Samsung officially announces Galaxy S II Plus smartphone

Last month, first images of the Samsung Galaxy S II Plus surfaced, leading many to believe that the company may launch the handset in the near future. Now, just weeks later, the biggie has arrived – Samsung has announced the Galaxy S II Plus smartphone. In an official announcement, the company states, "Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced today Samsung Galaxy S II Plus, which combines the performance that have made the Galaxy S II one of the world’s most recognized phones, together with nature-inspired user-interface and intuitive features that greatly boost its usability and functionality."

The Galaxy S II Plus runs on Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), which the company claims allows faster and smoother screen transitions. The smartphone comes with a UI featuring a new notification panel. It is powered by a 1.2GHz dual core processor and a 1,650mAh battery. 

Runs Android 4.1.2

The Galaxy S II Plus comes with Direct Call that allows users to automatically dial a call by taking the device to the ear. Smart Stay recognises whether the user is looking at the screen to dim the screen accordingly, while Smart Alert lets users know about missed events or status updates just by picking up the phone. 

The Galaxy S II Plus also sports a range of additional features that boost performance and the overall experience in entirely new ways. Popup Video allows a video to play anywhere on the screen in a resizable pop-up window while simultaneously running other tasks, eliminating the need to close and restart videos when checking new emails or surfing the Web. S Voice lets users control the phone using their voice and Voice Unlock lets users unlock the phone using their own voice.

About the camera on the Galaxy S II Plus, Samsung elaborates that the rear camera features a zero-lag shutter speed that captures moving objects easily without delay. The ‘Buddy photo share’ function also allows images to be easily and simultaneously shared with friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or the photo gallery. Additional features include Group Facetag and Face Zoom to deliver a complete photographic experience. The device is packed with the latest Samsung content services including AllShare Play, which lets users share content across Samsung devices using a single account and password. Users can also enjoy all the benefits of Samsung Hubs, including the latest versions of Readers Hub, Video Hub, Game Hub and Music Hub.

Here’s a quick look at the specs of the Galaxy S II Plus smartphone:

• 4.3-inch WVGA(480x800) Super AMOLED Plus display
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi capabilities
• GPS with A-GPS
• Bluetooth
• Main (Rear): 8 Megapixel Camera with LED Flash, Sub (Front) : 2 Megapixel Camera
• FM Radio
• 8GB internal memory + microSD (up to 64GB)