How smartphones age! Smartphone Samsung GT I8160 Galaxy Ace II: reviews and characteristics of Galaxy Ace 2

07.10.2023

: A year ago, a smartphone from Samsung appeared, which quickly became popular and beloved by users. The Galaxy Ace model has become an example of how successful a mid-range smartphone can be.

Now it's time to update the lineup, so a fresh solution will come in handy. At the time, its predecessor became a real sales hit; the model turned out to be successful both in its design, imitating the Apple style, and in its filling. All this was offered at an attractive price, which ensured people's love for the smartphone.

During this time, the market has become filled with models with similar characteristics; there are also many offers from Samsung. You can remember the Galaxy W smartphones - the first is cheaper, the others are more expensive than the new Galaxy Ace 2. In any case, you can choose among the rich range of one manufacturer and find the optimal solution for yourself.

Contents of delivery

Smartphone

Battery

Cable

2 GB microSD memory card

Stereo headset

Charger

Design

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 is reminiscent of the company’s previously released models, and it’s easy to find common features between them. The body contours are similar to the Galaxy W, and the new product also inherits similar plastic from the latter. The case is without metal, matte plastic predominates here, fortunately, there is no gloss here, everything is assembled with high quality and monolithically.

The plastic behaves well, but over time, small abrasions may form on the back cover if you carry the smartphone in your pocket with other items.

Tightly fitting parts eliminate play or squeaks; this also applies to the positive qualities of the smartphone.

On the front panel there is a set of proximity sensors and a camera for video calls. Unfortunately, there is no sensor for automatic backlight brightness adjustment. The earpiece is hidden under a decorative silver mesh.

At the bottom, in the center, there is a large Home key, which rises above the body. It's flat to make it easier to feel, and has a silver edge that helps you feel the key blindly. The button is mechanical, the clicks are clear, the travel is small. By holding it down for a few seconds, you can display a list of running applications.

On either side of it are two other functional controls for the phone. There are symbols on the left and right of the touch panel: these are the Menu button and the Return key. Due to the fact that they are given a large enough space to press them accurately and avoid erroneous or inaccurate presses, they are convenient to use. The buttons are backlit and are activated when you touch one of the touch zones. Subsequently they go out, despite the working screen. Their operation is configured in the menu, so if desired, the backlight can be completely turned off or, conversely, activated for a longer time.

At the bottom there is a small microphone hole and a port
microUSB

There is a 3.5 mm headphone jack at the top end.

On the left side there is a paired volume key. It is embossed, easy to feel and pleasant to press. There is also a slot for microSD memory cards. Access to it is free, you do not need to remove the battery to change the flash drive, hot-swappable is supported, you just need to fold the protective cover to the side.

On the right side there is a small button to turn off the device, which also functions as a screen lock. It also has a comfortable shape.

The back cover is covered with a barely noticeable pattern. This mesh allows you to hold your smartphone more confidently in your hand. At the bottom there is a small protrusion, familiar from the company’s models. It adds originality to the appearance of the smartphone, and also helps to hold the device in your hand more confidently.

The dimensions of the smartphone fall within the usual framework: 118.3x62.3x10.5 mm, weight 118 g. Not the largest, not the heaviest device for its class. It fits well in your pocket or hand, in general, it is convenient for everyone.

In the center is a 5-megapixel camera lens, which is decorated with a silver rim. Below it is an LED flash. To the right is the speaker hole.

Inside there is a battery and a SIM card slot.

Screen

The smartphone has a 3.8-inch display with a resolution of 480x800 pixels, which is a significant step forward compared to its predecessor. In general, the screen is good for its class both in terms of picture and pixel density. The display is capacitive, supports 5-point multi-touch, and displays up to 16 million colors. The new type of PLS screen is distinguished by moderate brightness, color reproduction closer to natural colors, differing in this regard from SuperAMOLED.

The device responds perfectly to touches, the sensor is sensitive and accurately responds to touches. The protective layer is made of Gorilla Glass and protects the surface from damage. The screen's behavior in the sun is average; data fades and is difficult to read unless you manually set the maximum backlight level.

Platform

The smartphone has a dual-core U8500 Nova Thor processor with a frequency of 800 MHz, a Mali-400 graphics accelerator, and 768 MB of RAM. 4 GB of internal memory is offered for storing applications, of which about 1.5 GB is used for installing software. The card slot allows you to expand the usable space up to 32 GB inclusive. The smartphone worked well with the maximum size card. The operating system is Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread and the proprietary TouchWiz 4.0 shell.

