Samsung Focus S hands-on

By Terrence O'Brien  posted Nov 4th 2011 8:00AM

Hands-On

The Focus S is just a few short days away from hitting shelves, so Samsung invited us over to get acquainted with the company's AT&T-bound Mango device. If you're not already familiar with the specs, under the hood is a 1.4GHz CPU that pushes all those delicious Metro-themed pixels to a 4.3-inchSuper AMOLED Plus display. Right above the screen is a 1.3-megapixel shooter and around back you'll find an 8MP cam also capable of capturing 720p video. It's all put together in an amazingly light, 8.55mm thin package that is (for better or worse) distinctively Samsung. While the all plastic construction doesn't exactly make it the most robust handset on the planet, it's not cheap feeling either. The lack of heft in the hand was somewhat shocking, especially given its size. In fact, the Focus S is lighter than its smaller and more budget-friendly sibling the Focus Flash. Thankfully, Sammy continued its recent trend of using textured, matte-finished backplates that sport a more premium feel than the glossy plastic of devices past.

Samsung Focus S hands-on

As you'd expect, Windows Phone 7.5 hums along beautifully, even if the Snapdragon inside is only single core. Then again, we didn't have a chance to load it up with a slew of apps and countless accounts. The star though, is clearly the screen. Even at only 480 x 800 the Super AMOLED Plus panel is gorgeous. It's not quite as sharp as the iPhone 4's, but it's plenty bright, pleasantly contrasty and puts our aging Droid X to shame. We're also big fans of the dedicated camera button -- a feature we think all phones should have. No matter where you are in the OS, press it down and up pops the WP7 camera app. The dual-stage button easily lets you focus and snap shots, but you can always tap to focus too. And the camera is speedy -- not quite as fast as the Galaxy Nexus, but there's definitely less of a lag between shots than there is with the iPhone and just about every other Android phone out there. You can get your own greasy mitts on one starting November 6th for $199 with a two-year contract. But, while you wait, check out the gallery for a sneak peak at the device.