Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 GT-I8160
Review
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Review: May 2012 |
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Last updated April 2013.
Phone rating: 
In a nutshell: The Samsung Galaxy
Ace 2 is an impressive mid-range phone, delivering the power
of Android without too many compromises. From the dual-core
processor to the 4GB of onboard memory and extended battery
life, the Ace 2 gives you everything you need from a modern
budget smartphone.
Best buy: *Free* from The
Carphone Warehouse (Black); or £129.95 on Pay as you Go
from The
Carphone Warehouse (Black).
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The Galaxy Ace was Samsung's strongest
selling mid-range Android smartphone in 2011/2012, but it has always experienced
troubles with an underpowered processor, small memory and poor battery life.
So it's good to see a replacement.
Unlike the Galaxy Ace Plus, which
didn't quite pull it off, the Ace 2 is a worthy successor to the Ace. It delivers
everything we need from a mid-range Android phone.
The Ace 2 is slightly less boxy in its appearance than the Ace, and has added
a couple of millimetres to its length and width. It doesn't feel large though,
thanks to being just 10.5mm thick. It's rather plasticky in feel, like all Samsungs,
but seems pretty robust and shouldn't be prone to scratches unless treated really
badly. The additional few millimetres have been employed to good effect, increasing
the screen size to a more respectable 3.8 inches. The number of pixels has tripled
to 800 x 480, making the display much sharper and clearer, especially when reading
text or viewing photos.
Inside lots has changed, and all for the better. A dual core 800MHz processor
lifts the performance of the device considerably, although it can still lag
at times. The memory has also increased dramatically to 4GB, with the option
to add a microSD memory card for an additional 32GB. This increase in memory
fixes one of the key issues with the original Ace.
Surprisingly the Ace 2 doesn't come with the very latest version of Android.
Instead it runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, although we anticipate that an upgrade
to Android 4.0 will be forthcoming. Samsung's TouchWiz 4.0 user interface runs
on top of Android, giving you weather widgets and other live info on your home
screen. It also makes available a lot of content through its Hubs. Social Hub
integrates facebook and twitter with email, instant messaging and texts. Games
Hub lets you download games (which look good on the hi-res screen and play well
too with the new dual-core processor). Music Hub provides an alternative content
source to iTunes.
The 5 megapixel camera is capable, with all the essential features you'd expect,
including autofocus and a flash. There's a second front-facing camera enabled
for video chat too. Photos and videos look good on the 3.8 inch screen, and
the media player is capable of playing 720p HD videos. Audio quality is good
via the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The Ace 2 comes with Google Maps and is capable of receiving signals from both
the GPS and GLONASS satellite navigation systems, so you'll be able to find
your way quickly and reliably.
Connectivity is a star feature of the Ace 2. An addition to quadband GSM and
dual-band 3G HSPA, the device is Wi-Fi enabled, for the fastest possible data
access. It also comes with Bluetooth 3.0, USB and DLNA, and unusually it features
the new NFC system for exchanging data wirelessly.
One area where modern smartphones often fail is battery power. The Ace 2 enjoys
an enlarged 1500mAh battery, which seems more than adequate for a phone of this
type. We're not saying it'll last for a week like phones used to in olden times,
but you should get 2-3 days out of it between charges, which is pretty good
going.
Phones designed for the middle price range (around £15 per month on contract)
tend to play safe. You won't find cutting edge features at this price, but you'll
hope to find everything you need without any nasty surprises. This is what the
Ace 2 delivers. You might also consider the HTC One
X or Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini.
Features of the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 include:
- 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash and smile shot
- Video recording, 30 frames/second
- VGA front-facing video camera for video chat
- Display: TFT, 16 million colours, 480 x 800 pixels (3.8 inches) touchscreen
with auto-rotate
- Media player (supports HD video playback)
- FM radio RDS
- MP3 ringtones / 64-voice polyphonic ringtones
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, instant messaging, email
- Assisted GPS with Google Maps
- Personal organiser functions
- Processor: Dual core 800MHz
- Memory: 4GB plus microSD memory card slot
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, micro USB 2.0, NFC, DLNA, 3.5mm audio
jack
- Internet: Android web browser, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSPA 7.2Mbps
- Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900), dual band 3G HSPA (900/2100)
- Size: 118 x 62 x 10.5 mm
- Weight: 119g
- Battery: 1500 mAh
- Talktime: 450 - 980 minutes
- Battery standby: 640 - 670 hours
Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 User Reviews
Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this
phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so
please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive
language, and please, no advertising!
Average rating from 21 reviews:
Reviewed by Mark from UK on 29th May 2013
Took my galaxy ace 2 phone back to 02 for refund.
* the phone has no light indicator showing a text message.
* the battery life is very poor.
