Manage updates with the Download AppSamsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket - black (AT&T)
Manufacturer: Samsung Part number: SGH-i727
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- If you live in an area that gets AT&T's LTE network, we highly recommend the powerful and beautiful Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket.
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CNET editors' review
Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket - black (AT&T) price range: $252.74
- Reviewed by: Nicole Lee
- Reviewed on: 11/09/2011
The good: The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket has a beautiful 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display along with a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, an NFC chip, and support for AT&T's LTE network. It ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and has an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
The bad: AT&T's LTE network is only available in a few cities at the time of the Skyrocket's launch, it has a somewhat cheap, plastic feel, and you can't remove bloatware.
The bottom line: If you live in an area that gets AT&T's LTE network, we highly recommend the powerful and beautiful Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket.
User reviews
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Recent iPhone Convert, I'm Never Looking Back!
by S-Greene on January 19, 2012
Pros: Beautiful and bright screen
4G LTE
Extremely fast dual-core processor
Great camera
Google apps
Battery life is decent
Upgradable to ICS
Light weight
Customization and power of AndroidCons: Samsung/Touchwiz interface
Screen is not HD
Plastic body
Web Browser could be betterSummary: Like many others I jumped ship from the iPhone when the 4S was released. I loved my iPhone but was disappointed with the lack of a larger screen and same ...
Summary: Like many others I jumped ship from the iPhone when the 4S was released. I loved my iPhone but was disappointed with the lack of a larger screen and same old form-factor. I also grew tired of living in Apple's ecosystem; being tied down to 'their' way of doing things. They make really great products but for me it was time to branch out. I picked up the Skyrocket in early November. Here are my thoughts after using it for nearly two months.
Pros:
Beautiful and bright screen. One of the best I've seen. Colors are rich and vibrant compared to most other phones I've seen. The large 4.5" screen makes one handed typing difficult but the tradeoff is completely worth it. Games, movies, and web browsing is amazing. It makes it painful to go back to the iPhone.
4G LTE. The difference is night and day compared to 3G. If you have an unlimited data plan this phone is worth getting just for LTE.
Extremely fast dual-core processor. Apps load insanely fast. I've heard some people complain of lag due to the snapdragon CPU but I have not seen any issues myself.
Great camera. Not the best ever (iPhone 4S is better) but it doesn't disappoint. It's one of the best cameras you will find on an Android phone. I've heard people say it's better than the Galaxy Nexus, too.
Google apps. Maps, Gmail, Talk, Voice search, etc. They work well and are better than what you get on iPhone. Maps has more features than what is available on iPhone like Labs, turn-by-turn voice navigation, and walking paths, for example. Voice search is as great as Siri on iPhone 4S, minus the gimmicks.
Battery life is decent. I can easily get a full day on one charge. Granted I used to get two full days on an iPhone but for an Android phone one day is great. Keep in mind android phones are generally more powerful, are able to run background apps, and have faster cellular antennas (4G LTE) which drains battery quickly.
Upgradable to ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich). Samsung has confirmed this phone will get ICS. Some say Q1 2012, I wouldn't expect it earlier than late spring/early summer. But honestly this phone is great even without ICS.
Light weight. Some say light weight phones feel cheap, and they may be right, but ultimately I want my phone to be light and easy to hold for long periods of time (for reading, watching movies, games, etc)
Customization and power of Android. Coming from iPhone this is simply refreshing. You can totally change the look and feel of everything so it suites your needs perfectly. All stock apps can be replaced with better downloadable apps (Email, Gallery, Camera, File Browser, etc) which you could never do on an iPhone. For example I replaced the stock Email app with the Touchdown which has superb Exchange support. Don't like the default keyboard? You can choose from dozens of other keyboards to download and use. (the default keyboard is actually pretty good though).
Cons:
Samsung/Touchwiz interface. Admittedly I actually like Touchwiz (at least better than any other manufacturer skin) but this added layer is largely unnecessary, especially with Ice Cream Sandwich coming soon. Some parts also look too much like iPhone/iOS, like the text message app, for example.
