since the phone has got a bigger surface it has become thinner – impressive 8.5mm (1/3 in) (the press release states even 8.49mm but we don't really need that precision, do we?), which makes the phone one of the thinnest on the market. It immediately reminds of Sony Ericsson Arc, which is 8.7mm thick and also looks thin – all this changes the perception of the phone – it just looks more impressive. A forgotten trend that was used just four years ago is reborn for smartphones market. Remember Samsung's Ultra line, and before that a phone 9mm (0.35 in) thick was considered to be a breakthrough. The history repeats itself. By the way, Samsung Galaxy S II also reminded me Sony Ericsson Arc' proportions, probably, because of the size of the screen – in both phones it is comparable. Arc has got a 4.2 in screen and Samsung 4.27 – the difference is insignificant. But the Samsung's screen is much better and is more interesting. Galaxy S II uses DNIe+ technology (that gives the plus in the name). it is a processor that renders any graphics e.g. photos, pictures, video to make them look better on a phone's screen. A similar technology is used in all Samsung TV sets. Interestingly enough, a similar solution called BraviaEngine is used in Sony Ericsson Arc. These technologies are not used to render the interface, that is, they do not process the menu.
The phone's size - 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5mm/4.93 x 2.6 x 0.33in (Galaxy S - 122.4х64.2х9.9mm),weight – 116gr/4.1oz. To my taste, the phone is just a bit too wide – some will find it inconvenient. But you get used to it very quickly, there is no discomfort. It is nice that the phone does not bulge out in the pocket of your pants or shirt.
Samsung Galaxy S II vs Samsung Galaxy S:
If you wonder why the back panel is made of plastic the answer is simple. When you actively use the phone (watch video, download or transfer large files) it significantly heats up. If the back panel were metal you would not be able to touch the phone – it would be burning. The cellular structure of the plastic has its purpose – it is a passive radiator. Though it cannot stop the phone from heating up, it does not burn but you feel the heat. The hottest spot is around the camera.
The back panel is very thin and when you close it you should check the edges and make sure it fits tightly. Sometimes the panel does not close completely and it creates certain inconvenience. If the phone falls the battery kicks the panel out. My phone has fallen a few times but there is no damage done to the panel. Despite the thinness the plastic resists well both impacts and bending.
The phone features a 2MP front camera, a proximity and a light sensors. The home button is mechanical while the menu and the back buttons are sensor. On the left side there is a volume rocker, on the right – the power button. There is still no camera button and you will have to lauch camera from the menu.
At the top side there is a 3.5mm headset jack, the microUSB slot moved to the bottom. On the rear side there is an 8MP camera and a LED flash, below is the loudspeaker.

Display

Those who believe that SuperAMOLED Plus screen is just a marketing trick should compare it to the picture of the regular SuperAMOLED. It is brighter, sharper even on the bigger screen, but, most importantly, this screen consumes less energy. There is now an energy saving option in the settings – the energy consumption is adjusted depending on the picture on the display (it uses DNIe+). This technology is used in all Samsung TV sets, a special processor analyzes the information and then enhances the picture, makes it look better for us. Now the phone can also analyze the pattern of energy consumption. The wallpapers set also takes into account that AMOLED screens consume energy differently depending on the color they display. A similar technology is used by Sony Ericsson and is called Bravia Engine, but the energy gains on TFT screens is less significant, it rather just visual enhancement of the picture.
The screen size is 4.3" (the previous model had 4", but the difference is colossal and catches your eye immediately), the resolution is 800x480 (16 million colors). From a pragmatic point of view the screen is very convenient – it automatically adjusts the brightness depending on the lighting. The cover glass is hardened and finished with a glare free material.
The Samsung phones also feature the VibeZ technology – you get a vibration response every time you press a key.
The screen can take up to 16 text lines and up to 3 system tray lines, in the reading mode it can take up to 24 lines depending on the font size. In the settings you may adjust the size and the font of the type, but they are all similar. But, unlike, many phones the screen type is gigantic and is easily readable from any distance – it is a big advantage of the phone.
Under direct sunlight the screen is readable and it is a huge advantage, usually matrices this big cannot offer you that.
Comparison of the screens with Galaxy S (maximum brightness, same pictures).
Samsung says that they used a quad core graphical processor in this phone. And according to the company it provides a maximum performance gain that no other modern phone can offer. As of today, I simply do not know how I can assess this processor and its capabilities – there are no compatible applications so far. The galleries load faster than before but whether it has anything to do with the processor I so not know. If you can offer a way to benchmark this processor, please, write to us we will certainly test it.

All settings appear on a semitransparent background, which is nice. I will mention basic settings.
Flash operation modes – automatic, always on, disabled.
Shooting modes – One Shot (by default), Beauty (this filter hides skin defects), Smile Shot (looking for smiles and reacting to them), Panorama, Action Shot (for moving people or objects) and Cartoon (this filter turns a shot into a graphic image).
Scene Modes: – Portrait, Landscape, Night, Sports, Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dawn, Fall color, Firework, Text, Candelight and Backlight.
The exposition ranges from -2 to +2.
Focus – auto, face and macro.
There is a timer for 2, 5 and 10 seconds.
Effects – negative image, black and white, sepia.
Available resolutions – 8М (3264х2448), 6.5W (3264х1968), 7M (3072x2304), 5.7W (3072x1856) and lower.
White balance – Day, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent.
ISO – auto, 100, 200, 400, 800.
We have to mention measurement on a point or matrix, auto contrast, image stabilization and GPS tags.
Photo samples are available below:
Video. Apart from 1280х720 resolution we now get 1920х1080 (1080p). In files properties we see up to 30 fps, but the resulting picture is jerky a bit. Smaller resolution suffers from the same phenomenon, which could be caused by VBR. You can compare the video quality with Galaxy S (i9003).