Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 Preview
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Our Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 Review is now published - click here to read it.
Samsung TouchWiz 4.0 interface over Android Gingerbread is the proven formula on the Galaxy Ace 2, complete with its transparencies, transitional animations, and some helpful widgets. We can't vouch for the final unit, but our prototype behaves very well in the interface, powered smoothly by the dual-core processor with ARM Mali-400 graphics unit.
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The Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 has TouchWiz 4.0 interface over Android Gingerbread | |||
At 800MHz by default, it is slightly underclocked from the 1GHz+ frequencies we are used to see in multicore chips, but with 2372 points it still managed to beat the Galaxy Nexus on Quadrant, even though our unit likely doesn't have the software all finalized.
Typing will be easy on the Galaxy Ace 2, since your thumb can reach almost everywhere on the screen at that size, so you'll be able to quickly shoot text message replies without having to resort to the other hand for holding the phone.
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Virtual keyboard | |
The phone has 768MB of RAM, just shy of the high-end 1GB standard, and 4GB of storage for your apps and data, plus a microSD card slot, which is hot-swappable on the right side of the phone. Samsung has loaded the usual media Hubs that come with TouchWiz here, for music, books or video, and provides the common TW set of apps for notes, file browsing and media editing.
Internet and Connectivity:
Nothing belittling can be said for the stock browser of Android Gingerbread, and thanks to the dual-core processor in the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 rendering and Adobe Flash performance are zippy enough, with no unpleasant surprises, despite the phone's prototype nature. As usual with Samsung, screen brightness can be adjusted directly in the browser, and when you start surfing a website, the address bar goes out of your way, leaving you with a full screen view.
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Web browsing | |
The Ace 2 sports a 14.4Mbps HSDPA radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, FM Radio and DLNA function for media streaming, so you can't complain from a lack of connectivity options.
Camera:
The 5MP shooter on the back of the Galaxy Ace 2 is accompanied by an LED flash, and is managed by the tried and true TouchWiz camera UI with its transparent menus that help you keep sight of the framing while tinkering with the options.
There is the usual rich amount of shooting and scene modes to choose from, like Panorama, Smile Shot and Action Shot for fast moving objects. The Cartoon mode transforms your photo into the jolly style of hand-drawn comics, but there is a relatively poor number of additional effects you can apply.
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Outdoor samples taken with the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 | ||||
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Strong | Medium | Low light | Darkness with flash |
Indoor samples | |||
Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 Sample Video:
Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 Indoor Sample Video:
Multimedia:
We are met with the familiar TouchWiz music player on the Galaxy Ace 2, with its number of equalzier presets and sound modes, as well as the quasi-surround sound in headset mode. You can categorize tunes by albums, artists, folders and playlists, as well as chronologically, and even check the option to show lyrics, if those are available.
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We are met with the familiar TouchWiz music player on the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 | ||
The handset plays most video files, including DivX/Xvid, up to 720p definition, and the video player has a pretty rich interface, which includes screen lock, subtitle support and screen brightness adjustments.
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Video player | ||
Expectations:
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The compact size and good PLS LCD screen will be a boost for the everyday interaction with your smartphone, whether you are in or outside, and the dual-core processor under the hood will make sure you don't feel underpowered.
Adding to these a decent 5MP shooter with 720p HD video capture abilities, and about the only things left to wish for in the category are Android Ice Cream Sandwich and a tad less bland design. If the Galaxy Ace 2 comes with a low enough price tag, though, even those two considerations might be thrown out of the window.
Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 Video Preview:
Our Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 Review is now published - click here to read it.
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Samsung GALAXY Ace 2
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18 Comments
1. mercorp posted on 27 Apr 2012, 07:44 0 0
Love it.I want it to replace my buggy Galaxy R.
The screen is always unresponsive,and I just sended it in for repair.
2. kshell1 posted on 27 Apr 2012, 08:42 1 0
Good for a budget phone thats for sure, Almost as some of last years top ends
3. JBz007 posted on 27 Apr 2012, 09:27 1 0
This looks almost identical to the "Alleged Samsung Galaxy S3" that was posted on here today. Just not as stretched. Very interesting...
4. Filly posted on 27 Apr 2012, 10:26 0 0
My next phone! In Europe u can buy this starting from just 260€ !
@Phonearena: In the Pictures and in the Video it seams that the Brightness of the Display isn't that high. Can u confirm this?
11. Daniel.P posted on 30 Apr 2012, 07:26 0 0
It's good enough, but we previewed a prototype unit and had to turn up the brightness with the Android control widget instead of Settings, so we'll have more on brightness in the final review :-)
5. Mube1 posted on 27 Apr 2012, 10:41 0 0
I will still prefer s.e neo v,design is better than ace 2 and best value for money and +point neo will get ics very soon;-)
6. Mube1 posted on 27 Apr 2012, 11:03 0 0
I will still prefer s.e neo v,design is better than ace 2 and best value for money and +point neo will get ics very soon;-)
7. Mube1 posted on 27 Apr 2012, 11:19 1 3
I will still prefer s.e neo v,design is better than ace 2 and best value for money and +point neo will get ics very soon;-)
14. madrl posted on 07 May 2012, 02:01 0 0
madrl
What about Gorilla Glass or other protection of the screen?
It is omission or intension from the producer?
Thanks for reply LM
15. jakes2312 posted on 19 May 2012, 14:44 0 0
when does this fun come out in the usa and how much will it cost?
16. DebaterX posted on 07 Jun 2012, 01:55 0 0
PhoneArena, can you please run the other benchmarks like Linpack, nenamark2, pi, sunspider, browsermark, etc as well. This will help us readers a bit more in deciding between this and other midrange dual core phones.
Nice preview BTW. Eagerly waiting for the review.
18. b0g23 posted on 17 Jun 2012, 07:15 0 0
hy for a full test and more of this model check this link:
http://markhenderson.ws/blog/phones/galaxy-ace-2-gt-i8160-benchmark-comparison-passmark-nenamark-quadrant-linpack-browsermark.html
17. Vrils posted on 11 Jun 2012, 13:15 1 0
i`ve seen it in store, it`s 10-15 euro more than Xperia U
even if Xperia U looks better, at that price i have to go for Samsung
19. b0g23 posted on 17 Jun 2012, 07:19 0 0
yes this is true, but the new models of sony has problems with battery life, they are very hungry :D
21. b0g23 posted on 28 Jun 2012, 11:18 0 0
Daniel.P from phonearena, when do you make an review at this model?
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