Screen is not HD. The pixel density of the screen is not on par with the Galaxy Nexus, HTC Vivid, or iPhone 4. While it's difficult to make out the pixels, I would have hoped Samsung would have used a higher density screen for a top-of-the-line phone.
Plastic body. This is completely a matter of taste but I don't prefer the plastic body of this phone. I was used to the glass and aluminum of the iPhone 4. It's not a deal breaker though, especially if you use a case. And the upside is that the phone is really light weight.
Web Browser could be better. The iPhone web browser is generally faster and displays content more consistently. It also has a weird quirk where all your tabs will close a few minutes after you stop using it. I would prefer the browser maintain my open tabs all the time, even between reboots. If someone finds a way around this let me know! Anyway, I use Dolphin browser which is a fantastic alternative.
Summary:
If you are like me and have used an iPhone for years I don't think you'd be disappointed. The large screen, 4G LTE, camera, and performance you get from this phone make it a great all-around package. Alongside the Galaxy Nexus I believe this is one of the best Android phones you can buy right now.
***NOTE, for best deal check here: checkingprices.info/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-skyrocket/
Good Luck!12 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Absolutely fantastic phone! Samsung's built a winner
by chferg91 on November 28, 2011
Pros: -Excellent Battery life for an LTE-enabled phone
-Blazing-fast LTE speeds (55Mbps down!!!)
-Super AMOLED Plus screen is great
-Mobile Wi-Fi tethering included
-Loud Speakers
-8MP camera takes great picturesCons: -NFC (Near-Field Communication, for Google Wallet, etc.) is included, but is disabled for some reason
-No LTE on/off switch for saving battery, but the included battery is more than adequate to last the whole daySummary: Have owned BlackBerry phones for most of my life (8800, 9000, 9700)but was so disappointed by the Torch 9800 that I finally ditched it for a Galaxy S Captivate, ...
Summary: Have owned BlackBerry phones for most of my life (8800, 9000, 9700)but was so disappointed by the Torch 9800 that I finally ditched it for a Galaxy S Captivate, which was my first taste of Android OS. My contract was up and the choice for me was between the Samsung Infuse (the non-LTE Galaxy S II that ATT sells), the HTC Vivid, and the Skyrocket. I live in Atlanta so I wanted to take advantage of the LTE capabilities offered here. I ended up choosing the Skyrocket because of its far superior battery life than the Vivid, and I can say that this is the best phone I have ever owned. Absolutely blows the iPhone 4S out of the water (and I own a MacBook Pro and iPad2, so I am an Apple fanboy). $250 might sound a little steep but the extra $50 over the other two models is absolutely worth it. TouchWiz isn't the battery hog that Sense is, and if you don't like it then just use LauncherPro. The phone's responsiveness is blazingly fast, and the speeds achieved by LTE and even HSPA+ are fantastic. As far as reception goes, this is really the first ATT phone I've owned that i can consistently say has excellent reception. I was in the GA Dome for the Falcons game Saturday, and my friends with iPhones and the like had no service while I was happily zooming along with 4-5 bars of LTE. Even if you currently don't live in an area with LTE capability, H+ works just fine as well. Additionally, ATT has promised an update to Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) after Xmas.
EDIT: I gave the phone 4.5 stars because obviously no phone is perfect, and the disabling of NFC and the lack of an LTE on-off switch do detract slightly from a perfect score imo. But the Skyrocket still is the phone to beat among ATT's offerings :)
Additionally, ATT's LTE network is STOOPID fast. I was achieving speeds of 55Mbps down at one point in the GA Dome. Speeds will drop off some as more LTE users come onto the network, but it still puts it well above Verizon's LTE speeds.
The 8MP shooter included in the Skyrocket takes exceptional pictures. Predictably, low-light shots suffer some minor saturation issues but otherwise the camera is very good and would be more than adequate for taking pictures on a regular basis.
In short, you honestly will be doing yourself a disservice if you don't buy this phone. Samsung has come through with a clear winner and I promise you won't regret your purchase.
