O death, where is thy vespiary?
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Samsung Galaxy S
Product Samsung Galaxy S
Website galaxys.samsungmobile.com
Specifications 1 GHz CPU, 4-inch WVGA (480 x 800) 16M Super Amoled screen, 5 megapixel AF camera, 16GB/8GB+ MicroSD (up to 32GB), HD 720p video player and recorder at 30fps, Flash Lite 3.1, RSS reader, Swype, Write & Go, integrates SMS, email and calendar accounts
Price £449.99
THE GALAXY S heads up Samsung's high-end smartphone line up, and it is easy to see why. The beautifully crafted handset is not only one of the bigger phones on the market, with dimensions of 64.2 x 122.4 x 9.9mm, it's also one of the best around.
Weighing just 119g, the Galaxy S is deceptively light, which is an impressive design feat considering that it is larger than the Iphone 4.
The 4-inch WVGA 480x800 16M Super AMOLED screen is its most impressive feature, capable of displaying HD content as well as gorgeous pictures and videos.
While Apple might claim that the Retina display in the Iphone 4 is the best available on a smartphone at 960 x 640 pixels, this screen on the Samsung Galaxy S is a definite rival.
There are two touch sensitive buttons below the screen and a traditional push-down home button, while navigation is carried out via the extremely responsive touchscreen.
The Galaxy S runs Android 2.1 Éclair and incorporates Samsung's Touchwiz 3.0 interface. There is full access to the Android Market and the Samsung App Store, so users can pick from well over 80,000 apps. An upgrade to Android 2.2 Froyo has been pencilled in by Samsung for later this year.
The pick of the apps are Allshare and Layer. Allshare allows users to share multimedia files, including pictures, music and video, over a WiFi connection with other devices that are Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) certified.
Layer is an augmented reality browser. Using the camera, it identifies landmarks and provides data including star ratings and historical information. Users are also able to leave comments about places, so the app builds up a database of information.
The standard home screen is busy, including shortcuts to Gmail, Google Maps, Android Market, Google Talk and Youtube. There is also a Google search bar to give quick access to the web, and users can search using the voice option, which is rather nifty.
As with all Android-based phones it is possible to customise the home screen to allow instant access to the most commonly used applications. Synchronising to email accounts is also quick and easy, providing access on the move.
With a 1GHz ARM processor, the Samsung is extremely quick and shows no lag, even when using demanding applications. Android also allows the Galaxy S to multitask, just like the much-touted capabilites of the Iphone 4.
Entering text is nice and easy owing to the well spaced keys, especially in landscape mode. The device provides gentle haptic feedback when keys are pressed, and is no where near as annoying as on the HTC Wildfire.
The inbuilt Swype function provides an excellent alternative way of getting text into the phone. It requires users to press the keyboard and then spell out a word by gliding their finger across the screen to point to each letter in turn. This simple method of input is very easy to get used to, and very addictive. Samsung also claims that it is possible to write up to 55 words per minute.
The predictive text is able to guess the majority of the words and offers a number of options when it is not sure. The first word the dictionary offers is usually the correct one, which is a bonus.
Web browsing is speedy when using WiFi and even 3G. Browsing is a pleasure as most websites fit well onto the screen in landscape mode. The pinch to zoom works really well on the touchscreen, aiding navigation.
The Galaxy S will get the Adobe Flash 10.1 upgrade when it comes out later this year, so serial video viewers will be able to access video on the move.
A 5 megapixel camera is included, which is fast becoming standard for smartphones. Despite the lack of a flash, the quality of images is good and the autofocus, geotagging and face detection are welcome features. Samsung has also included a front facing camera, so it is possible to carry out video calling.
We found battery life a bit inconsistent, generally lasting two days with medium to heavy use. However, there were occasions when the battery drained quickly, sometimes within a day when the Internet was used for prolonged periods. The battery provides up to 769 minutes of talk time in 2G mode and up to 750 hours in standby mode, according to the manufacturer.
Samsung ships two models - an 8GB version and a 16GB version exclusive to Vodafone. There is also space for a micro-SD card slot, supporting up to an additional 32GB.
The Galaxy S is a great effort from Samsung that outshines the Iphone 4 in a number of areas. Android 2.1 is a pleasure use and its open nature provides customisable options galore. To top it off, the device is available for free on a £35 per month contract, making it better value for money than the Iphone. Even the lack of flash cannot stop this from being a very strong smartphone competitor.
