Needed something to convince you to buy the Samsung Galaxy S II this fall? Samsung’s got the first ad and while we’re not sure it may convince you to open your wallets, it does get us excited knowing that the launch of the first US model – Sprint’s Samsung Epic 4G Touch – will be out in 4 short days. It’s a one minute ad so take a quickie out of your day to take a look above.
Just as promised, Samsung has brought the white Samsung Galaxy S II to the United Kingdom. It’s set to ship tomorrow, 1 September, and several retailers have already priced it. The common price seems to be around £492.95, with both Clove.co.uk and Mobilefun.co.uk offering it for that much including VAT.
It’s the same Galaxy S II you folks have been enjoying for quite a while now, except it now has that pearly charm that just seems to drive everyone crazy (in a good way, of course). Be sure to check around at your favorite retailers to see if they are offering it and let us know if you do find it other places in the comments section below!
The cat is officially out of the bag. We already knew that Samsung was making a killing with the Galaxy S2, selling 5 million in the phone’s first 85 days. That number is about to drastically increase as Samsung has just announced availability in the United States on AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint.
Although we know most of the details, we’re reporting live from the event and will surely have hands-on footage to share with you soon. So stay tuned!
[Update]
Here are a couple videos from the event, including a brief intro from Todd Pendelton, Samsung’s Chief Market Officer, and the unveiling of the Galaxy S II lineup.
Samsung just hooked us up with their press kit at the Galaxy S2 launch even in NYC and in it was a rather interesting infographic claiming the company sells a Galaxy S device every 1.5 seconds. Wow.
It first launched on April 29th and the mathetmatical comparisons of sales figures to Mt. Everest, Soccer Fields, Elephants and Father Time aren’t only interesting, but pretty mind blowing. With the US set to pump out Galaxy S devices courtesy of T-Mobile and Sprint, I’m wondering what comparison would come next?
Hoping to get a sneak peak of what Samsung’s bringing to Germany the evening before IFA? For starters, according to Samsung Hub, it looks like we’re in store for LTE versions of two of their existing devices. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, which no one has at the moment, and the Samsung Galaxy S II, which no one in America has, are said to be getting those sweet 4G radios inside.
The phone is said to differ greatly from the version many carriers got a while ago. It’ll have a 4.5 inch display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and an NFC chip – compare that to the regular’s 4.3 inch display and 1.2GHz dual-core processor (and some variants only have a 1GHz dual-core processor).
As for the tab 8.9, it will also come to market a bit differently. Preinstalled will be Android 3.2 and inside will be a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Everything else will remain the same except size, including its 3MP camera and 128×800 display. I’m sure we’re in for a lot more come September 1st, but this is what’s on the table for now, folks. [Samsung Hub 1|2]
If you were waiting on a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S II with 4G LTE – hell, if you were waiting on a Verizon Galaxy S II at all – we’ve got some not-so-great news for you. According to the Wall Street Journal, Verizon will not be carrying the dual-core phone by Samsung. When Verizon spokeswoman was asked to comment, she didn’t decline to comment and instead stated that they “have an extensive portfolio that offers customers a great variety of devices, including the Samsung DROID Charge ”
Wall Street Journal claims that Verizon confirmed this news to them, and have confirmed from a source familiar with the matter that Verizon will be not be on hand at the August 29th event in New York. Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T are said to be the only carriers present.
It would be a huge 180 from what we’d originally thought that saw the nation’s number four carrier – T-Mobile – not carrying the device as they would be getting the powerful Samsung Hercules If the verbiage in WSJ’s report is correct, it appears T-Mobile will indeed be getting their own Galaxy S II-branded device.
With that, it makes us wonder if Verizon has something else under their sleeves from Samsung (if this rumor is indeed true). We’d hate to think that one of the best phones of 2011 (even if it has been out for a while now) won’t be picked up by the nation’s largest carrier. According to recent rumors, that next big phone from Samsung might be the so-called Nexus Prime
So were you looking to pick the Galaxy S II up on Verizon or does this news not affect you? Let us know below!
[Update]: Other outlets are saying that this news is 100% true, as well. Verizon is said to be getting “similar” device, but we’re not exactly sure what’s meant by this. (Will it be a Tegra 2 variant of the same phone? One with an added 4.5 inch display instead of the normal 4.3 inches? Or just another dual-core phone from any manufacturer?)
