Samsung Galaxy S II = Best phone on the market
Every once in a while, a company releases a smartphone that is so amazing that it makes me very happy that I do this for a living. The Samsung Galaxy S II is one of those devices and its mix of design, power, software and hardware quite simply make it the best phone on the market today.
Unfortunately, it’s not available from a U.S. carrier now, so your only option to get a Galaxy S II is to buy an import and have it run on 2G. Official carrier versions should land within a few months, so you won’t have to wait long to get this handset with a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1.2-GHz dual-core processor, 8-megapixel camera that can record 1080p HD and all the connectivity goodies you’d expect.
From our official review:
Samsung has seriously stepped up its game with the Galaxy S 2, and is making it known that its not just gunning for Apple. It’s gunning for the world. There’s still plenty of competition coming its way, and soon the handset may have it’s crown snatched away. However, as of right now the Galaxy S 2 is probably the best Android handset to ever exist, period.
There were a few cons in the review (speaker could have been better, call quality could have been louder) but this is an excellent phone that sets the standard for the rest of the year. We can’t wait for it to land officially.
Samsung Infuse 4G: Is this the best AT&T Android phone?
The Samsung Infuse 4G for AT&T tests the limits of what’s too big, as the Android-powered device rocks a massive 4.5-inch display. While it’s a beautiful Super AMOLED Plus screen, it can be a little unwieldy in some circumstances.
Luckily, the Samsung Infuse 4G isn’t too bulky with that huge screen, as it packs a 1.2 GHz Hummingbird, 8-megapixel camera, WiFi, AT&T 4G, GPS and Android into a thin design. We liked the beautiful screen and the snappy performance but felt like the call quality could have been better and the overall design made it a little bit slippery.
You can get the Infuse 4G for $199 with a new, two-year contract and here’s the meat of our official review:
The Samsung Infuse 4G is arguably the best Android device you can get for AT&T right now. Its raw processing power, enormous and vivid screen and capable camera really blew me away. Now, it’s not like I sat here and said, “Wow,” every time I did something with the phone. But it was the fact that I never found myself cursing it – either for performance or ease-of-use – that leaves me wanting this phone. When I can get through an entire day without being troubled or hassled by an Android device, and it does everything I want it to do without a hiccup, that’s when I know it’s a great Android phone. The Infuse 4G is a great Android phone.
Sprint Nexus S 4G: How good is 4G plus pure Android?
The Sprint Nexus 4G is an interesting device because it’s the only pure Android 2.3 Gingerbread phone to hit a major carrier and it also packs in a 4G WiMax radio. The problem is that while it’s a solid device, it’s not as cutting-edge as devices hitting the market.
With a 4-inch Super AMOLED curved display, a 1 GHz Hummingbird processor, a pure Google experience and a 5-megapixel camera, the Sprint Nexus S 4G will be more than enough for many users but the die-hard smartphone enthusiasts may not find it appealing.
Here’s the skinny from the review:
I say this handset isn’t for me because I’m a spec-junky and the Nexus S 4G just seems downright old to me. You can blame the Galaxy S 2 on that one. This is not to say that this phone isn’t perfect for someone else. If you’re not terribly concerned about bells and whistles and just want a 4G phone, or you just wanted to see the Nexus S on different carrier, there should be nothing stopping you from getting this handset.
Gamers get ready, the Xperia Play is just around the corner
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is just a few days from being released on Verizon (already available in multiple other markets) and we’ve been able to take a good look at the retail version. We’ve been following this device for a long time, so you probably already know that it sports a 4-inch screen, 5-megapixel camera, 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and the Android phone is aimed at gamers with a slide-out gaming pad.
We’re going to have a full review up for you shortly but I’m sure most of you want to know how the gaming pad is. Well, according to Simon:
I’ve only had a few hours to try out the games, and I’m still getting used to the dual joysticks. I’m not sold on them being primary inputs, but as secondary options to the physical directional pad, it’s a nice option.
Look for a full review early next week and watch this video to satisfy you until then.
News in 60 seconds
It hasn’t been an insane week but let’s blast through the important news of the last seven days:
- Verizon is picking up its first Windows Phone 7 device with the HTC Trophy. It will also kill unlimited plans and add family data plans this summer.
- Is the BlackBerry PlayBook a flop?
- AT&T gave a sneak peak at its LTE network and this shows speeds of more than 28 down. We’ll have to see if that can be replicated in the real world.
- Android continues to grow its market share.
- Microsoft may start its outright acqusition of Nokia next week. We’ll definitely keep our eyes on that one.
- We’re throwing a party June 3 in San Francisco. Come for free drinks, food and a good chance to win a Galaxy Tab 10.1 or a variety of Samsung phones.
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What’s ahead
Assuming the Rapture doesn’t take place Saturday, next week is going to be jam-packed with news and reviews. We have the HP Veer, full Xperia Play and HTC Flyer reviews to look forward to. Additionally, Verizon is going nuts by releasing multiple devices on May 26 (Play, Droid X2, LG Revolution, HTC Trophy) so we’ll aim to have most of those up by the time you read this column next week.
There’s also the MeeGo conference on Monday (don’t laugh!), Microsoft showing off more Windows Phone 7 Mango features Tuesday and a whole host of surprises that I can’t yet talk about. Keep it locked on IntoMobile over the weekend for more news and feel free to follow the team on Twitter: @IntoMobile @willpark @marinperez @simonsage @blakestimac @mdflores @xbbx @jamesfalconer @GJCAG.
Ohhhhhhhhhhh yeeeeaaaahh.
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