My SGS1 took a dip in the water etc. I saw the nexus keynote, ice cream and so on, compared specs, prices, and i have an opportunity to buy this thing cheaper from a supplier. However, i was greatly dissappointed from SGS1.. specifically the lag, and the gps problems.
I read awesome reviews about this thing, and they all agree on its greatness.
Thus im asking, is there any specific issue, problem and so on, like lag, like battery drain specific to this phone, gps etc whatever, a reason NOT to buy this?
Im looking for people who have had the phone for a while.
Thanks
Um think you got the wrong section.
You're talking about the nexus, but you do mean the SGS2 right?
no i meant that i am aware of the nexus prime and all that is going on. but im not in the wrong section, im talking about the SGS2 BEAST
No reason at all not to buy the SGSII remains the best there is 100%, if you get a chance of a good deal id snap it up.
this is so weird, there were quite a lot of people dissappointed with the first one! so happy to hear that.
Are official firmware updates good enough? has it been improved since release for example?
I've had my S2 for about 3 weeks now and I'm yet to come across anything that's made me look twice about choosing it.
If I had to be really picky then I'd recommend you buy a 3rd party USB cable as the one that's shipped constantly loops "connected/ "disconnected", be careful when removing the battery cover - it really is as flimsy as some of the reviews say however when it's in place it feels solid and finally the app drawer doesn't automatically sort into alphabetical order so you either have to do so manually or sort everything into folders (even then it doesn't have an option to sort by anything other than date).
On a side note I have read a lot about people having problems with Samsung Kies Air but haven't used it so I can't comment.
Apart from that it's a cracking piece of kit in my opinion.
Andrewawright said:
be careful when removing the battery cover - it really is as flimsy as some of the reviews say.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really?
nesx87 said:
this is so weird, there were quite a lot of people dissappointed with the first one! so happy to hear that.
Are official firmware updates good enough? has it been improved since release for example?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's entirely up to you what you do with your phone but i recommend rooting and flashing a custom ROM, CheckRom is currently merging with Leomar's Revolution ROM to make a super ROM so i cant wait for this and obviously ICS will be coming to the SGSII soon too so that is going to be fantastic,if i were you i would read up extensively on here, i done this 3 weeks before i even got my SGSII so i was familar with some things, freeze all Samsung bloatware and you'll have great battery life, clear cache every day too speeds things up,i recommend Siyah kernel too probably the best there is and the one responsible for getting rid of the dreaded Android OS.
As i said read,read,read the many stickys and topics and in no time your phone will be absolutely top notch.
The only downside I've found so far in this phone is that it can get extremely hot (around the upper side, the camera, where the CPU is, I guess), reaching a temperature that you can't even touch it (it's hot only on the upper area, that means you can still hold it, but not touch the upper area). It only happens to me when I use the browser for over a minute, or when I use the phone in general when it's charging.
Other than that, everything in this freaking phone is amazing!! The screen, the camera... everything! When the new android version comes, the phone will get even faster because of the multicore support, can't wait for it (although it's fast as is...).
Wait for the galaxy nexus (own a sgs2 myself)
Carnelain said:
Wait for the galaxy nexus (own a sgs2 myself)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i disagree, the camera is only 5MP and IMO the screen on the nexus is just too big, asides from that it looks good but ill stick with the SGSII until the SGS3 is released next year.
Only falls short on pixel density imo, particularly noticeable when browsing on desktop mode, have to zoom in a bit to read.
Minor but still a minus compared to SGNx.
skimminstones said:
Really?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't believe that! Why would you try to do that?!
Andrewawright said:
Can't believe that! Why would you try to do that?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to prove a point to the people who said it was flimsy
Andrewawright said:
Can't believe that! Why would you try to do that?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to prove wrong every review that ever said the back was too flimsy maybe
Andrewawright said:
Can't believe that! Why would you try to do that?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw that before but dismissed it as aftermarket (check additional logo).
however, that said I've popped the cover off plenty of times and it isn't anywhere near creaking. also unlike some other phones the back is replaceable if it does break.
crypticc said:
I saw that before but dismissed it as aftermarket (check additional logo).
however, that said I've popped the cover off plenty of times and it isn't anywhere near creaking. also unlike some other phones the back is replaceable if it does break.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if it wasnt a genuine back it wouldnt have samsungs brand name on it
Andrewawright said:
Can't believe that! Why would you try to do that?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to prove a point that Samsung know what they were doing!
I have done the same thing to my battery cover and I can confirm that it is not flimsy at all.
The light weight of the Galaxy S2 is of benefit to itself when accidentally dropped.
It's less likely to break !
I'm not sure if you folks have seen this video yet was posted on here the other day and says it all really.
Related
I have been kicking around getting the Atrix as my first Android cause I love my friends HTC Incredible so much but I am on AT&T so the Atrix looks like a good one to me, but I am just wondering if this phone has any bugs that need to be worked out as far as software or hardware goes? Thanks
The bugs on the ATRIX is due to MOTOBLUR. You can set the ATRIX free if you root and unlock it
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
My experience with the Atrix.
I've had the phone for 3 days. Overall it's an amazing device. However, since I've had it the main issue has been reboots&crashes(my phone is not rooted). The funny thing is when I'm using it, it has never rebooted or crashed, but when it's idle it tends to crash frequently(about 10 times per day). As of now, I'm still trying to figure out what's causing this. So far from what I've found on a few android forums suggests that the problem only exists on some devices. There are some Atrix phones that don't have the rebooting problem at all.
1WithSelf said:
I've had the phone for 3 days. Overall it's an amazing device. However, since I've had it the main issue has been reboots&crashes(my phone is not rooted). The funny thing is when I'm using it, it has never rebooted or crashed, but when it's idle it tends to crash frequently(about 10 times per day). As of now, I'm still trying to figure out what's causing this. So far from what I've found on a few android forums suggests that the problem only exists on some devices. There are some Atrix phones that don't have the rebooting problem at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, okay so it's kind of like a Volkswagen where one is great and the other is junk? Ha ha just playin. But I take it that this is not really a common problem with this phone but you just got unlucky, and maybe another handful of people?
Or maybe like Mr flo said up above that it's all because of Motoblur?
