Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket Pro Reviews

While the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket has a few flaws that could potentially be attributed to network issues, namely OK voice quality and spotty coverage at the mall, it gets just about everything else right. It has a great screen, excellent performance, a good speaker, a great camera, and very good battery life. It could be a lot more exciting in the design department, but it's not ugly by any means and is nice and light. If you need a fast 4G LTE phone and are pleased with AT&T's network coverage and performance in your area, the Skyrocket should be right at the top of your short list.

So you’re heading into an AT&T store with $249.99 and change stuffed inside your pockets, ready to spend it instinctively, but we’d bet you’re fighting over which one to get. Obviously, these identically priced handsets are at the high-end of the spectrum – and justified at that! However, after spending a great deal of time with them, we have to give the LG Nitro HD the advantage. Above all, its 4.5” 720p True HD IPS display sets a benchmark with its superior detail and accurate color production. On top of that, it’s the one that takes the better photos/videos, and slightly boasts the more appreciable design between the two. Going back to its lovely display, it’s the main reason why LG’s beauty is able to stand out from the crop! Still, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket is an admirable offering that’s sure to impress and astound people, but for now, it’s the Nitro HD speeding past the competition as supplanting the Skyrocket as the top dog in AT&T’s 4G LTE selection.

When we reviewed the HTC Vivid, we almost gave the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket a mini-review of sorts: we compared the two LTE pioneers side by side, and while the Vivid has its fair share of strong points, we prefer the latter. It's thinner, lighter, trumps its rival in benchmarks, offers TouchWiz UI instead of Sense and wins hands-down in battery life. Of course, we've come to expect this kind of turnout with Sammy's flagship series, and we're glad to see it continue into the realm of "true" 4G. If you've been trying to decide on which Samsung Galaxy S II to plunk down your hard-earned cash on, the Skyrocket certainly complicates the choice you have to make -- especially if you're sticking with AT&T as your carrier. After all, you're looking at two incredibly similar devices that come with high recommendations. Ultimately, it comes down to two factors: display size and network speed. If you like the larger screen and wouldn't mind taking advantage of some LTE goodness when it comes to your town, you likely won't go wrong by taking this Skyrocket for a flight.

With the addition of an LTE enabled Galaxy S II to the U.S., Samsung has literally a version for every possible taste out there. The Galaxy S II Skyrocket however, is clearly the best equipped for the future with its spanking new radio on board. AT&T’s 3G network has seen quite a lot of strain in the past several years, mostly due to the demand for the iPhone and the explosion of use of network data. When the LTE network starts rolling out however, the users of the capable devices will have it all to themselves, since the iPhone 4S is simply not equipped for it. This should be considered as one of the strongest arguments in favor of the Skyrocket. Regarding the device itself, one must be extremely picky to find faults to it. Our main grievance is the low resolution of the gorgeous Super AMOLED Plus screen – it is simply not befitting of an LTE flagship at the end of 2011. The rest of the phone is rock solid despite its year old platform. The Galaxy S II Skyrocket is priced extremely aggressively by AT&T at $149.99 with a two year commitment. For this kind of money, you will need to search really hard to find a better alternative. As always, we took the liberty of taking a look for you. The biggest threat for the Skyrocket comes from within AT&T’s own ranks again. The HTC Vivid is also LTE capable and sports a similar spec sheet to go with its 4.5” screen. The latter has a higher resolution than the Samsung offering at qHD. However, it is not Super AMOLED Plus and, believe us, it does make a difference. The Vivid costs the sweet $99.99 on a two-year contract with AT&T.

Crunching down the numbers, pricing is one of those driving factors that always has some weight to the overall allure of a particular handset. Obviously, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket is priced $50 more than the HTC Vivid, but it’s absolutely warranted in this case as we find it to be the better performer. Sure it might not have the solid industrial design of the Vivid, but there is a delightful listing as to why it’s the favorable one – like its iridescent Super AMOLED Plus display, fluid platform experience, and better battery life. Of course, these two smartphones do justice in help launching AT&T into the 4G LTE spectrum, but if you want something that will perfectly accompany the network’s potential, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket is essentially the one you’ll want in your hands.

We’d wager that there are plenty of AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II owners out there that caused a scene when the Skyrocket was officially announced – well, that’s because they’re probably upset at themselves for not waiting longer. Actually, we beg to disagree because the $50 difference separating the two Galaxy S II models is warranted, so unless you’re in an area that has AT&T’s 4G LTE coverage, then the Skyrocket is the no-brainer choice between the two. Otherwise, you can save yourself the money and stick it with the original model instead. As we’ve seen, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket is a great smartphone that will help showcase AT&T’s next-generation network, but besides that one particular item, there isn’t much else that would make it any better than the existing Galaxy S II model.

The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket offers blistering LTE data speeds, a massive screen, and very fast dual-core performance.

AT&T couldn't ask for a better phone to kick off its LTE network. The Skyrocket is a beautifully designed phone with all of the high-end features that Android power users have come to expect. It ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and should be upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich in the next year. Notable features include a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a front-facing 2-megapixel camera, NFC support, and of course support for AT&T's LTE network. Unfortunately, that network is only available in a few cities right now, and the rest of the country will have to wait for AT&T to roll out LTE nationwide. By the time that happens, a better smartphone will probably have come along. If you don't live in one of the blessed areas, our suggestion would be to wait, or get another Android smartphone--like the Samsung Galaxy S II for AT&T, perhaps, which is around $50 less than the Skyrocket.