My experience and negatives of SGS II

[Ih4teKies]

Have put this up already on other forums related to SGS II but thought I'd share this here on Phandroid too.

These are NOT MAJOR problems for me personally. The phone is brilliant, BLAZING FAST. However if I had to pick out things I disliked/gripes these would be it. And will update if I or we happen to find more.

__________________________________________________ _________________
Hardware

- MicroSD and Sim slot has switched places from original SGS
Its more common to take the MicroSD out than the SIM card. Have to take the battery out just to insert/take out my MicroSD!!!

- Camera prone to scratches
The little platform that the camera is raised on is prone to scratches.Laying on a table the phone virtually rests on the camera lens! Comparing with the SGS the case takes the damage.
Best way would be to stick a bit leftover from invisishield or whatever onto where the "8.0 MEGA" sign is and let that take the weight.

- Gap in Speaker
I don't know if you've noticed but there is a GIANT GAP between the slits of the cover and the internals underneath it. And unlike the SGS I. There is noway to reach inside it get get dirt/bits out. Is a big whole waiting to collect dust IMHO. :S

- Lack of Base comparing to the SGS I
I have to say the speakers on SGS II imho is not better than SGS I. Maybe there was a bit of compromise in the design?
On the original SGS you couldn't listen to it whilst on the table or sofa.
Now on the SGS II there is a massive gap between the outer chasis and the internal speaker inside so you can listen to music perfectly without any muffling when laid on a surface. However there seems to be a real lack of base comparing with the SGS I.

- No cover for MicroUSB slot
Again dust prone. Why they took that feature out from the Original sgs I don't know.

- Did not come with USB2go or HDMI cable EDIT: Samsung Infuse 4G has a USB2Go adapter included in box!
I know they didn't advertise this as one of the strongest points but a little disappointed that it didn't come with it. I actually asked about this at CPW on launch day but the accessories were still all boxed up so couldn't take a look.

- Some people having problems with Screen
Pixel/Lines appearing and disapperaing. But looking at this forum and others only a minority/rare case and I personally don't have this problem on my SGS II.
__________________________________________________ _________________
Software

- Flash videos
Problems with BBC iPlayer, video stuttering. A faint mesh background when you watch any flash embedded videos using the stock browser.
TRY TESTING THIS YOURSELF. Play a video which has a white if not a bright coloured background.

- Menu Key vibration in Game Hub
It is excessively long and loud unlike any other hubs or just when you press the menu key. <<- maybe this is just me please check

- Cannot silence Camera shutter sound
Don't know why but U.K I thought majority of Europe phone firmwares you could.
Never had this problem on SGS.

- Music stopping when going into camera mode
Probably due to the reason above but it is annoying since I have to press play again. Music does not automatically continue even after quitting Camera mode.

- Slow to wake up (Occasionally)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1066283
There tends to be around 1 second wait when waking the phone up from sleep. (as in when phone has been left alone for quite awhile, surpassing the display time-out)


Thumbs up if you found this helpful, and hope it gives future owners some insight into what the phone is like. Like I said these are minor problems most which will likely to be fixed/changed in the coming weeks with updates.

(PM me if you find anything, I will keep updating, hopefully not )

Thanks
Ih4teKies

 

[Cyph3r]

- 16 Gb? why on earth am I getting only 11.50 Total and Available space? @_@ weird...

The "missing" space is reserved by the OS, I'm pretty sure

 

[Teknik]

if you have a close look at the metal frame around the camera i think the actual lens is recessed so i dont think it will get scratched, plus it may well have gorilla glass over it the same as the screen (would make sense?)
I agree with you on the dust in the speaker part, would have thought they would have put a dustproof mesh over it or something, not even sure i want to try an air duster in it as that may just blast the dirt further into the phone!

 

[Teknik]

When you say usb 2 go do you mean USB On-The-Go - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ?

 

[Ih4teKies]

The "missing" space is reserved by the OS, I'm pretty sure

5 gigs?!?! @_@ ..............

 

[Teknik]

if they've used the hard drive manufacturors trick of 15 000 000 000 bytes = 13.9698386 gigabytes then its only 2gb missing, which could easily be 1gb for swap (to match the ram) and 1gb for system bootloaders etc.

 

[Cyph3r]

5 gigs?!?! @_@ ..............

Well because of how manufacturers figure out the space of storage, the amount they advertise is always more than what you actually get.

16Gb is actually 14Gb ish. And then 2Gb of that is reserved for apps I read, so that leaves you with 12Gb, and the other bit or so is probably used for the OS for some other reason. Swap file possibly.

