Samsung Focus S Review
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Displaying at least four bars in high coverage areas, we didn’t experience any rocky or fluctuating instances with signal strength.
Spending easily a solid one day with the Samsung Focus S on normal usage, its performance is undoubtedly average – yet, it’s something that would benefit from nightly charges. Conversely, talk time is sufficient enough seeing that it beats the manufacturer’s rating by obtaining 8 hours of talk on a single charge.
Conclusion:
Unlike its Android counterpart, the Samsung Focus S lacks the prestige and notoriety of its close sibling, but more importantly, it’s clearly fashioning a foundational core to set it apart from other Windows Phones. Impressively, it’s the best Mango filled device to own right now, edging out the HTC Titan just by a tiny bit, mostly because it snaps the better photos and videos between the two. Add in that it’s able to pique our interests thanks to its Super AMOLED Plus display, fast performance, light weight feel, and thin profile construction, they all come together in greeting us with a lovable experience that showcases the beauty and wonders that are obtainable with Windows Phone Mango. To sum it all up, this is as good as it gets….for right now!
OS Version: 7.10.7720.68
Samsung Focus S video Review:
Pros
- Vivid Super AMOLED Plus display
- Extremely light weight
- Very thin construction
- Consistent fast performance
Cons
- Typical plastic construction
- WVGA resolution
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22 Comments
1. HTCiscool posted on 07 Dec 2011, 05:45 0 0
Fair score, I would say I prefer the design of the Lumia, battery life isn't exactly bullet proof, good WP7 phone though, of that's what your looking for.
2. Birds posted on 07 Dec 2011, 06:00 4 1
WVGA resolution is not a bad thing. So what if it has a 217 ppi. Its not like a dnm laptop which has like 75. So its better than nothing.
3. kshell1 posted on 07 Dec 2011, 06:18 0 0
yet again you take away points for screen res but its super amoled? i mean also you take away points for plastic construction, they had to balance the price between construction and the super amoled plus screen didnt they?
4. taz89 posted on 07 Dec 2011, 06:27 3 0
lol you actually put plastic as a con..plastic is the most durable material for a mobile device also if its a con here then why isnt it a con on every other plastic smartphones...talk about inconsistency's
17. Lucas777 posted on 07 Dec 2011, 18:12 0 0
i agree.. i think 8 is a little harsh when all they did was say good things and then two cons.. at least an 8.5
5. jackhammeR posted on 07 Dec 2011, 06:46 3 1
WOW. Plastic construction?
S II is entirely made of plastic and I didn't see this con.
6. taz89 posted on 07 Dec 2011, 07:07 4 2
kind of shows how good the focus s is if they are putting ridiculous cons down
7. snowgator posted on 07 Dec 2011, 07:21 0 0
I love the Focus S. And at least they took the time to review it. But my whole problem with the reviews of the second generation of WP compared to the first still holds: Better camera, better screen, more functions, great experience, and yet the original Focus, also believed to be the benchmark for WP in it's day, got an 8.5. I believe that Phone Arena compares the devices to other available at the time, so the original Focus got that score compared to the Android or iPhone offerings of 2010/2011. If you believe that this Gen of WP's are inferior when compared to other smartphones on the market, than the glowing write-ups just don't support that. I gave the Focus S a 10 overall (pure biased review, of course!!) and I gave more cons than they did.
But an 8 is not a bad rating. Just seems as though if you have no real cons, an 8.5 like in the first Gen ratings would be fair for the Focus S, Radar, and Titan. The top end Androids and iPhone 4S would still be rated higher, so who gets hurt???
8. rayjones09 posted on 07 Dec 2011, 09:41 1 0
Hope you all do a Focus S vs Galaxy S II review.
9. kshell1 posted on 07 Dec 2011, 11:17 0 1
what would be the point. the focus S is the galaxy s2 with slightly different specs and os. they are both the flagships of their os and by same manufactuerer
12. rayjones09 posted on 07 Dec 2011, 12:51 1 0
Which would be why a comparison could prove advantageous. To compare two similar devices with very different operating systems highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each. Like any other comparison.
10. Glim12808 posted on 07 Dec 2011, 11:29 0 0
Yes, I'm curious how close or far behind can the Focus S (with its single-core processor) hung behind the SG2 (with its dual-core processor). Of course, SG2 will win the shoot-out but still, I'm curious how the two, with their different OS platforms perform against each other. But I doubt PA will waste their time on this.
13. rayjones09 posted on 07 Dec 2011, 12:54 0 0
Well, last year or earlier this year they compared the Samsung Focus and the Nexus S and Captivate. So there's a chance; this could be the sequel.
16. Lucas777 posted on 07 Dec 2011, 18:06 1 1
i wudnt say the dual core will outpace the single core... maybe in benchmark tests but in a real world experience wp7 is lag free and android.. well.. isnt
18. taz89 posted on 08 Dec 2011, 04:50 0 1
android generally isnt lag free but the gs2 is lag free and it has never lagged since i had it in may which is saying something because generally with android once you start putting lots of apps and widgets it starts to lag but not the exynos s2
20. clevername posted on 09 Dec 2011, 11:44 1 0
It lags for me. Very minimal but noticeable. And I just got it.
11. mikeystar posted on 07 Dec 2011, 12:50 3 1
Im an android guy, But it seemed to me like you guys could have given this the same score as the s2. The only major difference being the processor. But Windows phones really do not seem to need dual core processors to run even smoother than android. So with that i would think PA would have given this an 8.5 or even a 9 like the s2. but either way the video review seemed really fair.
If windows phones continue to develop and become as customizable as android I may consider getting one in 2 years. I would however only jump ship if Microsoft works at providing a great gaming experience like it does with the xbox.
19. Phrozt posted on 09 Dec 2011, 09:49 0 0
Yeah.. I think this author has a very clear bias of two subjects: Samsung and Android.
You are spot on with your comparisons of the S2/Focus S hardware, w/the clear conclusion of "well.. shouldn't the have the same score/pros/cons?" yet the author clearly shows his bias here.
On the other bias, you see his review of the titan:http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/HTC-Titan-Review_id2917
More hardware than the S, sturdier build, more perks in the OS....... Lower score??? And on top of that he openly advertises for Android in the Titan's conclusion!!!
"However, if you haven't decided on the OS yet, there are lots of competitive Android phones. For example, AT&T offers the 4.5” HTC Vivid and Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, plus there is a bunch of 4.3” phones. And, if you are looking for a really big screen, the Galaxy Nexus has a 4.65” one with 720p resolution, and comes with the awesome Ice Cream Sandwich OS, but you'll have to wait a bit, because it's still not offered by U.S. carriers Stateside."
John V., your fanboy is showing. Even your fellow fanboys (above) can blatantly see this.
14. ReturningToNokia posted on 07 Dec 2011, 13:55 1 1
The rating given for this device is VERY generous. VERY.
What is interesting is is that this device has been on the shelves for nearly one full month, and NOW the review? I'm kind of thinking 'why bother' at this point. But, given that this device was not reviewed by all of the major tech blogs(and the ones that did review it, reviewed it weeks after it was in stores), I guess PA is no different with regards to the Focus S.
Usually, devices are given to tech sites, by the oem, BEFORE the device hits the shelves - you know, to increase awareness and sales - but not Samsung, at least not with the Focus S. Seems Samsung had more confidence in the Focus Flash than they did the Focus S.
15. mikeystar posted on 07 Dec 2011, 15:27 1 0
I like how you say this bold statement with absolutely no reasoning to back it up
