Samsung Galaxy S2 Interface.
With dual core 1.2GHz Samsung Orion CPU.
Before we dive into the new features, we'll deal with the most important point: how it feels under the finger. And we're pleased to say it's the best out there in our opinion. Using dual 1.2GHz Samsung Orion CPUs means the Galaxy S2 can keep up with whatever you throw at it without a hint of slowdown.
Be it pinching the screen to call up the exploded view of all your home screens, pulling up an application or simply scrolling through reams of photos, the Galaxy S2 is capable of matching it all. We're not usually blown away by a phone's response, but we literally couldn't beat the S2, even after we opened all the applications on the menu.
The large screen may make reaching all areas of the display slightly tricky in one hand, especially for those with small palms, but that's a rarity, and a secondary hand can easily be called in.
The TouchWiz interface is overhauled again, and to good effect in our eyes. The Samsung Galaxy S2 has a WVGA screen, which is actually a little lower-res than its competitors these days, but it can still pack a load of widgets all over the place.
The same Android system is in place on the S2, but there are loads more widgets on offer to chuck around the home screen, and like the Motorola Defy, these are all easy to resize by dragging the corner to increase the functionality.
We're fans of the way Samsung has split the screen for customising the home screens, allowing users to sweep across the options at the bottom while seeing what space is left on the display, and easy resizing makes the interface as clean as you want it to be.
Dragging down the notifications bar from the top of the screen usually just gives info on emails and messages, but Samsung also lets users turn on Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and more, plus set the sound options on the phone with a simple tap. The Music player is also controllable from here, meaning you don't have to constantly move in and out of the player to change tracks.
The Samsung Galaxy S2 also features a folder system, much like Apple, except it's a little more convoluted to use that the iOS version. You have to enter the editing mode (by pressing the menu key or long-pressing on the screen) and create a new folder. Then you can drag icons into it, and confirm it's ready. We can't work out how to name it so we know what's in it, though.
UPDATE: Turns our we're just stupid: tapping the name (properly) in edit mode lets you change the name easily. Whoops.
We like being able to organise our apps, but we're sure there's an easier way. If only we could just, we don't know, drag them onto one another and have the folders auto-create? What do you mean we can't? What's a patent?
One new novelty idea, the two finger accelerometer zooming, was pretty cool but a little pointless. The idea is you hold two fingers on the screen for an internet page or photo (basically anywhere you might pinch to zoom) and tilt the phone backwards and forwards to zoom in and out.
It's cool and fun to show your friends, but ultimately a little pointless when pinching to zoom works so much better.
The interface on the Samsung Galaxy S2 might seem a little complex to an iPhone user, as it's chock-full of contextual menus, pinches, zooms, scrolls and dragging. But spend just a few minutes familiarising yourself and you'll find a phone that refuses to give in under the finger, and is full to bursting with functionality.