Manage updates with the Download AppSamsung Galaxy S II - black (T-Mobile)
Manufacturer: Samsung Part number: GALAXYSIITMB
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Samsung Galaxy S II ranks as one of T-Mobile's most powerful and feature-rich Android smartphones, but it's somewhat pricey.
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CNET editors' review
Samsung Galaxy S II - black (T-Mobile) price range: $335.00
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 10/13/2011
- Released on: 10/12/2011
The good: The Samsung Galaxy S II supports T-Mobile's faster HSPA+ network and has a dual-core 1.5GHz processor and an NFC chip. The Android Gingerbread smartphone also has a spacious and vibrant Super AMOLED Plus touch screen, 16GB of internal memory, and great camera performance.
The bad: The smartphone is high-priced and on the larger side, and you can't remove bloatware.
The bottom line: The Samsung Galaxy S II ranks as one of T-Mobile's most powerful and feature-rich Android smartphones, but it's somewhat pricey.
User reviews
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Best android phone I've used yet!
by streamline35 on October 15, 2011
Pros: Very speedy, Great UI, very light, very thin, huge screen is gorgeous, great camera, some very good samsung specific additions, battery has been great so far, 16GB internal memory + expansion slot, very nice headphones + inline mic included in box (I was
Cons: Thin and light but alot of surface area (but no more than needed for the screen), some non-removeable bloatware included (as always), some very minor user interface annoyances (but only because I was spoiled by cyanogen mod on my last phone).
Summary: To be honest, I had a hard time even coming up with the cons list because they are all such minor issues (but I felt I should write down something). ...
Summary: To be honest, I had a hard time even coming up with the cons list because they are all such minor issues (but I felt I should write down something). This phone has been my best android phone to date - I started with a droid incredible which was a great phone for a year (espcially with cyanogen mod), and then switched over to tmobile and got a g2x. It was an okay phone, but I traded it in after a few days because of a bunch of problems it had. I was a little nervous about getting this phone, but now I'm incredibly happy I did.
I was worried about the samsung's custom touchwiz UI (after coming from htc sense and stock android), and for the first half a day I didn't like it, but it grew on me very rapidly. They have alot of clever and thoughtful elements in it that I noticed and they make a big difference.
The screen is huge and beautiful - pretty much the best phone out there for watching movies on. And unlike on my droid incredible (3.7 inch screen), I can actually use remote desktop on it to my computer for more than a few seconds without getting annoyed. How iphone users survive with a 3.5 inch screen I will never know. The CPU is fast and rarely do I ever notice lag on anything. The 1GB of ram helps alot - the big problem I had with the g2x was that while it was very fast, the 512mb of ram would fill up way too fast and then it would slow down to a crawl. No problem on the S2 (plus there is a samsung integrated task manager that is wonderful and easy to use).
One big surprise that I was very happy with was the samsung included "Kies air" app. When hooked up to a wireless network, you active at the app and then type in the IP and port number it gives you into a web browser. This opens up a Kies air interface (the phone is basically acting as a web server) that lets you access and edit everything on the phone. Photos, video, music, ringtones, bookmarks, messages, call log, contacts, files, and other various settings. You can download, upload, view, and edit all of these right from any computer on the same network as the phone without installing any software. Very very handy.
That covers most of it. The camera is very good (8MP still, 1080p video) and has some good shooting options (touch to focus, panorama, etc...). I'm not much of a phototaker, so I can't go too indepth. And lastly the 4G speed is very good. I live in Orange County (south of Los Angeles),and I get consistently good recent and data speeds just about everywhere around here (usually 8mbps down, 1-2 up). I haven't tried it out in LA, but I hear tests have gotten up to 22mpbs in areas with great reception (even 8 seems like overkill to me for a phone, but who am I to complain).
It also comes with a voice control app - different than the normal android one, but functions relatively the same. It's a little bit fancier, but nothing that puts it too far past the default android voice control (which is already quite nice).
The phone itself is very nice to hold. Extremely thin and light (noticeably lighter than my boss's iphone 4) but with alot of surface area. Even so, I have no problem fitting it in my jeans pocket. I have small hands, but no trouble using or holding it. The construction of the phone is great - it's plastic to keep the weight down, but the back surface is soft touch and feels very nice.
Anyway, overall, a very good phone. You can tell when you have alot of trouble coming up with a cons list. Fast, light, gorgeous, extremely customizable - high recommended.12 out of 12 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A great phone, but not without faults. Be careful!
by Havraha on November 11, 2011
Pros: Super Amoled Plus screen is tremendous, size is great, Android operating system is fantastic and TouchWiz 4.0 is actually very nice.
