[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by itspb

S2 offers much more for its price!! Look at iphone 4 and you will realize how well S2 is priced! And no smartphone has good battery life. I use SAMOLED at least brightness and it is still the best screen. Reason, you need to increase the brightness only outside under the sun.

For the covers, you can try any local mobile shop or if you want to order online, then flipkart. :-)

I think I should correct my earlier statement, given my usage I think the S2 was a little too expensive for what it offered I have looked around a bit in Koramangala but didnt find any phone covers and didnt spot anything on FK so asked.

P.S - Compared to the iphone, all phones are well priced!

Originally Posted by sbkumar

Please share your experience with this one... this is phone in my shortlist.

First off, I havent owned a touch screen phone before so I was hesitant to dive into the Android phone market. Used my last E63 for 3 + years and had initially shortlisted the LG Optimnus 2x and Galaxy R. Fell for the Note after getting to use it a bit but at the end of the day the head won over the heart and I booked the Galaxy R for the following reasons
1. I felt it is excellent VFM at 19k
2. Given my limited usage - few smses and lots of office calls with a little bit of application usage per day
3. Will use my laptop for almost all browsing
4. The Android market is the great equalizer. As far as I know, almost all common applications can be used across Android phones.
5. While the SAMOLED screen is great, the SLCD screen isnt a poor mans screen (experts may disagree but to a casual phone user like me it isnt a game changer) and is perfectly fine for normal usage
6. Havent really come across any issue that has made me think - Damn, I shouldve paid 11k more and gone for the Note or 10k more and gone for the S2 (the SE and HTC options somehow didnt appeal to me).
7. Came across a few reports online complaining about LG's (perceived and / or actual) quality

I was expecting the battery life to be dismal given what I have read but I it has exceeded my expectations. Am no expert but for a new Anroid user who wants a good all rounder, I would give it a thumbs up!

Originally Posted by _raVan_

I will have to disagree here. S2's price is justified for what it offers if you look at the competitors from HTC and Apple. Also, inorder to conserve battery on ANY android mobile, you will have to tone down brightness. And at the least brightness, the S2 knocks everything else out! I have squeezed 2.5 days out of my S2 in less activity and around 1.5 days with regular activities. If one gets the 2000mAh battery pack (available as an accessory), more life can be easily obtained.
+1 !

Did a ton of research before settling for the R, primarily on a maximum bang for buck (aka normal Indian ) mentality. Like I mentioned its my first touchscreen phone and I can live without the SAMOLED screen of the S2 which I agree is really great.

[itspb]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I think I should correct my earlier statement, given my usage I think the S2 was a little too expensive for what it offered I have looked around a bit in Koramangala but didnt find any phone covers and didnt spot anything on FK so asked.

P.S - Compared to the iphone, all phones are well priced!

True that. Actually Galaxy R is an amazing phone for a money if you do not care much about screen, developer support, and S series(once you own S series you will not want to go back to any other phone :P). I recommended it to my cousin bro and he loves it.

I was not able to find anything other than a leather flip case which will make you look like an old man who has no knowledge of mobiles(No offence) :P

[sanagg1]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Gingerbread is not as simple to root as Froyo. You have to put in a few programs (zip files) in the root of the SD card and then install them.

Sir

Could you show me some pointers please

Cheers

[itspb]

Originally Posted by sanagg1

Sir

Could you show me some pointers please

Cheers

You have to transfer the zip files onto your SD card, then go into recovery mode, and choose update zip.

Now from where do you get those zip files? Search on the internet. I'm pretty sure you won't find any because no one roots unpopular devices.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by itspb

True that. Actually Galaxy R is an amazing phone for a money if you do not care much about screen, developer support, and S series(once you own S series you will not want to go back to any other phone :P). I recommended it to my cousin bro and he loves it.

I was not able to find anything other than a leather flip case which will make you look like an old man who has no knowledge of mobiles(No offence) :P

I quite liked the Galaxy S but the lack of a flash was a major irritant for me (like how certain 'high end' smartphones come without a radio).

Its like saying you can sell a top end car model without alloy wheels because people will still buy it. Just because you can doesnt mean you should.

P.S - Im trying my best to look young, a leather flip case will set back my efforts by quite a lot !

[itspb]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I quite liked the Galaxy S but the lack of a flash was a major irritant for me (like how certain 'high end' smartphones come without a radio).

Its like saying you can sell a top end car model without alloy wheels because people will still buy it. Just because you can doesnt mean you should.

Yeah flash is a problem but I can live without it. :-) It is only required if you are really into photography and click a lot of photos, in the night specially.

[Rameshdude]

I purchased a Galaxy S plus 5 days back from a regular mobile shop. I got it for Rs 21,900/ ,cheaper than available in Flipkart ! I played with Samsung Omnia (which was available for Rs 17.5K) and Galaxy R. My techie friends wanted me to go for Omnia. This is my first android,switching from BB ! Games are better in this. Camera and screen resolution too,was better in this,i felt.

