So Samsung decided to update their 2011 flagship smartphone with a new version. Sounds fun? No, because the Samsung Galaxy S II Plus is hardly worth the 'P' of the whole Plus word. Samsung took a flagship, it's brand name and created a product that is inferior to the original one and is marketing it (thanks to it's naming scheme) as something better. Confused? Or don't know what I'm talking about (-_-)? In either of the cases, simply read on to find out.
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus
There is a lot going for the Galaxy S II Plus such as the Super AMOLED display, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean on board and the same (and good) 8 MP rear camera. And then there is a lot that brings the S II Plus down such as the same, exact same design. That, coupled with reduced internal storage, an inferior chipset (with half the graphics horse power), the same paltry WVGA (800*480) resoltion on a 4.3" display as well as an unchanged (that will probably shoo away half the prospective buyers) 1,650 mAh battery size. This is 2013, the Galaxy S II is from 2011. Samsung didn't do the necessary to update the device accordingly. In fact, for anybody with the S II, the new S II Plus is only a down grade in many fronts.
Let's see what the internals look like.
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus Specifications
The specifications are decent for a mid range smartphone. If this phone is priced dirt cheap by Samsung, only then should it be given fair consideration.
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus v/s Galaxy S II (2011)
The Galaxy S II Plus differs from the S II internally and not externally. That is why on first glance, people will just think of it as the S II itself. This list should help.
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus v/s Galaxy S II Specifications
*The Galaxy S II is set to receive it's Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update early next month, i.e. February 2013. That is about the same time (or earlier) that the Galaxy S II Plus will hit markets.
Chipset
The new Broadcom chipset evens out the CPU benchmarks with the old S II. In some benchmarks it does pull ahead, but that is only because the device is running on a newer version of Android.
The same does not hold true for the GPU. The Broadcom Videocore IV is horribly weak compared to the Mali400 MP4 quad core in the Galaxy S II. In most benchmarks, the performance is nearly half that of the original S II smartphone. The gaming experience with new, high requirement games will seriously be affected in the new S II plus. However, the phone shouldn't have any hiccups with casual games, which will be what most users will play.
Design
The two smartphones are virtually identical. What separates them is the slight weight difference of 5 grams. The original S II is 116 grams while the S II Plus is 121 grams. Why the weight difference even though everything is the same? We really don't know. Perhaps the packaging of the chipset by a different vendor. In any case, you can hardly differentiate the weight difference between the two.
Storage
The Galaxy S II Plus only comes with an 8 GB internal storage option while the Galaxy S II has 16 GB or 32 GB options available. Additionally, the Galaxy S II Plus supports SDXHC cards upto 64 GB while the Galaxy S II only supports SDHC cards upto 32 GB.
In either case, you have plenty of storage available to you.
OS
The Galaxy S II Plus will benefit from new features in the latest Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean by Samsung. It's nice to see a mid range smartphone get many of the software benefits and features of the flagship Galaxy S III or the Galaxy Note II.
The original Galaxy S II will also be receiving the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update next month, thus bringing both old and new devices to level.
Conclusion
Samsung is making the S II cheaper to produce so it can sell more units at a lower price. Also, by simply continuing an old flagship (also really popular one), Samsung is simply taking all the popularity associated with the product name and is blessing it onto newer and cheaper hardware. That being said, the Galaxy S II Plus isn't a bad smartphone. For a first timer, this will be an excellent choice of phone. The latest Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean promises a good user experience as well. To the more knowledgeable, they will crib about the weaker chipset but most of the crowd couldn't be less concerned, and that is where Samsung is aiming this device (or rather throwing it) at.
The only way I see this smartphone receive a thumbs up by reviewers is that Samsung prices it cheap. And to take into account nearly 2 years since the original phone's launch, Samsung must be making the parts real cheap anyways. And in addition, outsourcing the chipset to a cheaper alternative not only helps Samsung make this smartphone for much lesser, but hopefully price it cheap as well.
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus
There is a lot going for the Galaxy S II Plus such as the Super AMOLED display, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean on board and the same (and good) 8 MP rear camera. And then there is a lot that brings the S II Plus down such as the same, exact same design. That, coupled with reduced internal storage, an inferior chipset (with half the graphics horse power), the same paltry WVGA (800*480) resoltion on a 4.3" display as well as an unchanged (that will probably shoo away half the prospective buyers) 1,650 mAh battery size. This is 2013, the Galaxy S II is from 2011. Samsung didn't do the necessary to update the device accordingly. In fact, for anybody with the S II, the new S II Plus is only a down grade in many fronts.