Cons: Super Amoled Plus Screens may have lines in them from poor calibration, Call Quality drops and echoing becomes a serious issue with any kind of case, battery life is absolutely terrible. Chance for your charger to be bad too (like mine).
Summary: Some Super Amoled Plus displays have "lines" on them from a poorly calibrated screen: it seems to be happening to a lot of the Galaxy S 2's, but thankfully ...
Summary: Some Super Amoled Plus displays have "lines" on them from a poorly calibrated screen: it seems to be happening to a lot of the Galaxy S 2's, but thankfully not any of mine (and I bought 3 for the family). Call quality becomes terribles / echoing becomes outrageous when any kind of a case is applied to the phone -- google Samsung Galaxy S 2 Echo. No one can decide if its the mics being covered or if there's a faulty part being installed in this device. Also, my charger was broken -- it would reach 100% charge on the phone and then disconnect and reconnect over and over again. I took it to the T-Mobile store and the guy opened up another Galaxy S 2 box in the back and we exchanged charger bases, and so far that's fixed the problem. Additionally, battery life is abysmal. With heavy usage starting at 6 am in the morning, I was below 50% battery life by 10 am. I don't know what to do about this problem. Suggestions are welcome!
Overall, though, I'm still impressed by the phone even as I continue to look for call quality and battery solutions. If you're like me and you're coming from a Blackberry that has super battery life, though, be warned about this one.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Almost perfect!
by acro47 on October 31, 2011
Pros: Super fast, big gorgeous screen, great for video, excellent call quality
Cons: Short battery life
Summary: I am a 60+ woman who has walked away from BlackBerry after 5 devices in 10 years. I finally decided I was tired of not having a decent browser or ...
Summary: I am a 60+ woman who has walked away from BlackBerry after 5 devices in 10 years. I finally decided I was tired of not having a decent browser or being able to do all the cool things that others can do. My company pays for my phone so I'm free to choose whatever I want, and after being the last BlackBerry holdout, I decided to go Android.
Edit 11-1-11:
I've had the S2 for nearly 3 weeks and am very pleased. It's beautiful, with a bright crisp screen. It's a bit large for my small hand but that's OK because it's extremely fast, my call quality is strong and clear, it's great for watching Netflix and reading my daily half dozen news sources, it has a decent camera, and it handles my 150-200 daily work emails effortlessly.
I happen to disagree with that flaky Steve Ballmer who says "you have to be a computer scientist to use Android." As a newcomer, I've found the Android OS to be simple and straightforward, just plain common sense IMO, and I haven't yet had to ask "how do you do this?" Yes, I could afford to spend less time in the Market, but there are SO many great apps!
The only significant negative for me is that the battery life isn't great. However, just about everyone I know with a smartphone of any brand wishes they had longer battery life. I guess that's the nature of the newer technology. I manage OK but have just ordered a second battery which I'll keep charged as a backup.
Of course for all of us, the good or bad in a phone depends on our personal needs. For me, the S2 works extremely well and is a phone I would highly recommend.
Updated on Nov 1, 2011
Instead of saying "short battery life", I'd like to update this to say PITIFUL battery life. I was able to see just how bad it is today. I took it off the charger, went out to deliver my rent check and drop off a package. I was back home in 65 minutes, and my battery life had dropped from 100% to 81%. This is with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS turned off and my display turned way down, as dim as I'm able to see it. If you go to SETTINGS/ABOUT PHONE/BATTERY USE, you can see what's using up your battery. Mine says 62% of my battery use is for the display, which I find astonishing; all the rest is used up for Android OS, cell standby, dialer, etc.
Bottom line: The S2 is still great for what it does, but I got spoiled having BlackBerry phones for so many years, where I could easily skip a day on the charger and never miss it. With the S2, now I can't go anywhere without a charger. I sure hope I never have a long night in the E.R.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Ulltra-fast 4G super-phone, slim profile, great screen!
by genoh8 on October 16, 2011
Pros: Classy looking dark chrome trim that lines the edge of the phone. Long lasting 1850 mAh battery The 4.52 inch screen is great for movie watching and web browsing. Device Productivity Speeds/ multitasking, 4G Data Speeds (Mine peaked at just over 18 mbps d
Cons: Slightly thicker than its sister phones on Sprint and AT&T, although its a minimal difference. Barely noticable, occasional slight lag in TouchWiz interface transitions on home screens.
Summary: This phone is The REAL DEAL! It lives up to the Samsung Galaxy S II Hype and then some. Its availible at T-Mobile with unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of ...
