Though Samsung has produced Android phones afore the Galaxy S (I9000), none accept gotten as abundant absorption as this model. This is because the aggregation has absolutely accustomed this buzz the best it has to offer, including a cast new processor and an bigger affectation technology alleged Super AMOLED. So, is the I9000 bigger than what's offered by Samsung's competitors, decidedly Android specialist HTC? We acquisition out.
Design
One of the best things about the Galaxy S has to be its 4-inch Super AMOLED display. This has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels (WVGA) and measures 4 inches diagonally. An Android buzz with a agnate awning is the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, admitting its resolution is hardly altered at 854 x 480 pixels.
We took the Galaxy S out beneath absolute sunlight, comparing it with the HTC Desire which is able with a approved AMOLED screen. At best brightness, the Galaxy S did not arise to do any bigger or worse than the Desire in this test. Now, this isn't a bad thing. As we've acclaimed in the HTC Desire review, this meant argument was clear beneath absolute sunlight, so best bodies will do accomplished appliance a browser or afterward a map aback beneath the apex sun.
Even with such a ample screen, Samsung has managed to accumulate this Galaxy abbreviate and light. Its array is a bald 9.9mm, while the weight is 118g--which is absolutely ablaze for such a ample device. In comparison, the iPhone 3GS' array and weight are 12.3mm and 135g, respectively.
Admittedly, some may still acquisition the Galaxy S a little ample with a brand of 122.4 x 64.2mm. This is about identical to the HTC HD2's 120.5 x 67mm, and we all apperceive how big the HD2 is.
There are three buttons beneath the screen, two of which are touch-sensitive--the Agenda and Aback keys. Between those two is the concrete Home button. There's no directional pad, so abyssal the interface will await alone on the touchscreen. This could affectation a botheration aback affective the cursor in argument fields as it is sometimes difficult to get the cursor absolutely area you demand appliance a fingertip touch. Fortunately, Samsung has implemented onscreen arrow keys in its software keyboard to abode that. Added on that later.
Like the Samsung Wave, the micro-USB anchorage on the Galaxy S has a sliding cover. We like this baby architecture accomplishing as it keeps lint out of the adapter while not actuality as fiddly as some daybed elastic anchorage covers. Near the micro-USB anchorage on the top bend is a accepted 3.5mm jack for audio output.
Other buttons are deficient with aloof the ability toggle on the appropriate bend and aggregate controls on the left. The aback is area you'll acquisition the speakers and a 5-megapixel camera with no flash. There is additionally a accessory camera in advanced for authoritative video calls.
Though the Samsung will acceptable be positioned as a high-end smartphone, it's a benevolence the abstracts acclimated didn't feel added premium. While the artificial aback awning was attractive, it would accept been bigger if the Galaxy S had a brownish accomplishment like the Samsung Wave.
Features
You can't accept a high-end Samsung buzz after every distinct affection awash in, and the Galaxy S is no exception. Connectivity-wise, it comes with HSPA for accelerated downloads and uploads over the cellular network. It has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS for accessory navigation. An FM tuner is additionally congenital for those who adopt their music and account from the airwaves.
The I9000 is able with Android 2.1 (Eclair). As of aftermost month, this is no best the latest adaptation of Google's adaptable operating system, admitting Samsung has arise it will be accouterment a software amend to Android 2.2 (Froyo) in the future. With the Galaxy S, you get all the accepted Android appearance including bound affiliation with Google casework such as Gmail, built-in Microsoft Exchange abutment and a Webkit-based browser that supports multitouch gestures but not the Adobe Beam plug-in.
TouchWiz 3.0 For Android
Now that we've the accepted things out of the way, let's attending at what makes the Galaxy S unique, software-wise. Samsung's custom interface is alleged TouchWiz 3.0 for Android. TouchWiz has been acclimated in added Samsung adaptable phones and this adaptation for the Galaxy S is in some agency similar. On the Home page, there's a anchored berth with four shortcuts to Phone, Contacts, Messaging and Applications. The blow of the Home pages (which goes up to seven screens) are appealing abundant what you acquisition in added Android phones. This agency you can ample them up with either widgets or shortcuts and is absolutely customizable.
Tapping on the Applications adjustment will accompany up the capital menu. Instead of one that slides advancement from the bottom, the pages of apps annal horizontally. This is constant with Samsung's TouchWiz interface from its beforehand devices. The berth at the basal doesn't change in the agenda folio abreast from the Applications button which now shows Home instead for accepting out of the agenda aback to the Home page.
Social-Networking Addons
Integrating social-networking casework appears to be a big accord for any Android buzz these canicule and the Galaxy S is no exception. For starters, you can accommodate your Facebook and Twitter accompany into your Contacts list. This is agnate to what's accessible in HTC Sense, admitting not absolutely as polished. For starters, ambience it up takes absolutely a while. In the case of Facebook, you are apparent your absolute account of friends, which accept to be sifted through to baddest who to arise and articulation with your Google contacts. For those with bags of "friends" who are not accompany that care to arise on your adaptable phone, this can be absolutely a chore. HTC nailed this by assuming alone those the software feels matches a acquaintance in Google. If it absent out one, you can manually add it.
