Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 review (cell phone news update, 2011)

The Samsung Galaxy Ace can get far with a name like this but it isn’t going any further than its comfortable midrange spot. You know, if you want the best seat in the house you need to move the cat. The Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 is a feline droid – the black cat in Samsung’s Android portfolio. And it spells bad luck for the competition – mid-range droids are a force to be reckoned with in the smartphone world.

      
Samsung S5830 Galaxy Ace official photos

With the kind of specs, the Galaxy Ace could have passed for a high-end phone a while back. So, if your processing power and screen estate needs haven’t risen sharply during the past year or so, the Ace will serve you well.

In fact, with Froyo on an 800MHz processor, good connectivity and screen size and resolution that were good enough for the first three iPhones, the Samsung Galaxy Ace is looking good.

The only downside to the package is the QVGA video @ 15fps. That may be acceptable on a low-end dumbphone but certainly disappointing on a mid-range Android.

Here’s what else is going on the Ace’s spec sheet.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
• 7.2 Mbps HSDPA support
• 3.5" 16M-color TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen of HVGA (320 x 480 pixels) resolution
• 800MHz ARM 11 processor, Adreno 200 GPU, Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset; 278MB of RAM available to the user
• Android OS v2.2 (Froyo) with TouchWiz 3.0 UI customization
• Swype text input
• 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash; Geo-tagging, face and smile detection
• QVGA@15fps video
• microSD slot (up to 32GB, 2GB in box)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; Digital compass
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• DNSe sound enhancement
• FM radio with RDS
• Document editor
• File manager preinstalled
• Samsung Apps brings a few nice apps for free
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor

Main disadvantages

• Dismal QVGA video recording @15fps
• No shutter key for the camera
• No support for Adobe Flash in the web browser
• No ambient light sensor
• No DivX/Xvid video support out of the box

So, the video is no good, but the still camera should be doing pretty well. Samsung’s refined TouchWiz 3.0 with a document editor and file manager out of the box score good points for the Galaxy Ace too.

The phone is pretty compact and we especially like the new rubbery textured back. There’s nothing to worry about in terms of ergonomics or pocketability, but those decidedly iPhone-ish looks are a bit questionable.

    
Samsung S5830 Galaxy Ace live shots

That’s about all we can say by just looking at the phone – and it’s the second time we meet the Samsung Ace. You may as well remember our quick preview from a while back. It’s now time to see how ready the Samsung Galaxy Ace is for the real world and we begin with the hardware.

 

Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 360-degree spin

The Samsung Galaxy Ace measures 112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5 mm and the all-plastic handset weighs 113 grams. The edges are curved, which slims down the phone, and the build-quality is good.

 

 

Compared to the compact Star II, it looks much bigger but still reasonably pocket-friendly (it’s smaller than an iPhone).

   
Samsung Galaxy Ace next to iPhone 4 and Samsung Star II

Design and construction

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We wonder though if the iPhone is pleased. Looking at the front and sides of the two phones you’ll see more similarities than differences.

The specs should be pretty familiar too – a 3.5” screen of HVGA resolution (320x480) for one.

  
Samsung Galaxy Ace

The Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 has an average LCD screen. The brightness and contrast are okay, but colors are quite dull. Viewing angles are far from perfect and sunlight legibility leaves a lot to be desired.

As far as touchscreen sensitivity goes we have no complaints – the screen is responsive enough but not overly sensitive (which can be annoying since it often results in unwanted taps).

  
A HVGA capacitive display is a good compromise between features and price

Above the display, there is the proximity sensor, which blends well with the surrounding surface. There’s no ambient light sensor though, so the display brightness can’t be adjusted automatically.

Below the display there’s an arrangement of three keys, typical for Samsung. The hardware home key is central, with two capacitive buttons on either side – Menu and Back. The latter two are only visible when backlit – with the backlighting off, they disappear.

The invisible keys make the Galaxy Ace look even more like the iPhone – of course if you ask Samsung, they would tell you they’ve been after the Galaxy S II look instead.

  
The proximity sensor • The three Android keys below the display

On the left of the Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 there’s the lanyard eyelet and the volume rocker. The volume rocker is quite thin but prominent just enough to use comfortably.

The Power/Lock key is on the right (as it is on many Samsung phones), which makes it accessible with both the thumb of the right hand or the index finger of the left. This positioning can be uncomfortable for some though.

Also on the right is the microSD card slot, which is under a plastic lid.

    
The volume rocker on the right • Power/Lock combo key and microSD slot the left

On the top side of the phone is the microUSB port with a retractable lid and the 3.5mm standard audio jack. The USB port is used for both data and for charging.

