Samsung Galaxy S Advance review: First look

We take a look at the Samsung Galaxy S Advance, a turbocharged Galaxy S with Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Samsung Galaxy S Advance Tweet Samsung recently unveiled the Galaxy S3, to a mixture of wows and disappointment. Many loved its natural theme, others disliked how it hadn't changed much versus the brilliant Galaxy S2. Of course, first impressions are dangerous, but we get the feeling they will prove decisive when it comes to another recent device from Samsung, the Galaxy S Advance. It comes with a dual core 1Ghz processor, which is respectable when quad cores have only really started to arrive in recent times. It also boasts 768MB of RAM to ensure it's a smooth operator. There's no word on whether the Advance will get updated to Android 4.0, which is quite disconcerting especially given the launch of HTC's Desire C – a budget smartphone that ships with Android 4.0.

Performance Underneath a 4-inch 480x800-pixel resolution display lies either 8 or 16GB of internal storage and support for microSD cards up to 32GB in size. Knowing the Galaxy S2 could support 64GB microSD cards, you may in fact be able to use them as well, but don't count on it. Over the top of the slightly clunky Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system lies TouchWiz 4.0, which is bold as it is bright. We like how it works, and it looks suitably inviting on the Galaxy S Advance's display, although we do tend to remove certain features to speed things up. Most people who see the device described it as like the Galaxy S2, only fatter. It's got a textured backplate to help with grip and the curved edges make it comfortable to hold. Our only issue is the home screen button, which feels a bit clunky and out-of-date. You get two cameras on the Galaxy S Advance, one 5-megapixel at the back and one 1.3-megapixel at the front. Based on a few test shots, the quality seems good but we missed a physical button for starting the camera and taking pictures. Samsung decided to split things up into hubs, and that's still the case here. The result is areas where you know what to find. Games Hub is fairly self-explanatory, as is the Social Hub. It's an approach Microsoft took with Windows Phone 7 and it definitely makes life a little easier. It's not quite enough to stop the user-interface from feeling cluttered, and, dare we say it knowing how slow the update process is on Android, dated-looking. Android 4.0 is so much nicer to use, which makes stepping back in time more difficult. Android provides you with access to Google Play, and thanks to the specs of the Galaxy S Advance, most of them will run. It's really only the likes of Shadowgun that may prove troublesome, assuming it will run graphically-intensive games of that nature at all.

Conclusion We get the feeling the Galaxy S Advance may become the victim of poor timing. Compared with the slightly cheaper HTC One V, which is made of much better materials and is easier to use because of Android Ice Cream Sandwich, the mid-range Samsung looks a bit dated and overly priced from where we're standing. A very competitive contract price may sway the proceedings - the One V isn't going to be as cheap in this respect - but future-proofed this device most certainly isn't, especially when you consider the entry of HTC's Android 4.0 Desire C to the market. You'll have to wait until our full review to find out our verdict. wholesale accessories,iphone accessories,ipod accessories,ipad accessories