A month with the Galaxy

OK, it's been about a month, so I think it's time for my review of the Samsung Galaxy S2 (screen cap taken above). So how has using this dual-core android 2.3.5 beast been? Let me give you a rundown.

I like:

Using the phone has been mostly a treat. Here's a list of the good points I've found so far.

1. The hardware: The screen is absolutely brilliant, and tho it is 4.3" the slim bezel makes the phone pretty easy to hold on to, and the right side position of the power button is just perfect for left handed holding. The glass on it is also gorilla glass, and it does well in durability tests, so not having to worry about breakage is a nice comfort.
2. The little extras: Samsung's TouchWis interface may not be for everyone (I dumped it and loaded LauncherPro after a week, much better), but 2 little features they added to the phone are really nice. First, as you can see in the pic to the right, when you pull down the notification bar, it also has a spot to turn on or off various settings, like Wi-Fi and GPS. Not having to keep a widget loaded to do that stuff is nice. Samsung also copied borrowed the screen capture feature on iPhones - just push home + power and you're taking pics.
3. The speed: this phone is fast. Tho still not as smooth as an iPhone 4S (me and a friend tested side-by-side), starting and transitioning between apps is quick and painless, and since I've been using it it hasn't bogged down or froze once.
4. Battery life: yes, it is pretty amazing. When I was using the pre-installed TouchWis interface I was getting a full day's usage with about 50% battery left when I go to bed, but now that I switched to LauncherPro it's even better. The lowest I've ever got it down to was 30% and that was after using maps, reading tons of shit, and watching videos while in bad reception.
5. Wi-Fi: this deserves special mention. I just went on a trip to Taipei and when I got to the hotel I turned on Wi-Fi for the 1st time. And holy crap, does it connect fast. Not only does it find hotspots quickly it logs in to remembered spots almost instantaneously, waay faster than my old HTC Desire, and much faster than when I was using an iPhone 3GS.

I don't like:

If that was all there is to the phone, I'd say get one now, immediately. But, alas there are a few little quirks I've found that make it not quite so perfect.

1. The GPS: Um, does this phone even have a real GPS chip? In Japan when using my cell signal + GPS it seems to work OK, tho still not as quickly or as accurately as my Desire. But the Galaxy's GPS failed me a few days ago, in a situation where it was really needed. I was in Taipei, a little lost and tired and wanting to go back to the hotel. I pull out my Galaxy and check the maps. No can do. I sit and sit under the clear night sky and can never get a location. Meanwhile my friend next to me pulls out his iPhone 4 and we get a bearing almost instantly. And note: neither one of us had a data connection and were both working on cached maps. This is kind of a huge letdown because my Desire never had a problem with this. I'm hoping an update can fix it.
2. The strange signal failures: This is kind of an odd problem. It doesn't happen a lot, but it does happen every once in a while. It says I have a data connection, but it just won't do anything. I can't download anything and can't send or recieve email. If I turn on airplane mode and then switch the data back on it always fixes it. Odd. And irritating.
3. The phone is slick: no, I don't mean performance-wise (tho it is). I mean the phone is physically slippery, to the point that I was afraid enough that I might huff the phone just by pulling it out of my pocket that I went and got a grippy cover for it. Which kind of irritates me since personally I prefer to let my phones run naked and free, like God intended them to be.

But that's about it. OK, I should also mention that while the camera seems nice, it isn't as good as the iPhone 4S's cam... but that's not a huge one.

Overall, I have to say it's a great phone. And I would recommend it 100% to anyone wanting a high-end android handset that also can last through the day without having to plug it in to a wall.

I also think every other android maker has to start adding in features like Samsung has in the pull-down menu. That one little menu above the notifications bar saves tons and tons of time in actual usage, and really is a spot where Samsung shows their design skills.