Imo wait till October or November. There will be a whole new line up of phones coming out. The Atrix is epic but there will be better in the new future.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
1WithSelf said:
I've had the phone for 3 days. Overall it's an amazing device. However, since I've had it the main issue has been reboots&crashes(my phone is not rooted). The funny thing is when I'm using it, it has never rebooted or crashed, but when it's idle it tends to crash frequently(about 10 times per day). As of now, I'm still trying to figure out what's causing this. So far from what I've found on a few android forums suggests that the problem only exists on some devices. There are some Atrix phones that don't have the rebooting problem at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
forget trying to figure out whats wrong and exchange it for another if you can, thats something in the hardware most likely
Overall it's a solid phone, and almost every iPhone user that made the changeover usually posts that they are happy they left the iPhone for the Atrix.
In the end you are getting a dual-core phone with a 1GB of RAM and a large battery.
Plus this phone just got the BL unlocked, so that means you will have CM7 and Ice Cream Sandwich in some form (possibly even official)...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
The ATRIX is future proof....these current and upcoming dual-core phones have only matched the ATRIX. I have a custom rom and kernel....and my ATRIX flies
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
ccrows said:
Overall it's a solid phone, and almost every iPhone user that made the changeover usually posts that they are happy they left the iPhone for the Atrix.
In the end you are getting a dual-core phone with a 1GB of RAM and a large battery.
Plus this phone just got the BL unlocked, so that means you will have CM7 and Ice Cream Sandwich in some form (possibly even official)...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot. How about call quality and basic phone functions, speakerphone lound and clear, ear speaker sound quality, strong or weak signal things of that nature?
rjayflo said:
The ATRIX is future proof....these current and upcoming dual-core phones have only matched the ATRIX. I have a custom rom and kernel....and my ATRIX flies
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"future proof" makes me happy I just realized that I just made 10 posts! Ha ha!! I'm FREE!! Now it's time for me to go into the DEVELOPMENT THREAD and cause some real trouble, ha ha.
i have had mine for about 3 days, no reboots and whatnot. I am liking the way the phone feels and works. calls are clear via bluetooth speakerphone and the regular earpiece.
ive ditched the default messaging app for chomp sms(its basically bitesms but better and smoother in alot of ways, same dev team if im not mistaken). and im not using the default launcher anymore, launcher pro seems smoother.
anyway hardwarewise the phone is awesome, even with the motoblur on it in a nonrooted oem rom. with that said i plan to root and try out some different roms in the near future
Spoontain said:
i have had mine for about 3 days, no reboots and whatnot. I am liking the way the phone feels and works. calls are clear via bluetooth speakerphone and the regular earpiece.
ive ditched the default messaging app for chomp sms(its basically bitesms but better and smoother in alot of ways, same dev team if im not mistaken). and im not using the default launcher anymore, launcher pro seems smoother.
anyway hardwarewise the phone is awesome, even with the motoblur on it in a nonrooted oem rom. with that said i plan to root and try out some different roms in the near future
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot.
This is my first android phone and I love it! I've already rooted and unlocked it. I've flashed several ROM's already and have had excellent results. There have been a few reboots and connection issues but nothing to seriously complain about. My current ROM has taken care of all that and I'm getting over 30 hours of battery life without changing anything. I don't know about "future proof" with LTE coming but it will be tough to find a better phone
I have 2 in my household.
The wife's is as stock as stock can be and it is rock solid. Never had an issue with the phone. No force closes, no issues, just a solid work beast. Nearly, only nearly mind, rivals a Berry for battery life.
Mine on the other hand has gone through the wars a bit as regards reliability BUT all of those issues were my fault not the phone.
I am like most of those posting here in that I do like to play and tinker with ROMs, apps and anything else we can think of playing with. The upside is that after that learning curve I have a phone that is fantastically quick, great battery life and not really going to be left wanting for much over the next year or two as regards hardware.
Same as most android's really it is what you make of it. If you want a solid work beast, it can do that. If you want to play, you can do that.
Importantly though is that the initial learning curve has been gone through, mostly on this great forum, so if you want to root, mod, unlock the bootloader and whatever else may come make sure you research it.
There is only one rule really. If you unlock the bootloader and use the official AT&T Gingerbread update NEVER go back to Froyo. Remember that and now it is quite hard to mess up.
I know I have tried !
Wow, thanks a lot guys... I think this will be my first Android after reading what you all have said about this phone. Thanks for taking the time to give me your opinions, and to the guy that hates the phone... Dude I'm really sorry you got a dud.
etek said:
Thanks a lot. How about call quality and basic phone functions, speakerphone lound and clear, ear speaker sound quality, strong or weak signal things of that nature?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call quality is great. No problems at all on either end.
I don't use the speqkerphone, but I seen a lot of praise for it around here.
Sound is loud enough that I don't need to ask people to repeat themselves, which is good because my hearing has never been that great...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
etek said:
"future proof" makes me happy I just realized that I just made 10 posts! Ha ha!! I'm FREE!! Now it's time for me to go into the DEVELOPMENT THREAD and cause some real trouble, ha ha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep find something you don't like, there are Apps and ROMs to customize the phone to your liking.
Unlike the iPhone and its "Better luck next year" attitude...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
ccrows said:
Call quality is great. No problems at all on either end.
I don't use the speqkerphone, but I seen a lot of praise for it around here.
Sound is loud enough that I don't need to ask people to repeat themselves, which is good because my hearing has never been that great...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, so this phone needs some serious consideration. Of Course, this phone probably didn't fly as much as it was promoted, I still guess its promotion was a little weaker than I expected.
I have been using Atrix since its launch. About 8 months and never had any issues with my phone.
Phone durability - Rock Solid, even though you can feel the plastic all around, but the phone is light in weight, and it still is very sturdy. Have dropped it a few times(Of course with a cover on top - so no scratches) but even after those many drops, phone is absolutely fine.
Screen - First qHD display. Truly amazing. I feel it better than iPhone's retina display, trust me when I say it, have used iphone 4 and exchanged it with Atrix.
Call Quality - SubPar. No noise issues. Whenever I receive a call, the person on the other end never complained.
Speakers - Loud and clear enough. Even when I put phone on speaker while driving, it is just clear. Loud enough to fill my car with voice easily.