* no zoom for camera.
Looking for a new smart phone....
Rating:  Reply
Reviewed by simon from Northern Ireland on 25th
Apr 2013
This is my first samsung and i have to say great phone.
If you want an easy to use phone this has got to be it.Does all that
i want from a phone.very good phone at the price.
Rating: 
Reply
Reviewed by yen from NW England on 12th Mar 2013
So, after a kit of reading and knowledge of phones now I got this, mostly
on the count of price value for the spec.
My old phone was a hTC Desire which was good in its day but lots have
surpassed it as,we all know.,
I've gained more memory,a few more features and a different shape.
I wasn't looking for a massive phone which is the only way to get good
specs - my pockets only so big; how about a really good phone in 4'3
size hehe manufacturers?
Some bad things things about the Ace 2;
Slippy to hold,
800 dual core may be good = 1ghz is better Samsung!,
I miss the button pointer from the Desire,
No zoom on camera is near criminal!
Other than these points its a good phone.
Rating: 
Reply
Reviewed by crailman from England on 5th Jan 2013
I got this phone after being fed up with the quirks of HTC Wildfire.
It is much quicker on wi-fi, but has different quirks. Very slow to
move between screens for calls, so not quick to dial out. Connection
after dialing is slow. Predictive text is weird, but switch it off and
it does I in lower case every time, comma is on 123 keyboard option.
Camera very slow, auto flash is not, camera reverts to no flash everyone
you close it. Too easy to hit ring volume button when putting phone
away. Why are these called smart phones? Other than that great***!*
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by mike waite from uk on 20th Dec 2012
Only had ace2 for 48hrs it wont let me answer calls.manager at everything
everywhere says I have a faulty thumb, its not phone fault. cust.svcs
not interested, now diverting all calls to PAYG is only way of answering
but stuck in 2yr contract! DO NOT DEAL WITH EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE/ORANGE
THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IF YOU HAVE A FAULT. Please help if you can,
email: m.waite27@ntlworld.com. Thanks Mike
Rating: Reply
Reply by Chris from UK on 23rd Dec
2012
Isn't that an Orange issue as opposed to a phone one? Every product
will be faulty occasionally. Perhaps this site should look at differentiating
between the two.
Reviewed by Rosie Hibbs from UK on 12th Nov 2012
Have just got my Galaxy Ace 2, great phone, not as big as S3 or as featured
but fine for what I want, fits in my pocket too, and can access mail,
facebook and other web pages
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Pete from UK on 5th Nov 2012
I used to have the Sony Xperia P which due to a daft accident on my
part is sadly no more. So i bought myself a quick replacement in the
Ace 2. The only things this beats the 'P' at are: expandable memory,
and, er, thats it. The camera is a big disappointment on the Ace 2 and
i just cant get used to the touchwiz UI, dont get me wrong, if i was
used to a Samsung, this would be fine, however i'm more used to Sony
now and will go back to them first chance i get. Add an extra star to
my review if Samsung is more for you
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Declan from Ireland on 26th Oct 2012
Downgraded from an SII to the Galaxy Ace 2 and so far I have no regrets.
the build quality is stronger, better signal, good call quality, plays
music in good quality once you use the right earphones or headphones.
Got it for less than £150 new and is great value for money. Get this
one, you won't regret it. Found out that there will be a upgrade to
Jelly Bean soon so don't be put off if it's on Gingerbread (which is
still good). Also, I found that the battery life is stronger compared
to the SII.
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Darius Saulenas from UK on 23rd Oct
2012
It's one of touch screen phones more affordable than other with the
same specifications, I would rate it between 3-4. It has android 2.3.
which is slightly older than android ginger, I guess samsung is saving
money with renovations. Well I'm having this phone for 6 months, and
started having some small technical issues: 1) android system brakes
down quite often, so restart is needed 2) sometimes my sim-card stops
receiving the signal?? Some positive things: it has 5 mpx camera which
makes quite nice pictures 2) easy to upgrade memory 3) there is GPS
quite useful 4) price compare to other models Unfortunately the phone
has just 800 MHz processor and it's quite slow for present standards
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Ryan from England on 8th Oct 2012
Had this phone almost a week and love it. Very bright screen, excellent
quality pictures for a 5mp camera. Runs gingerbread instead of ICS but
Samsung have confirmed the Ace 2 will get Jelly Bean in the near future.
Highly recommended.
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by mike amery from uk on 4th Oct 2012
what a great phone and it did nt break the bank to buy it it has everything
you could want in a phone and I have seen other phones which are a lot
more exspencive but not as good as this little bute I would recomend
this phone to anyone buying a smart phone it does the job and the battery
is very good love it".
