The Samsung Focus S is one of the two new Windows Telephone 7.five smartphones for AT&T that succeed last yr's Focus that was build effectually WP7. The 2nd model is called Focus Flash (reviewed here), which is a more than compact Windows Phone that is likewise more affordable. Of the 2, the Focus S can be considered the spiritual successor to the Focus as it has a number of upmarket features over the smaller Focus Wink.

Where the original Focus had a strong familiar resemblance to the Samsung Milky way South running Android, the Focus S is as close to a Windows Phone 7.5 version of the Milky way Due south II equally one can go.

Despite a nicer display and a much better camera, the Focus S shares the same processor and RAM as its lower-cost stablemate, which ways that the everyday feel is largely the same. Still, the Focus S is an impressive smartphone, with fast performance and the familiar Windows Telephone interface – flawed every bit information technology still may exist. Read on to discover out whether the Focus Due south is worth the extra $150 on-contract cost over its Flash sibling.

Hardware

If you were to remove the Windows Phone branding and hide the capacitive buttons beneath the display, you would not be faulted for mistaking the Samsung Focus South for a variant of the Galaxy South II line of Android smartphones. The design cues are very close and the only exterior hardware differences are the requisite capacitive buttons and physical photographic camera fundamental that is required by Windows Telephone 7.5. While the Focus from last yr had a couple of differentiating factors in its concrete design, the Focus Due south does not break any industrial design ground and fits correct in line with Samsung's other smartphones.

That means that the Focus Southward is exceptionally sparse and lite, measuring only 126mm x 66.8mm 10 8.5mm (4.96in ten two.63in 0.33in) and weighing in at a feathery 111g (iii.9oz). Unfortunately, that also ways that it is rather cheap feeling, since it is made entirely of plastic - save for the display, of course.

The brandish is the same 4.3-inch, WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution Super AMOLED Plus unit seen on the global and AT&T versions of the Milky way S II. The 'Plus' office of the brandish is an upgrade over the displays on the Focus and Focus Wink and refers to its use of a standard RGB pixel layout equally opposed to the much-derided PenTile layout. Colors are extremely vibrant, viewing angles are infinite, and its inky blacks complement the Windows Telephone Metro interface well. I did not have whatever issues viewing the screen outdoors in bright light, which can exist a point of difficulty for AMOLED displays.

Below the display are three capacitive buttons for back, Start, and search, every bit seen on all Windows Phone smartphones. Above it are the earpiece, light sensors, and a new 1.iii megapixel forepart-facing photographic camera. The sides of the telephone are home to a dual-stage camera fundamental, power/sleep/unlock key (right side), and volume rocker (left side). All the buttons have practiced travel and feedback, but I noticed that they protrude out from the side of the phone a bit farther than most smartphones, which made them prone to being pressed while in a pocket (particularly the photographic camera key).

The Focus S features a patterned back that provides a modicum of grip when property the phone. Information technology's non as texture deep every bit the Galaxy South II, but it is better than a smooth, sleeky back. Inset into the bombardment cover is the same 8 megapixel autofocus camera and flash that the Galaxy Due south II sports. However, due to the limitation of the Focus S' single-core processor, it does not record 1080p Hd video, but maxes out at 720p resolution.

Usability

The Samsung Focus S is powered past a 1.4GHz, unmarried-core Qualcomm processor. The phone performs swiftly, and Microsoft's attractive Metro interface scoots around with ease. The new processor doesn't make too much of a difference in every mean solar day use, but apps open upwardly a tad quicker than on the 1GHz Focus, and processor-intensive games don't hold the phone dorsum at all.

Windows Phone vii.5 offers a number of performance and usability enhancements over previous versions, including a form of multitasking and alive tile support for 3rd-political party apps. Microsoft's vision of quick, glance-able information works as the company promises, simply when apps are opened, it yet takes longer than I would prefer for them to update with new data and be prepare for use.

Surprisingly, the on-screen keyboard on the Focus S did not perform as well during my tests every bit it does on other Windows Phone smartphones. Instead of keeping up with my quick-tapping thumbs, the keyboard had a trend to lag and and then catch up, as if it were always two steps behind. I have a feeling that Samsung could address this with a software update, only it was quite frustrating.