Biggest Bonus - Unlocked Bootloader. Means, this phone is now free. With lots of Devs now coming up with new ROM's, and CM7 on its way, I have heard that MiUI is also coming to Atrix in near future, it is just an amazing feeling that how much customization is available for the phone, with Devs spending days and hours, it is just truly phenomenal.
Processor - with Dual Core 1GHz processor, this phone has got the raw power to beat up the competition. I feel, phone is fast enough to give solid competition to the upcoming new android variations, upcoming iphone and so on. As someone earlier said, it is a future proof phone, not only because it has got the Dual Core processor, but because it has got Dual Core processor, even today, there are many phones which still get released with 1GHz Single Core, I think for next couple of years 1GHz Dual Core processing speed is safe from getting extinct. Also, the fact that Atrix can now be OverClocked to 1.3GHz, man you should see this phone, just totally flying with that much power.
Camera - As promised by Motorola earlier at the time of launch, with GingerBread, phone will be able to do 1080p, and yes it does it. What else would we need?
Another Bonus - Finger Print Scanner. Just unique by itself. No more words needed to explain what it is.
Last but not Least, Battery - Solid. Usually, I have always seen people be able to get around atleast a day out of the Atrix battery easily. Now with different applications available to help us save the battery, it is even easier to get more out of it.
Webtop Dock etc... - Personally I don't use any other accessories for Atrix, so no idea, but have heard they all are also similarly amazing.
If I missed out on anything, I am pretty sure, I have got something good to say about it, as long as it is related to (M)Atrix.
If you got the phone, you should be happy. If you are thinking of getting one, go for it. If you dislike it, it is your personal choice and I am sure people will respect it.
Cheers!!!
Well Guy's!! I took your suggestion (besides that one guy) and I got the Atrix! Thank you thank you!!! I love this phone already. I have the bootloader unlocked, rooted, clockwork recovery, and the Alien ROM installed. Awesome phone, thanks so much for you help. After having the iPhone and then switching to this phone, there are so many things and so many ways to customize this phone it's insane. I almost don't know where to begin. See ya out on the forums!
I wouldn't have gone with the atrix personally. I had one. Froze a lot, soft rebooted A LOT, screen was not accurate to touch and would become unresponsive at times, not to mention it was SLOW(for being a dual core tegra phone). Like others say though, its mostly personal preference. I may have also had a bad one. I've owned many androids and I personally rate the atrix worse than a poopy aria.... its on the bottom of my list. I got my nexus s now and have never been more pleased.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
I just got a Thrill 4G and Im thinking about trading it in for an Atrix. The phone is great but the battery life sucks, and I cannot see the 3D screen with sun glasses on. I live in AZ so they are on every time I go outside so that is an important deciding factor for me.
The Atrix is $49 today so Im thinking about getting one. I'd love to hold out for the SGS2, but who knows when it will be out and it will prob be $199.
So, would you buy an Atrix again if you had to do it over again?
If I wouldn't of had to sell my first ATRIX I wouldn't have. My fave phone!
Tapped from my ATRIX.
No-brainer imo --- the atrix is FAR superior; I'll admit that with stock gingerbread the phone is kinda meh....still an awesome phone but nothing mindblowing. I assume since you're here you'll be unlocking and flashing it...which makes the phone AMAZING. The 3-D stuff just seems so gimmicky to me and won't be perfected/well-implemented for a good amount of time to come.
As far as the SGS2, on paper it looks like an amazing phone but I'll have to wait to see - I had the captivate and was so disappointed with it (anyone that had that phone from the beginning knows how horrendous Samsung's support was). I hope that Samsung has learned a lot since the beginning of the GS line because a phone with such amazing hardware shouldn't have so many problems.
kisnerct said:
No-brainer imo --- the atrix is FAR superior; I'll admit that with stock gingerbread the phone is kinda meh....still an awesome phone but nothing mindblowing. I assume since you're here you'll be unlocking and flashing it...which makes the phone AMAZING. The 3-D stuff just seems so gimmicky to me and won't be perfected/well-implemented for a good amount of time to come.
As far as the SGS2, on paper it looks like an amazing phone but I'll have to wait to see - I had the captivate and was so disappointed with it (anyone that had that phone from the beginning knows how horrendous Samsung's support was). I hope that Samsung has learned a lot since the beginning of the GS line because a phone with such amazing hardware shouldn't have so many problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually know exactly what you mean because I bought my Captivate a couple days after it was released. I still have it, dont use it, but I was really happy with it after flashing ROMS on it. The development forum on that phone is fantastic.
Yes, I would never have a stock phone. Did they ever get the bootloader unlocked on this phone? I know that was the major reason that people hesitated to get it.
i love my atrix. nothing out there is better to me. im running CM7 beta on it right now. so fast.
With CM7 , everything is happy
Love it, fast, nice camera, nice speaker, good gaming performance with THD games, great community.
timbrendelaz said:
I actually know exactly what you mean because I bought my Captivate a couple days after it was released. I still have it, dont use it, but I was really happy with it after flashing ROMS on it. The development forum on that phone is fantastic.
Yes, I would never have a stock phone. Did they ever get the bootloader unlocked on this phone? I know that was the major reason that people hesitated to get it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's an automatic bootload unlocker in this very forum I won't bash you because I missed it myself, hahaha. It worked like a charm for me though.
Here is the link::
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1182871
kisnerct said:
There's an automatic bootload unlocker in this very forum I won't bash you because I missed it myself, hahaha. It worked like a charm for me though.
Here is the link::
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1182871
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't miss it because I wasn't looking for it. I don't have an Atrix and was asking a question.
Everything I've read says that the Atrix also has poor battery life. I saw a thread on a battery calibration and mod that is supposed to help. I dont want to trade ina phone with bad battery life for another phone with bad battery life.
Both have a dual core CPU but the Atrix has 1GB of RAM which is nice IMO. I cant see the Thrill 3D screen with sunglasses on which sucks to me. The 3D is very gimmicky and hurts my eyes, lol. And there is only one ROM and the dev's seems to be bailing on this phone so I don't see a very good future in the Thrill dev threads.
timbrendelaz said:
I didn't miss it because I wasn't looking for it. I don't have an Atrix and was asking a question.
