Samsung Galaxy S II T-Mobile Review

Introduction:

Completing the trifecta, T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S II is about to embark on its own journey, as it aims to reign supreme over T-Mobile’s lineup. Employing a new processor under the hood and a slightly higher $229.99 on-contract price than its siblings, will it still be able to impress after we’ve seen two great offerings from Sprint and AT&T already? Well, T-Mobile customers are surely hoping that’s the case with this one.

Design:

Sharing a similar design footprint to the Sprint Samsung Epic 4G Touch, with its size, dimensions, and weight, T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S II is every bit the same appealing handset that we love. Plastic in nature, it’s lightweight for its size, but we truly like its rubbery textured back cover that keeps it looking clean at all times. However, it’s your conventional looking smartphone slate.



You can compare the T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S II with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

Above all, its 4.52” WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display continues to impress us with its wide viewing angles, high-contrast looks, and vibrant color production. Even though it’s sufficient for most things, its resolution is clearly beginning to show its age – and it’s especially evident with web browsing!



Around its sides, we find its volume rocker, power button, 3.5 mm headset jack, noise cancellation microphone, standard microphone, and a microUSB port – with the latter, you gain video-out functionality with the use of an MHL adapter. Around the back, it features an 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash and notches for its speaker. Meanwhile, pulling off the back cover reveals its beefy 1,850 mAh battery, SIM card slot, and microSD card slot.

Interface and Functionality:

Unlike its siblings that utilize a dual-core Exynos processor, T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S II uses a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 CPU instead. Sure it’s fast with its operation, but it doesn’t have the same buttery smooth movement seen with the other variants – plus, we do notice some subtle instances of choppiness. In theory, the Snapdragon S3 is very powerful platform and fine tuning of the software may bring better results.

Just like the other models, it features the latest version of TouchWiz running on top of Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, which boasts a cleaner look than previous versions. Aside from the deep level of personalization that TouchWiz offers, it also employs some motion-based services that add some functionality to the platform’s operation – like zooming with the web browser or media gallery. Although they’re nice additions, some are more practical than others.



Camera and Multimedia:

Not surprisingly, the handset is capable of snapping some delicious looking photos with its 8-megapixel auto-focus camera. Producing plenty of sharp details and neutral looking colors, there’s plenty to like about this one as it can literally replace your typical point and shoot camera.

Furthermore, we’re delighted by its high-definition 1080p video recording thanks to its smooth capture rate of 29 frames per second, continuous auto-focus, and clear audio recording.

Samsung Galaxy S II for T-Mobile Sample Video:



With the TouchWiz music player, its presentation follows in line to other conventional looking players, but thankfully we’re pleased with its neutral volume output, which can be fine-tuned by selecting the appropriate equalizer settings.


More than equipped to play our test video that’s encoded in DivX 1920 x 1080 resolution, the handset is unequivocally perfect for the occasion thanks to its smooth playback and rich details – and it helps that its Super AMOLED Plus display is so oozing with plenty of eye-catching visuals.

Internet and Connectivity:

Not only is it able to load our web site very quickly thanks to its HSPA+ connection, it’s not fazed one bit when it’s faced with plenty of Flash content. Additionally, its navigation controls are spot-on by showing plenty of evidence that it’s capable of exhibiting tight responses with its operation.


Voice phone calls are not a problem for this GSM equipped smartphone, however, 3G and 4G speeds are obtained through T-Mo’s specific AWS band. Besides that, aGPS, Bluetooth 3.0, and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi are all on board for the ride.

Performance:

Chattering away on the handset, we’re accepting of its overall quality since voices are clear and distinctive on both ends of the line – though, its weak sounding earpiece can be challenging to comprehend conversations in noisy environments. Moreover, we’re presented with squeaky voices when switching over to its speakerphone.

Displaying an adequate amount of bars in high coverage areas, the handset has no problem retaining a connection to the network in the greater Philadelphia area.

Having the largest capacity battery out of the three variants for the US, we’re able to get 11 hours of juice on a single charge while using the smartphone heavily. Light users will obviously get through a solid day, but it’s still something you’ll probably want to charge on a nightly basis.
 

Conclusion:

Are you a T-Mobile customer looking for the best Samsung branded Android smartphone? As expected, there’s no denying that the Samsung Galaxy S II is absolutely the top dog in the category – well, for right now that is. It will certainly serve you well in many different ways including web-browsing and photo-taking, due to its exceptional performance, large screen and high-quality camera.

There are some other great phones in T-Mobile's line-up though, which you can opt for, if you find the Galaxy S II too big, or don't like it for some other reason. For example, you may want to check out the HTC Sensation 4G, or, if you would like a physical QWERTY keyboard, you can safely go for the T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide by HTC.

If you are strongly devoted to the Galaxy S II idea, and switching the carrier is not a problem for you, you'll surely want to know that T-Mobile’s version is by far the least favorable option on our list. Taking into account its higher $229.99 price point and not as buttery smooth performance, Sprint’s Samsung Epic 4G Touch is looking a teeny bit better. Nevertheless, it’s still a respectable high-end smartphone that should appease a good chunk of people with its offerings.

Software version of the reviewed unit:
Android Version: 2.3.5
Kernel Version: 2.6.35.11
Build Number: GINGERBREAD.UVKID

Samsung Galaxy S II for T-Mobile Video Review: