Love it. Period. December 6, 2011

Reviewer:  Jack Green "book kiwi"  (Salt Lake City, UT) -

Everything good you hear is true. If you want a little baby phone for calls alone with a battery that lasts a week, go get another phone.

If you want a phone that gives you a status rush, but only lets you do things apple thinks you should do, get an iphone.

If you want a big, bold and beautiful machine, get this phone. If you want 4 different ways to move files from your computer to your phone, get this one. If you want the fastest benchmarked video on the current market, get this one. Video speed is flawless.

Battery time may not last a full day of heavy calls and play, but is similar to iPhone longevity.

While I've heard of problems with T-mobile, I've had none. Just make sure you get covers specifically for this phone. It has more rounded corners than the AT&T/other carrier versions.

Easy 5 star for me. I'm still amazed at all I can get done with Android. Loving this phone.

BEWARE - POOR QUALITY POWER BUTTON WILL BREAK!!! November 17, 2012

Reviewer:  amethyst21183 

BEWARE: GALAXY S2 POWER BUTTON WILL BREAK EVEN WITH NORMAL USE. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!

My power button broke less than 2 weeks after my warranty was up and Samsung REFUSES to replace the phone despite the fact that it was having problems before the warranty expired. I just didn't know it because it was only intermittent.

After talking to the call center, I was told they *might* be able to repair it for a fee, but that I'd be without my phone for up to a few weeks. They said I could use the "voice of the customer" option to talk to a supervising tech and my email was answered in broken English. CLEARLY not a supervisor in the US.

Been a loyal Samsung customer for over a decade, but thinking about changing brands now. Might even have to return the $3000+ TV we just bought from you.

Is it a gsm model? January 26, 2013

Reviewer:  Chris 

I want to get this phone for straight talk trying to figure out if it is a gsm or CDMA

Fast, Big Screen, Lots of Memory, Samsung. August 16, 2012

Reviewer:  Evan Molodetz "Daxter"  (Connecticut, USA) -

I've had this phone since early January 2012, and it's easily the best phone I've ever had. To me, it's all about speed, and this phone has it (at least as of 8/16/2012).

First touch screen- love it July 13, 2012

Reviewer:  T. Collins  (USA) -

I bought this from Tmoblie in Feb. 2012, b/c I was tired of my Blackberry's small screen and thought it was time for me to move on to touch screen phones. This phone doesn't disappoint! It is HUGE- the largest at the time of purchase. The memory is amazing, and the graphics are crystal clear and sleek. I had some reservations about texting, but the Swype feature takes care of that. I really dont have to look at the screen when typing short texts if I don't want. It fits into my back pocket and purses with ease. I enjoy the overall feel of the phone. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great phone that isn't the iPhone.

Just about right March 28, 2012

Reviewer:  Shadow  (Baltimore, MD) -

My black SGSII is a huge improvement from the MyTouch4G it replaced. The size is just about right without being too bulky. Call quality is great but the speaker could be louder. Screen is bright without robbing battery life. It would great to have a lipo battery like the iPhone. Accessories were very easy to find. Network is very fast.Now for the dumb dumbs.. Power/sleep should never be opposite volume. I have been embarrassed in mettings more than once because I hit volume rocker in an attempt to sleep phone. Data does not work in hotspot mode and camera doesn't work while on a call. Dumb dumb dumb. Rest of phone rocks though.

Fantastic phone February 18, 2012

Reviewer:  G00dSeller 

This phone is fast, versatile, and highly customizable. The battery lasts through a full work day of regular use (8 hours or so). The build quality is great, as well, and it includes a variety of visual touches (such as the chrome-graphite sides) that give it a very luxurious aura. The only negative point is that it comes with a great number of non-removable bloatware, but this is a small nuisance compared to all of the phone's positive points.

Best T-mobile Phone. February 9, 2012

Reviewer:  Joseph 

This is simply a great phone. The screen size is super for viewing content and reading text. The size does seem a little big, nothing unmanagable though and feels good in my hand. The first complaint I do have is call quality. When talking on the phone the other person can barely hear me. I have tested this multiple times in different areas with strong signal and always have the same issue. My second complaint is wifi killing the battery. When I turn wifi on, i expect to save battery; instead the battery dies quicker. This is a great phone if you can look past the call issue, the wifi issue doesn't matter terribly much.

100 Percent Failure Rate July 14, 2012

Reviewer:  A. Thompson  (South Carolina) -

I am a T-Mobile customer and in the last 18 months I have purchased - through T-Mobile - two Samsung Galaxy smartphones (one for myself, then one for my wife).

This has been my experience:

1. The first device - the Galaxy S - was essentially dead on arrival new out of the box. It worked nicely in the store, but soon afterward it started having seizures and within 24-hours it had to be replaced. (The replacement unit has worked fine since.)

2. The second device - the Galaxy S2 - worked beautifully for about two months until last night when it upped and died. Stone cold dead. So now I am waiting for the warranty replacement to be shipped to me by Samsung (at my expense?).

These are absolutely brilliant devices, but for this consumer they fail 100% of the time thus far.

Excelente pero no tanto February 18, 2012

Reviewer:  Marcelo grassi  (BROOKLYN, NY, US) -

Estoy usando este dispositivo desde hace 3 meses y la verdad que es impresionante, como funciona ,es rapido,no se freeza en ningún momento, y su pantalla Super AMOLED Plus es increíble ,la camara toma unas fotos de una gan calidad .
Pero, NO todo lo que brilla es oro , este S2 solo funciona en 4g y 2g y NO en 3G!!!! ni en la propia red de tmobile ,aunque parezca increíble es asi, esto me di cuenta cuando ., lo tuve que pasa a 3g y solo encontré 2g como opción ,ya que la bateria en 4G SOLO DURA 6 hs y también cuando se acabaron los 200mb en 4g de mi plan de datos y pase a tener 0.06Mbps ,SI 0.06Mbps de velocidad de datos!!! Cuando llame para ver que pasaba ,me dieron la noticia de que mi teléfono NO admite 3G y mi velocidad pasaba a ser 2G .
Conclusión: estoy muy contento ,pero no con Tmobile.

I am using this device for 3 months and the truth that is
impressive, how it works, is fast, not Frieza at any time, and
Plus Super AMOLED screen is amazing, the camera takes a photo of a gan
quality.
But NOT all that glitters is gold, this only works on S2 4g and 2g and NO
3G!! or tmobile network itself, incredibly so, this
I realized then., I had to pass to 3g and 2g only found as an option
because the battery in 6 hours 4G ONLY HARD and when finished the 200mb
4g in my data plan and go to be 0.06Mbps, 0.06Mbps speed SI
Data! When you call to see what happened, they told me that my
phone does NOT support 3G and my speed was going to be 2G.
Conclusion: I'm very happy, but not with Tmobile.

Light, Sexy, and the most beautiful phone ever!!!! February 10, 2012

Reviewer:  PCGeek 

Let me just start off with saying that this was my first android smartphone. I originally went to the store to get a g2x but the phone was out of stock due to a sale. I had a low budget but ironically we got stuck on the two best and the two most expensive phones t-mobile had, the Samsung Galaxy S II and the HTC Amaze 4G. But just by looking at the screen of the Galaxy, I could tell that this was the phone for me. So I bought it and I loved it. Here are the pros and cons:

Pros:
Awesome Screen
Fast Processor
Awesome Camera
Very thin
Lightweight

Cons:
Toooo many loaded Bloatware ( T-Mobile Apps )

Summary:
Awesome phone, fast, all rounder, nothing to complain about.
Possibly one of the best phones out there!

it is what i hoped for January 4, 2012

Reviewer:  tony 

ive had the vibrant, my touch 4g, sensation, and this phone wins. the sensation and the my touch 4g battery life was far less capable than this phone which became the deal breaker for me. those phones could not make it thru the day and i am not a power user though i am pretty good with understanding these devices technologically. i dont use it for movies or games. i surf the web, text, make calls. the s2 gets me thru the day every day with plenty to spare(30% or more) 6 out of seven days.i am in construction so my days start early and end about sixteen hours later when im getting back to bed.. i think the reason why must be power consumption for super amoled is less. power usage analyzer shows that display is responsible for about fifty percent of the usage . who knows why but the vibrant had about the same battery life as the s2. i never have to worry about the battery dying. never. the other two? had to worry every day. no kidding.i got rid of the my touch 4g after a week. i even started carrying an extra battery for the sensation in my wallet. thats a pain. i took a hefty loss on the sensation just to get rid of that headache. bought the s2 out of contract to try it out and after a week i knew the diffewrence was real big and sold the sensation for a loss of about a hundred fifty. so glad i did. this phone is lighter too. i noticed the extra weight on long calls on the sensation and in my pocket. i have dropped this phone a few times and it is plenty sturdy apparently. these devices are expensive and not to be dropped anyway so durability is not to be tested. i have read that iphone is delicate. this is not. functionally they are about the same except i did notice that my bluetooth headset would drop sensations reception if it was in my pocket on opposite side of my body. not with s2. the battery thing is the big thing. its a major difference and highly noticeable. theres nothing like being busy and realizing ur battery is almost dead for the umteenth day in a row and u have to change or charge the battery or avoid calls or using the phone cuz u may get that important call and dont want it to die , blah blah blah. this has not happened to me with the s2. i had the sensation for about two months before the s2 came out and when i got the s2 i was in battery shock for two more months always worrried about battery life and checking it constantly cuz of what i went thru with the sensation. but im past that now. i dont even think about it anymore. ive never even had to hook it up mto my car charger though i have a couple times just because i felt like it or because i forgot to charge it the previous nite. i have forgotten to charge it a couple nites and found that i got thru a good portion of the next day without charging. impossible with the other two phones. my girlfriend has my touch 4g slide and her camera is a little better id say but her battery life is the same as the other two. shes at home four or five days a week and works at a place where charging is not an issue but she has to keep that charger with her. and i see her get in that im busy mode and oh damn my battery is dying and fumbling with the car charger also. she has a purse which makes it easier . i dont. and i dont worry about it anymore. if i have to come up with a complaint it would be that the touch buttons at the bottom are very brite at nite and cant be dimmed, only timed. htc buttons are not as brite.

