So i got my SGS on Saturday, this is my 4th smart phone in 6 years and my first android phone.
Android BTW is very good, and in general i will not review the software side here, I will give each aspect of the phone a rating of 5 stars, where 3 represent Average .
Packaging (4/5): Good and relatively small box, it's include the phone it self, Battery, short USB to micro-usb cable (you should buy longer one), UK charger, in-ear Headset and guides.
Back cover (3.5/5): I didn't find any issue removing and putting back the back cover , just carefully slide your fingernail in the small opening in the bottom and left the cover, you can then align the cover back and press down with small slide downward.
Look and feel (4/5): it's lite , very lite ... it's look good on the front, i didn't like the back cover, but it's still got decent look. needless to say that the phone is finger print magnet, but i found it very easy to clean with small cloth. oh .. and it's look like the iPhone .
Booting (5/5): impressive and fast , no annoying start-up wizard or guide in the first boot, it's boot directly to the lock screen (5 stars to Samsung for that).
Display (4.5/5): Excellent, big and very bright (color pop-out nicely), very Good constrict ratio (Black is Black), however my only issue is the resolution , although WVGA is relatively high for a mobile phone, it's 4" display that translate to 233 PPI only (compare to 326 PPI in iPhone 4), any yes if i hold the phone 30cm (12") away or closer to my eye; i can see the pixels.
i wish it was something like 1024x576.
PS: it's the PenTile sub-pixel arrangement, i still didn't see any issue with it although the text is less sharp than the milestone.
Touch (4/5): Good , responsive and multi-touch , it don't have the cross touch issue like the Nexus one,however it don't seem to be Amtel touch sensor as rumored before as i can't use stylus with it.
Wifi and APN (4.5/5): Wifi setup was super easy (less than 15 seconds) and it's was up and running, Wifi signal strength is good compare to my other phones and i can get poor signal in my room which is 10 meter and 2 wall away from my router, APN Data however was not auto detected since the mobile is unlocked it didn't include my carrier setting, so i searched this info from the internet and enter it manually in the phone APN setting, it would have be nice if the phone can automatically download carriers info from the internet.
Speaker (4.5/5): it's loud and have good sound quality relatively, one of the loudest speakers i owned in a mobile phone. combine this with the excellent 4" AMOLED display and it's the best video experiences i got in a mobile phone.
Phone (4.5/5): very good reception, clear and loud voice. I am very happy with the phone as a phone .
Gaming (4/5): i played Asphalt5 which is an intensive 3D game that come with the phone (under Samsung Apps) , it's very good but i feel sometimes that the accelerometer is not collaborated correctly.
Camera (3.5/5): i was able to take good photos with it indoors (in well lit room) and outdoors also, it's not the best 5MP camera but it's good, HD vedio is also good although there no stabilization and no auto-focus (720p sample i took outdoor). also it's shame that there is no led flash.
Battery (3/5): Average but Not that good (i am starting to doubt GSM Arena numbers), i am charging overnight and wake-up around 6AM, i go to work and by the time i return home around 6PM, the battery level is yellow around 25%. i am using live wallpaper (showing off ), and Active-sync in the background, but i am not using the phone that much during work, some calls (about 5 minutes only),few minutes of video and gaming. it's maybe me or the way i use the phone,
Overall Experiences (4.5/5): the phone is impressive, the display is excellent 4" Super AMOLED monster . i didn't have time yet to test it fully, but the things i experienced like watching videos and Gaming was impressive. and even normal functionality like phone function was very good, however small issues is there -as with any other phone-. the battery didn't reach the level i was expecting (After reading GSM arena review). But don't let this stop you, as the phone is very good and among the top 3 GSM smart-phones out there (until Q4 at least )
Android BTW is very good, and in general i will not review the software side here, I will give each aspect of the phone a rating of 5 stars, where 3 represent Average .
Packaging (4/5): Good and relatively small box, it's include the phone it self, Battery, short USB to micro-usb cable (you should buy longer one), UK charger, in-ear Headset and guides.
Back cover (3.5/5): I didn't find any issue removing and putting back the back cover , just carefully slide your fingernail in the small opening in the bottom and left the cover, you can then align the cover back and press down with small slide downward.
Look and feel (4/5): it's lite , very lite ... it's look good on the front, i didn't like the back cover, but it's still got decent look. needless to say that the phone is finger print magnet, but i found it very easy to clean with small cloth. oh .. and it's look like the iPhone .
Booting (5/5): impressive and fast , no annoying start-up wizard or guide in the first boot, it's boot directly to the lock screen (5 stars to Samsung for that).
Display (4.5/5): Excellent, big and very bright (color pop-out nicely), very Good constrict ratio (Black is Black), however my only issue is the resolution , although WVGA is relatively high for a mobile phone, it's 4" display that translate to 233 PPI only (compare to 326 PPI in iPhone 4), any yes if i hold the phone 30cm (12") away or closer to my eye; i can see the pixels.
i wish it was something like 1024x576.
PS: it's the PenTile sub-pixel arrangement, i still didn't see any issue with it although the text is less sharp than the milestone.
Touch (4/5): Good , responsive and multi-touch , it don't have the cross touch issue like the Nexus one,however it don't seem to be Amtel touch sensor as rumored before as i can't use stylus with it.
Wifi and APN (4.5/5): Wifi setup was super easy (less than 15 seconds) and it's was up and running, Wifi signal strength is good compare to my other phones and i can get poor signal in my room which is 10 meter and 2 wall away from my router, APN Data however was not auto detected since the mobile is unlocked it didn't include my carrier setting, so i searched this info from the internet and enter it manually in the phone APN setting, it would have be nice if the phone can automatically download carriers info from the internet.
Speaker (4.5/5): it's loud and have good sound quality relatively, one of the loudest speakers i owned in a mobile phone. combine this with the excellent 4" AMOLED display and it's the best video experiences i got in a mobile phone.
Phone (4.5/5): very good reception, clear and loud voice. I am very happy with the phone as a phone .
Gaming (4/5): i played Asphalt5 which is an intensive 3D game that come with the phone (under Samsung Apps) , it's very good but i feel sometimes that the accelerometer is not collaborated correctly.
Camera (3.5/5): i was able to take good photos with it indoors (in well lit room) and outdoors also, it's not the best 5MP camera but it's good, HD vedio is also good although there no stabilization and no auto-focus (720p sample i took outdoor). also it's shame that there is no led flash.
Battery (3/5): Average but Not that good (i am starting to doubt GSM Arena numbers), i am charging overnight and wake-up around 6AM, i go to work and by the time i return home around 6PM, the battery level is yellow around 25%. i am using live wallpaper (showing off ), and Active-sync in the background, but i am not using the phone that much during work, some calls (about 5 minutes only),few minutes of video and gaming. it's maybe me or the way i use the phone,
Overall Experiences (4.5/5): the phone is impressive, the display is excellent 4" Super AMOLED monster . i didn't have time yet to test it fully, but the things i experienced like watching videos and Gaming was impressive. and even normal functionality like phone function was very good, however small issues is there -as with any other phone-. the battery didn't reach the level i was expecting (After reading GSM arena review). But don't let this stop you, as the phone is very good and among the top 3 GSM smart-phones out there (until Q4 at least )