Samsung Galaxy S2: characteristics of the model, reviews, description and photo

Back in May 2011, Samsung Galaxy S2 sales started. The characteristics of its hardware and software parameters, owner feedback 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 allowed it to be attributed to the 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 for the segment of mobile gadgets. Smartphones of the brand iPhone can not boast of excellent equipment. 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 interface cable, a protective case and a sticker and a stereo headset. Although you will not be able to do without any previously mentioned accessory, the owner of this device will be quite difficult.

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 is a display, protected by tempered glass "Gorilla Eye". Above, above the screen, the front camera, sensor holes and a speaker are located. Below, below the display is a typical control panel. It consists of 2 sensory (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 to adjust the volume level is displayed on the left side of the smart phone.

On the underside of the smartphone there is a hole of the spoken microphone and the main wire port of the device - MicroUSB. On the top edge of the gadget, there is only one wired audio port. The back cover of the device is made of structured plastic. Here is the main camera with a backlight, the manufacturer's logo and a loud speaker.

Processor and its computing capabilities

One of the best processors of 2011 was used in the Samsung Galaxy S2. The characteristics of its hardware parameters allowed this chip at that time to solve any of the complexity level of the problem. This is the Exynos 4210. This is the own development of the South Korean giant. The structure of this CPU includes 2 cores of architecture "Cortex-A9". Each of them could dynamically accelerate to 1.2 GHz in the mode of maximum load. If there was no need for such a high level of CPU performance, one of the compute modules was turned off, and the second reduced its frequency to 200 MHz. Such an engineering solution allowed to significantly save battery level. Similar technical specifications could boast of Samsung Galaxy S2 DUOS. The characteristics of its processor are identical. But only in this case the chip MSM8660 from Qualcomm was used. The same can be said about other representatives of this family of smartphones: S2 Plus and S2 Mini. As a result, their level of performance is comparable.

Gadget Graphics

The graphic subsystem in Samsung Galaxy S2 is quite well implemented. Characteristics of the technical specifications of the graphics accelerator Mali400-MP4 to date is not impressive, but its availability is enough to run most applications. The diagonal of the display, as was already noted earlier, is 4.3 inches. Its resolution is 480 x 800. Also, the matrix "SUPERAMOLED" is based on it. The only thing that exactly causes complaints is the presence of an air gap between the touch panel and the screen surface. This leads to a distortion of the screen image when the display deviates significantly from the right angle. Virtually all devices in this series have identical technical parameters. An exception in this regard 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

Just two cameras for taking photos and recording video is equipped with Samsung Galaxy S2. Characteristics They are currently mediocre, but at the time of the release of the device their parameters were among the best. At the heart of the camera is a sensor at 8 megapixels. Also at the program level, it implements a picture stabilization system and autofocus. As a result, the quality of photos and video does not cause any complaints. And developers have not forgotten about the LED backlight, which allows you to take photos and record video even in the dark at a distance of up to 2 meters. A more modest sensor at the front camera is only 2 megapixels. But for video calls this is enough. Well, more from it and do not have to wait.

Memory

Despite the fact that in 2011 sales of Samsung Galaxy S2 started , 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 normal and smooth operation of the gadget. Well, the capacity of the built-in drive is 16 GB. Of these, 4 GB are preinstalled software. The rest can be used by the user at his own discretion. This is quite enough both for installing additional application software, and 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 an opportunity to connect using an ANZ-cable (you need to buy it separately, it is not included in the package of the device) a usual flash drive.

Autonomy

A very modest battery is equipped with this smartphone. And exactly the same battery goes with the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus. The characteristics of it are identical to the flagship solution, but only the capacity of the built-in storage is reduced by 2 times and is equal to 8 GB. The capacity of the battery is 1650 mAh. If we add to this the diagonal of the 4.3-inch display and the 2-core productive processor, which can not boast of good energy efficiency, we get a completely bad situation with autonomy. At best, in the maximum saving mode, you can stretch out to 1.5 days. If you increase the load on your smartphone, 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. Solve the problem with autonomy by buying an additional battery with increased capacity.

Communications

Perfect communication set in S2. There is everything you need to start using the device immediately after purchase. The list includes the following:

• Full support for mobile networks second and, of course, the third generation. In the first case, it is theoretically possible to obtain a data rate of 450 kbit / s. In practice this value is much smaller. But in the case of working in 3G networks, the speed can theoretically reach 21 Mbit / s. In fact, 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 Mbit / s.
• Do not forget the developers and about such an important wireless way of obtaining information, like bluetooth. It is indispensable in those cases when it is necessary to transfer or receive a small file from a similar mobile device or to connect to a smart phone a wireless stereo headset.
• For navigation, the device is equipped with a GPS-sensor and an A-ZHPS system . The combined 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.
• Wired interfaces in this device only 2: MicroUSB (battery charging, connection 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 same Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus. Their characteristics are practically identical in this respect.

Software

As the system software in this family of smartphones is the most popular platform to date - "Android." And in the initial state installed version 2.3. But when you connect to the Internet for the first time, the software will be updated, and the OS version will already be 4.0. The TouchWiz 4-d version is installed on top of the operating system. With its help, you can easily and easily reconfigure the interface of the mobile gadget strictly to your needs. The rest of the set of software is standard: social services (only international, and their domestic counterparts will have to be installed from the Play-Store), mini applications from the OS and a set of programs from the search giant and the developer of the operating system, Google .

User opinion

A very balanced solution is the Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100. Its characteristics are unequivocally confirmed. The processor, the memory subsystem, the display and the graphics accelerator are all perfectly matched, and there are no problems with this. Also, cameras allow you to receive photos and videos of acceptable quality. But with what the problems arose with the owners of this gadget, so it's with autonomy and accessories. The battery capacity at it is really modest, on one charge, as it was marked earlier, it is possible to stretch a maximum of 1,5 days. This problem can be solved only by purchasing an additional battery for extra money. Similarly, you can solve the problem of a modest bundle. If you need a stereo headset or an 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 the sale was the Samsung Galaxy S2. Technical characteristics made it the best solution among the "Android" -gadgets. Accordingly, the cost of it was about 800-900 dollars. But now, after 4 years, its hardware and software specifications allow you to compete only with the entry level devices. Accordingly, the cost of it dropped to 150-160 dollars. This price makes it one of the best offers in the segment of entry-level devices.

Results

For 4 years of sales, smoothly dropped from the segment of premium smartphones into the niche of entry-level devices Samsung Galaxy S2. The characteristic of its hardware resources on this clearly indicates. But, on the other hand, even now most of the everyday tasks can be easily and simply solved on this device. Such performance can not boast of every gadget.