No Wi-Fi calling and no free Tethering, - Galaxy S has it December 13, 2011

Reviewer:  Alexei Pavlov  (Santa Ana, Ca United States) -

Well, there is no free Wi-Fi tethering (wi-Fi hotspot) (unless you root the phone and get rid of t-mobile bloatware connection manager)

Also there is no Wi-Fi calling presently, (they promise it sometime soon)

get a regular Samsung Galaxy S (previous model) you will have free Wi-FI hotspot and wi-fi calling

I found easy rooting instructions here [...]

A Major Dissapointment! May 17, 2012

Reviewer:  Bigmac  (Florida, United States) -

We had the Samsung Galaxy and that worked pretty well so when I saw the ads for the Galaxy II with bigger screen, faster processor, and more features I was excited. At first it worked well, but then I had constant problems with Swype-no matter how I adjust the settings-Swype almost always chooses the wrong words. If I talk into the mic to use speech recognition again it almost always uses the wrong words.

Aside from that the battery life is pathetic. Within one month the battery would last only three hours on a charge. Sprint told me I would have to call Samsung, but Samsung said they never replace batteries even if it is one day old and defective. Don't think this kind of lousy service would happen with Apple.

In addition, the phone is having constant brain farts where it freezes up for no reason-and sometimes they can last ten minutes. I also has brain farts while texting where you try to Swype a letter on the left side of the keyboard and it will not recognize it.

Finally, the reception is much worse than the Galaxy one and so is the volume control to the point of barely being able to hear someone. The Iphone may not have the large screen but I'd rather have quality than a big heap of garbage that has all sorts of bells and whistles-most of which do not even work!

T-Mobile service and Samsung Galaxy S November 30, 2011

Reviewer:  JANE "JANE"  (ACAMPO, CA, USA) -

I signed up with T-Mobile 2 year contract <A BIG MISTAKE>. I was with AT&T since 2003 and happy with them and I don't know why I switched to T-Mobile <maybe they have Samsung Galaxy S-FREE>. From Day one the phone just act weird, I called the customer service and I received very bad telephone assistance. The Rep. told me T-Mobile did not guarantee coverage. Totally different story when I signed up with the outreach salesperson. 2ndly, the Samsung Galaxy S go on and off or idle randomly, switching from screen to screen, start playing "bubblebuster" game by itself frequently. They told me to logoff everyday or every 24 hours on smartphone. I had smartphone with AT&T and it did not act that way. Either is the phone or the networking.
This morning the phone stop sending and receiving call. I then get assistance and was told the tower was power down, it needs 72 hours to have it back on trace. I need a phone to call and not just sit and wait for them to fix problems. Am I suppose to not pay for the 72 hours without service? They sure will not do that.
So, if someone out there is looking for a carrier, try AT&T. For my advise, just go ahead and purchase an unlock smartphone online and then you can have 30 days to try each phone carrier on their network or features, all you need is to buy a SIM card from them. Enjoy.
I am very disappointed with T-Mobile and wish AT&T can pay for the $600 early termination fee for switching back.

turned it back in after 30 days January 6, 2012

Reviewer:  kyboy  (Kentucky) -

This was my first "smart phone" so not an experienced phone user, but have had a dumb cellphone for 9 years.
I do have 38 years in "data processing" so I'm not a tech neophyte. I really didn't do any comparison shopping, but saw that the iPhone was too small. I got this on recommendation from my son, who has a Samsung Galaxy (previous model) and T-Mobile. I loved the big screen and the photo and video quality. I don't use texting, probably never will, but wanted this for light web browsing, email and gps.

I turned this phone back in because
1) sleep timeout (by far, the biggest issue with me)
2) battery life

I put a password on the phone and the phone would go to sleep very quickly, sometimes before I could even get the 2nd character of my password entered! And that was on a full charge and after disabling all power saving. And yes, I tried all of the sleep settings, even the max of 10 minutes, to no avail.

