AT&T Samsung GALAXY S II hands-on

By on Aug 30, 2011 at 7:20 PM
mobile August 30, 2011

We just had a chance to get up close with AT&T’s brand new GALAXY S II device, which was just revealed during a Samsung press event here in New York City. AT&T’s GALAXY S II is nearly identical to the European model; it is equipped with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a large Super AMOLED Plus display, 16GB of storage with room for a 32GB microSD card, an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording 1080p video, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats, and support for AT&T’s HSPA+ network. The GALAXY S II runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) with Samsung’s custom TouchWiz user interface on top. We really dig the TouchWiz update, which adds much more useful widgets, runs faster and looks more attractive than the original. The GALAXY S II reminds us a ton of the Infuse 4G on AT&T, but it’s a bit thinner and has more power under the hood. AT&T’s is launching “in the coming weeks” but the carrier hasn’t revealed pricing just yet. Be sure to check out our full gallery with AT&T’s GALAXY S II below.

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  • Anonymous

    Why do you say 4.5″ when other sources are saying 4.3″???????????

    Should have kept it original GS II AT&T!!!!

    • Bullet Tooth Tony

      It is the 4.3″… it appears to be virtually indistinguishable from the European version in the videos showing it.

    • Anonymous

      i cant believe this!! me and my sister just got two i-pads for $ 42.77 each and a $ 50 amazon card for $ 9. the stores want to keep this a secret and they dont tell you. go here tini.cc/AP

  • Anonymous

    I love how the charging port is at the bottom, compared to the Captivate being on top.

    Hope the GPS works flawlessly this time.

    • http://twitter.com/TheBrizz Brian Jones

       I agree; a top-mounted charging port is a complete design fail. Second place goes to the bottom-mounted headphone jack on the HTC Inspire.

      • http://twitter.com/REDSOXSURFER CHRIS D

        Having the headphone jack on the bottom isn’t too bad.  When listening to music and the phone is in your pocket, when you take it out, it’s already in the position for you to tap the screen easier. 

    • http://twitter.com/REDSOXSURFER CHRIS D

      I find the charger being on the bottom very inconvenient.  I can’t put the phone in my cup holder when I’m charging it in the car.  Overall, hell of a phone.

  • http://www.pixelreason.com PixelReason

    Wish there was video.

  • Havok6927

    I love Samsung and this phone is tempting but I will keep my infuse and will wait for an LTE Samsung on at&t.

  • Aneftp

    Samsung is committing suicide with a September S2 release in the USA. They should have released it at least a couple of months ago.

    Everyone knows apple will announce iPhone 5 on at least Verizon and ATT (and possible Sprint). The non techies will all go for iPhone 5.

    Even techies like us will compare the specs of iPhone 5 vs S2 and consider the iPhone 5. I own all types of phones (currently have blackberry 9780, Vibrant amd Atrix) and wanted the S2 back in May, i sold my iphone 4 in Late May. But as iPhone 5 gets closer, I will probably get the iPhone 5.

    Samsung lost a potential customer in me for the S2 because of their delay in getting it to the US. I was willing to pay $650 for unlocked version on eBay but kept getting outbid back in May and June and have lost interest. The S2 were going for over $700 on eBay.

    I will use my full subsidy upgrade on probably the iPhone 5 as soon as it’s available.

    • Anonymous

      They’ve sold millions of those phones and have a huge following. I don’t think they’ll cry over your $650 bucks. 

      • Anonymous

         although i do agree Samsung should of released this phone way earlier i still feel that alot of people will go out and buy this phone. I own the UK version and i have to say the ones that you guys are getting over there are bloody ugly with the capacitive buttons. But hey what do i know..But anyhow its an awesome phone and i would recommend it to people and i still say it beats the iphone hands down. and if people like custom roms for it xda forums is the place to look at

  • Rob

    O how the iPhone 5 better bring something good to the table, or this just might be what I need to jump ship. Great piece of hardware Samsung, keep it up!

    • Anonymous

      Agreed. I am holding out for a 4″ screen. If iPhone 5 ships with the same tiny 3.5″ , I’m scoring a SGSII.

      • Rob

        I’m in the same exact boat as you man. Time will tell!

      • Scott

        I kind of feel the same way, except I switched nearly a year ago. I like Android, it’s not bad, but you’re going to be disappointed when it comes to apps. It’s the one thing I really do miss and might actually be what brings me back. But I do love the choice in Android hardware. Decisions, decisions…

      • Rob

        Yeah apps are really the only thing holding me back right now, especially after having so many purchased already and in the cloud. Hopefully, like @westex mentioned, Apple makes my decision for me by releasing a nice piece of hardware with at least a 4″ screen.