After bond a acquaintance with your friend's Facebook profile, the person's contour account will arise on your contacts list. What absolutely affronted us was that this photo appeared burst because the Contacts appliance artlessly adapted it into a aboveboard after ascent it properly. Fellow CNET Asia biographer Damian Koh, for example, uses a contour account in account mode, so he appeared squashed angular on our analysis phone. Admitting it seems trivial, let's not balloon phones are acceptable the primary admission of admission to abounding social-networking casework and individuals' contour pictures are a acute allotment of that. To see so abounding continued and squashed faces of accompany throughout widgets and in the contacts folio is actual uncomfortable, to say the least, and shows a abridgement of absorption to detail.
Text Input
Text ascribe methods included with the Galaxy S are the Samsung keyboard and Swype. The Samsung keyboard is a simple one that's appealing effective. The admeasurement of the awning makes borer buttons actual accurate, and after abundant practice, we were able to blazon actual quickly.
However, it could do with a little added complexity. The belletrist don't serve two purposes, so you can't, say, artlessly columnist and authority M to get a catechism mark. Except for the abounding stop (which gets a committed key on the QWERTY page), all added symbols crave switching to the symbols page. Pressing and captivation the symbols key will accompany up an alteration folio which gives you arrow keys and added alteration accoutrement like baddest and copy. In the browser, the abode bar doubles as a attending field. The Samsung keyboard detects this as a URL acreage alone and replaces the spacebar with ".com", so attending for phrases that crave spaces becomes a chore. As with the added appearance in the contacts application, the Samsung keyboard isn't poor, it aloof needs refinement.
The added argument ascribe advantage is Swype. This lets you move your fingers in a distinct motion to "link up" letters. It's an absorbing booty on the QWERTY keyboard and requires alone one hand. We begin it appealing effective, but accept to accept it takes some accepting acclimated to and may not clothing everyone.
Other Software Features
Other applications arranged with the Galaxy S accommodate ThinkFree Office (for examination and alteration documents) and aggrandized absoluteness browser Layar. Others proprietary to Samsung accommodate Social Hub and Write and Go. Social Hub puts all your email and social-networking accounts in one abode for accessible access--we didn't acquisition this actual advantageous and concluded up with our committed apps best of the time. We acquainted Write and Go was added advantageous as it lets you pen a anticipation afore chief if you demand to accelerate it as an SMS, email or as a cachet amend on Facebook or Twitter.
Though tethering is not accurate natively by Android 2.1, Samsung has included a affection alleged Adaptable AP. What this does is to accomplish the accessory act as a wireless admission point, borer on the phone's HSDPA Internet connectivity. This formed after a block and, to our surprise, acclimated WPA encryption for the Wi-Fi network, which gives stronger aegis compared with WEP.
Camera
Photos taken with the Galaxy S' camera were of actual acceptable quality. They showed colors accurately and performed able-bodied central alike after flash. Video recording is accurate up to 720p resolution. Video affection looked acceptable as continued as expectations were kept in check--this is no Canon Legria camcorder.
One chat of admonishing aback appliance the camera--the photos attending bigger on the device's awning than on the computer. While this is about accurate for all digicams and adaptable phones because the baby affectation hides blurriness and noise, it's abnormally arresting for the Galaxy S. The Super AMOLED seems to brighten all the colors. So already you appearance it on a color-corrected monitor, the images aloof don't assume so abundant anymore.
Performance
In an beforehand article, we benchmarked the Galaxy S adjoin the HTC Desire and Nexus One, and begin the Samsung to accomplish bigger aback it came to CPU achievement and graphics. This was axiomatic in our circadian use of the device. Web browsing was bland and the smartphone about acquainted abrupt throughout. We downloaded a few graphics-intensive amateur and the I9000 handled them perfectly.
That's apparently acknowledgment to the new Samsung Hummingbird processor complete with PowerVR SGX graphics. This is accounted to be a alternative of what's begin in the Apple iPad and is accordingly advised by Samsung and Intrinsity. Intrinsity was afresh bought by Apple.
512MB of RAM is accessible for active applications, while there's 2GB ROM for installing apps. This is allotment of the centralized 16GB memory, so 14GB is larboard for accumulator and appears as a disposable drive aback the Galaxy S is affiliated to a PC. There's additionally a microSDHC agenda aperture for amplification if the onboard accumulator not sufficient.
Though the Super AMOLED awning is declared to be added battery-efficient, the Galaxy S didn't do abundant bigger than the HTC Desire. With two email accounts and all social-networking casework set to auto-sync, we got hardly beneath 24 hours of use afore the array depleted fully. Tweak these settings and it's accessible to go about 1.5 canicule on a distinct charge.
Call affection was good, with the added affair able to apprehend us clearly. We did not acquaintance any alone calls or accession abnormalities during our analysis period, either. Booty agenda that this buzz additionally supports video calls, article abounding Android smartphones are not able of.
Conclusion
The big catechism on everyone's apperception is apparently this: Should I buy this over the HTC Desire? One affair we can say for abiding is that HTC's Sense UI is absolutely added able than Samsung's TouchWiz for Android. This extends to affiliation of social-networking services, argument ascribe and alike the affection of custom widgets. The HTC additionally feels added solid physically and has an LED beam for lighting up aphotic subjects.
However, the Galaxy S has its own advantages, the best arresting of which is the ample 4-inch Super AMOLED screen. The able processor is addition big plus, which performs admirably whether it's during accepted use or for CPU-intensive tasks.
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