Summary: This phone is The REAL DEAL! It lives up to the Samsung Galaxy S II Hype and then some. Its availible at T-Mobile with unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of 4G data for under $80 bucks. T-Mobiles HSPA+ 42 is waaayfast! I averaged 11.3 mbps out of 10 speed tests I ran with a peek of 18.3 mbps. Thats Verizon LTE type speeds but for a bargan of a monthly rate. Super-fast 1.5 ghz dual-core processor, 1Gig or RAM and 16 GB of on-board storage with expandable micro SD slot. A 4.52 inch Super Amoled Plus Display, Built-In NFC and DLNA capability, Wi-Fi HotSpot capable, running Android Gingerbread 2.3.5 out of the box. This is the type of smart phone that keeps T-Mobile competitive and now the Verizon LTE Droids have reason to be scared.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent piece of kit.
by fursem on October 14, 2011
Pros: Light, bright and easy to use. Not nearly as big as the photos show, suggesting that most CNET reviewers have small hands. Worth exploring further as a PhD thesis, perhaps. Mini USB for everything, unlike Nokia smartphones. Android marketplace is great, i
Cons: Have had a fault twice where the phone wouldn't switch off. If you did, it just switched itself back on. It was not easy to identify how this arose, and even now, I'm not sure that it was that game I downloaded from the Android marketplace. However, it ha
Summary: All things considered, it's an excellent phone. It's not perfect - Google Earth works intermittently - but it's streets ahead of anything I've used before. My ...
Summary: All things considered, it's an excellent phone. It's not perfect - Google Earth works intermittently - but it's streets ahead of anything I've used before. My options were this or an iPhone 4, and I decided to go Android and open rather than Apple and closed. I have no hesitation in recommending it.
Hi Cnet - why do you give a character count limit, and then reduce it after users have posted reviews. Chopping these off half way through seems a little short-sighted. Either publish in full or reduce the maximum character count.
Updated on Oct 14, 20113 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Just about right
by hugdeath on March 28, 2012
Pros: Screen is hot.
Super light.
Decent battery life.
Fast on network or wifi.
Seemingly endless customization.Cons: No iPhone battery, sleep button placement, no camera while on phone, no data during hotspot
Summary: My black SGSII is a huge improvement from the MyTouch4G it replaced. The size is just about right without being too bulky. Call quality is great but the speaker could ...
Summary: My black SGSII is a huge improvement from the MyTouch4G it replaced. The size is just about right without being too bulky. Call quality is great but the speaker could be louder. Screen is bright without robbing battery life. It would great to have a lipo battery like the iPhone. Accessories were very easy to find. Network is very fast.Now for the dumb dumbs.. Power/sleep should never be opposite volume. I have been embarrassed in mettings more than once because I hit volume rocker in an attempt to sleep phone. Data does not work in hotspot mode and camera doesn't work while on a call. Dumb dumb dumb. Rest of phone rocks though.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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By Far -Samsung Galaxy SII (SGSII)- The Best Smartphone
by oiragcil on January 3, 2012
Pros: - Speed
- Screen
- Connectivity (voice & data actual signal strength)
- Apps
- Battery life
- Light (not heavy as the IPhone)
- Music reproduction
- CameraCons: - Portability (if you carry it in your belt buckle and have excess belly weight, it might be uncomfortable)
- Price (if you are in this price range, then you should not evaluate HTC, Motorola nor IPhone either)Summary: If you are a motorhead or rigger or TopGear Fan (or Trainspotter, Zeds or Gunzels!)and If you have a BMW, you probably will opt for the IPhone as you ...