Interface

The proprietary TouchWiz 4.0 interface is used as the shell. At the top of the screen there is a service line, where the time, battery charge, and signal reception level indicator are displayed. Active connections and other data are also displayed there. By clicking on it, you can find out in more detail about what programs were downloaded, what messages and letters were received, or what files were received. The inclusion of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, silent mode and GPS is highlighted in a separate line.

You can use both standard widgets for Android and original elements from Samsung. For widgets, seven desktops are allocated, on which you can place additional functional elements at your discretion.

When you add a new widget to your desktop, a new panel may appear along with it. If desired, you can remove any part of the interface that has become unnecessary.

You can add application shortcuts to the desktop, create folders and change the background image, using both animated images on the desktop and installing static images from the gallery. Sets the image to the lock screen.

When the phone screen is locked, it displays the date and time, as well as service information. To unlock, you need to pull the top layer covering the desktop. If there were missed calls or SMS, they will be displayed on the screen with a separate icon on the left or right. The picture is set on the lock screen, the location for the clock is changed. There are several font styles to choose from.

The menu is presented in the form of 4x4 icons, and an option in the form of a vertical list is also available. If desired, you can move icons to other tables, add them to folders, thus organizing applications to your taste.

When you add new programs, they are automatically placed on the screen. They can be deleted directly from the menu; you just need to go into edit mode. But you can only delete programs that you added yourself; those installed by the manufacturer are not subject to such an operation. Folders for applications are created in the menu.

If you hold down the menu button, a pop-up window will open, showing shortcuts to six recently launched applications.

Phone book

The general list shows stored contacts both in the phone memory and SIM card, as well as data from your Google account. You can choose among them by setting the ability to display subscribers only from the selected memory type. In the settings, you select your preferred method for sorting names.

By clicking the field reserved for the subscriber's picture, you can make a call, send him a message or email, and also view information about him. There are many fields provided for additional data. It includes various types of telephone numbers, email addresses, instant communication tools, residential addresses and other information.

If the subscriber is assigned an image, it will be displayed on the screen. To simplify the search, you can use the vertical line on which the alphabet is depicted. Thus, by sliding your finger over it, the letters pop up and you can quickly find your way around. Of course, there is also a standard search function among contacts. There is a quick call to 8 selected subscribers. Contacts can be divided into different groups, which are assigned an individual signal.

From the phone book, you can quickly call or write an SMS to a person - you just need to swipe your finger left (call) or right (message) on the line with the subscriber's name. By clicking on the space reserved for the subscriber's picture, a quick menu is called up, with which you can send a message, mail, or make a phone call to the selected person.

Call log

You can access the call log directly from the phone book; it is highlighted in a separate tab. There the dialed numbers are sorted by date. But they are not the only ones who appear. It also contains information about messages. If desired, the amount of displayed data can be reduced to a minimum or, conversely, the most complete informational list of events of recent days can be obtained.

Having selected a subscriber, you can see which calls were made and how many times - such a collapsed list is much more convenient than a long string of dialed numbers of the same type. However, in the general list of calls there is a duplication of identical numbers, which overloads the log with identical data. The smartphone can display frequently used numbers in a separate group, which is convenient.

The number is dialed using a virtual keyboard, and when entering numbers, the smartphone automatically displays on the screen contacts stored in the device’s memory with similar initial numbers in the number.

Messages

For SMS and MMS there is a common folder where received messages go. When sending, by adding various objects to the text, you can automatically transform it into a multimedia message. When sending a message, the phone can display the last used numbers, thereby greatly simplifying the search for the recipient. A message can be sent simultaneously to several subscribers or to a group created in the smartphone’s memory. There is a set of funny android emoticons.

The device combines correspondence with subscribers into dialogues. The smartphone can automatically delete old SMS if there is no desire to store thousands of archives on the device. As you type text, you can cut, copy, and paste it. Entering text is convenient. It offers not only the Samsung keyboard option, but also the Swype function. Its essence is that you just need to move your finger along the layout with signs. The device will independently generate words based on which characters were touched by the user’s hand. For clarity, during such input, a blue bar is displayed on the screen, which allows you to avoid confusion when typing text.

