Samsung Galaxy S 2 & Galaxy Tab 10.1 First Look

Good

• Powerful Android 2.3 Gingerbread software
• Screen should be brighter and less reflective than that of the Galaxy S
• Kies syncing software will get a welcome refresh

Bad

• Samsung's widgets may be disappointing

We loved The Terminator when Arnie worked his magic with nothing but some tinfoil and a red LED stuck to his face. But, when the terminator became a liquid metal guy whose face blows open like a milk carton, we were really impressed.

That's how we're hoping to feel about the Samsung Galaxy S II, the follow-up to the Galaxy S. The Galaxy S was great because it finally brought a sense of fun to high-end Android smart phones, but it had flaws both in its software and hardware. The Galaxy S II looks like it could be an improvement in both departments.

The Galaxy S II should be dropping into shops in May, although we don't yet know how much it'll cost.

Squaring the circle 

One of our complaints about the first Galaxy S was that it looked like an iPhone 3GS wannabe, what with its black plastic case and rounded, chrome trim. That seemed a shame because its powerful Android software made it much more than just an iPhone rip-off.

Unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy S II doesn't resemble an iPhone 3GS rip-off. It's an iPhone 4 rip-off instead. 

The Galaxy S II sorts out that issue by sporting a case with square corners. But now it looks like an imitation of the similarly square iPhone 4.

Like the Google Nexus S, which Samsung also built, the Galaxy S II has a smooth, black, monolithic appearance, with the two touch-sensitive buttons disappearing into the blackness of the screen when they're inactive. The square-ish, shallow home button is the only interruption on the phone's smooth face. Combined with the screen, which floats fantastically close to the surface of the glass, the Galaxy S II is a subtle but sexy beast.

Screening room 

The Galaxy S II's screen is of the Super AMOLED Plus variety, so it's meant to be even sharper and less reflective than the Super AMOLED screen on its predecessor. We look forward to seeing how many superlatives Samsung can string together for its next screen technology.

We haven't had the chance to take the Galaxy S II for a test drive in bright sunlight, but we were impressed by Super AMOLED screens as they compared to bog-standard AMOLED ones. Hopefully, Super AMOLED Plus screens will live up to their billing too.

Gorging on Gingerbread  

There's plenty of room on the 4.3-inch touchscreen to fit in your favourite websites. In fact, the size of the screen almost takes the Galaxy S II into tablet territory.

The phone will launch with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which should mean good things for Web surfing on this handset. Although we're yet to put the Galaxy S II through its paces, we've used Gingerbread often on the Google Nexus S, and that phone's browser is the business. For example, it supports Flash, so you can view videos on Web pages and you won't miss out on sites that use Flash for navigation.

Here's the Galaxy S II next to the Google Nexus S, flaunting its more angular corners, the saucy fiend.

Android 2.3 has so many features that we could write an epic poem about them all. Among them are Google Maps, which will prevent you from ever getting lost again, and access to the App Market, which is stuffed with games and gizmos that you can download onto your phone. Check out our introduction to Android and our analysis of Gingerbread to learn all about it.

Powering all those features isn't easy but, with a dual-core processor running at 1GHz, it looks like the Galaxy S II will have all the brains it needs.

The original Galaxy S suffered from some software flakiness, especially before it got an update to Android 2.2 Froyo. We've got our fingers crossed that the Galaxy S II won't have the same problems.

One thing the Galaxy S II will have is updated versions of the widgets that we saw on the Galaxy S. We weren't fans of Samsung's own widgets, and the refreshed versions still lack the style or functionality of HTC's efforts on phones like the Desire. But we'll keep an open mind until we can try them out for real. It's also worth remembering that, if you don't like them, you don't have to use them -- the App Market is full of other widgets.

Like its forebear, the early Galaxy S II sample that we saw had coloured, rounded icons in its menu. These sit behind the default Android icons, and make the menu look more homogenous, but they're very evocative of the iPhone's icons. We'd rather these homages to Apple were ditched, in favour of embracing Android's freewheeling icon designs.

Media mogul 

Samsung has also whipped up some more apps to keep its Aldiko ebook reader app company. The Game Hub will bring together free social games in the FarmVille mould. It will also offer a range of 'freemium' games from big publishers like EA and Gameloft. Such games are free to try but are built around in-game purchases.

We're also keen to try the Music Hub, which will essentially be a custom front end for the 7digital music store. 7digital is one of our favourite MP3 shops, because you can re-download your music from the store if you ever lose it. It's also implemented very well on the BlackBerry.

Samsung's Hub apps aim to make the Galaxy S II a media maestro.

Samsung says that its Kies syncing software will also get a refresh, which is good, because it's currently a weak link. We've struggled to get Kies to recognise phones on plenty of occasions, and we hate the fact that we had to connect to Kies to get the software update on our Galaxy S, rather than receiving it over the air. We're told that Kies will be updated to include syncing over Wi-Fi and the ability to manage apps on your phone from your computer, so we're willing to give it another chance.

The Galaxy S II looks like it could be a media maestro. Not only does it have a big screen, it also supports 1080p high-definition video playback at 30 frames per second. If you prefer taking your own shots, there's also an 8-megapixel camera. When it comes to sharing your media, you'll be able to connect the Galaxy S II to other devices over Wi-Fi or DNLA.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S II looks sleeker and more powerful than its much-loved predecessor. The screen should blind us with its beauty, and a dual-core processor should keep Android 2.3 Gingerbread running at its sweet-tasting best. We just hope the phone can avoid the software hiccups that plagued the first Galaxy S, and improve on Kies.

Edited by Charles Kloet 

Read more: http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s-2-review-50002442/#ixzz1IBZnO1em