Everything I've read says that the Atrix also has poor battery life. I saw a thread on a battery calibration and mod that is supposed to help. I dont want to trade ina phone with bad battery life for another phone with bad battery life.
Both have a dual core CPU but the Atrix has 1GB of RAM which is nice IMO. I cant see the Thrill 3D screen with sunglasses on which sucks to me. The 3D is very gimmicky and hurts my eyes, lol. And there is only one ROM and the dev's seems to be bailing on this phone so I don't see a very good future in the Thrill dev threads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bad battery life reports are the vocal minority. Most of us here consider the battery to be one of the Atrix's strong points. I can get 2 1/2 days with light usage on mine with CM7 installed on it. Thats with wifi set to never sleep, and with GPS and 3G/HSPA enabled.
I love the Atrix. Literally the only problem I have with it is the pentile display, and even then its a very minor issue.
It has a 1930mAh and all the review sites i've read say the battery life is very good. Flashing a custom rom will make it even better! People have been getting like 16-24 hrs with Wifi and everything on, constantly browsing the internet and playing games (read it on youtube)
This is my first Android phone. Came from 4 years with the iPhone. Ill tell you this...not looking back. This phone was great stock. Now running cm7, this thing is fuggin amazing... battery and performance are nothing short of great.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
timbrendelaz said:
I just got a Thrill 4G and Im thinking about trading it in for an Atrix. The phone is great but the battery life sucks, and I cannot see the 3D screen with sun glasses on. I live in AZ so they are on every time I go outside so that is an important deciding factor for me.
The Atrix is $49 today so Im thinking about getting one. I'd love to hold out for the SGS2, but who knows when it will be out and it will prob be $199.
So, would you buy an Atrix again if you had to do it over again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Atrix is an incredibly solid device. Gotta give AT&T credit for getting a top-notch device out of Motorola.
well it sounds like you guys are quite happy with it. If the battery life is that great then it's a no-brainer for $49.99. I do believe hat Im gonna return my thrill today. It a cool phone, but im a power user and ROM flashing addict so it seems i'll fit right in.
timbrendelaz said:
well it sounds like you guys are quite happy with it. If the battery life is that great then it's a no-brainer for $49.99. I do believe hat Im gonna return my thrill today. It a cool phone, but im a power user and ROM flashing addict so it seems i'll fit right in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good choice. The only HTC that is a solid Atrix competitor on AT&T (candybar Android w/o keyboard) is the Inspire4G, but honestly, after several HTC devices and several Moto devices, HTC may come up with cool designs and features, but Moto is great at implementing reliable, high-performing designs. I've never gotten the "oh, that is cheap" feeling with a Moto phone, while Samsung and HTC . . . meh!
Typically find out people who are complaining about battery life have heavy usage that would have even worse battery life on other phones. You had a captivate like I did, so I can tell you this phones battery kicks the **** out of the captivates....and will be even more amazing should you decide to UV it.
If you want to see a GOD AWFUL battery, **** around with an HTC inspire for about 6 hours lol.
Anyway, I think you should at least give the Atrix a try and worst case scenario you don't like it you bring it back within the 30 day window (assuming you will have one).
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
I guess I'm the lone dissenter here. I'm not a fan of the Atrix. Maybe I got a lemon but it seems like there are a lot of problems.
The build quality is suspect. Dust and even a very small piece of cat hair has gotten under the screen. The back plate/battery cover feels cheap and creaks when I hold it. The GPS is rarely able to get a lock on my position, rendering it useless. Also, bluetooth connection is unreliable. I've tried 2 vehicle systems and 3 headsets. They are all able to pair fine, but lose connection in the middle of phone calls.
And if you've done research on the Atrix I'm sure you've read all about Motoblur and how ugly it makes the UI. It's all true. I'm on gingerbread and I have to say its hideous. The stock in-call screen, dialer and photo gallery all look like something designed by an elementary student.
Can you flash it and fix the ugliness of the UI? I'm not a techy but from what I've read the answer seems to be mixed. It would appear yes you can just as long as the OTA update of gingerbread has not been installed on the phone. If it has, you're either screwed or prepare to spend the next 3 years of your life reading up on how to hack the device.
On the positive side, believe everything you've seen about the Atrix's speed. By far the fastest phone I've ever used. The screen is nice and bright as well.
landoftherich said:
Can you flash it and fix the ugliness of the UI? I'm not a techy but from what I've read the answer seems to be mixed. It would appear yes you can just as long as the OTA update of gingerbread has not been installed on the phone. If it has, you're either screwed or prepare to spend the next 3 years of your life reading up on how to hack the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sounds like you might have got a lemon. But, I had the ota update and flashed it the very same day with no problems at all so it honestly isn't that difficult.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
landoftherich said:
I guess I'm the lone dissenter here. I'm not a fan of the Atrix. Maybe I got a lemon but it seems like there are a lot of problems.
The build quality is suspect. Dust and even a very small piece of cat hair has gotten under the screen. The back plate/battery cover feels cheap and creaks when I hold it. The GPS is rarely able to get a lock on my position, rendering it useless. Also, bluetooth connection is unreliable. I've tried 2 vehicle systems and 3 headsets. They are all able to pair fine, but lose connection in the middle of phone calls.
And if you've done research on the Atrix I'm sure you've read all about Motoblur and how ugly it makes the UI. It's all true. I'm on gingerbread and I have to say its hideous. The stock in-call screen, dialer and photo gallery all look like something designed by an elementary student.
Can you flash it and fix the ugliness of the UI? I'm not a techy but from what I've read the answer seems to be mixed. It would appear yes you can just as long as the OTA update of gingerbread has not been installed on the phone. If it has, you're either screwed or prepare to spend the next 3 years of your life reading up on how to hack the device.
On the positive side, believe everything you've seen about the Atrix's speed. By far the fastest phone I've ever used. The screen is nice and bright as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are many options to get rid of the stock gingerbread Motoblur look. The obvious choice is CM7, which will do away with Blur entirely, and make your phone quite a bit quicker. Most themes available in XDA will get rid of the Blur look, and there is a huge selection in the App and Theme section. I use the ext4 Homebase Rom with his Honeycomb theme, and it significantly speeds up my phone.