The function is very convenient, it automatically places spaces between words, selects words well, and most importantly, you can type text very quickly. If the word is short and a combination of several possible options is possible, then the phone will display them, then you need to choose between them yourself. You can add new words to her vocabulary.

Email

To work with email, the mailbox is automatically configured (if it is not Gmail, which connects immediately after the email address was entered during the initial activation of the phone). It includes entering basic information (login, password). The phone perfectly understands various encodings, supports loading attachments (you must insert a memory card, otherwise this function will not work) in familiar formats.

When creating a letter, you can also attach various files from the device memory to it. The function of copying text and automatically checking the mailbox works (the interval is set manually). Sorting mail by date, subject, sender and size works.

Gallery

Photos and videos stored in the smartphone's memory are displayed here. The gallery works in both vertical and horizontal orientation. Working with files is accompanied by nice animation effects. Working with files is fast, image previews are generated without delay. Pictures are displayed in a 2x3 or 3x2 grid, depending on the position of the device.

The preview folders contain smaller pictures, so that not 3, but 4 pictures can be placed vertically. The image opens in full screen, scaling works using multi-touch. Files can be sent via email, Bluetooth, SMS or hosted on Picasa. You can assign images as desktop wallpaper or assign them to a contact. It supports rotating pictures, reducing their size, and also displays additional information about a specific file, and also shows the place where the picture was taken if geotagging is working.

Images are shown both in folders (for example, received via Bluetooth, photo section) and ordered by date. This makes it very convenient to view photos - there are several sections in the same folder. You can scroll either using the bar displayed at the bottom of the screen or by simply touching the screen with your fingers anywhere on it.

The built-in photo image editor will help you add various effects to your pictures.

Player

The player's interface is simple and intuitive. A general list displays all the songs in the smartphone’s memory. There are also additional columns. Playlists of several types, albums, artists, genres, composers, years. While music is playing, the cover specified in the file tags is displayed on the screen; if there is none, there will be a multi-colored picture instead.

The volume can be changed both from the player menu using the vertical adjustment scale, and by using the side volume keys. The screen displays the name of the artist, the name of the album and the song being played. Tracks can be put on repeat (song, album, all songs) or listened to in shuffle mode.

Virtual keys are used for navigation (forward, backward and pause), and you can also switch between songs by flipping through the file cover image. While listening, you can set your favorite song as a ringtone, contact or alarm.

The user has access to numerous equalizer settings: auto, normal, pop, rock, jazz, dance, classical, live sound, other. You can select the audio effect: normal, wide range, concert hall, music clarity, bass boost, externalization. There is a visualization function, but it does not go well with album covers, so it is more interesting to use it if they are not specified in the file properties.

When the keyboard is locked, the player control line is displayed at the top of the screen, which contains navigation keys, information about the song being played, and cover art.

The sound quality is at the level of the Galaxy W model. That is, not bad, but not the best for its class. In my opinion, Sony Xperia Sola or HTC One V are more interesting as a music source if high-quality headphones are used in conjunction with the device.

Radio

The receiver supports RDS, can work in the background and turn off after a set time period (30 minutes, 1 or 2 hours). The automatic search function for radio stations works. You can display 6 of your favorite radio stations on your desktop and quickly switch between them.

As with the player, there is a pop-up window at the top of the screen for quick navigation between stations. To end the radio broadcast, a separate “stop” key is provided.

Video

The smartphone has full support for DivX and XviD codecs. Therefore, it can be used to watch unconverted videos. Here, videos are launched in 720p quality if desired, although due to the limited display resolution, HD quality will not fully manifest itself.

The video library is displayed in the form of a list with a small preview image of the film, its name and duration are also indicated. During viewing, controls may be displayed on the screen, including rewind and pause keys. A scroll bar appears, allowing you to quickly navigate through the movie being played. Using the lock key on the side of the phone, you can protect yourself from accidental presses while watching a movie.

Camera

The smartphone's camera is 5 megapixel, with autofocus and flash. Shooting starts exclusively from the smartphone menu. The interface is well designed. The shutter button is located on the right, the rest of the space is reserved for the viewfinder and two small zones for service options. The shortcut menu located on the left is customizable. The most necessary functions are placed there for quick access. Focusing on any point on the screen is implemented; you just need to touch the desired place.

Camera settings:

Self-portrait.

White Balance: Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent.

Flash.

Shooting mode: one shot, smile, panorama, in motion, cartoon.