In Short
Samsung has outdone itself with the Galaxy S, producing one of the best smartphones on the market with excellent features and a more than reasonable price. This handset should be on the shortlist for those looking for a high-end smartphone. µ
The Good
Excellent screen, very light, simple text entry, Android 2.1, fast processor, value for money.
The Bad
No camera flash.
The Ugly
Nothing.
Bartender's Score
9/10
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Glad to see a smartphone maker invent something that doesn't look just like an iPhone.
Shameless.
In US the GPS is a total fail. But There is a fix available:
http://www.androidcentral.com/quick-fix-gps-issues-your-new-samsung-galaxy-s-series-phone
The one's at local AT&T store are still broken. Satellite lockon takes 3-4 min. and drops constantly.
Good Luck
I got this last week and it is very nice. I dumped my old iPhone 3G for it and it has been a great switch. I really like the tethering, being able to install anything, and its responsiveness. Got it for $100 at a current sale at Costco.
Don't forget there is no skype app for this phone.
A "review" which doesn't even mention the broken GPS on the Galaxy S, even though it's now a well known issue?
Hmm..
Also, can anyone tell me why Amazon UK sees fit to charge £430 for this phone when Amazon Germany will sell you the same thing for 45 quid less? Nice one Amazon. And even that isn't a particularly good price considering some O2 high street stores were apparently offering the 8GB version for £320 at one point.. However, online, rip off Britain is in full effect considering the cheapest it seems you can find the 8Gb model for is around £390 locked to Orange (Although at least the carrier unlock on the Galaxy S must be the easiest of any smart phone).
It's bad enough that most retailers are currently choosing to overcharge for a phone which should be sub £350, but the real deal killer here is Samsungs support. Yeah, this phone will get Android 2.2. However, in 6 months time when Android 3.0 is the big news and everyone's forgotten about 2.2, what's the chance that this phone will get any love from Samsung? I, like too many people, have been burned by Samsungs completely awful support for their products in the past. I am not an Apple fan, but at least you know you're going to get more than 6 months worth of OS update support when you buy one of their phones. I'm not going to spend £400 on a phone only for it to be forgotten in 6 months time.. I hope Samsung prove that thinking wrong this time, then I might actually look at their phones again..
Since unit plays gmail, todays new plug in for gmail allows free telephone access, if plugin works correctly. remember, just came out today & rob peragio says works fine.
http://www.google.com/chat/video
Just carry around anything that connects to gmail & take plug in or use from home.
Hello, Santa....i need new gun.
vondrashek md
Be careful! Samsung move on once they create a phone and never fix the problems. Once it's out the door it's forgotten. My i8510 has several serious flaws and they have never released a single firmware update to fix.
Once it's out the door it's forgotten while they work on the next one. I will never buy a Samsung phone again. The Galaxy S is a poor mans Desire anyway according to every other review on the web. INQ are samsung lining your pockets? Hmm?
I still don't like that huge capital letter logo of SAMSUNG. They should make it smaller. They even made that top part wider just to accommodate the huge logo. Epic Fail...
Absolutely shameless iPhone ripoff. Same case shape, screen layout, and dock. The greatest innovation is that they moved the little dots indicating which screen you're seeing from the bottom to the top.
Admit it, Apple invented all of this stuff. You Apple-haters content yourselves with these scraps.
Already has 2.2 in EU and will get 2.2 in USA soon. Lots of nice improvements over stock Android. TOUCHWIZ launcher must be replaced with Launcher Pro Plus.....the best launcher available with built-in widgets from Sense UI
This is a British tech-rag, the epic isnt available here because there's no WiMax/4G network in place at the moment. T-Mobile are only just starting theirs here.
American ignorance at its best.
Failed to Mention Sprint's version of the Galaxy S, called the EPIC 4G, has a QWERTY Keyboard to boot... oh, and 4G.
But, that doesn't surprise me.
One note on your article the iPhone 4 actually still NOT a multi-tasking OS. There is only an API to allow applications to be multi-tasking. Not to mention the antenna problems :)
Android outperforms Apple in many ways.
This looks like a great phone. So did the Samsung Galaxy i7500 when I bought one last September - It is still stuck on Android 1.5 and Samsung have failed even to give a coherent response to a lot of angry customers wanting an upgrade ( even to 1.6 ) Samsung appear to lose all interest in their customers once they have made the sale.