Summary: If you are a motorhead or rigger or TopGear Fan (or Trainspotter, Zeds or Gunzels!)and If you have a BMW, you probably will opt for the IPhone as you are not using the proper side of the brain. However, everyone knows that there are better cars with better features (i.e.: Audi, Mercedes, Cadillac, Range Rover, etc) and performance than a similar BMW. I have evaluated and tried the SGSII against the latest IPhone, HTC, BBB and Motorola's and I can confirm hands down... it is the best phone (Android or not). There is nothing with the other smartphones that I cannot do at least the same or better by using the SGSII (as noted in Pros). Further, it has saved me money as I have avoided to buy a Tablet/Kindle/IPad. Moreover, I am using less and less my Laptop. As for the Cons, if you have small hands, you will probably opt for a smaller screen phone. However, once you are used to the size on the SGSII, you will enjoy it far better than the other ones (specially the IPhone). The SGSII screen is a pleasure to view and to read (indoors or outdoors). Yes, the SGSII is lighter in weight than others, however, that to me is a big positive... otherwise, I should be using a "brick phone" from the 80s. Even my small kids, whom have no perspective with Fads thus far, they will leave their ITouch and IPad2 behind and use the SGSII when playing Angry Birds or other popular games. For business as primary use, you will forget the BlackBerry Bold (BBB)... That is like comparing Beta (BBB) against Bluray (Android/Apple). If you love taking pictures (and I do... as I have a Canon DSLR D5II & D7 (due to its FPS for action shots) with 70-200 II F2.8L IS USM & 24-70 F2.8L USM), the SGSII takes very decent pictures and movies where it has allowed me to leave my pocket camera at home. Nexus Vs SGSII... OK, the main difference is the OS and screen size. However, Once I am able to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich OS, then it will be the same. As for screen size, the SGSII is at my hand limit (4.52" for a total 5.11" L x 2.11" W). The Nexus with its 4.65" screen (5.33" L x 2.67" W; only extra 0.13in) does not feel as good. OH!... you have an IPhone due to your investment in ITunes (that was my reasoning before), however, I have been able to transfer all ITune/CD songs to my SGSII (whether ITunes or not). Whenever I am getting close to my storage limit, I can very easily change or buy a larger card (something that you cannot do in the IPhone) and the sound quality in the SGSII (when playing songs) is significantly superior than the IPhone (whether you like warm or brilliant). Finally, speed & connectivity (I use my companies WiFi as well as Airports and my home network to perform many activities with the SGSII) and when I tested the BBB, IPhone or HTC in similar locations), they were slower than the SGSII. Further, the range in the others was shorter.... specially the IPhone, when compared against the SGSII. This was extremely important to me and I weighted it higher in priority. Therefore, for the Pros above, I prefer the SGSII against the IPhone 4S, Nexus, Motorola Droid Razr, HTC Amaze/Vivid/Rezound, BBB or any other smartphone thus far!.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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BEWARE: Poor Power Button Will Break!
by amethyst21183 on November 18, 2012
Pros: *Large display
*Clear pictures
*Easy to useCons: *Power button breaks even with normal use and cannot be replaced
*Samsung customer service is uselessSummary: BEWARE: GALAXY S2 POWER BUTTON WILL BREAK EVEN WITH NORMAL USE. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!
My power button broke less than 2 weeks after my warranty was up and Samsung REFUSES ...Summary: BEWARE: GALAXY S2 POWER BUTTON WILL BREAK EVEN WITH NORMAL USE. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!
My power button broke less than 2 weeks after my warranty was up and Samsung REFUSES to replace the phone or even give me a credit towards a new one despite the fact that it was having problems before the warranty expired. I just didn't know it because it was only intermittent.
After talking to the call center, I was told they *might* be able to repair it for a fee, but that I'd be without my phone for up to a few weeks.
I've been a loyal Samsung customer for over a decade, but thinking about changing brands now.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I am curious
by lizzya06 on June 9, 2012
Pros: I am so sorry to have left samsung for this horrible htc with absolutely no internal memory, I am curious about memory on this samsung phone, Of all the samsungs I have had in the past, they are simple to figure out on my own
Cons: I don't think any phone has any adequate battery life, I take my charger with me wherever I go, I have one stashed at work, I am always taking the car charger between my car & whatever other car I may be in,
Summary: I am looking forward to more comments on this phone & seriously considering this one instead of sticking with htc, although I do see it has good reviews, HOWEVER it ...
Summary: I am looking forward to more comments on this phone & seriously considering this one instead of sticking with htc, although I do see it has good reviews, HOWEVER it has no memory card or ability to remove battery
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Phone...Big Screen
by Industry_Advocate on May 7, 2012
Pros: -Speed (Processing & HSPA+)
-Resolution of Screen
-Camera
-Touch Wiz OS
-Quality Feel
-Battery
-MemoryCons: -A Touch Too Big
Summary: I love this phone! Had every phone before and after it (including the HTC One S) and I love the simplicity, quality and speed of this one. My only, kinda, ...