Shooting conditions: Portrait, Landscape, Night, Sports, Party, Beach\Snow, Sunset, Dawn, Autumn colors, Fireworks, Text, Twilight, Backlight.

Exposition.

Focus: auto, macro.

Timer: 2, 5, 10 seconds.

Effects: Normal, Negative, Black and White, Sepia.

Photo size: 5M (2560x1920), 3.2M (2048x1536), 2M (1600x1200), 0.3M (640x480 pixels).

ISO: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800.

Metering: Center-weighted, Spot metering, Matrix.

The shooting quality is very good, the smartphone will not disappoint with the results, especially in clear weather. Taking pictures of texts is also not a problem; there is autofocus and a macro mode, so the device can also take a photo of a document or a note on a sheet of paper without difficulty.

Organizer

The calendar in the device is made in a traditional style; the display of information for a whole month, a week or a specific day can be configured. You can set the alert type and tone for recorded events and meetings. There is a division of information by storage location, each option has its own color label.

When creating a new record, it is given a name, period and location. You can specify which calendar it will be synchronized with, and you can send invitations to contacts from your address book. The repetition period is set (every day, weekly, monthly, yearly). A reminder will help you not to lose sight of the recording - the alarm will go off in advance. Additionally, the alert type is set.

Watch

The smartphone allows you to save several alarms in memory. The repeat can be set either once or every day, only on weekdays or weekly. You can also set specific days. The signal melody is set, you can add a vibration alert and a text file to it. The period for the signal to be triggered again is set.

There is also a pre-alarm function. It boils down to the fact that the phone begins to make quiet sounds in advance, gradually forcing the owner of the phone to wake up. A pleasant soundtrack of nature sounds has a pleasant effect and helps you wake up in a welcoming mood.

The smartphone displays time in different time zones.

There is a stopwatch.

There is a timer.

The voice recorder is simple and convenient; it saves recordings both in the phone memory and on a card. The recording time is user-defined, so you can take small notes that fit in an MMS.

Designed as a wooden board with a sheet of paper attached, notes allow you to create notes.

The calculator works in both portrait and landscape orientation. In the latter case, more functions are available.

YouTube, a standard application for most modern devices, allows you to view videos and search among them. The application runs in full screen mode.

The File Manager allows you to work with folders and the data stored in them. You can organize them by different types and delete contents.

Mini diary will help you create a note by adding a picture to it.

Polaris Office allows you to view documents on your phone screen. The program will detect data not only in the device’s memory, but also on a remote server.

Shows weather forecast and news.

Tasks are created with a priority and a reminder signal.

Google Talk chat starts.

Voice control helps you control your smartphone's functions. It does not recognize the Russian language, but it recognized commands in English normally. Therefore, you can call a friend, look up information in the browser, or open the messages menu without using the touchscreen.

Browser

A convenient application is used for Internet surfing. A navigation bar is displayed at the top of the screen, and to the right of it there is a shortcut that allows you to bookmark the page. The phone remembers the most visited pages and has a log of pages viewed. You can keep several windows open at the same time.

There is a search for words on the page, text selection, as well as a practical function for changing the screen brightness directly from the browser. The font size changes, saving passwords works. In this application you can adjust the brightness level. The browser is convenient, it’s comfortable to use, it supports full-fledged Adobe Flash, so there will be no restrictions on the sites.

GPS navigation

Google Maps is used for navigation. The only drawback is that the program requires constant network activity, which affects the amount of traffic consumed by the device. Traffic jams are displayed, so the application has become fully functional and convenient not only for pedestrians, but also for car owners.

There is a function for determining the current location, calculating the route from the starting point to the ending point, and specifying the method of movement: by car, on foot or public transport. The route is laid out on the map, and key places are indicated in the form of text messages, which are displayed on the screen in the form of a column; you can switch between them: view the route in advance or vice versa, go back and plot another path. Scaling works using multi-touch or virtual buttons.

Applications

The Play Store will provide access to a variety of applications; here it is easy to choose the necessary set of programs for yourself. There is a convenient search function, as well as dividing programs into categories, which greatly simplifies browsing. You can look at the reviews, evaluate the rating and express your opinion about the software.

Each application is provided with a brief description and images for greater clarity. Purchased applications are displayed in a separate list, which is convenient: if you purchased a new phone, you can immediately install those programs that were previously purchased.