I would recommend the Atrix over other Android phones for a few reasons. The biggest reason why I like it so much is because of the form factor. I like the 4 inch screen more than 4.3 or 4.5 or 9.3. Battery life has been pretty good, at least as good as I can reasonably expect from a smartphone. The hardware specs are comparable to any other Android device, and if you're willing to root and flash custom Roms, you will notice a marked improvement over stock performance (which I think is true of any Android phone). What really makes this phone as slick as it is are its accessories. I just bought the lapdock from Vancouver Craigslist for $150 and I love it. I knew when I bought it that it was kind of gimmicky (like the 3D from your Thrill), but for what I need this tool for, it's been outstanding. Nothing beats watching Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad on my hour commute to work while simultaneously charging my phone!
I love my Atrix, and it's a shame the phone got such a bad wrap off the bat due poor implementation of Blur on 2.2, and encrypted bootloader. Now with the unlocked bootloader and better blur, in addition to more and more custom roms being built, this phone is coming closer to its potential. I wish it had a metal back plate, but I understand the potential of worse reception and getting hotter than the plastic cover. All in all, the only phone I would remotely consider exchanging my Atrix for would be the Sensation, and even then I think I'd really have to be sold on the idea. I hope this helps with your decision.
Cm7 is a must on the atrix. I've tried other roms but none ever worked quite right. Annoying fc & other errors - but thanks to those devs for putting in the time & effort. Blur is complete crap: I couldn't even listen to my mp3s without the music stuttering bcuz the phone was busy searching for "suggestions" of similar songs I may like. Damn you, for the unwanted marketing on my device, at&t & Motorola. For a while, I very much regretted trading in my iPhone. But now all is well. Thank you cm7 devs!
So I just got my Atrix
It has 1.2.6 as a build on it, and from reading I'm not finding too much information on that build. I don't think that I want to do the OTA to 4.1.57 though because I keep reading about bricks. I'm going to put a ROM on it, more than likely CM7 so Im not sure what good it would do to update OTA. I'll have to root it though so I guess I can get on that first but all of the root guides are for 1.8.x and up.
It goes everywhere with me and it lays on the pillow beside me while we both re-energize for the next day. It alerts me of things I need to get done and it never gets mad when I ignore it. It's always there for me no matter how tired it may get and does its job with consistency and patience.
I know it's a ways off but what does one get an Android phone for Valentine's Day?
Kadin said:
It goes everywhere with me and it lays on the pillow beside me while we both re-energize for the next day. It alerts me of things I need to get done and it never gets mad when I ignore it. It's always there for me no matter how tired it may get and does its job with consistency and patience.
I know it's a ways off but what does one get an Android phone for Valentine's Day?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you're enjoying the ride. ;-)
I know where you're coming from, just 1 week ago I had my captivate that has faithfully lasted me 15 months sans scratches and dropped numerous times, it was my baby and was flashed more than a crowd in spring break. It had gotten to the point where the number of applications and amount of productivity that I used in my daily routine increased ten-fold and my Captivate couldn't handle the performance and the battery;I now have the Captivate's successor and it's extremely awesome, quick, and with superb battery life, and we don't even have ICS yet!
When it talks back to me I'm actually interested... lol
just upgraded from a laggy tilt2 with full device memory to the SGS2. Can you say "night and day"! wow yeah I'm amazed, zero lag, fast and easy to use device. I'm already addicted to the free drag racing game from the market place, lol.
I was very used to using the slide out keyboard on the tilt2, to thumb type easily (despite having big hands/fingers.
I have a little trouble typing on screen in the same fashion with the S2, but I'm getting more used to it. Most users probably have no problem, my fingers are too big.
This is my first android device. Loving it.
Kadin said:
I know it's a ways off but what does one get an Android phone for Valentine's Day?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A new ROM? Lol.
Bowsa2511 said:
I know where you're coming from, just 1 week ago I had my captivate that has faithfully lasted me 15 months sans scratches and dropped numerous times, it was my baby and was flashed more than a crowd in spring break. It had gotten to the point where the number of applications and amount of productivity that I used in my daily routine increased ten-fold and my Captivate couldn't handle the performance and the battery;I now have the Captivate's successor and it's extremely awesome, quick, and with superb battery life, and we don't even have ICS yet!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you said above is EXACTLY my story, minus dropping it numerous times. I "liked" my Cappy (not "LOVE") but the S2 is a definite "LOVE".
Kadin said:
It goes everywhere with me and it lays on the pillow beside me while we both re-energize for the next day. It alerts me of things I need to get done and it never gets mad when I ignore it. It's always there for me no matter how tired it may get and does its job with consistency and patience.
I know it's a ways off but what does one get an Android phone for Valentine's Day?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just make sure you practice safe calling
|oLo| said:
Just make sure you practice safe calling
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahaha!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Awwww I just sold my old cappy, some computer science student bought it to develop an app for his class, glad it went to someone that will do something cool with it. A little piece of my heart just got sold though, since that was the phone that turned me onto Android devices from being an almost 4yr iPhone user. I had every iPhone except for the 4s obviously, and I haven't looked back once.
By the way, there have been days where I thought "I am in love with my GSII" (no homo).
I have gone through 9 replacements trying to get the right phone over the last couple of months and am getting tired of it, what's everyone's opinion about switching to the nexus? I have to admit CM9* and MIUI are a big plus.
i just got a nexus and i love it, battery life seems alot better too. i will say the design of the rezound is better though.
I traded my nexus for my rezound a while ago and never looked back.
love this phone.
the nex is nice, but sense is what I like, I also found the overall build to be better on the rezound, (usually is with HTC..)