Summary: I love this phone! Had every phone before and after it (including the HTC One S) and I love the simplicity, quality and speed of this one. My only, kinda, complaint would be the HUGE screen! This is coming from a person with big hands. I like the size of the screen on the Import or AT&T GS2. Other than that 1 thing, it's one of the best!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Samsung
- Part number: GALAXYSIITMB
- Description: The Samsung GALAXY S II uses Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the world's fastest-growing mobile operating system. The next generation smartphone includes access to Samsung's four content and entertainment hubs, seamlessly integrated to provide instant access to music, games, e-reading and social networking services.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Product Type Smartphone (Android OS)
- Form Factor Touch
- Phone Design PDA
- Integrated Components GPS receiver,
2nd camera,
Digital camera,
Digital player,
Voice recorder - Width 2.7 in
- Depth 0.4 in
- Height 5.1 in
- Weight 4.8 oz
- Body Color Black
- SAR Value 0.99 W/kg (body) / 0.35 W/kg (head)
Cellular
- Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
- Band WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900
- Mobile Broadband Generation 3G
- Service Provider T-Mobile
- Operating System Google Android 2.3
- Application Software Polaris Office,
Google Places,
Zinio Reader - Installed Games Asphalt 6
- Input Device(s) Touch sensitive screen (multi-touch)
Messaging & Internet
- Cellular Messaging Services MMS,
SMS - Instant Messaging Services Yahoo! Messenger,
Google Talk,
Windows Live Messenger (MSN Messenger) - Supported Email Protocols POP3,
IMAP4 - Supported Social Networks and Blogs Twitter,
Facebook - Messaging & Data Features Microsoft PowerPoint support,
Microsoft Excel support,
Microsoft Word support,
Adobe Flash support - Downloadable Content Application
- Mobile Services T-Mobile TV,
Slacker Radio,
Samsung Media Hub,
Netflix,
T-Mobile Video Chat,
YouTube,
Gmail,
Google Search,
Video Call,
Google Search by Voice,
Google Latitude,
Google Play Communications
- Data Transmission GPRS,
EDGE,
HSPA+,
HSUPA,
HSDPA - Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11,
Bluetooth - WLAN Security WPA2
- Communication Features Internet browser,
Mobile Email client Phone Features
- Phone Functions Voice control,
Call timer,
Conference call,
Flight mode,
Speakerphone,
Vibrating alert - Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Sensors Proximity sensor,
Ambient light sensor - Additional Features World clock,
Text-to-Speech (text recognition),
Samsung AllShare,
DLNA Certified,
Picture editor,
Intelligent typing (T9),
TTY compatible,
Widgets support,
Sharing media via DLNA,
Intelligent typing (SWYPE) Organizer
- Personal Information Management Synchronization with PC,
Calendar,
Calculator,
Stopwatch,
Reminder,
Alarm clock Media Player
- Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3
- Supported Digital Video Standards VC-1,
MPEG-4,
XviD,
H.263,
DivX,
ASF,
WMV,
3GP,
AVI,
H.264 Processor
- Type QUALCOMM Snapdragon S3
- Clock Speed 1.5 GHz
- Processor Core Qty Dual Core
Memory
- Bult-in Memory 16 GB
- User Memory 16 GB
- Supported Flash Memory Cards microSDHC - up to 32 GB
Digital Camera
- Sensor Resolution 8 megapixels
- Still Image Resolutions 640 x 480,
2048 x 1536,
3264 x 2448,
800 x 480,
3264 x 1968,
2048 x 1232 - Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Self Timer Delay 10 sec,
2 sec,
5 sec - Special Effects Grayscale,
Cartoon,
Negative,
Sepia - White Balance Automatic,
Presets - Camera Light Source Flash
- Video Recorder Resolutions 1920 x 1080 (1080p)
- Features Video recording,
Multi-shots,
Geo-tagging,
Smile shutter,
Face detection,
Landscape/portrait mode,
Macro function Navigation System
- GPS Navigation A-GPS receiver
- Navigation Software & Services TeleNav GPS Navigator,
Google Maps Display
- Type OLED display - Color
- Technology Super AMOLED Plus
- Diagonal Size 4.52 in
- Display Resolution 800 x 480 pixels
- Multi-language Menu Yes
- Features Wallpaper
Connections
- Connector Type HDMI,
USB,
Headset jack Battery
- Technology Lithium ion
- Capacity 1850 mAh
- Run Time Details Talk - up to 420 min,
Standby - up to 167 hour(s) Miscellaneous
- Compliant Standards HAC(Hearing Aid Compatible)
- Included Accessories Power adapter , Power adapter
Product series
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Samsung Galaxy S II - black (T-Mobile)
Manufacturer: Samsung
Specs: T-Mobile,
WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM,
Up to 240 min,
With digital camera / digital player,
4.8 oz,
8 megapixels,
4.52 in -
Samsung Galaxy S II - white (T-Mobile)
Manufacturer: Samsung
Specs: T-Mobile,
WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM,
Up to 420 min,
With digital camera / digital player,
4.8 oz,
8 megapixels,
4.52 in -
Samsung Galaxy S II - steel gray (T-Mobile)
Manufacturer: Samsung
Specs: T-Mobile,
WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM,
4.8 oz,
4.52 in
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Samsung products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Samsung
- Address:
105 Challenger Road, Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660 - Phone: 1-800-726-7864
- Fax: 1-973-601-6001
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