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Samsung Focus 2 Review

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Posted: , by John V.

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Camera:

Unfortunately, we can’t classify the handset as being a replacement for your point and shoot, mainly because the results aren’t the best. Frankly, it produces some pleasing looking outdoor shots, but it’s undeniable that it doesn’t handle dynamic range that well. Even worse, low lighting shots are a jumbled mess, as the quality is drastically diminished by noise, graininess, and soft details. Obviously, the LED flash manages to counteract some of its flaws, but colors tend to look washed out.

Camera interface - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera interface - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera interface - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera interface - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera interface - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera interface - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera interface - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera interface - Samsung Focus 2 Review

Camera interface


Camera samples made with the Samsung Focus 2 - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera samples made with the Samsung Focus 2 - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera samples made with the Samsung Focus 2 - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera samples made with the Samsung Focus 2 - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera samples made with the Samsung Focus 2 - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera samples made with the Samsung Focus 2 - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera samples made with the Samsung Focus 2 - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera samples made with the Samsung Focus 2 - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera samples made with the Samsung Focus 2 - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Camera samples made with the Samsung Focus 2 - Samsung Focus 2 Review

Camera samples made with the Samsung Focus 2


Strong - Darkness with flashIndoor samples - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Medium - Darkness with flashIndoor samples - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Low light - Darkness with flashIndoor samples - Samsung Focus 2 Review

Strong

Medium

Low light

3ft - Darkness with flashIndoor samples - Samsung Focus 2 Review
5ft - Darkness with flashIndoor samples - Samsung Focus 2 Review
7ft - Darkness with flashIndoor samples - Samsung Focus 2 Review

3ft

5ft

7ft

Darkness with flash
Indoor samples


It’s not downright horrid per se, but we wouldn’t recommend capturing some memories you want to remember forever with the Samsung Focus 2. So what’s the good in its 720p video recording? For starters, it captures video smoothly at 30 frames per second, and the fact that it records clear audio. However, that’s pretty much the extent of its lovable qualities, as details appear extremely soft and indistinct. Taking it indoors or under low lighting, you can forget about it, as we’re horrified by its poor quality.

Samsung Focus 2 Sample Video:




Multimedia:

Being a Windows Phone and all, we’re naturally greeted to the Zune experience when it comes to listening to music, which we still feel to be a pleasant looking interface when compared to others. With the audio quality from its internal speaker, its volume tones are average at best – with a tiny bit of screechiness at the highest setting.

Zune - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Zune - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Zune - Samsung Focus 2 Review
Zune - Samsung Focus 2 Review

Zune


We can’t complain, especially when other devices with larger display seem to be more optimal for watching videos, but the Samsung Focus 2 is adequate enough to please our inner needs. Using our test video that’s encoded in XviD 1920 x 1080 resolution, the handset has no problem playing it at all, as we’re presented with smooth playback and iridescent colors.

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1. -box- posted on 17 May 2012, 08:22 1

Good review. About as expected, given the introductory price point compared to the other WP7.5 LTE devices

2. jackhammeR posted on 17 May 2012, 08:26 1

"Cons

Shoots terrible photos
Poor calling quality"

In particular the last one. It's a phone so if it doesn't have at least a good calling quality does it deserve 7,5?? I doubt.
Moreover, Lumia 900 has great calling quality and shoots much better photos and was scored only half a point higher.

3. lonestrider posted on 17 May 2012, 08:29

I think this is just another Windows Phone device. With no something new. All the specs is just like the others.

4. Muhannad posted on 17 May 2012, 08:30 1

It's ironic that there's review of a Windows Phone when just the previous article is titled "101 reasons not to buy a Windows Phone"

5. Mobile-X-Pert posted on 17 May 2012, 13:42 2

Yeah Phonearena made a great mistake by posting that article.

6. Sangeet posted on 17 May 2012, 23:11 1

Who has the white theme on in a Windows Phone Device which has an amoled screen, switch to Black theme and then see the beauty of the screen not like the one in this review, this one makes it look so bad, same happened with the nokia lumia 900 review

Windows Phone 7.5 (with black theme, ofcourse) is a joy to be used on the Amoled Display cuz it has the deepest blacks, and the white one really sucks bad on the amoled, looks bad and eats up all the battery

7. Sangeet posted on 18 May 2012, 00:32

Why the heck just a Windows Phone can't have a microSD card?
i mean that is a feature that is being given in a phone since the late 1990's. What the heck is happening to all these companies, HTC has the one X, but with a limited storage of 16gb out of which only 11 GB is practically accessible by the user, why not just include a micro SD slot and have the user to have more memory,
And having a HD screen in the one X and so contrast and other things, it is a joy to watch movies in it but can't get enough of it as once transferred some movies then everything is dead.
If the companies continued on doing things like this i think they have no better future as the demand for more memory is increasing

8. snowgator posted on 18 May 2012, 17:14

Okay, I have really done some questioning on this, especially with WP devices only having 8 or 16 G of storage. The best explaination I got was from a tech at the Champaign IL AT&T shop. The story he heard was the use of the storage card really changed some software features that caused a ton of "bricking" during tests. The orignal Focus used a stroage card, but the way it was incorporated more or less turned it into "hard" stroage- once in the software, you could not pull it without really messing with the phones performance. It was expensive to manufacturer, and a headache for all involved. So, future WP devices of the first and second Generations skipped it.

WP8 devices will allow for storage cards, as the software will be optimized.

9. snowgator posted on 18 May 2012, 17:17

My Focus S isn't great in camera, either. But the bad call quality is strange, as my "S" easily is among the better phones I have owned.

Overall, this will be down to 20.00$ or cheaper fairly quick, and it will be a steal at that price. I think it is a great looking phone, and a great LTE option.

No, not better than the 900, but it is not intending to be.

10. Saamic posted on 21 May 2012, 20:56 1

As far as design it looks simple and practical yet awesome

11. Meemomof7 posted on 31 May 2012, 16:03

My granddaughter graduated from USMC boot camp in February and before she left for MCT she purchased a Samsung Focus Flash cell phone thru AT&T at Walmart (March). She dropped her phone yesterday and the screen shattered. When she purchased the phone, she was not asked if she wanted insurance, and since this is her first cell phone, she didn't think to ask about it.
How can she get a replacement without having to pay full price?
Thank you!

12. lindsayorum posted on 18 Jan 2013, 06:47

I am as disappointed as can be with this device, can not update without home PC, volume sound is lousy, I have always had an android device phone and after switching to windows I see why. I could do everything rite from my cell phone, including downloading music to my library, again with this phone it must be connected to a home PC. My next phone purchased will definitely have more background done on it, I am not pleased with my phone at all. And there is no slot for an sd card. Can't change the font size in text messaging either, print is very small and hard to read at times, just not very many handy features on this device, it is eye captivating but looks van be deceiving!

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