I came from a nexus for 2 reasons... 1) The radios are terrible on the Nexus. In my house, my wife has a Thunderbolt and I had the Nexus. Side by side, she would have 3 or 4 bars of 4G, me on the Nexus, like 2 bars of 3G or 1x. also the build quality is much superior to the Nexus. 2, I Luke the challenge of rooting lol. I had a Rezound before but I never rooted it. Traded for the GNex when it came out. I feel its an overall better experience with my rezound. If Ur looking to easily root and have a plethora of dev support, get the Nexus. If u like better radios and built quality, stick with the Rezound.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
I traded my GNex for a Rezound and the only thing I missed was ICS. This was my first Sense phone and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. Turns out I really like it. Weird that you've had 9 lemons.. Mine has been flawless
Slacker101 said:
I have gone through 9 replacements trying to get the right phone over the last couple of months and am getting tired of it, what's everyone's opinion about switching to the nexus? I have to admit CM7 and MIUI are a big plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*CM9. thats ics. cm7 is GB
antp121 said:
*CM9. thats ics. cm7 is GB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks lol just caught that myself, it's a habit xD used to have CM7 on my fascinate long long ago
If Ur looking to easily root and have a plethora of dev support, get the Nexus. If u like better radios and built quality, stick with the Rezound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I partially agree although I haven't had the best experience with the build quality on the rezound....
Traded my nexus for a rezound also. Gnex battery life sucks, camera sucks, and the phone is to big to hold in hand.
andybones said:
I traded my nexus for my rezound a while ago and never looked back.
love this phone.
the nex is nice, but sense is what I like, I also found the overall build to be better on the rezound, (usually is with HTC..)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this(except for the liking sense part ).
i traded my gnex for a dev rezound(and then an s-off method popped up )
ive actually got 2 of them.since i could s-off my first one, i keep the dev phone put up for emergencies.
ive found the rezound to be of the same quality as all other htc phones ive had. i drive for a living,and my phone rides around all day with me,sometimes getting to 120+ degrees if i leave it on the seat in the sun. ive flashed it,s offed it twice, flashed the crap out of it some more,dropped it,and in general abused the crap out of it.
i loved stock ICS and wanted to love the gnex since it it googles proprietary phone,but to me it felt cheap and plasticy.
after 9 phones,i think you are overly critical and should move on to another device that may make you happier.
scotty1223 said:
after 9 phones,i think you are overly critical and should move on to another device that may make you happier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking the same thing.
We have probably 10 rezounds on our corporate account & only one has had to be replaced.
I can't even imagine how you could legitimatelly have 9 defective devices in a row..........
jmorton10 said:
I was thinking the same thing.
We have probably 10 rezounds on our corporate account & only one has had to be replaced.
I can't even imagine how you could legitimatelly have 9 defective devices in a row..........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+ 1 he probably had pink buttons
Sent from my Dinc... I mean Rezound
jmorton10 said:
I was thinking the same thing.
We have probably 10 rezounds on our corporate account & only one has had to be replaced.
I can't even imagine how you could legitimatelly have 9 defective devices in a row..........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has happened to me with Motorola phones. I am pretty sure it has something to do with the refurbishment process.
yojoe600 said:
+ 1 he probably had pink buttons
Sent from my Dinc... I mean Rezound
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have NEVER sent a phone back due to pink buttons, no matter how much I dislike them. The first four were when I first got the phone, since I came from a droid charge and was comped this I got a refurb. First one had dead pixels, second one had the hissing audio jack, third one had a giant scratch on the screen, fourth one had a blown speaker, the fifth one was just right. Fast forward five months my "just right" phone would go through an extended and a stock battery in 12 hours, completely stock, never unlocked. I was annoyed and got a replacement. The first replacement was fine for a week and then went nuclear on my battery (literally got so hot that the stock battery bloated (yes I know that means the battery also went bad) It almost did the same thing to my extended as well. Fast-forward to yet another phone and this time battery as well, everything seems fine except for the giant scratch on the screen, I swear ti was in the same spot as the one from five months before. Then the next phone, got it, s-off'd it, working perfectly for two days except for pink buttons but **** it, and then I realized I've never made a call with it. Called my father and sure enough the damn speaker is broken, yes I tried on different ROMS and completely stock just to make sure, I know what a blown speaker sounds like. Now I'm on the ninth phone which seems okay for now but I'm still endlessly frustrated with the damn things. Plus I love MIUI. I just wish the build quality was better on the gnexus and I hate samsung's placement of ****ing buttons. It's like they expect you to have the hands of a 4 year old and be able to hit the awkward side button while it's in your hand.
I think everyone who leaves this phone just to get AOSP is crazy... Eventually it will come. In the meantime, there are lots of great roms to try out in the meantime. If you have other problems, I completely understand. But cmon.... Just for a rom?
dmeadows013 said:
I think everyone who leaves this phone just to get AOSP is crazy... Eventually it will come. In the meantime, there are lots of great roms to try out in the meantime. If you have other problems, I completely understand. But cmon.... Just for a rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you on this man ... People can be crazy sometimes
Sent from my Dinc... I mean Rezound
dmeadows013 said:
I think everyone who leaves this phone just to get AOSP is crazy... Eventually it will come. In the meantime, there are lots of great roms to try out in the meantime. If you have other problems, I completely understand. But cmon.... Just for a rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean it's all about opinion. I could see me leaving a Samsung phone if I wanted sense more or aosp if it wasn't available.
But it sounds like you should give the Gnex a go OP. What's the worst that could happen? You just come back.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
blestsol said:
I mean it's all about opinion. I could see me leaving a Samsung phone if I wanted sense more or aosp if it wasn't available.
But it sounds like you should give the Gnex a go OP. What's the worst that could happen? You just come back.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that was my thought, they would probably let me come back if I hate it.
dmeadows013 said:
I think everyone who leaves this phone just to get AOSP is crazy... Eventually it will come. In the meantime, there are lots of great roms to try out in the meantime. If you have other problems, I completely understand. But cmon.... Just for a rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree completely. im not a sense fan either,but IMO this is still good harware and worth the wait. like you said,lots of great roms in the mean time. scotts dev edition is an awome "best of both worlds" rom with the ICS theme,no sense launcher or widgets,yet the "prettiness" of the stock menu and pulldown. im enjoying it alot.
it helps that i can run a pretty functional cm9 on my sensation while i wait
---------- Post added at 10:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:22 PM ----------
Slacker101 said:
I just wish the build quality was better on the gnexus and I hate samsung's placement of ****ing buttons. It's like they expect you to have the hands of a 4 year old and be able to hit the awkward side button while it's in your hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ha! well said. i couldnt get used to the button configuration for nothin. like i said,i wanted to love the gnex,it just wasnt happenin for me. i also dont like samsungs bootloader interface,it just wasnt as fun to mess with,for some reason.