The Samsung SGH-i927 was once believed to be a keyboard-equipped Galaxy S II variant for AT&T, but we still don’t know for sure. Its specs (the ones we can absolutely confirm) would suggest it’s AT&T’s Galaxy S II, but we have also heard that Ma Bell will have a touch-only device – this could simply be one of many variants sure to make their way to several of our carriers.
Whatever it is, the phone has made its way through the FCC. Nothing much to see here but a heap of technical mumbo jumbo, but the listing does confirm that LTE radios won’t be present. We don’t even know if this one will have HSPA+ radios.
As for the phone itself, aside from that slide-out QWERTY we mentioned earlier all we know is that it will have an 8 megapixel camera with flash, a front-facing camera and Samsung’s TouchWiz UI on top of Android 2.3. [FCC via AndroidForums.com]
This is one rumor I’m sure many have been waiting to hear about. BGR has allegedly received word from a source of theirs that Sprint will be launching the Samsung Galaxy S II in September. According to them, its name will be the Samsung Epic Touch 4G, a nod to the fact that this one doesn’t have a hardware QWERTY keyboard. They also claim WiMax radios will find some room inside the device’s chassis.
That’s all we know for now, but the timing does suggest earlier rumors of Verizon being the first carrier to get it are true. And Verizon’s said to be getting it later this month, if it means anything. Unfortunately, we don’t even have official acknowledgement from any carrier or Samsung regarding these devices’ existence. We know it’s coming, but we still feel very far away.
We’ve been hearing a lot of talk about this white Samsung Galaxy S II over the past couple of days. I’ve never thought a phone’s alternate color could be big news, but apparently it is. If you needed confirmation it was coming, Samsung has officially announced its existence in the form of a press release. It’s headed straight for the UK on September 1st at major carriers retailers. If you’ve been looking for something that looks awfully similar to the white iPhone 4, here it is. Nothing different from the original except for color. Press release is straight ahead.
SAMSUNG ANNOUNCES WHITE GALAXY S II TO HIT UK SHORES
Samsung’s most powerful Smartphone yet now available in white from the 1st September
29 July 2011, London, UK - Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., today announces that following the success of the original Galaxy S II released in May this year, the popular handset will now also be available in white in the UK from the 1st September 2011. The sleek and stylish Galaxy S II is the first handset to offer Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus screen technology, the largest, brightest and most colourful screen available in Samsung’s portfolio of devices.
Super slim (8.49mm) and lightweight (116g) Samsung’s Galaxy S II runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and is super-fast thanks to its dual-core 1.2GHz processor. The device’s exceptionally bright screen makes it perfect for watching movies and TV or playing games and looking at apps, with its ground-breaking ‘organic’ LED technology, Super AMOLED Plus also saving energy so you can enjoy watching content without affecting the battery life.
The Galaxy S II is built for multi-tasking, its dual-core processor makes switching between applications and loading web pages such as Google, Yahoo and YouTube quick, whilst superior 3D hardware means games and videos can be loaded and played with ease. What’s more, there’s immediate access to content and services such as catch up TV and movie downloads, thanks to super-fast connectivity and WiFi, with speeds up to 21Mbps which provides increased download speeds, and Bluetooth 3.0+HS which reduces data transfer times significantly.
Simon Stanford, Managing Director, Mobile, Samsung UK and Ireland said: "Sales of the Galaxy S II have surpassed all expectations since its release in May this year. The arrival of the Samsung Galaxy S II white brings to market an incredibly stylish addition to our latest multi-award winning handset. The Galaxy S II is our slimmest, lightest, fastest and now whitest smartphone, the first device to offer Super AMOLED Plus screen technology, alongside the most advanced technical specifications including the latest Android OS and a dual core processor."
The Galaxy S II also features an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p HD recording and playback, Samsung’s patented AllShare technology so you can share pictures, movies, and music with other devices and Samsung’s new Kies Air which lets people manage their smartphone contents from their PC via local WiFi connections.
A new ‘Live Panel’ feature on the Galaxy S II allows aggregation of live web, social networking and application contents to a single customisable home-screen, whilst it’s possible to place all the important parts of your life onto three adjacent home screens which you can switch between simply by pressing and holding on the screen. As with all the Samsung Galaxy family, the Galaxy S II features Samsung Hubs, providing a huge range of entertainment content, advanced mobile games and the ability to manage social networking accounts.
The Samsung Galaxy S II white will be available in the UK across all major networks and retailers from 1st September 2011.