Let's see what the internals look like.
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus Specifications
- Broadcom BC28155 chipset
- 1.2 GHz dual core ARM Cortex A9
- Broadcom VideoCore IV GPU
- 1 GB of RAM
- 4.3" WVGA (800*480) Super AMOLED display
- 8 MP camera, auto focus and LED flash
- 1080p video @ 30 fps
- 2 MP front camera
- 8 GB of internal storage
- expandable storage upto 64 GB via micro SD card
- 8.5 mm thick, 121 grams weight
- 1,650 mAh battery
- Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
The specifications are decent for a mid range smartphone. If this phone is priced dirt cheap by Samsung, only then should it be given fair consideration.
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus v/s Galaxy S II (2011)
The Galaxy S II Plus differs from the S II internally and not externally. That is why on first glance, people will just think of it as the S II itself. This list should help.
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus v/s Galaxy S II Specifications
- Dual Core Broadcom v/s Dual Core Exynos
- Broadcom VideoCore IV v/s Mali400 MP4
- 121 grams weight v/s 116 grams weight
- 8 GB internal storage v/s 16 or 32 GB internal storage
- 64 GB expandable v/s 32 GB expandable
- Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean v/s Android 4.0.4 ICS*
*The Galaxy S II is set to receive it's Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update early next month, i.e. February 2013. That is about the same time (or earlier) that the Galaxy S II Plus will hit markets.
Chipset
The new Broadcom chipset evens out the CPU benchmarks with the old S II. In some benchmarks it does pull ahead, but that is only because the device is running on a newer version of Android.
The same does not hold true for the GPU. The Broadcom Videocore IV is horribly weak compared to the Mali400 MP4 quad core in the Galaxy S II. In most benchmarks, the performance is nearly half that of the original S II smartphone. The gaming experience with new, high requirement games will seriously be affected in the new S II plus. However, the phone shouldn't have any hiccups with casual games, which will be what most users will play.
Design
The two smartphones are virtually identical. What separates them is the slight weight difference of 5 grams. The original S II is 116 grams while the S II Plus is 121 grams. Why the weight difference even though everything is the same? We really don't know. Perhaps the packaging of the chipset by a different vendor. In any case, you can hardly differentiate the weight difference between the two.
Storage
The Galaxy S II Plus only comes with an 8 GB internal storage option while the Galaxy S II has 16 GB or 32 GB options available. Additionally, the Galaxy S II Plus supports SDXHC cards upto 64 GB while the Galaxy S II only supports SDHC cards upto 32 GB.
In either case, you have plenty of storage available to you.
OS
The Galaxy S II Plus will benefit from new features in the latest Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean by Samsung. It's nice to see a mid range smartphone get many of the software benefits and features of the flagship Galaxy S III or the Galaxy Note II.
The original Galaxy S II will also be receiving the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update next month, thus bringing both old and new devices to level.
Conclusion
Samsung is making the S II cheaper to produce so it can sell more units at a lower price. Also, by simply continuing an old flagship (also really popular one), Samsung is simply taking all the popularity associated with the product name and is blessing it onto newer and cheaper hardware. That being said, the Galaxy S II Plus isn't a bad smartphone. For a first timer, this will be an excellent choice of phone. The latest Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean promises a good user experience as well. To the more knowledgeable, they will crib about the weaker chipset but most of the crowd couldn't be less concerned, and that is where Samsung is aiming this device (or rather throwing it) at.
The only way I see this smartphone receive a thumbs up by reviewers is that Samsung prices it cheap. And to take into account nearly 2 years since the original phone's launch, Samsung must be making the parts real cheap anyways. And in addition, outsourcing the chipset to a cheaper alternative not only helps Samsung make this smartphone for much lesser, but hopefully price it cheap as well.
Buying a new phone? Or a tablet? Need help with something everyday-tech related? Ask me and I'm sure to help!
— Preetam Nath (@hipreetam93) April 18, 2013
— Preetam Nath (@hipreetam93) April 18, 2013