scotty1223 said:
i agree completely. im not a sense fan either,but IMO this is still good harware and worth the wait. like you said,lots of great roms in the mean time. scotts dev edition is an awome "best of both worlds" rom with the ICS theme,no sense launcher or widgets,yet the "prettiness" of the stock menu and pulldown. im enjoying it alot.
it helps that i can run a pretty functional cm9 on my sensation while i wait
---------- Post added at 10:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:22 PM ----------
ha! well said. i couldnt get used to the button configuration for nothin. like i said,i wanted to love the gnex,it just wasnt happenin for me. i also dont like samsungs bootloader interface,it just wasnt as fun to mess with,for some reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely agree, their bootloader is WAY less fun. At least, if it's anything like the fascinate and the charge it consists of a down arrow with a yellow android that looks pretty while you use odin to flash everything since their bootloader is half-assed.
I also would like to say that I do love our devs, and this is not meant and is not me being frustrated with them, simply my luck with regards to getting a functioning device which has lead to a lot of frustration. Regardless of if I switch I still have another rezound that I have access to and can use whenever so I will still be active in this community... I am simply asking the opinions of people who have or have had both devices (IE Scotty). Hell I would take a shot at deving if I had the time, I have experience with linux and coding in Java and Lua. Anyway I do understand the frustration when people post things like the "HAHA I SOLD MY REZOUND *****ES" thread (my translation of the title) where they seem to be bragging/flaming rather than actually trying to consult the community.
I would like to say I don't particularly appreciate the assumptions that my devices could not have possibly needed to be replaced that many times legitimately. I just have had terrible luck with the replacements themselves, almost all have arrived defective if you read my explanation above. I have never bricked a phone and I'm not particularly fond of some of the stories where people go "ops I bricked it, lawls, hey Verizon my phone is dead send me a new one because I ****ed the damn thing up and enjoy committing fraud."
Slacker101 said:
Completely agree, their bootloader is WAY less fun. At least, if it's anything like the fascinate and the charge it consists of a down arrow with a yellow android that looks pretty while you use odin to flash everything since their bootloader is half-assed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its a little better than that. you can use fastboot to do a few things,but it was still pretty devoid of any user interface,unlike hboot. radios were flashed in recovery. you unlock it pretty much just like the rezound,with exception that you dont need a token just fastboot oem unlock anhd voila you have access to everything.
To the users and devs of GSII; do you find this phone still worth buying in 2014?
I'm considering it based on the activity I see here on XDA; lots of kernels and different ROMs to play with. Dual core and 1GB RAM should be enough for me I think.
Few questions comes to mind;
- How much screen on time can you pull off in one cycle charge with stock battery? 4 hours, or more?
- What are the chances of bricking this phone during rooting and flashing?
Hope to see some replies and perhaps getting to know the users of this community too
If you can find a good deal - take it.It's fast,has a good screen,camera, dev support etc.I also bought it about 6 months ago and never regreted.
With stock battery and 50%brightness,CPU&GPU OC I get a decent 4h30min screen on time.
You will never brick your phone by doing all properly IMHO.And there's always a disclaimer for those who will.
Imo, get s3 instead.. It's pretty cheap now with wifi on all the time with proximity on for gravity screen off can last six hours. I came from s2 very lag only get 600 of mb of ram to use..
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
TheImpossibleEnemy said:
You will never brick your phone by doing all properly IMHO
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*coughBull****cough*
Ahem
OP, if you want to completely get rid of the risk of bricking your phone, never flash anything to it. That's the only way you're doing it. Every single flash involves a (normally) very small risk, regardless of whether it's Odin or CWM.
Appreciate all the responds!
S3 has too big screen for me, my brother has one and damn its large.
I would love a S4 Mini but the price difference between S2 and S4 Mini makes me want an S2
4h30min screen on time should be good enough for me. I hope listening to music in standby doesn't drain too much battery on S2, though.
Biggest con of this is that I know I want to flash custom ROMs on S2, but I never had a Samsung phone before. So I know nothing about Odin and rooting Samsung phones etc.
I would just like to know... If you end up bricking it (as in bootloop or just stuck) are there easy tools for S2 that can unbrick it or easily restore to original firmware to unbrick? Also, those who have been here a long time, have you seen a lot of people with bricked S2 phones?
Once again, thanks! Great with all this help!
MistahBungle said:
*coughBull****cough*
Ahem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
?
Thou I agree with you - take the risk or leave it as it is and live in peace.
Phonne is really good..
Battery on 3G takes a big hit (SOT~3 hrs)..
So battery usage really depends on what networks u use..
Standby efficiency improves a lot for me with custom roms..
Music does not drain the battery so much, so no issues there..
Development levels are great, i love it for that.. I came from xperia U a year back which had abysmal development level due to closed sources of novathor processor..
My thoughts about the phone:
1. Screen is not very sharp but i love super amoled
2. Sound quality is fairly good
3. Battery is just about average
4. Phone with 4.1.2 is very smooth (i don't use cm, aosp roms that much)
5. Large dev community (especially considering it's based on exynos)
6. And yeah camera is superb
Now coming to s4 mini.. It is definitely a better and maybe worth the extra cost due to bigger battery and sharper screen.. It has snapdragon processor so development will improve with time..
Buy wisely my friend!
torstenconrad said:
I would just like to know... If you end up bricking it (as in bootloop or just stuck) are there easy tools for S2 that can unbrick it or easily restore to original firmware to unbrick? Also, those who have been here a long time, have you seen a lot of people with bricked S2 phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bootloops (which are not bricks; bricks are phones that aren't recoverable via 'normal means') are normally easy enough to recover by flashing stock with Odin (How ? Search. This stuff has been covered thousands of times here over the past 3 yrs), likewise to return to 'original firmware', get it from Samfirmware, flash it with Odin.
Bricked phones can sometimes be revived by a JTAG, but many require a motherboard replacement to fix, and you have to ask yourself if you end up in this situation 'Do I want to spend as much as the phone is worth on a new board, when I can easily by a new phone for the same money ?'.
