Before AT&T lit up its LTE network, the carrier already marketed some of its smartphones as 4G devices although these are just 3G and HSPA+ handsets. However, when its LTE network finally went online, AT&T needed a true 4G handset that will enable its subscribers to take full advantage of all the benefits that its LTE network brought to the table. This is where the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G came in.
Announced back in October of last year alongside the HTC Vivid 4G, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G is one of the first true 4G smartphones that was added to the lineup of AT&T. For some, this would be the LTE-capable variant of the once flagship device of Samsung from last year, the Samsung Galaxy S II. With the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G in the stable of AT&T, all other “4G devices” of AT&T were just hopelessly underpowered when compared with the Samsung LTE smartphone.
The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G was released by AT&T back in November and since then, it has become one of the more popular devices being offered by the wireless provider. This is not surprising at all given the impressive components and capabilities that the smartphone brought to the table. The handset received glowing reviews and was considered as the best variant of the Samsung Galaxy S II to be released in our side of the world. It has dimensions of 129.8 x 68.8 x 9.5 mm and it weighs in at just 130.5 grams despite its size. Design-wise, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G is your typical Android smartphone with a black colorway but the edges of the handset give it a sleek and streamlined design.
When the Samsung Skyrocket 4G was launched, it shipped with Android 2.3 Gingerbread for its operating system but was recently upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich a couple of months back. This update made the handset even more capable than it already is. As for the circuitry in the internals of the handset, it is built around the QualComm MSM8260 SnapDragon chipset of the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G. This chipset has a system-on-a-chip architecture which already includes a dual-core 1.5 GHz Scorpion processor, a full gigabyte of RAM and a dedicated Adreno 220 graphics chip.
In terms of storage space, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G comes with 16GB of internal memory and a dedicated microSD card slot in the handset’s chassis enables a user to further expand the storage capacity of the smartphone. Display-wise, the smartphone comes with a massive 4.5-inch SuperAMOLED Plus panel with a 480 x 800 resolution. As for its shooting department, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G packs a main 8MP autofocus shooter with LED flash at its back panel while a 2MP video call and self-portrait camera can be found in its front bezel. Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket is currently available starting at $79.