 

[wswenlock]

The biggest neg for me is that Samsung have removed the Internet Calls (VoIP) functionality from their Gingerbread build. It was an essential feature on my Nexus One and I wouldn't have bought the S2 if I'd realised it was missing.

 

[Trev186]

The biggest neg for me is that Samsung have removed the Internet Calls (VoIP) functionality from their Gingerbread build. It was an essential feature on my Nexus One and I wouldn't have bought the S2 if I'd realised it was missing.

Get the app called netalk if your in states

As far as the negatives above go.

I do not know of ANY phone that will hold up well without a case. So if you do not like one then you will most likely have to accept that fact.

IMO buy the 32 GB model not the 16 Gb!

 

[Ih4teKies]

Get the app called netalk if your in states

As far as the negatives above go.

I do not know of ANY phone that will hold up well without a case. So if you do not like one then you will most likely have to accept that fact.

IMO buy the 32 GB model not the 16 Gb!

Hey trev,
how you doing pal. Still at the psx4droid scene? You getting/got a SGSII too?
Agree with getting 32GB but isn't available in the U.K yet. Well not CPW anyways.

I was just comparing with the SGS build. On that even if I laid the phone flat on a table the camera lens could not scratch because the casing was 0.5?mm thicker than the level of the lens. Now on the SGS II the phone rests on the camera lens itself!

 

[Trev186]

Yeah I say buy a case if it lays on the camera

I buy transparent cases which I find the least intruding on the style of the phone.

PSX4droid is doing well. I do not keep my lists anymore cause compatibility is fairly decent now and I mainly started doing it try and help the dev be aware of the issues since the average user was just either opening a game once and claiming it worked (when it did not) or not properly creating the ROM and claiming it did not work when it did.

Between PSX4droid 3.0 (available on zodttd.com) and FPSE I have 100 % compatibility on every Ps1 game.

I recommend you check things out on the S2

Also N64oid should be close to full speed since the ram is 1GB. The Xoom could play Golden eye at full speed for the same reason.

 

[Quboid]

The 16GB is split like this (in my estimate):
Total space: 14.9GB (usual manufacturers lie about what a kilobyte is)
Media space: 11.5GB
App space: 2GB
System: 1.4GB - the Android system files, Java cache, download temporary space etc.

Presumably a 32GB handset has the full additional 14.9GB also available for media, giving you 26.4GB. I bought a 32GB MicroSD card from eBay for

 

[6spdtls]

- MicroSD and Sim slot has switched places. Its more common to take the MicroSD out than the SIM card. Now I have to take the battery out just to insert/take out my MicroSD!!!

- Camera is a real worry. The little platform that the camera is raised on is prone to scratches. I don't like cases and I tried sticking the bits left out of my Invisishield screen protector onto the back cover but it doesn't seem to stick on...I was trying to stack a a neat circle of invisishield at the sides of the camera so when placed down on a desk/table it wouldn't scratch.

- Speaker. I don't know if you've noticed but there is a GIANT GAP between the slits of the cover and the internals underneath it. And unlike the SGS I. There is noway to reach inside it get get dirt/bits out. Is a big whole waiting to collect dust IMHO. :S

- No cover for MicroUSB slot again dust prone. Why they took that feature out from the Original sgs I don't know.

- USB2GO cable didn't come with the box! I know they didn't advertise this as one of the strongest points but a little disappointed that it didn't come with it. I actually asked about this at CPW on launch day but the accessories were still all boxed up so couldn't take a look.

- 16 Gb? why on earth am I getting only 11.50 Total and Available space? @_@ weird...

Clicking Thanks would be nice if you found this helpful, and hope it gives future owners some insight into what the phone is like.

"MicroSD and Sim slot has switched places. Its more common to take the MicroSD out than the SIM card. Now I have to take the battery out just to insert/take out my MicroSD!!!"
=> you phuckin' serious? how many times you have to take out your sim card and MicroSD?

"Speaker. I don't know if you've noticed but there is a GIANT GAP between the slits of the cover and the internals underneath it. And unlike the SGS I. There is noway to reach inside it get get dirt/bits out. Is a big whole waiting to collect dust IMHO. :S"
=> you can purchase a dust blower if this worries you. again....this wouldn't stop me from getting SGII

"No cover for MicroUSB slot again dust prone. Why they took that feature out from the Original sgs I don't know"
=> again.........I'm speechless to your post, and I don't see the point why this has to be a major issue.

"16 Gb? why on earth am I getting only 11.50 Total and Available space? @_@ weird..."
=> OMG....you're so noob.....you never knew OS takes Gigabytes to run your phone? My word of advice......sell the phone. there are millions of others want to buy it from you.