I have seen so many bricked phones on here over the past 2 & a bit yrs I lost count a long time ago. Literally thousands.
However, apart from that very small risk with each flash which you can never get rid of, there's a much larger risk of you borking your phone through not knowing what you're doing. The way you mitigate that risk is you search/read/learn off your own back. You don't rush into things, you take as long as you need to in order to learn, before you 'do'.
All the info you could ever need to ensure you don't end up breaking your phone through user error is here, but you have to seek it out & learn it yourself. Asking people to regurgitate 10 steps to do something (which many people here do) will teach you nothing/will not make you understand what you're doing, and that's where you end up with greatest risk of a borked phone in my experience. Most people I've seen on here who've borked their phones (apart from the maybe 10 who were 'unlucky') failed to learn/understand in their own way/on their own terms.
Totally agree with @MistahBungle......
Search/Read/Learn/Do.......in that order....and don't "do" until you're totally confident that you're going to get it right......and/or know what to do if you get it wrong (all the info you need can be found in the sticky threads at the start of these forums).....
Btw.....don't let the mention of 'thousands' of phones bricking worry you, when you consider that Samsung has sold over 30 million S2s, you can get the picture that those thousands are a vanishingly tiny percentage of the total units sold......
My advice.....if it's cheap enough, get it....and modify the hell out of it (lol)
You won't regret it......
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
keithross39 said:
Totally agree with @MistahBungle......
Search/Read/Learn/Do.......in that order....and don't "do" until you're totally confident that you're going to get it right......and/or know what to do if you get it wrong (all the info you need can be found in the sticky threads at the start of these forums).....
Btw.....don't let the mention of 'thousands' of phones bricking worry you, when you consider that Samsung has sold over 30 million S2s, you can get the picture that those thousands are a vanishingly tiny percentage of the total units sold......
My advice.....if it's cheap enough, get it....and modify the hell out of it (lol)
You won't regret it......
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ever since JB update, the no. of bricked devices have reduced considerably.. ics was the real issue!
If you can find one of the snapgragon gs3's I highly recommend that over any exynos phone.
peRFect! said:
Ever since JB update, the no. of bricked devices have reduced considerably.. ics was the real issue!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rubbish. Pure nonsense. We don't see as many bricks on here (as in sheer numbers) as we used to because compared to 18 mths ago, we get maybe 50% of the volume of posts. People still brick their phones here roughly in proportion to the number of posts we get here. Carelessness still means you end up with a busted phone, this is what I'm trying to impress on the OP.
MistahBungle said:
Rubbish. Pure nonsense. We don't see as many bricks on here (as in sheer numbers) as we used to because compared to 18 mths ago, we get maybe 50% of the volume of posts. People still brick their phones here roughly in proportion to the number of posts we get here. Carelessness still means you end up with a busted phone, this is what I'm trying to impress on the OP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes ure right.. carelessness leads to trouble!
But the exynos brick bug caused a lot of issues on ics.. that seems to be gone.. that is what im trying to say!
Though I agree nothing is 100% safe..
My company gave me an iPhone 5s to use as a work phone. I still prefer my 3 year old S2. Weighs about the same as the iPhone and is just as thin. Imperceptibly slower but way, WAY more practical. And if you like designing and customizing you'll LOVE this phone. If you get bored with it you can just flash a new ROM. But, be careful, follow instructions EXACTLY. If you're not sure about something, ask. I foolishly thought I could install CWM via CWM and lost EVERYTHING including all my backups! ALWAYS backup to the cloud because you can never be too safe. Of course, if you have the money you can get a newer android phone that's insignificantly faster but has a significantly better resolution. But if you want a good old phone I would say this is the best 3 year old phone you can get, and the dev community here will make sure you always get the latest software tech. Keep in mind also that this still is one of the lightest and thinnest android phones ever made. It's perfect imo and I have no reason to switch to something different.
Something you might want to watch out for is the usb jack sometimes that gets messed up sometimes when you hang the phone upside down while charging. Iv'e had to replace mine 3 times, almost once every year. No biggie though, you can just get the $10 part from miniinthebox and replace with little effort (8 screws).
Oh and I bought an extra battery from china from ebay that cost me like $20 so I don't really worry about battery life. But normally I can't go 2 full days without charging, which is pretty normal for most smartphones on the market right now.
I think that its totally worth it! If you root it and get cm11, it runs extremly well for being 2 years old!
The screen has very good saturation, and overall the phone is really fast!
I dont know if the s4 mini is worth it, since it may not have as much roms as the galaxy s2, but its totally your choice!
Also everything is amazing about it, the roms, specs and other things! And if you get it for a good price, it is totally worth it!
Try 3 yrs. It's old hardware. If you want a 3 yrs ago experience, get an S2, if you want an up to date experience, don't.
I am not recommending you the S2.
Here is why:
1. Screen resolution and size. I love the 4.3" size, but the 480x800 resolution (~217 ppi pixel density) makes it not hd and the screen doesn't make the phone feel premium or high class.
2. Many people have the mic bug (including me, mic doesn't always work like it should work)
3. Instability, even on stock roms the phone can freeze or soft reboot.
4. Battery life. It is amazing how good it can do deep sleep, but once turned screen on (low brightness) and browsing or watching some vids, the battery drops faster than you want.
5. (personal prefrence) no led light on the phone like the s3 and s4.
6. The amoled screen of the S2 doesn't have nice coloring like the amoled from the samsung wave. (I own the wave and S2)
If you want to have it, it should have a good pricing, if it is =<100 euro it is a good deal.
I recommend the S3 more because:
1. 4.8" screen with a 1280x720 resolution (~306 ppi pixel density), feels more HD and feel premium or high class, it also feels less pixelated in games and videos/.
2. 2100mAh battery (much more capacity than s2's 1650mAh battery)
I got mine 3 weeks ago , had it traded for my old Huawei Y300 and Galaxy Mini 2. It's great , definetly worth getting. Had to buy a new battery tho.
I just think that the Galaxy S2 is the best smartphone ever
i had my mates s2 off him, i was using a quad core with 1gb ram, theres no real difference speed wise, and for me this is a good upgrade for the camera, so im more than happy with this phone