Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 Review

Feature set summary for Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review

The five-megapixel snapper is a nice feature in a budget phone, with auto-focus and flash as a bonus. Onboard memory is only 4GB, but this can be expanded via the microSD slot.

Style and handling summary for Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review

This looks like your average budget handset, but is nicely rounded and quite chunky. It is comfortable to hold and use, thanks to the well-placed keys.

Battery power summary for Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review

You should get a whole day out of a battery with moderate use, and if you’re streaming media a fully charged battery will last about seven hours.

Performance summary for Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review

The dual-core chip under the hood copes with most apps and games, and performance was smooth and speedy.

User friendliness summary for Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review

The display measure 3.8-inch screen, which is slightly larger than most budget screens, making it simpler to email, surf the net and text. The TouchWiz UI works well, even if the phone is running on an outdated version of Android.

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We’ve already seen some impressive devices from Samsung this year – the Note II and the Galaxy S II for a start. But, of course, those two were aimed at the high end of the market and those with enough cash to splash out. Happily for those of us who are not so well off, Samsung has come up with a budget mobile that still packs a punch and offers a decent set of features.

The touchscreen on the Galaxy Ace 2 is slightly bigger than that on most other budget devices at 3.8ins. It makes it easer to use the virtual keyboard, and with word prediction and a decent auto-correct facility, sending long emails and texts is easy. The screen proves responsive in use, offering a smooth experience for zooming into websites, and browsing the net. The screen boasts a 480 x 800 pixel resolution, so that if you zoom in on text it’s still easy to read. It’s good enough for watching HD films too, although obviously not up there with the big boys in the mobile market. 

Looking good

This device is about half the price of Samsung’s high-end smartphones, so corners have to be cut somewhere. The design is pretty unassuming – forget the curvy slimline chassis on the Galaxy S III and its ilk. The Ace 2 is a tad chunky, and has a plastic reverse. But against its budget rivals, such as the Sony Xperia Go and ZTE Grand X, it measures up pretty well.

Build quality is solid. There are touch-sensitive areas for Back and Menu sitting beneath the display. These light up when the handset is being used, which is useful in a dark room, plus there’s a physical Home key. The reverse panel snaps off to allow you to get to the battery and SIM card slot. You’ll find the MicroSD slot, which lets you expand the 4GB of onboard memory, hiding behind a flap on the phone’s left side.

Nice Touch

Samsung has its own user interface, dubbed TouchWiz, which has been overlaid on the rather out-of-date operating system Android Gingerbread. TouchWiz is really nice to use, and has some useful tweaks – we particularly like the power settings, placed on the notifications bar, which make it really easy to set up the handset as you wish. There are lots of widgets for you to choose from, and seven desktops to place them on. 

Surprising power

Nowadays, even phones costing less than £200 have dual-core chips and the Ace 2 is no exception. Okay, the processor only runs at 800MHz, but it can still handle most apps and games. Battery life is reasonable – you’ll get a good day out of a fully charged battery on moderate use, and about seven hours if you’re streaming media. Storage-wise, it’s a bit limited – just 4GB onboard, but you can expand this using the microSD slot.

Keen photographers will be pleased to see the five-megapixel snapper, a real bonus on a budget device, It even has auto-focus and LED flash and produces crisp shots, although it can take a while to get a good lock on the focus – so not great for action shots. However, other images came out well.

In fact we were surprised by the detail in our outdoor images when we looked at them on a TV. Colours are strong, although bright skies did result in softer images. Low-light pictures were a tad grainy, but the flash did a decent job and managed not to overexpose subjects that were close-up. There are plenty of camera features too, as well as video capture and a panoramic setting. Videos looked okay on a big screen, although they did suffer from sound distortion if taken in a noisy environment.

Our conclusion

There’s plenty on offer from the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, especially when you consider its low price. The dual-core chip can cope with most games and apps, and the 3-8in display is a good size for emails, texts and surfing the net. Throw in a decent five-megapixel snapper and this is a very decent budget handset.

By Simon Thomas on 11th September, 2012

Tags: Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Ace 2