  
The 3.5mm jack is on top along with the microUSB connectivity port

The bottom of the phone features just the mic pinhole.

The back of the Samsung Galaxy Ace has changed since the early version we used in the preview and we really like the new look and feel. It’s black, finely textured surface that’s practically immune to fingerprints and pretty pleasant – and secure – to hold.

The soft rubbery back cover takes after the Samsung Galaxy S II.

The 5MP camera lens on the back is in the top left corner, along with the LED flash. The lens is exposed and vulnerable to scratches so you’ll have to take care not to damage it.

  
The 5 megapixel camera lens is prone to scratches

The back also features the loudspeaker grill, which has a small nub that keeps the speaker from getting muffled when you place the phone down on a level surface.

Underneath the battery cover is the SIM card slot compartment and the 1350mAh Li-ion battery. It’s quoted at 640 hours of standby (in 2G, 420 h in 3G) and up to 11 hours of talk time (in 2G, 6 h 30 min in 3G).

 
The 1350mAh battery can store a lot of juice

The specs of the Samsung Galaxy Ace are good enough without being top of the line, which is exactly how a mid-range phone should be. The screen is big enough at 3.5” without making the phone unmanageable. The resolution is sufficient for reading text but not too high as to drive the price up and strain the hardware.

Maybe that’s how Samsung arrived at roughly the same specs and dimensions as Apple with their original iPhone but still, the design is sure to spur iPhone rip-off jokes. The resemblance to the highly popular Galaxy S II will drive the sales up.

  
Samsung Galaxy Ace in the hand

Froyo heart, TouchWiz blood 

The Galaxy Ace S5830 is among the first Froyo-powered smartphones in the Samsung lineup. It comes with the TouchWiz, launcher preinstalled. There are four buttons docked at the bottom of the homescreen, which stay there even when you open the app drawer.

   
The TouchWiz 3.0 user interface comes preinstalled on top of the Android OS

We have a short video demo of the Galaxy Ace interface to get us started:

 

 

 

The customizations start on the homescreen where you have up to seven panes to populate with widgets but you don’t have to use all the screens all the time. If you need less, deleting the extra ones will speed up navigation. You can zoom out with a pinch gesture to the enter edit mode,where you can add, remove and rearrange the homescreen panes as you see fit.

The notification area, one of the Android strong points, is the updated variety we saw on the Galaxy S Giorgio Armani - it has five switches for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, sound and rotation-lock.

  
The notification area and the lockscreen

Pressing the menu button on the homescreen and then selecting add will let you put more content on your homescreen homescreen (a press and hold on the homescreen does the same trick), add/delete homescreen panes or change the wallpaper. Live wallpapers are supported too, though there is only one preinstalled and you will have to get the rest from the market. The contextual menu has shortcuts too for search, notifications and settings.

    
Homescreen edit mode • Wallpaper menu • The widget list

Typically the main menu consists of side-scrollable panes, much like the homescreen, instead of a vertical scrollable grid (like in the vanilla Android). List view is not available.

   
The main menu • Edit the homescreen panes with pinch zoon out gesture • standard edit mode

You can edit the menu just like you do the homescreen: pinch to zoom out and you can add new or re-arrange the current menu panes.

The menu has an alternative edit mode, which lets you rearrange and uninstall applications (only those that you have installed and not the preinstalled ones).

An interesting change in the Android 2.2-compatible version of Samsung’s TouchWiz launcher is the built-in task manager. Complete with a homescreen widget that shows the number of currently active apps, it saves you the need to install a task killer.

    
The task manager • the task widget in the center of the homescreen

Here are some benchmarks of the Galaxy Ace:

    
Quadrant • Neocore • Linpack • BenchmarkPi

 

Samsung I9000 Galaxy S (Android 2.2 Froyo, 1GHz CPU, 512MB RAM)

 

This post is uploaded via Apple iPhone 4, sponsored by Dr Mobiles Limited (Location Map)
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> 10 mins to unlock iPhone 4

 

 

 

 

2011 Mobile Phone News Update: HTC Sensation XE hands-on

Out of one party and into the other - HTC is showing off yet more hot gadgetry and we’re going hands-on with it. After yesterday’s Rhyme launch, today we’ll be playing with an even hotter piece of smartphone technology. The Sensation XE is not only the new HTC flagship, but its also the company's first dip into the audiophile pool.

  
HTC Sensation XE official photos

The Sensation XE was officially announced a week ago and now we get a chance to play with it for the first time. Needless to say that we were pretty excited as it represents quite an improvement even over the already impressively specced Sensation. We are talking an even faster dual-core CPU (1.5GHz vs. 1.2GHz), an updated Sense UI (v3.5) and the addition of the highly regarded Beats audio to the mix here.

