Why is this phone getting so much buzz?

[kemetblk]

I am not trolling or trying to start a flame war, this is a very valid question for me. My wife has an Epic 4G and as such I am constantly having to fix things or attempt to fix things that are wrong with this phone. The hardware seems great, but the software is atrocious!

My question is why is everyone so excited about the Galaxy S II line? Every phone in the first Galaxy S line had MAJOR issues, so why does everyone keep saying this is the phone to beat this year? Did Samsung do something radically different from a software standpoint this year? I am eligible for upgrade in December (currently on Evo 4G) and my wife is dying to upgrade from the original Epic in October and I would like the best phone Sprint has, but I have serious reservations about Samsung devices after dealing with both the Instinct and the Epic.

What is the deal? Thanks.

 

[expertzero1]

read up google.com

 

[Cobravision]

I was very down on the entire Galaxy S line last year, with the GPS problems, the bluish pentile matrix screen, and SD card problems. But Samsung has really hit this one out of the park -- all of the software problems like lag and poor rendering of Flash content have been solved with the Exynos processor. The pentile matrix screen has been upgraded to RGB stripe. It also has of the best cameras and smooth 1080p recording. So as an Evo 4G owner and longtime HTC owner who was slavering over the Evo 3D, I almost felt like I was betraying HTC when I decided to bypass that phone for the Epic Touch. But this phone has met or exceeded all expectations and hype so far, and I am all in at this point.

And yes, the GPS is reportedly fixed this time.

 

[Bearly]

Guys, regardless, wait about 30 days post launch to read reviews from other users. At least I would.

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[Nrbelex]

I would highly suggest reading some reviews, starting with AnandTech's: AnandTech - Samsung Galaxy S 2 (International) Review - The Best, Redefined

In short, there's consensus from those that follow phones professionally that this is the best Android device yet.

 

[Mikest]

Id suggest starting with googling the reviews of the European Samsung Galaxy SII and then imagine a larger American version of an already brilliant phone.

 

[ravizzle]

i have an og epic, and currently no problems at all. Gps used to be bad at first, but now it works great.

 

[jfenton]

I really don't get all this EPIC issues and truly wonder of people even have this phone? We have three in our family, all owned by people who know nothing about a phones software. They abuse the hell out of them and they have worked perfectly since day 1. When I had one prior to owning an EVO 4G I never once had a problem either. Course, I never checked to see if the GPS nailed me within a millimeter of here I actually stood. All I know is that it never failed me driving or walking through a big city.

 

[Holsum]

Guys, regardless, wait about 30 days post launch to read reviews from other users. At least I would.

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I agree with this 100%

Here is my take on it. I am about 99.9% getting this phone but i want to wait and see others peoples take on it before i jump on the band wagon. THe other reason i am hesitant is because the Nexus Prime is going almost identical in specs WITH the NFC (near field communications) chip AND Ice Cream Sandwich. I Honestly Cannot wait to see what ICS has to offer.

I have been waiting for ICS since they announced it!

 

[baglady215]

Why do you need to wait for reviews on a phone that has been out for months?

 

[JayWill]

Why do you need to wait for reviews on a phone that has been out for months?

This is a valid point, except there are still a couple of unknowns.

1) While the reviews already coming in say the SAMOLED Plus screen minimizes it, the pixel detail on a 4.52" vs. a 4.3" screen at 480x800 could be an issue for some people.

2) The International GSII was built for GSM networks, while this variant will have Sprint's CDMA radios. One would think it won't matter, but we still have to see how this phone performs on a CDMA network. Call quality could be worse, or it could be better.

Both are issues that could influence someone to defer a purchase decision until reports from owners come in.

 

[Officerpolabear]

I agree with this 100%

Here is my take on it. I am about 99.9% getting this phone but i want to wait and see others peoples take on it before i jump on the band wagon. THe other reason i am hesitant is because the Nexus Prime is going almost identical in specs WITH the NFC (near field communications) chip AND Ice Cream Sandwich. I Honestly Cannot wait to see what ICS has to offer.

I have been waiting for ICS since they announced it!

Personally, I would only care about ICS if there's anything ground-breaking about it. It's gotta be like Eclair to Froyo, not Froyo to Gingerbread.

 

[kemetblk]

I appreciate the responses. I read about 8-10 reviews before starting this thread, but they all mostly touched on hardware not software. I had no issues the the Epic's hardware, almost all the issues were related to it's faulty software (other than the battery and GPS). This is why I am having such a hard time with this decision.

With Sprint ending it's Premier program I don't want to get stuck with a faulty phone for 2 years instead of one.

 

[Minx]

I had the EVO 4G and needed a new phone. I got this phone because I was used to a 8mp camera. It takes amazingly clear and crisp pictures. Even from across the yard, the zoom is pretty good. The HD video is amazing and the videos are so clean. Everyone always comments on how great the videos look on it.

I can't comment on the hardware or software as this is my first Samsung phone. I am used to Android so that is all the same from my EVO.

I have the European version so I don't know how much translated into the Sprint version. It is very nice phone though. I haven't had any problems with anything. It charges faster than the EVO and if you turn on the 4G when using wifi it has a better battery life.
It doesn't ever freeze, close out, stutter or lag. It's never stopped working, broke down or given me any reason to worry.
I don't know about Samsung's past devices but I have heard it both ways. After using this phone I would never guess they made inferior devices.
I haven't rooted it so not sure if that is where your problems are coming from. But as is, this is great working phone. I don't miss my EVO at all.

 

[irev210]

Considering this phone is launching with 2.3.4... you are pretty much getting the latest android software.

Also, given the large consumer base of galaxy S II phones, I am operating under the assumption that updates will start to flow out a little quicker moving forward.

 

[YBCold]

If anyone its worried about the screen they shouldn't be, it is smooth as butter as far as im concerned and I have been through an Evo 3D and Photon. Photon was by far the crappiest out of the3

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