Updated on Nov 28, 20117 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Blows my old iPhone 4 Away!
by rory7382 on November 9, 2011
Pros: Brilliant screen, Better screen size, fast fast fast, runs my business software flawlessly, video at 1080P fantastic. The hot spot tethering is a HUGE hit with my customers.
Cons: Like all smart phones battery life has to be properly managed, about the same as my iPhone4
Summary: So far the best phone investment I have ever made and I have purchased about 50 phones in the past, including windows phones, push to talk phones, many iPhones and ...
Summary: So far the best phone investment I have ever made and I have purchased about 50 phones in the past, including windows phones, push to talk phones, many iPhones and now my first but not last Android
5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great phone but not Iphone killer!
by tomxyz on November 28, 2011
Pros: Big screen, freedom to configure, 4G/LTE phone, updatable to ICS soon.
Cons: Bad camera, quality's just isn't there.
Summary: Love the big, bright screen. I bought my Skyrocket about three weeks ago. I switched from an Iphone 3GS because I wanted a bigger screen to better read my emails ...
Summary: Love the big, bright screen. I bought my Skyrocket about three weeks ago. I switched from an Iphone 3GS because I wanted a bigger screen to better read my emails and view web pages on the go. It took me a week to adjust to Andriod's UI. Although the Skyrocket is very nice and easy to configure, on occasions it's still taking a few more steps to do certain things compared to the Iphone. Now that I'm pretty familiar with the UI, I may not ever go back to Apple. I like the fact that I don't have to depend on Itunes to update my phone. I could just plug in the enclosed USB cable and drag and drop music files. As nice as the Skyrocket is, it's not perfect; I hate the fact that the volume rocker and on/off switch were at the sides instead of at the top because I usually press one or the other by mistake. Other reviewers complaint about battery life but if you switch if off (not turned off) when not in use, the batter tends to last longer. Other people also complaint about the lack of software but that's not my problem. I mainly use my phone for calls, emails, listening to music, and do a brief web search when I'm out. The only game I have on my phone so far is Angry bird; I also have my real estate icons such as MLS, Realtor, Zillow, and loan calculators. The camera takes great pictures if you have adequate lighting. If it's low light, your pictures turn bluish in color. This week, a reddish spot appears in the middle of my camera. When I took pictures, the the red spot was captured as well. I took my phone to my local ATT store to swap a new one but there were all sold out and was told to come back when the next shipment's arrive. Despite the problems mentioned, I intend to keep my phone except the exchange I intend to do. I wanted the Galaxy Nexus but don't want to switch to Verizon since they don't have roll over minutes like ATT. Besides, the features reviewed on the Nexus isn't that great either that's why I bought the Skyrocket now. I believe the Skyrocket is the best smart phone out there todate. You won't regret buying it.
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This is the best phone EVER!
by socavalier on November 27, 2011
Pros: So many pros, the screen is great, battery life is decent not horrible, I read some people say it feels cheap but I'm glad it feels like plastic because it is SUPER light and super thin and very durable.
Cons: The only con is that it burns thru data like water but I'm a heavy user and once I get my kids their tablets it might be better since they won't be on my phone all the time.
Summary: You will not be dissappointed with this phone.. I held it side by side with my colleagues iphone 4s and his phone looked ancient and moved very slow compared to ...
Summary: You will not be dissappointed with this phone.. I held it side by side with my colleagues iphone 4s and his phone looked ancient and moved very slow compared to this.
4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The best phone AT&T has to offer.
by ronshallperish on March 27, 2012
Pros: SAMOLED+ screen
1.5ghz dual core processor and 1gb of RAM makes this phone scream LTE is fast
Long battery life
Better service than my old AT&T phone.
ICS was just leaked for this phone, an official ICS update is very close to being released.Cons: Plastic just doesn't feel very sturdy, needs a case.
The bloatware kinda sucks (I rooted to remove it).Summary: All I can really say is buy this phone, you won't regret it. I haven't had a single problem with it. I can honestly say I've never ...