Mike
Rating:
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Reviewed by Declan from Ireland on 13th Sep 2012
Got this Sim Free. Everything you want in a phone. The screen is just
as good as the more expensive items. Reception is not an issue, battery
life seems strong enough, call quality is great. Music player is just
as good as Apple's products. I'm using it as a Sat Nav and get a good
GPS signal also. Worth getting, once you're not fussy that it doesn't
have ICS.
Rating:
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Reviewed by declan delaney from UK on 5th Sep
2012
Had the S2, but sold it. Bought this instead. The screen is clear, good
in call volume and reception. Found that battery life is stronger. Tried
the video recorder and the picture and sound quality were better than
expected. Music player is fantastic and won't let you down. No need
to fork out £400 plus on other phones. This is a great all rounder.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Vinny from U,K on 30th Jul 2012
I bought the Ace 2 on O2 PAYG, and it is a fantastic smart phone. It
feels really solid and you can easily navigate through the menus with
one hand. I manage to get 2 days out of the battery and that's with
using the internet, listening to music and playing games. The music
player is great, and games look really good on the screen.
If your looking for a smart phone that can do all the the latest stuff,
then look no further. Get the Galaxy Ace 2. Best phone I've ever had.
Plus, Ice Cream Sandwich will be rolling out pretty soon too.
Rating:
Reply
Reply by Ryan from England on 8th
Oct 2012
Ace 2 won't be getting ICS its moving straight onto Jelly Bean so even
better.
Reviewed by Andrew from UK on 18th Jul 2012
Had the Ace 2 for a couple of weeks now and on the whole I'm very happy
with it. Fancied a change from my iPhone 4 and am enjoying the move
to Android. The one issue I have is disappointing battery life. I could
get over 2 days with the iPhone 4 but I struggle to get through a day
on a full charge with the Ace 2 despite having some features (bluetooth,
wi-fi etc) only switched on when necessary. That apart it's a great
phone for the money (sold my iPhone on ebay to pay for this and nearly
made £100 profit!)
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by jon herbert from uk on 7th Jul 2012
Got the ace 2 two weeks ago, haf to get it replaced due to a dead picel
on the screen, only had replacement two days and same thing again .....
Not impressed going to have to call again to get replaced... It is a
shame as the phone is really good
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Isobel from Preston on 30th Jun 2012
Just bought an Ace 2, and to say I'm impressed is an understatement.
My husband has always been a fan of Samsung phones, but I've always
been a bit apprehensive. Well I'm not anymore. It responds amazingly
quick, and the swype texting is so easy to use. I don't recommend gadgets
easily but I'd highly recommend this phone, its outstanding. Go out
and get it!!!
Rating:
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Reviewed by bethan from UK on 30th Jun 2012
I ordered this phone from 3 on contract and its really good, the screen
dims when Im running out of battery so it can squeeze out the last bit
of battery power, but still allowing you to see!Gingerbread software
is good and better than the aces' also it is faster than the ace and
the design is possibly more robust, I would really reccomend this phone,
you can get a £13/p/month contract for the ace so I rang up and instead
3 gave me the ace 2 for the same deal, with A.C.E data, 5000 texts,
I cant remember how many minutes? but the phone is great, I would really
recommend it, because it has everything you need plus great deals and
it isnt going to break the bank! lol :D
Rating:
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Reviewed by jayne from england on 20th Jun 2012
I have just purchased this phone and love it. but can anyone till me
if there is a zoom on the camera cause I can find it lol
Rating:
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Reply by katie from scotland on 2nd
Jul 2012
u zoom in using ur fingers. put 2 fingers together on the touch screen
and open them that should zoom out. to zoom in again just close ur fingers
back together
Reviewed by Jon from UK on 8th Jun 2012
I notice on Samsung's web-site that NFC is listed as an option...
Will the O2 supplied versions of the Ace 2 definitely ship with NFC
hardware?
Rating:
Reply
Reply by c128 from UK on 11th Jun
2012
To answer my own question: I've just received a Galaxy Ace II from O2
and NFC is either not present or its disabled somehow... I'd understand
that from a contactless payments point of view, if the carrier doesn't
support it, but you can't use the NFC ability of the phone in any other
way either (tag readers etc. don't work) :-( . I guess this might be
sorted by an OS tweak, or maybe a custom ROM, if the hardware really
is there, but that's not something I want to be doing with my new phone.
I mention this just in case anyone else buys it PAYG from O2 and expects
NFC to be working out of the box.
Reviewed by Annon from UK on 1st Jun 2012
Spec is incorrect. The Ace 2 has no digital zoom.
Rating:
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Reply by Mobile Phones UK from UK on
2nd Jun 2012
Thank you - you're right. We've corrected the spec now.
Links
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Galaxy Ace 2 deals
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Galaxy Ace 2 White deals
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