Despite all of its advanced features, last year's Galaxy S looked a lot like the iPhone 3G. The only difference was that it was entirely made out of plastic; one of its greatest shortcomings. Now, just like the iPhone
4, Galaxy S II has developed sharper edges. It is still entirely
crafted out of plastic, but seems more convincing this time with
solid housing and a modern design.
Its elegant line is evident at first touch, feels light when held,
and sounds incredible. Despite the fact that the Galaxy S II has a 0.3
inches larger display than its predecessor, it is significantly slimmer
and a few grams lighter. It is 2 millimeters higher and wider with
the dimensions being 125 x 66 x 8.5 mm.
Its slim profile is very impressive, and when combined with a large
display that takes up nearly the whole front surface of the phone, you
get a highly modern and futuristic look. The secret of such a great
design is in the Super AMOLED 'Plus' technology, given that it enables
the production of significantly thinner screens compared to the Super
AMOLED ones, which the "old" Galaxy uses.
The biggest problem with standard AMOLED displays is their drastic loss of contrast when exposed to direct sunlight, making those phones a bad choice for those who spend a lot of time outdoors. This problem was slightly tackled with Super AMOLED technology; however, devices like the original Galaxy S that used it, were still not easy to use in direct sunlight.
Samsung's Galaxy S II comes with the Super AMOLED Plus
screen, and progress has been made once again -- the contrast is still
lost in sunlight, but not to the extent that using the phone is
difficult. Indoors, the Super AMOLED Plus looks very impressive,
especially on a lush 4.3-inch diagonal.