Using the stock email app, I was able to connect to email accounts from 4 different providers (yahoo, etc). They all worked okay. I also wanted to use this for work email, so I connected to my exchange server and accepted the policies (password required and being able to wipe the data, mainly).

After re-enabling power saving, I could barely get 4 hours use, and that was making 2 calls daily of less than 5 minutes each, maybe 30 minutes web browsing (no videos) and checking email 12-20 times, and reading and replying to perhaps 50 emails per day, each with short messages and no attachments of any size.

I tried disabling everything I could... anti-virus, GPS, bluetooth (I think), WiFi etc. I also set the screen brightness to like 15%. Still poor battery life. I think the email polling was the main reason for poor battery life, but I could see no way to control the polling interval.

Re the premature sleep timeout, I saw on forums that I was not the only one having this issue. Most said they fixed it by downloading a "no sleep" app from the market place. On there, I saw about a dozen of these apps and almost all looked dodgy, apparently written by teenagers or the Russian mafia. The most popular one had been downloaded over 500,000 times, so the timeout issue must be a real problem. In reviewing some of these apps, their privileges and descriptions, it appears they all had a different approach to tricking the phone to not sleep. Not good.

I'm of the opinion that I should not have to download an app to resolve this basic problem. I could find nothing on the web, from Samsung, T-Mobile, Android, indicating that this is a known problem and a resolution is forthcoming. Sales folks at T-Mobile had no clue, but did indicate it's an apparent flaw and gave me a refund.

Last but not least, I could not get my photos and videos off the camera and over to my PC. They were too large to email, not because of my email provider limits, but anything over 400k just sat there and never went thru. I'm still using Windows XP and in order to use the provided USB cable as a data cable, the documentation said I had to download a USB driver from the Samsung site. It was nowhere to be found on their site. Pitiful.

One last thing re Exchange email... I could not see my Deleted folder! I'm also told that Blackberry users cannot see their Deleted folder. Who writes this stuff !?!!!

Don't Commit to T-Mobile-- They Don't Commit to You! January 13, 2012

Reviewer:  Angry Mike 

It doesn't matter how awesome the phone is if the network goes away.

After I had my T-Mobile phones for over a year, they reduced their network coverage in my area and my phones wouldn't work where I needed them to. I had to get new phones from a different carrier. I tried everything to work it out with T-Mobile but they had no sympathy- apparently they believe that as long as they have a network somewhere that you could connect to if you were there, they are holding up their end of the bargain.

Before you sign up with T-Mobile, ask yourself: "How do I know that their network will still be there in a year?"

I live in a thriving suburb, but apparently they decided that it wasn't worth the cost of maintaining their network coverage here. Of course, if your customers have to pay anyway, why would you maintain your coverage anywhere?

To add insult to injury, their customer service was abysmal. The CSRs on the phone can't do anything to help you. I've sent written complaints that they haven't responded to. When I terminated service, they never even sent a final bill- they just started robo-dialing my home phone every day with a warning that my account was past due for the $600 in "early termination" fees they had the audacity to charge me.

If you really want to use T-Mobile, shell out the money up-front for an unlocked phone so you can at least jump to AT&T (the only other US carrier with a GSM network) if T-Mobile does this to you. If you need a "free" phone, try to find a carrier that is committed to its customers before you commit to them (but I'm not convinced that there is such a thing).

4G! Really? Poor service makes it even worse. December 8, 2011

Reviewer:  Scott Liu 

The phone seems functional, but the so-called 4G coverage is a joke. Here in Florida (Tampa and Gainesville) the phone can't even pick up network signals at times. What's even worse is the ignorant and unprofessional sales practice at the local T-Mobile store. Long (and very unpleasant) story short: the sales folks are unwilling and unable to respond to simple inquiries and always try to charge customers for unwanted extras. Case in point: After knowing my brand new Galaxy (used for less than 24 hours) had a battery problem, they took it into a backroom and put a used battery in it. When asked to replace the phone, they warned me about a re-stocking fee. Two weeks later I learned I was "accepted" to a handset protection contract ($7.95/month) without my knowledge-- the local sales guy told me I should have read the contract on display inside the store even though he never mentioned a single word about it during the entire transaction.

T-Mobile customer service issues October 27, 2011

Reviewer:  swilliams77571 

T-Mobile customer service is problematic. In my case the auto-refill was not working properly and I spent an hour on the phone being sent back and forth between departments without resolving the issue. Eventually I gave up and did a manual refill (mine is a prepaid month-to-month account). Generally, be cautious changing to T-Mobile from another service. The transition will not be smooth and T-Mobile customer service is segmented in such a way that resolving any issues is convoluted and time consuming.

no tethering and wifi hotspot November 2, 2011

Reviewer:  ken 

t-mobile is not alow tethering ang wifi hotspot with this phone , and 4G is somtime very slow . i dont like this phone . t-mobile is the bad