For starters, here's a quick overview of the HTC Sensation XE key specs:

HTC Sensation XE at a glance:

• General: GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
• Dimensions: 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm, 151 g
• Display: 4.3" 16M-color qHD (540 x 960 pixels) S-LCD capacitive touchscreen; Gorilla glass
• Platform: Dual-core 1.5 GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm MSM 8260 Snapdragon chipset
• RAM: 768MB
• OS: Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread)
• Memory: 1 GB storage, microSD card slot (16GB in the box)
• Camera: 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with face detection, touch focus and image stabilization; Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps, dual LED flash, VGA front facing camera
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 3.0+HS, standard microUSB port,
GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM radio, TV-out (MHL)
• Misc: Sense 3.5 UI, DivX/XviD codec support, Beats audio enhancements and headphones in the package, 1730mAh battery, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, gyroscope sensor, ultra-fast boot times

Beats Audio is the result of HTC and Beats by Dr. Dre teaming up and will come in the form of special sound processing on the inside and a special Beats headset in the box.

   
HTC Sensation XE

The headset will be called YourBeats and they are a variation of iBeats (iBeats, YourBeats… yeah). They sport a full set of controls for the media player and the Beats functionality becomes active only when using the headset (sorry, loudspeaker).

And when we say the headset, we mean the headset - regular headsets will get some improvement over, say, using them on a non-Beats phone, but not as much as the YourBeats headset gets.

Once you plug in a YourBeats headset, a special icon pops up in the notification area with a button to disable Beats.

 
Beats has its reserved spot in the notification area

The Sensation XE being a music-oriented phone comes with a 16GB microSD card right out of the box - plenty of room for a respectable music collection.

But enough about the headset. Now head over to the next page for our hands-on impressions of the HTC Sensation XE itself.

HTC Sensation XE hands-on

Design-wise, the Sensation XE is nearly identical to the original model, but for the Beats logo and red highlights. Yet those make quite a lot of difference and, in our opinion, make the phone a lot better looking.

    
The red accents work really well on the HTC Sensation XE

The antennas of the Sensation XE seem to be in the same places as on the original Sensation, which may lead to some deathgrip issues, but maybe HTC found a way to deal with those. We'll have to test it extensively to make sure and there's no time to do that now.

That aside, you still get the slightly concave shape of the screen (which is a Gorilla glass for extra scratch resistance) and the not-quite-a-unibody design at the back.

    
The HTC Sensation XE sides

The battery has been beefed up to 1730mAh to make up for the faster CPU and probably even have something to spare for the music player. Curiously, the bigger battery fits in both the old Sensation and the EVO 3D - it's a pretty tight fit, but it is possible to interchange batteries between those two.

Dimensions of the HTC Sensation XE haven't perceptibly changed since the original model.

 
The Sensation XE is the same size as the original Sensation

The YourBeats headset has an in-ear design, which has an advantage over the regular earbud design - noise insulation. The headset sports media controls buttons - next and previous buttons, plus a play/pause button that also works as an answer key.

They have an undeniably attention-grabbing design, which younger users will surely find appealing, but the bright red cords might put some of the older ones off.

    
The YourBeats headset included in the retail package

You also get a carrying pouch - not the one in the photo, but HTC assured us that there will be a pouch included in the box.

 
The headphones carrying pouch design will change, but it will be provided in the retail package

We were quite disappointed to find out that the Beats technology is purely software-based - there's no special audio hardware on the inside. But then again this means that it can be ported to other HTC phones, so it's not all bad.

We gave the HTC Sensation XE and the YourBeats headset a listen - there is a difference and the sound is richer and deeper. There's a noticeable change when using Beats with non-Beats headphones too, but it's not nearly as big.

As far as the loudpseaker is concerned, there's no change whatsoever - Beats isn't available when you are using that. The original model posted Good marks on our loudpseaker test, which makes it acceptable but not very loud and you should be expecting a similar performance from that one.

We managed to put the HTC Sensation XE upgraded CPU to a few tests. Check out how it did on the next page.

Benchmarks

This may be a quick hands-on but we still found enough time to run a few benchmarks. We were unable to install any benchmarking apps so we ran browser-based benchmarks instead.

We ran BrowserMark and the Sensation XE bested the old Sensation easily - 52019 vs. 39673 (higher is better). In SunSpider, XE blew the old model out of the water, passing the test in about half the time - 3336.2ms vs. 6428ms (lower is better).