Connections

The phone operates in the frequencies 850/900/1800/1900/2100 MHz. There is support for HSDPA - 7.2 Mbit/s and HSUPA - 5.76 Mbit/s, and a front VGA camera is used for video calls.

The device has Bluetooth 3.0, which is characterized by high data transfer speeds (of course, with A2DP support). The Wi-Fi module with b/g/n support works great. DLNA support allows you to view photos and videos wirelessly from compatible devices. Wi-FI Direct supported.

The microUSB connector, which has become a standard, allows data transfer via USB 2.0.

Kies Air is convenient for synchronizing your device and computer. The smartphone connects via Wi-Fi, forming a connection with the PC. You can work with phone data through a browser. Everything is simple and convenient. The main advantage is that you do not need to install additional applications.

Working hours

A 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery will allow the smartphone to operate up to 570 hours in standby mode and up to 1070 minutes in talk time. In video playback mode at maximum screen brightness and Wi-Fi turned on, the smartphone lasted a little less than 5 hours. On average, it turns out to be about one day of working with the Internet, photos, music and calls; there are no differences here from models of a similar level. MicroUSB charging is supported when connected to a PC.

Conclusion

The speaker for conversations is loud and of high quality, with a good sound margin. The vibration alert is average in strength. The melody is reproduced clearly, rather at an average level, maybe a little higher, but in a noisy place the call is not always clearly audible.

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 has already gone on sale, it started at 12,000 rubles. This is a very reasonable price for a phone with such a set of characteristics. A good screen and camera, speed and the ability to watch 720p video without conversion, a slot for a memory card and decent battery life will be the important qualities that every buyer pays attention to. Maybe in some categories the Galaxy Ace 2 is inferior to its competitors. For example, it has a metal body, while it has a more original design. There is no NFC or a very beautiful shell, but overall the smartphone is balanced and easy to use. Samsung has released another popular and necessary model, it will be very popular. There are all the makings and necessary qualities for this.

Terrible model

Phone experience: more than a year

Advantages of the phone: Comfortable, fairly fast and simple phone, nice appearance, excellent size (not very small, but not big either). I replaced the weak battery with a 2500 mAh Chinese one bought on the Internet, so I didn’t experience any problems with that. There is no creaking or play anywhere, it is assembled very well. Disadvantages of the phone: Instead of the stated 4 gigs on the USB drive, the user is given only one, but at the same time it has priority over the microSD card, so all applications and so on will be downloaded to this drive first, while the phone ignores the memory card even if the drive is full and simply won’t download anything. It can be treated, but it is very unpleasant, especially for people who are not particularly versed in Android.
A bunch of pre-installed software, as well as demo games that are not so easy to remove. Autorun probably contains a dozen unnecessary programs that will eat up an already weak battery, and you can disable them only if you have Root rights, which you can’t just turn on, you need to download the software from 4pda.
There is no button for taking photographs; you have to hold the phone motionless and press the button on the screen, which is very inconveniently located.
After updating the firmware, it started to slow down a lot.
It's slippery enough to make you fall.

Comment about the phone:

I don't recommend it.
I add it after 3 years of use
I can add that at the moment the phone is hopelessly outdated and, although there was one update to Android 4.1.2, Samsung was simply killed and nothing was fixed. There is not enough RAM, memory and processor even for applications (not games), it is inferior in everything to most budget models for 3.5-4k, except for build quality. I don’t see any point in buying this brick now; if you need a cheap smartphone, take some Chinese phone for the same price.

Review No. 2 about the Samsung Galaxy Ace II GT-I8160 phone

Good model

Use experience: more than a year

Disadvantages of the phone: It's been 2.5 years since I've been using this model. I decided to write a short review and opinion about her. Having bought a Samsung ace2, after a Nokia e6 I felt like I was holding a cheap Chinese dialer in my hands. Well, in principle, I mastered the plastic Android quickly. I liked the device, but not right away. A week after the purchase, I installed the root and played enough games. And basically 80 percent of it was used as a player, music, video. In modern times, it has proven itself to be a shock-resistant and moisture-resistant specimen. Although in terms of characteristics he did not possess either one or the other. Reliability is 5+ in my case. During this time, the glass of the screen was covered with small scratches. Although considering the troubles he got into, he could have broken into small crumbs). The build is amazing. Flew into the wall, fell into the bathtub. Of course, after such tests, chips and scratches appeared. A piece of plastic edging fell off. Which, by the way, began to lick and crack after a couple of months of use after purchase. Stock firmware 2.3.6 is its native firmware in every sense.

