ****ty battery for who knows how long...I get my last premier upgrade a year from now anyway (September 2012, I checked). And if the new nexus gets announced in the next 30 days, I think I can return my S2, since I purchased it yesterday, before the return policy changed. Beyond that, this phone is rad and I doubt I'll want to return it.

 

[rkirmeier]

Just got back from Sprint near my house. I played with the demo s2, let me say the screen colors are amazing. I really like the the resolution on the phone. But honestly that's the only thing I liked. I brought cash in hand thinking if I like and see that it beats my phone which is an Evo 3D I would purchase it. But honestly other than the screen its running the same android build as my Evo and I just don't see enough reason to switch. Don't get me wrong phone is super thin and looks beautiful. But in reality my Evo does everything I need it to do and more. I'm just gonna wait for now and keep my evo 3d. But that screen is beautiful on the s2. Size is allright I prefer 4.3, but those color were beautiful. Touchwiz is ehhhhh, but nothing a custom theme wont fix.

Well ya, you have a current generation competitive phone. If you buying new or replacing an older phone and looked at the Epic 4G Touch, Moto Photon, and EVO 3D it really wouldn't be a competition unless the screen was simply too large. They simply have to drop the price on the Photon and 3D otherwise I can't see them selling any of with this phone out now...

 

[SlippingBack]

I had the Evo 3D and returned it. I didnt like the screen and the new version of sense. Went and checked out the GS2 today and I think people complaining about the screen werent seriously going to get this phone anyways. The display is absolutely gorgeous and the phone is fast. Stupid fast. Been playing with it all day and this was definitely worth my upgrade. Anyone on the fence should go ahead and do it, this thing is amazing. Best phone I have ever used.

 

[cacherpaderp]

I agree. I just picked one up today to test out. I have a Photon and an EVO 3D and I wasn't too impressed. The Photon is not as crisp as the EVO 3D due to the pentile technology, but the SII was pixelated in the opposite direction due to the size of the screen and lower resolution. The colors and blacks are sharp, but the Photon is actually brighter than the SII and outside in the there was no difference. Touch Wiz stinks, not many widgets. I did like their calendar, but the contacts and email was not impressive. There is no select all option in the email section to delete several at a time like the Photon and EVO 3D. This is a pain when you have to delete several emails. The other issue is that the signal strength is poor, just like the Nexus S 4G. I can use my Photon at my house without my Airrave, but will need the Airrave for the SII. The SII is loud and music playback is louder. Louder than the Photon which is the loudest I have heard. The screen sensativity is poor. Almost every touch requires two taps, either in menus or on the capacitive buttons. Call quality is much better than the EVO 3D, but does not touch the Photon. GPS is just as quick as the Photon, but no car dock software like the Photon or EVO. You would think that Samsung would have made something pretty special. The camera is awesome, no question. The build quality is all plastic, it is solid, but too light. Even with the textured back it is still very slippery to hold on to.

I will be taking this back. As the OP stated. If you have a Palm Pre, EPIC, Hero, or older Blackberry then this is an excellent upgrade. If you have a Photon, EVO 3D or even an EVO 4G I wouldn't recommend an upgrade. Had they put a higher resolution on this screen I would say, this could last me two years, but not as it is.

Neither I nor my friend are experiencing any of those negatives with regards to the touch screen sensitivity nor the signal strength. Samsung Galaxy S since you don't think the car dock exists. Samsung did make something pretty special. It's not a huge upgrade from a Photon but no one expected it to be.

 

[wynand32]

Neither I nor my friend are experiencing any of those negatives with regards to the touch screen sensitivity nor the signal strength. Samsung Galaxy S since you don't think the car dock exists. Samsung did make something pretty special. It's not a huge upgrade from a Photon but no one expected it to be.

The question regarding the car dock is: will it have the same horrible car dock app as the Epic 4G, along with the terrible interference through the audio out, or will those be improved? The Photon's car dock is stellar, with clean audio and an app that allows customization and that works perfectly. It's not just a matter of having a physical dock at this point, and whether Samsung improved their software for the ET4G or kept with the same old crap will speak volumes...

 

[planoman]

20/20 vision actually .. lets refrain from personal insults and act like adults and talk about the phone which is what this forum was created for.

Only EVERY reviewer of all SGS II phones has commented on the screen and how good it is. Even reviews against the droid bionic which has qHD and higher resolution, the SGS II screen was given higher marks especially on video capture. HTC is known to have inferior screens to Samsung so your post while your opinion, lacks credibility. If you really think your EVO has a nicer screen, good for you but I looked at that screen today in the sprint store (AT&T customer) and how you were not impressed makes me call your eyesight into question also...however that is your opinion and your are free to express it.

 

[srkmagnus]

@op thanks for sharing your view on the device. I'm with Cory, in that community feedback is valuable when it comes to device reviews. If I decide to give the device and go I hope to enjoy it

 

[Gekko]

is it my eyes or are the whites on the S2 not very white?

 

[Officerpolabear]

I understand the thought pattern of you can always wait for the next best thing, and end up with nothing, because you are always waiting.

But...that is not true if something better is just around the corner. Like if your an iPhone fan, you'd be an idiot to replace your iPhone3GS with the iPhone4 right now, if the iPhone5 is just a month out.