 

[bonerp]

well just picked mine up from CPW having cancelled order on Play.com as I ordered it early yesterday and they hadn't posted it, requiring me to authenticate myself today - idiots lost

 

[DT]

=> you phuckin' serious? how many times you have to take out your sim card and MicroSD?

=> you can purchase a dust blower if this worries you. again....this wouldn't stop me from getting SGII

=> again.........I'm speechless to your post, and I don't see the point why this has to be a major issue.

=> OMG....you're so noob.....you never knew OS takes Gigabytes to run your phone? My word of advice......sell the phone. there are millions of others want to buy it from you.

Wow. Calm down, switch to decaf, take a Valium ... whatever it takes.

The OP clearly indicated (and emphasized with bold/red):

These are NOT MAJOR problems for me. The phone is brilliant, blazing fast.

I think it's pretty obvious they like their new SGS II and that these are just tiny nitpicks.

For people who have a couple of different MicroSD cards, having to pull the battery/SIM is a little bit of an additional hassle (some people keep a travel card, "kids" card with movies, etc.)

The previous gen SGS had a little slider to cover the USB port. The OP was just noting it had been removed and per the quoted item above, it's _not_ a major issue (RIF).

The "missing storage" is a common point of confusion and his discrepancy is ~ 4.5GB is notable, so he was just +asking+

For the record OP, there's generally storage mounted under /sdcard plus space for apps/OS and some swap space, so what you're seeing is typical. The marketing folks should probably be more proactive about 16GB = ~12GB for your files (movies/music/docs/etc).

 

[redmotion]

The case thing is the one thing mobile phone designers have yet to fix. My HTC spent it's entire life in a rather ugly-looking gel case but I was too busy gazing like a lemming at the (tiny) screen to notice. My S II now has a rubbery case (easy to grip and hold securely - on its own the S II's just too slippery and thin!!) which is thick enough to prevent the camera mount sticking out. However all cases I've seen leave the whole mount exposed so I guess even with a case you could get scratches on it.

Anyway, I wouldn't put my phone in my pocket without a case and screen protector. I just put up with the fact it looks worse. But at least I can trade it in/ebay it one day as "condition A".

I agree with the microSD card criticism.

I personally miss a HDMI-mirroring port. Hopefully something will come along soon to provide an alternative.

 

[mrvirginia]

none of those would be problems at all for me, man. not even tiny ones.
i'll buy it off you if you don't want it anymore

edit: also, the reason Samsung switched the place of the MicroSD and sim card is because you no longer have to turn the device off to remove the sim. guess they figured it would be a good idea to make it easier to access due to this feature.
(it does have to be rebooted in order to recognize a newly inserted sim)

 

[Ih4teKies]

wow...I think I really offended that guy. Owner of an SGS and SGS II I'm entitled to my opinions.

Obviously you didn't read my post from beginning to end. Read it again or at least attempt to. And yes like DT said, calm down.

 

[fluke2k]

if they've used the hard drive manufacturors trick of 15 000 000 000 bytes = 13.9698386 gigabytes then its only 2gb missing, which could easily be 1gb for swap (to match the ram) and 1gb for system bootloaders etc.

you're right. 1GB is treated like 1000MB instead of 1024MB. This is the same for all storage.
The "missing" 2GB is reserved for apps...

 

[daivik]

you're right. 1GB is treated like 1000MB instead of 1024MB. This is the same for all storage.
The "missing" 2GB is reserved for apps...

2 GB for apps.....HELL YEAH

Still can't believe they've only got a 1GB of TOTAL storage for the sensation. Really is a shame, but then again, I'm not complaining because it just made my choice soo easy. (usually I spent stupendous amounts of time on these kinds of decisions)

 

[Gearu]

Let me know when they make a microUSB light-up strip that plugs in and then you wrap it around the edges of the phone & back to the port, that lights up when someone rings lol

 

[shark974]

Sounds like this is a great phone if these are the biggest problems you had.

 

[daivik]

Sounds like this is a great phone if these are the biggest problems you had.

it is!

 

[Gearu]

Found covers for 3.5 jack (which is surpisingly deep on GS2) and micro USB hole at http://www.topicovers.com/

You pay with paypal (or use paypal's accountless credit card process ability) so they seem safe enough.

 

[Ih4teKies]

Found covers for 3.5 jack (which is surpisingly deep on GS2) and micro USB hole at TOPI Covers &mdash; Welcome

You pay with paypal (or use paypal's accountless credit card process ability) so they seem safe enough.

lol but is there a way of it to stay on the phone when I've uncovered it for use?
and the colour...they could've come black...or grey...