Dear Trashbox users, this smartphone, or rather the Samsung GALAXY Ace 2, fell into my hands at the end of May and I decided to make a review dedicated to this smartphone.
So let's start with the technical specifications:

3.8" TFT display with 480 x 800 pixel resolution
dual-core processor ST-Ericsson NovaThorU8500 with a clock frequency of 800 MHz, video accelerator MALI-400MP (single-core)
RAM 768 MB
built-in memory 4 GB
two cameras: 5MP main, 0.3MP front
battery 1500 mAh
communications USB 2.0 / Bluetooth 3.0+EDR / Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n+DLNA) / GPS (with a-GPS support)
dimensions 118.3 x 62.2 x 10.5 mm
weight 122 g

EQUIPMENT

APPEARANCE

SCREEN

SYSTEM

PERFORMANCE

Samurai II
The technical specifications stated that the device has 4 GB of internal memory, but in fact only 1.1 GB is free. This means you won’t be able to play NFS: Most Wanted, Real Racing 3, GTA VC, of course this can be fixed, but you need to get Root rights, which means losing the warranty. I was only able to test the game Iron man3. During the gameplay, no lags or glitches were detected. The quality of the graphics can be seen in the screenshots below

Benchmark testing results

Joining the ranks of smartphones like Orange San Diego, HTC One V and occupying the niche between the basic and mid-range phones, the Galaxy Ace II has entered a market where you have to try to stand out from the crowd. The £160 price tag made it an attractive proposition for many.

Description of Ace II (GT-I8160)

A rounded, impressive little smartphone with an attractive 3.8" WVGA capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, it is pleasant to look at, although it fails to stand out from the competition. The pixel density is 245 dpi. It's inferior to the 300 DPI of high-end phones from 2012, but the high-quality PLS panel makes the pixels virtually indistinguishable, delivering extremely sharp images. Samsung's PLS technology was designed to compete with the IPS panels used in the iPhone 4S and HTC One X. The viewing angles of the screen are excellent and only lose a little brightness when tilted too far in some directions. The display contrast of 843:1 with a maximum brightness of 500 cd/m2 does not match the characteristics of IPS or OLED matrices, but for a mid-price phone it is quite acceptable.

The plastic but aesthetically pleasing body features a durable design that makes the device as pleasing to the hands as it is to the eyes.

To everyone’s disappointment, despite the fact that the phone was presented and entered the market much later than the release of the Android 4.0 OS, the Korean manufacturer chose to use the operating system version 2.3, on the platform of which the original Galaxy Ace worked. This obvious statement of the imperfections of the smartphone does not negate the fact that the device has received many updates that compensate for outdated software and give some advantage over models offered at higher prices.

Subsequently, the Ace II (GT-I8160) firmware, among other models, was updated by the Korean brand to Android 4.1.2. This improved the camera app, made it faster, modernized the user interface, and appeased those owners who were angry when they learned that they would never receive the update to version 4-1.

Design

In the 2nd generation of the model, the manufacturer made a comprehensive overhaul, installed a 2-core processor with a frequency of 800 MHz, and increased the RAM from 278 to a much more respectable 768 MB. In addition, the smartphone is equipped with a 5-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and built-in LED flash. It also became possible to record 720p high-definition video, which made it possible to classify the phone as a middle-class model. The second VGA camera is installed on the front panel of the model.

The smartphone has a comfortable weight of 122 g and a thickness of 10.5 mm. Ace II (GT-I8160) can be improved by expanding the storage capacity by 32 GB using a microSD card. Also offered is a standard set of wireless communications 3G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and optionally GPS and HSDPA.

Although the smartphone's screen size has increased from 3.5 to 3.8 inches compared to the first-generation model, the smartphone is 1mm thinner, tapering down to a relatively slender 10.5mm at its widest point.

And although the model uses a plastic construction, it is a surprisingly durable and well-built device that only bends or creaks a little under great force.

No matter how pleasant the design of the Samsung GT-I8160 Galaxy Ace II is, reviews from owners indicate that it is far from unique and shares a number of characteristics of many other Android devices from the Korean company with a large rectangular home screen button dominating the front panel of the smartphone . There's nothing wrong with the similarity, and the smoothly curved edges and slim form factor that fits comfortably in your hand make it even more attractive.