Summary: All I can really say is buy this phone, you won't regret it. I haven't had a single problem with it. I can honestly say I've never been more satisfied with an electronic device than I am with my Skyrocket.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A True Disappointment
by neilara on April 2, 2012
Pros: Big screen, lightweight, sometimes fast
Cons: Sound problems, annoying bloatware, not-so-decent battery.
Summary: My wife and I have had three of the Skyrockets (we got one replaced by AT&T because of problems), and all have had lousy sound. Both of our ...
Summary: My wife and I have had three of the Skyrockets (we got one replaced by AT&T because of problems), and all have had lousy sound. Both of our remaining phones have bad echoes and her phone will not deliver a steady sound. The volume will drop off from time to time. Previously, we had iPhones with the same provider in the same geographic areas, and the sound was fine.
My wife and I turned in the Samsungs and got iPhone 5s. The iPhones are much, much better.
The battery runs down quickly, which isn't a huge problem for me because I am almost always at a place where I can charge it, but it would be a problem for a lot of people.
A lot of people don't care about bloatware -- the response the salespeople always give is that it doesn't take up much space. But the space isn't the point. If Android phones are truly customizable, why can't I easily remove all of the apps that I don't want?
By the way, I tried to post a similar review on the AT&T website (nothing harsh, no foul language), and they refused to post it. That tells me that I can't trust any reviews on the AT&T site.
Updated on Nov 9, 20122 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Love this phone!
by TZRaceR6-235400766602891237346 on April 15, 2012
Pros: Large screen
Fast cpu
SD expansiom
Replaceable battery
LTE
Ease of useCons: Lack of accessories
Still no ICS date given
Native web browser and email suck. Have to download Dol0hin browser and K-9 email client.Summary: This is a great phone and after purchasing an $11 2250mA battery from Amazon, my useage time is now equivalent to an iPhone 4s. 12 hours of actual useage with ...
Summary: This is a great phone and after purchasing an $11 2250mA battery from Amazon, my useage time is now equivalent to an iPhone 4s. 12 hours of actual useage with live wallpapers, active notifications, emails, web browsing, twitter and facebook. Screen brightness is set at auto. My phone is not simply sitting in standby mode.all day long.
I'll be sticking with Samsung phones for a while. I def recommend this phone to anyone.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great phone, frustrated by lack of Samsung accessories.
by DSSmoot on April 12, 2012
Pros: Love everything about this phone as far as functionality, especially living in a 4G LTE town. Fast, powerful, and looks great.
Cons: Seriously ticked off at the lack of a Samsung accessory support for the Skyrocket.
Summary: Really like the Skyrocket, but the lack of the Vehicle Kit (which automotically puts the phone into car mode) is a major disappointment. We own the kit for my Wife'...
Summary: Really like the Skyrocket, but the lack of the Vehicle Kit (which automotically puts the phone into car mode) is a major disappointment. We own the kit for my Wife's Galaxy Note, and it is awesome. Places the Note in "car mode" activating Voice Talk app and Navigation while charging (even during GPS functions, don't laugh....some phones can't do both). Also bluetooth connect to stereo. Have to do all manually with this phone, and interact with the buttons to do it all. Not good for driving and as I am on the road (tech support) 80% of the time, it kills the functionality for me. Sad thing is that Samsung has no plans to produce one. What? You're kidding, right? Nope, straight from Samsung USA Corporate. Great. Look, this is a cool device, but at the end of the day....it is a toy made for people who "play" (games/social media) with their phones. The focus is not for those of us who actually need to be able to do work with them. To bad as it is a cool "Toy"
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Piece of Crap!
by TechNutCase on March 22, 2012
Pros: If you can't rely on a phone, how can there be any Pros?
Cons: POOR RECEPTION
Summary: I'd give this ZERO stars if I could. I've spent at least 4 hours with AT&T Customer Service on the phone and went into the store ...