[zoom2_ash]

I also bought Samsung galaxy R 3 Weeks back and I was also interested in galaxy s2 and note before buying this mainly because of the screen difference and camera.went to mobile shops and did the extensive comparison and finally bought galaxy r. And I am very happy with my purchase so far.in our group couple of my friends bought note and 2 of us bought galaxy r. Believe me guys LCD screen is brilliant on this mobile.better then any other LCD screen in the market.we keep comparing this with my friends note screen and there is hardly any difference.infact at certain times my LCD gives better display then note and my friend keep saying that your screen actually looks more vibrant then notes. I had used wave 1 with super amoled and I was also thinking that LCD cannot match it but on galaxyr, it is superb. If screen is your main criteria to buy galaxy s or s2 then r is more value for money. Battery life is also good.getting about 2 days with good use.

[Saanil]

Samsung Galaxy S2 prices as of today:

1. Samsung Mobile Cafe at Andheri – Rs 32,150.
2. Croma at Juhu – Rs 32,149.
3. Alpha at Parle – Rs 29,750.
4. Flipkart – Rs 30,900

For now Alpha is offering S2 at the lowest prices. Another strange thing about Alpha – The above price is if you pay in cash. If you pay by card there will be an additional cost of 1.5% increasing the cost to Rs 30,200 (Is something fishy here?). Alpha is giving the phone with bill too. I need to ask one thing about buying from Alpha – Will it have warranty issues if an issue crops up? Suppose I have an issue and go to a Samsung store to rectify it, I should not face any problems with that right?

P.S - The New Samsung Nexus is priced at Rs 35,000 in Alpha.

[rajchetan]

Originally Posted by Saanil

Another strange thing about Alpha – The above price is if you pay in cash. If you pay by card there will be an additional cost of 1.5% increasing the cost to Rs 30,200 (Is something fishy here?).

Hey Saanil,
Please check the exact model number.
In Samsung Galaxy S2 there are two identical models with different processors.
1) Samsung Galaxy S2 i1910
2) Samsung Galaxy S2 i1910G.

2nd one cost lower than the original 1st one. Also all the mods available for the 1st. With absolute Zero mods or support for the 2nd.

There is no difference other than this. Its tough to identify them. Hence check the space behind the battery.

All the best.

[TOR]

The model number will be written on the back lower left corner of the packaging so one can see the model before opening up of the pack.

Almost all the retail shops are carrying the i9100G models now as the i9100 Exynos model units are no longer available here.



Regarding the Galaxy R there has been reports of motherboard issues among the units sold here, with frequest call drops and random reboots. Also the built quality is not that great also.Check

this review out.

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by rajchetan

Hey Saanil,
Please check the exact model number.
In Samsung Galaxy S2 there are two identical models with different

Originally Posted by TOR

The model number will be written on the back lower left corner of the packaging so one can see the model before opening up of the pack.

Thanks a lot guys! I really did not know this. GSMarena's compare tool shows two major differences:I9100 vs I9100G:

Chipset: Exynos vs TI OMAP 4430
GPU: Mali-400MP vs PowerVR SGX540

Final words From : Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100 vs. GT-I9100G Ultimate Comparison Guide. All You Need to Know! | 10Division.com

"It seem that I9100 fare better compare to I9100G, if price of both units is the same then I9100 should be a better option since Samsung improved the I9100 I/O, 3D performance and battery life with the latest Android firmware ver 2.3.5. But if short battery life is your main concern and you don’t want to mess with the firmware update thing then I9100G should be good enough for you. On the other hand, if you are some hardcore gamer and like to play with the custom firmware and kernel modification thing then you should try to get the model I9100 instead"

[sbkumar]

Originally Posted by Saanil

But if short battery life is your main concern and you don’t want to mess with the firmware update thing then I9100G should be good enough for you. On the other hand, if you are some hardcore gamer and like to play with the custom firmware and kernel modification thing then you should try to get the model I9100 instead"

I remember reading on XDA and some other forums that Samsung has stopped shipping the original ( I9100) to India and other Asian countries like Malaysia and instead replacing it with the supposedly inferior "G" variant. May be people who have checked out local shops can confirm if its true.

[itspb]

Originally Posted by Saanil

If you pay by card there will be an additional cost of 1.5% increasing the cost to Rs 30,200 (Is something fishy here?). Alpha is giving the phone with bill too. I need to ask one thing about buying from Alpha – Will it have warranty issues if an issue crops up? Suppose I have an issue and go to a Samsung store to rectify it, I should not face any problems with that

Sometimes stores charge service tax for paying by card. So nothing fishy.

If you are getting a proper official bill, then you will not have any problems with the samsung service center.

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by sbkumar

I remember reading on XDA and some other forums that Samsung has stopped shipping the original ( I9100) to India and other Asian countries like Malaysia and instead replacing it with the supposedly inferior "G" variant. May be people who have checked out local shops can confirm if its true.

A day back I was not even aware of this – Hence could not check the versions as I just went to check the prices assuming that all the S2’s would be the same. I am assuming there might be many customers who will just buy these models without even seeing which version it is. I think Samsung quietly launched this model in Asian countries because they could not manufacture the original S2 given the crazy demand. Although the G version is not bad but I kind of feel betrayed by Samsung! Why do you have to release so many models resembling each other?