One of the design features that the Ace II unfortunately inherited is the fragile and flimsy back panel. The thin component leaves the user confused when trying to remove it to access the SIM card, microSD and battery.

With the increase in size, the Samsung Galaxy Ace II (GT-I8160) mobile phone has gained weight compared to its predecessor, although only slightly. Despite the addition of 9g, which increases the weight of the smartphone to 122g, the device is comfortable to hold and not so heavy that it feels uncomfortable. This is also helped by the rounded edges and slightly textured back panel, which prevents accidental falls and slips.

The smartphone has only 3 physical controls - a home screen button, a standard power switch and a volume up and down key. While the latter two elements are located in an area susceptible to accidental pressure when holding the phone in either the right or left hand, they are stiff enough to be a concern. The microUSB port and the 3.5 mm headset jack are the only “defects” of the flawlessly smooth surface of the case.

Software

Despite all the innovative technical characteristics, the Samsung Galaxy Ace II (GT-I8160) is a standard combination of Android 2.3 and TouchWiz 4.0 user interface. The phone comes with software that has proven to work on previous Galaxy models. TouchWiz is an intuitive interface with a set of functions, shortcuts and features that will attract both novice and experienced smartphone users.

Offering quick access to the most frequently changed settings, the menu widget takes up 1 of 7 possible home screens and allows owners to quickly turn Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, synchronization, automatic brightness control and screen timeout on and off. Featuring a dual-core 800MHz processor, the Samsung GT-I8160 Galaxy Ace II's interface is said to be lag-free, and the GPU pairs well with the highly responsive 3.8" multi-touch display, delivering smooth screen transitions with little lag or stuttering. " For quick access to settings and messages, the standard notification menu provides links to the most essential data, which helps keep your smartphone running smoothly. And although this feature is supported by all competitors, it never disappoints.

Phone calls

While more and more entry-level and mid-range smartphones don't give this basic feature the attention it deserves, the Galaxy Ace II's hardware performs well. The phone's strong signal and clear sound lacks only noise-canceling functionality, as background noise sometimes interferes with the normal flow of a conversation, drowning out the other party. This is especially noticeable when the person on the other end of the line is in an area of heavy traffic or strong winds.

Internet

In most cases, Android apps provide excellent functionality, and the smartphone browser offers few advantages over the standard pre-installed universal browsers of the TouchWiz UI platform and interface. It's far from spectacular and has a limited set of features, none of which set it apart from its closest competitors with similar capabilities. Users can download a much better version of the browser from the Google Play Store. For example, Firefox.

When accessed over Wi-Fi, web pages load instantly, but the 3G connection makes Internet navigation a little slow, accompanied by somewhat less than smooth page loading.

Because the pre-installed browser doesn't bother formatting content to make it easier to read, the smartphone renders text and images very quickly when zoomed in, so there's no need to wait for unclear content to clear up. However, a small problem with zooming in on large areas of a web page is that scrolling or scrolling through online articles can become a bit difficult, as the interface does so at such a speed that it's easy to miss sections you need.

What makes the browser more manageable and convenient is the ability to simultaneously access 8 separate web page tabs and an efficient and easy-to-use bookmarking system, brought up by simply pressing the dedicated on-screen button next to the URL input panel. In addition, there is quick access to the most frequently visited sites. From the tab you can also view your browser history.

Camera

Exceeding all the expectations set out in the smartphone's specifications on paper, the 5-megapixel rear camera of the Samsung GT-I8160 Galaxy Ace II, according to owners, provides impressive results with autofocus, built-in LED flash and smile detection, which allow you to easily shoot in any conditions.

The shutter speed is more consistent with static panoramic shots, but the user can activate AF by simply tapping on the desired area of the screen. This is a handy feature that works well, ensuring that your subject is always clearly visible. Although the Samsung Galaxy Ace II (GT-I8160)'s specifications don't allow for macro photography (the device refuses to set its focal length too close), the large selection of scenes outweighs this drawback. The standard list, including scenes such as “Portrait”, “Landscape”, “Night”, “Sports”, “Fireworks”, is supplemented by more complex modes.

While the Cartoon option produces unimpressive results, Panorama is one of the best on the market, stitching together a series of images into an impressively expansive image. For those who want more control over the photo-taking process, the Samsung Galaxy Ace II (GT-I8160) allows you to change white balance, exposure values and ISO settings. Although the user is given a little leeway, adjustments are easy and don't require much fuss.