Summary: I'd give this ZERO stars if I could. I've spent at least 4 hours with AT&T Customer Service on the phone and went into the store too. This phone SUCKS. I'm FED UP. I'm getting rid of it as soon as I decide on a replacement. Reception is almost negligible, usually one bar OR LESS. I keep getting "cannot connect to server" message. It affects web, email and phone service -- which doesn't work at least 95% of the time.
I seldom write reviews, but I am really motivated on this product:
DO NOT NOT NOT BUY THIS PHONE!!!!!!!!!!3 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Samsung
- Part number: SGH-i727
- Description: The Skyrocket comes ready to jump right on board and make the most of every blazing advantage the network has to offer. And now you can check voicemails even faster, thanks to visual voicemail. It allows you to see your list of messages and who they're from, so you can choose which ones to play or delete. It's a real timesaver.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Product Type Smartphone
- Form Factor Touch
- Phone Design PDA
- Integrated Components Wi-Fi hotspot,
GPS receiver,
2nd camera,
Digital camera,
Digital player,
Voice recorder - Width 2.75 in
- Depth 0.37
- Height 5.15 in
- Weight 4.65 oz
- SAR Value 0.85 W/kg (body) / 0.3 W/kg (head)
Cellular
- Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
- Band WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900
- Mobile Broadband Generation 4G
- Service Provider AT&T
- Operating System Android 2.3 OS
- Application Software Amazon Kindle,
Qik Lite,
Quickoffice,
Google Places - Installed Games Need for Speed SHIFT HD
- Input Device(s) Touch sensitive screen
Messaging & Internet
- Cellular Messaging Services MMS,
SMS - Instant Messaging Services Yahoo! Messenger,
Google Talk,
Windows Live Messenger (MSN Messenger) - Supported Social Networks and Blogs Facebook
- Messaging & Data Features Microsoft PowerPoint support,
Microsoft Excel support,
Microsoft Word support - Mobile Services Samsung Media Hub,
YouTube,
Gmail,
Google Search,
Google Search by Voice,
Samsung Social Hub,
Google Latitude,
Google Play Communications
- Data Transmission GPRS,
EDGE,
HSPA+,
HSUPA,
HSDPA - Wireless Interface LTE,
IEEE 802.11,
Bluetooth - WLAN Security WPA
- Communication Features Internet browser,
Mobile Email client Phone Features
- Phone Functions Call timer,
Conference call,
Speakerphone,
Vibrating alert - Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Sensors Proximity sensor,
Ambient light sensor - Additional Features World clock,
Text-to-Speech (text recognition),
Samsung AllShare,
Wi-Fi direct,
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,
Unit conversion,
Reminder,
Alarm clock Media Player
- Supported Digital Audio Standards M4A,
eAAC+,
AAC +,
MP3,
WMA,
AAC - Supported Digital Video Standards MPEG-4,
3GP Processor
- Clock Speed 1.5 GHz
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 - Still Image Formats JPEG
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Digital Zoom 4
- Self Timer Delay 10 sec,
2 sec,
5 sec - Special Effects Grayscale,
Cartoon,
Negative,
Sepia - White Balance Automatic,
Presets - Camera Light Source LED light
- Video Recorder Resolutions 176 x 144 (QCIF),
1920 x 1080 (1080p),
720 x 480,
640 x 480 (VGA),
1280 x 720 (720p),
320 x 240 (QVGA) - Features Video recording,
Multi-shots,
Geo-tagging,
Smile shutter,
Landscape/portrait mode,
Macro function Navigation System
- GPS Navigation A-GPS receiver
- Navigation Software & Services TeleNav GPS Navigator,
Google Maps,
Google Maps Navigation Display
- Type OLED display - Color
- Technology Super AMOLED Plus
- Diagonal Size 4.5 in
- Display Resolution 800 x 480 pixels
- Features Wallpaper
Connections
- Connector Type Headset jack - Mini-phone 3.5 mm,
USB Battery
- Technology Lithium ion
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Power adapter , Power adapter
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Product series
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Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket - black (AT&T)
Manufacturer: Samsung
Specs: AT&T,
WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM,
Up to 420 min,
With digital camera / digital player,
4.65 oz,
8 megapixels,
4.5 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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