Since the 300MHz speed bump can’t account for such an increase in performance, it’s safe to say that HTC has been busy at work optimizing JavaScript performance. Either way, with the Sensation XE you could count on some of the smoothest web browsing in Android-land.

We also tried out the browser's Flash performance - 720p YouTube videos ran smoothly, but the browser crashed when we tried a 1080p one.
First impressions

It took HTC five months and a $300 million acquisition to go from Sensation to Sensation XE, but it seems to have been worth it. The CPU frequency boost makes sure the performance keeps up with the competition, while the Beats audio tweaks add an extra bit of sexy to the already successful mix.

The improvement in audio quality and the high-quality headset will be more than enough to generate sales of their own. Not that the headphones that came with the original Sensation and its audio output were bad, but what we have with the Sensation XE is certainly among the best audio experiences so far.

The serious intent of the Sensation XE to beat your dedicated PMP at its own game is confirmed by the even larger battery that has been fitted inside it. What’s more impressive is that HTC managed to squeeze 210 mAh of power in a body that hasn’t grown a millimeter in any direction.

Speaking of the body, we have to say that we are pretty fond of the facelift that the Sensation XE received. The bold red accents seem to work really well on the metallic body, so you are getting a much more youthful, but still really hot looking device at the end.

So to sum it up, if you've recently bought a Sensation, then making the switch to Sensation XE may not be worth it, but if you're on a lookout for a new high-end droid, the special headset and extra performance make the XE a strong contender.

 

This post is uploaded via Apple iPhone 4, sponsored by Dr Mobiles Limited (Location Map)
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> 10 mins to unlock iPhone 4

 

2011 Technology News Update: Android widens its lead on iOS in the US

comScore have tallied the numbers and have come up with a report on phone usage in the US for the three month period that ends in August. They surveyed 30,000 people for the report of the 234 million American phone users over the age of 13.

Let's start with the smartphone OSes. According to comScore, Android is the leading platform by a wide margin. A margin that keeps growing no less. Apple's iOS is a solid second and is the only other OS that saw its share grow in the US.

An old time favorite, BlackBerry OS saw a 5% drop over the three month period. Microsoft's mobiles OSes combined mustered up only 5.7% and the barely there Symbian OS fell to 1.8%.

Top Smartphone Platforms 3 Month Avg. Ending Aug. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending May 2011 Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers
	May-11	Aug-11	Point Change
Total Smartphone Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Google	38.1%	43.7%	5.6
Apple	26.6%	27.3%	0.7
RIM	24.7%	19.7%	-5.0
Microsoft	5.8%	5.7%	-0.1
Symbian	2.1%	1.8%	-0.3

Apple is fourth by number of phones in the US market, counting feature phones and smartphones. They jumped from 8.7% to 9.9% over just three months. Samsung is holding fast to the first place and saw a 0.5% increase in market share.

All others lost market share. Motorola for one will soon be in danger of losing its third place to Apple, as the buffer between the two shrunk with 2.2%.

Top Mobile OEMs 3 Month Avg. Ending Aug. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending May 2011 Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers (Smartphone & Non-Smartphone) Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
	May-11	Aug-11	Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Samsung	24.8%	25.3%	0.5
LG	21.1%	21.0%	-0.1
Motorola	15.1%	14.0%	-1.1
Apple	8.7%	9.8%	1.1
RIM	8.1%	7.1%	-1.0

comScore also studied how people in the US use their phones. Changes were pretty small, but it's interesting to note that all categories grew - which suggests that Americans are spending more and more time on their phones.

Mobile Content Usage 3 Month Avg. Ending Aug. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending May 2011 Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers (Smartphone & Non-Smartphone) Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
	May-11	Aug-11	Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Sent text message to another phone	69.5%	70.5%	1.0
Used browser	39.8%	42.1%	2.3
Used downloaded apps	38.6%	41.6%	3.0
Accessed social networking site or blog	28.6%	30.9%	2.3
Played Games	26.9%	28.5%	1.6
Listened to music on mobile phone	18.6%	20.7%	2.1

You can read comScores full report for some more details on their study.

This post is uploaded via Apple iPhone 4, sponsored by Dr Mobiles Limited (Location Map)
1 Huron Street, Takapuna, North Shore 0622, Tel: (09) 551-5344, Mob: (021) 117-2222

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Why Dr Mobiles Limited?
> Repair while you wait
> Free insurance calims report
> Free inspection on faulty phones|
> Free 30 minute off-street parking
> 45 mins to fix iPhone 4 scree
> 30 mins to unlock 3G and 3GS
> 25 mins to replace 3G/3GS screen
> 10 mins to unlock iPhone 4