While photographing bright objects from darkness produces mixed results, the Samsung GT-I8160 Galaxy Ace II's built-in 5-megapixel image sensor is said to impress with its indoor photography capabilities when using the LED flash.

Video

Despite the low price and not entirely revolutionary specifications, video recording on the Samsung GT-I8160 Galaxy Ace II, according to owners, is characterized by excellent speed, excellent color reproduction and a large number of customizable functions. The smartphone's camera is capable of shooting 720p HD video at 30 fps and creating video content that is free of heavy pixelation, motion blur and weak audio. Further enhancing the mobile phone's video capabilities is the built-in LED flash, which can be used to illuminate dark scenes, while a set of filters allows you to view footage in classic black and white, sepia or negative display.

Despite its strengths, the video shot with the Samsung Galaxy Ace II (GT-I8160) camera, according to customer reviews, is not without its shortcomings. Lacking the contrast and color depth of higher-end rivals, the phone produces results that suffer from large blocks of color, with content sometimes appearing more segmented than in real life.

2 years ago +1

Price, screen

2 years ago +1

Convenient size, fits well in the hand, light Reliable signal reception, excellent network connection (for a smartphone), good earpiece Finds satellites surprisingly quickly, even indoors Not a bad processor in terms of performance

2 years ago 0

AWESOME screen, super clear screen diagonal and resolution - 800x480, many custom firmwares have been released for this smartphone, as well as a good camera.

2 years ago 0

From the outside it doesn’t look too bad, although this is all subjective of course. It fits comfortably in the hand and is also comfortable to use. There are no creaks or backlashes, the assembly is surprisingly excellent (ROSTEST CHINA) A good screen, it is not possible to see any graininess there unless you bring it to your nose and look closely, still there is sufficient resolution for such a diagonal. The sensor is responsive, there are no complaints, it works very quickly, I have already downloaded a large number of games and applications, they all run without any problems, I even downloaded 2 games, 3D graphics, and there are no brakes at all, and with the release of Android 4, the performance should also increase . The camera also shoots decently and it even seems to me that it began to shoot faster. The speaker is loud enough to easily hear someone calling you

2 years ago 0

All declared characteristics and capabilities are fully justified!

2 years ago 0

Great screen, lots of memory, no lag, very good Android.

2 years ago 0

Beautiful, good camera.

2 years ago 0

5 megapixel camera, front camera, sound quality, video, all this la fleur is already tired and it’s not here)))

2 years ago 0

Android 2.3 firmware had a lot of advantages, I won’t repeat what is listed below. but android 2.3 has long been outdated.

2 years ago 0

The screen is medium-sized (larger than the iPhone4), suitable for simple games, listening to music and surfing the Internet.

2 years ago 0

IMHO The volume buttons could protrude less from the body - there are accidental presses

2 years ago 0

In fact, there are none.

2 years ago 0

1 Not very bright screen in bright sun is very difficult to use
2 there is no zoom in the camera, it just shocked me
3 this is probably a light sensor, although I don’t know why it’s needed because it’s constantly stupid on all phones and doesn’t set the brightness correctly, but in Samsung you can do this by swiping across the top of the screen. very convenient and why don’t you need it.

2 years ago 0

Slow and inaccurate GPS, back cover and front button are very scratched, old Android

2 years ago 0

Initially there were literally a couple of reboots, but I haven’t noticed anything like this for quite some time, apparently due to the release of new software.

2 years ago 0

I didn't find any shortcomings.

2 years ago 0

1. I’m surprised that no one mentioned such a significant drawback for the phone, and this is, after all, a phone!, such as the lack of written notification of SMS delivery. This model only provides a sound alert and a pop-up window. Very inconvenient
2. In some Samsung models, the camera button is on the side, which makes shooting very easy. Not here, which is a pity.

2 years ago 0

sometimes it glitches, you have to reboot it, but then it works again
There are some built-in folders that I don’t need, and it’s impossible to delete them (although, however, they don’t bother me)

2 years ago 0

terrible update to android 4.1! Constant lags, freezes while watching videos, clogged RAM, Samsung launcher lags. Is it really impossible to update this decent smartphone normally? No, it’s easier for Samsung to make ace 3, let them choke on money, narrow-eyed misers.