I feel the U.S. Galaxy S2 is too late to the party, which the party started in April, this phone is 5 months too late in my opinion. We know there is the "Prime" coming to both CDMA and GSM carriers this Fall, it will be a significantly better device, with the all new Android 4.0 "Ice Cream" and amazing new screen tech. Plus HTC has a new next generation device due out early October with HD screen.

That rule only applies to Android phones. Apple comes out with a phone every year (it's not gonna be dated until the next year). Android phones come out with a flagship like every 1-2 months(these get dated depending on the device but it could range from anything from 3-12 months). That means Apple comes out with 1 for every 6-12 flagships, even more if you include all phones.

 

[Officerpolabear]

I just walked out of the sprint store and this phone doesn't live up to the hype. It is thin and light but I thought the colors on the phone were washed out. I even went to the settings and tweaked them and even at the highest setting the screen was much dimmer than my evo.

Where I really noticed the colors was on human skin. I pulled up ESPN.com on both the gs2 ad then my evo and the gs2 peyton Manning's skin was very reddish on the gs2 and on my evo it looked normal. The resolution on my evo also seemed better. Now I do have my phone rooted and the miui rom installed which has very clean graphics; there are also has some screen enhancements built into the rom.

I just don't get what all this hype about the super amoled screens is about. I expected to be wowed by the new technology but walked out of the store disappointed.

Usually, people say the LCD are washed out compared to the SGS2. I've never heard of a SAMOLED+ screen that looked washed out. On another note, how is the SGS2 dimmer yet washed out? Isn't a screen typically washed out when you turn up the brightness? Well I guess different strokes for different people.

 

[Zorachus]

I am not knocking this phone, I do think it is a great device. actually as of September 2011, to me the Sprint Galaxy S II is the #1 top Android phone for sale, right now. And Sprint, definitely has the best lineup of Android devices hands down.

I would say these are the top five Android phoens available;
#1 = Galaxy S II
#2 = EVO-3D
#3 = Photon 4G
#4 = Nexus-S 4G
#5 = EVO 4G

I like my Nexus-S 4G, but can't see spending $529 to upgrade to the Galaxy S II, it is an awesome device, but not night and day radically better than my N-S.

 

[Zorachus]

But I can easily see laying down $500 for this beast;
Anonymous 4Chan user goes hands on with the Nexus Prime, Ice Cream Sandwich | Android and Me

The Nexus-Galaxy will run on Samsung?s Exynos dual core CPU clocked at 1.5 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Super AMOLED Plus 4.65-inch 1280 x 720 HD display, 16 GB internal memory (with SD card slot). It's 8.8mm thick with a metal body and a 2000 mAh battery

 

[byeblackberry]

He said "LAG". Now that is funny. No lag at all.

 

[Pheno.menon]

Display models are never as zippy or nice as a brand-new phone.

The SGSII I played with in-store had some lag too. Mine has none.

Think of how many people before you got their hands on the device, installed useless apps on it, and did who knows what else.

 

[Officerpolabear]

But I can easily see laying down $500 for this beast;
Anonymous 4Chan user goes hands on with the Nexus Prime, Ice Cream Sandwich | Android and Me

The Nexus-Galaxy will run on Samsung?s Exynos dual core CPU clocked at 1.5 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Super AMOLED Plus 4.65-inch 1280 x 720 HD display, 16 GB internal memory (with SD card slot). It's 8.8mm thick with a metal body and a 2000 mAh battery

The minute you mentioned 4chan and then all your credibility just went down the drain...

 

[gabedonna]

there is a separate brightness setting when inside the browser, maybe that was the issue. there is also a setting for vivid color, movie color and standard color in the regular display settings. try it again.

 

[HeavemyTreo]

OK, 3 weeks ago I got a MoPho (Motorola Photon), it is a fantastic phone. If you need international, want great phone connections and a great screen this is a great phone.

I took my Photon today and compared it the the S2, somebody must be blind to not see the immediate differance between the screens. Looking straight on, the S2 wins, looking at a slant, it isn't even close the S2 kills the Photon.

Yes, its a little bigger, but it still fits in the hand that same an I like the button better on the S2. The screen, the screen ..... its just flat out better on the S2.

Didn't see any lagginess, not sure what that is all about. I like the S2 user interface better.

It is a lot thinner and lighter, each time I pick it up amazed at lightness.

Only thing that I don't like is the headset volumne is not as good as Photon. I haven't had a chance to make adjustments, but the Photon has much higher volume with a headset, the volume on the phone is fine.

Battery useage appears to be better than Photon.

All the features on camera (panorama, etc.) are very cool.

One thing I am finding is the Photon blew my home network off line when I went to WiFi or 4G. S2 doesn't I have a AirRave, CS told me it was problem between Photon and AirRave. So far no problems with S2.

I thought the decision might be tougher given I loved the Photon, it was easy after about 10 minutes with the S2.

 

[jrb7561]

But I can easily see laying down $500 for this beast;
Anonymous 4Chan user goes hands on with the Nexus Prime, Ice Cream Sandwich | Android and Me

The Nexus-Galaxy will run on Samsung?s Exynos dual core CPU clocked at 1.5 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Super AMOLED Plus 4.65-inch 1280 x 720 HD display, 16 GB internal memory (with SD card slot). It's 8.8mm thick with a metal body and a 2000 mAh battery

If you truly believe a phone with those exact specs is coming out in the next month or even two, then I have some swamp land in Florida I would like to sell you.

Meanwhile I will enjoy the heck out of my Epic Touch. Cheers.