      • Jarred Mohring

        After having “large” screen devices, the 3.5″ screen is perfect. It’s perfectly pocketable, sizeable for games and media, and the resolution is unbeatable. If I wanted a tablet I would have bought one…

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1001483324 Gerry Quaglia

      If you jump ship to anything, jump to WP7.  It blows Android away.

      • Rob

        I love wp7. I was lookin at that “galaxy s 2″ hardware wp7 handset as a definite contender.

  • Anonymous

    wow. it has a flash this time. my AT&T cup runneth over.

  • Anonymous

    Don’t flame me, but is it 4.3 or a 4.5 screen?

    • Ash

      Apparently it IS a 4.3 in screen for the AT&T version, while the rest ( T Mobile and Sprint ) are giving out 4.52 in.

  • dwinsmith

    Looks just as cheap as the Infuse…. :(

    • Anonymous

      That’s because they are cheap

    • Anonymous

       Trust me friend i thought the same thing when i got my one. You know going from iphone 4 to plastic samsung really did put me off and i send the phone back and got the HTC sensation…But once i had the sensation i realise that i did a mistake cause hardware wise and specwise the GS2 is the best out there at the mo so i got it back and could not be happier. You can buy so many cases for it as well and once you hold it in your hands it does not feel cheap at all and its one gorgeous beast of a phone to have.. I am not trying to sell you the phone im just giving my experience of owning one and jjust saying its the best thing i done by getting it and i just wanted to share my thoughts on people having doubts about getting it…

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1001483324 Gerry Quaglia

    Sure it looks pretty, so did my Craptivate.  Unfortunately, the original Galaxy S had a faulty GPS that was never fixed, laggy performance, capacitance buttons that had back lighting that shut off after 5 seconds, device shut off for no reason often, and not lets forget no Froyo for months after similar phones by HTC and Motorola got it.  But hey, it sure looked pretty.  No thanks Samsuck, you won’t fool me again.

    • Anonymous

      Yep, just eye candy. When it comes down to performance, it’s an underachiever just like the majority of Android devices if not all.

      • Scott

        It pretty much is. Android doesn’t have anything in the market place where it could even come close to using this kind of power. Just look at my Nexus One. It’s a first gen 1Ghz snapdragon single core and it runs 2.3 just as smooth. The only thing this phone does is bench mark higher. It’s not like that’s going to help you place a call faster!

      • Anthony

        I agree! They try and pull people in with these specs saying it ryns faster and has fluent speeds but once you have the phone, there are more cons than pros! I bought and Infuse and its one of the biggest regrets of my life!

      • Jmeehan77

        i totally agree with you there.. they look nice and maybe be very easy to customize. but like EVERY android phone out after 2 to 3 weeks its lag city and reboot heaven..

        ill stick with iOS for sure.. if not even Blackberry looks more appealing than Lagdroid! 

  • Anonymous

    bonerific

  • td

    Where’s the AT&T slider version of the Galaxy S II (aka Attain)?  While some phone users might desire micro-thin phones, many of us would still prefer a physical keyboard on a high-end phone.

  • Jarred Mohring

    Am I the only person that is wondering why AT&T even offered the Infuse if they knew they would get a damn near identical device so soon after.

    Average customer walks in: What’s the difference between these two, they look a lot alike.

    Salesman: Well one has a dual-core processor and a better front facing camera.

    Customer: Well what does that do for me?

    Salesman: 3D graphic will be smoother, so gaming will be better.

    Customer: Why does the cheaper one have a bigger screen?

    Salesman: Wellllllllllllllll

    Customer: Why would I pay $50/100* more for a smaller screen??

    Salesman: The SGSII is the newest technology available and will be a better phone in the long run

    Customer: Can you show me the iPhone??

    This is exactly how this will work, especially if they price this higher than the ip5/4S. The two phones, Infuse & SGSII, look very similar if not identical to the average buyer. The general population are not cell phone nerds, terms like “dual-core processor”, “1.2GHz”, and ”Super AMOLED Plus” are lost on the average person.

    AT&T Y U SELL INFUSE AND GSII?!?!?

  • Anonymous

    Do the new devices have the NFC chip needed for Google Wallet?

  • Anonymous

    I’m glad I bought mine couple of months back I always hated the buttons on my captivate.
    The center button make it a lot easier and quicker to use the phone or just for unlock.

  • http://pretenseofknowledge.com/ speedmaster

    Darnit. Do I get this, or wait for the next iPhone?! And if I get this phone, do I go with Sprint (my current carrier) or AT&T?

  • http://twitter.com/computer_tweets KW

    WTF?  Only 16GB?  Samsung’s website says there is a 32GB version available.

  • Anonymous

    Which OS 2.3.3.? or 2.3.4? or 2.3.5??????

  • Anonymous

    Which version of Touch Wiz is it running for AT&T? and is there a App that can simulate the Notification LED thats missing on the S-2 for AT&T

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