So it turns out the rumour we’d heard was a little off, maybe due to the delays in Telstra making sure the Galaxy S II was 100% optimised for the NextG Network. All that aside, Telstra have officially announced that the Samsung Galaxy S II will be available in stores and online from July 26th with an outright price of $840, which is a little bit hefty considering MobiCity sell it outright at $749. Plan pricing is exactly what we expected:
- $59 Freedom Connect Plan + $20/mo MRO
- $79 Freedom Connect Plan + $15/mo MRO
Telstra also made a point of detailing what takes them so long to get this and other devices onto their network. Apparently it’s not as easy as just ordering a few thousand and hoping for the best. Hit the break to read Telstra’s reasoning behind launch delays.
As a general rule Telstra puts new smartphones through three test cycles. We do this because we know you expect the best from your new purchase. We’re told by handset manufactures that it’s one of the most complete testing regimes anywhere in the world. At the conclusion of each test cycle we ask our vendor partners to resolve any significant issues identified. These improvements eventually comprise a Next G®-optimised software package that runs the phone. Sometimes it will also result in hardware changes.
So they tweak the device to make it run a little smoother, fair enough. But what changes were made to the Galaxy S II, you ask? Well here you go:
- Better UMTS 850 RF sensitivity reducing instances of call drops and improved data speeds. This was achieved by asking Samsung to tune the calibration of the antenna based on Telstra’s test results.
- Improved UI performance/responsiveness.
- Improved data throughput rates when used as a tethered modem on some operating systems
- Improved attachment handling when using the e-mail client.
- Improved stability when used as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
What we think is behind the first dot-point is that they’ll try to get the device to stick on the 850MHz network a little more than the 2100MHz 3G network. I could be wrong, just throwing ideas out. I’ll be interested to see the difference between my generic Galaxy S II and Telstra’s ‘NextG Optimised’ Galaxy S II to see if there is actually any noticeable differences.
Someone from Ausdroid should get the Telstra handset and an overseas handset and do some speed tests, see if the “optimisations” are actually worth $300…
I have an overseas handset, just need to find a Telstra handset.
i reckon you could get away with going into the store, install speed test and run it… not sure on whether they have market access though…
I wonder if the delay is due to the same testing that gave the Defy a blue tick…
you could probably flash a stock telstra rom via odin
It’s not about getting the device to ‘stick’ to the 850Mhz network.
There should be a difference in performance on the 850MHz spectrum – On Quad Band devices there is a tradeoff between the 850/900 frequencies and they radio is tuned accordingly based on it’s intended primary band. On all other networks it’s optimised for 900MHz – yes 850MHz works but not as well – Telstra’s version likewise wont be optimised on 900MHz networks.
That said most people will be happy with the performance – it will be interesting to see real world test results with both versions.
I purchased a telstra sim today because im sick of optus’s shoddy network coverage. all my deadzones r gone and the download is always h+ im in a poor recep area and still gey 4mbit so im happy wherr i wudnt get any net at all.
Hmmm, very interested to hear about the comparison between the SGSII from Mobicity vs Telstra.
Also, depending on price of course, this could put the Sensation back into consideration for me
I just got a sensation. Love it. Thought about gs2 and passed. While the specs are better I prefer the HTC interface.
Seriously? $20 a month?
Get f**ked…
Are you serious? Do the math mate, it is CHEAPER to get it through telstra on the MRO plan. By going on the $59+20/mo over the 24 months you are only paying $480 for the phone. If you were to buy the phone outright from mobicity for $749 and go on the cheapest freedom connect plan at telstra which is $49/mo over the 24 months you would effectively be paying $31/mo for the phone (outright adjusted over 24mo) and you would be on a worse plan. Simply put, by putting up with telstra bloatware on the MRO you are paying… Read more »
I’m on a $49 cap with Telstra and I get 2gb of data plus I bought my phone outright from Telechoice. So..
49 Cap x 24 months = $1176 + $779 (Buying it outright) = $1955
$59 Cap + $20 (MRO) x 24 months = $1896 Thus you save $59 + you have the bloatware + you’re in a contract for 24 months.
Conclusion: Buy it out right and sell your old phone on eBay!!
you got ripped
Elaborate ripped?
you should have got it from ebay hahaha
Assuming 24-month plan:
Telstra $79 + $15 MRO = $2256
Telstra $59 + $20 MRO = $1896
Mobicity + TPG/Optus ($14.99) = $1109
How is Telstra cheaper again?
Optus et al. simply isn’t an option for those of use required to spend a large portion of our time in remote areas.
I agree with Anon. My personal mobile is with Telstra, and my work mobile Optus. I don’t even take the Optus phone out of my home, I just have it constantly diverted to my Telstra mobile – purely on a reception basis. Unfortunately for those of us who are in remote areas, we don’t really have much of an option – Telstra and dearer, or Optus etc and less reception…
Yes, I can understand that when it comes to reception, Telstra is second to none. Last year their plan started becoming competitive so I was prepared to go with them.
But with the huge cost difference now, I most likely won’t be going with them.
Sure, if you don’t make any calls or use your phone for mobile data. But what’s the point I getting an SGS2 if you don’t use the Internet on it??
I understand what you are saying, but I think Anon Canberra was saying that it is just generally unacceptably high prices that Telstra ask for and I tend to agree (I know some ppl wont and will just class Telstra as the premium carrier that can do whatever they want). I got my wife an iphone 4 from Telstra on the $49/month freedom connect plan a year ago and it worked out to be free for the handset and one month of the plan was free since they had a $200 welcome credit offer at the time. But even without… Read more »
Nice, finally, but very expensive
Ye Buzz if you don’t mind, run a generic Galaxy S II Vs Telstra’s ‘NextG Optimised’ Galaxy S II.
I for one have no doubt that the generic one will run a lot better then Telstra’s release if not exactly the same.
It would be interesting to see the results of a side by side comparison between the telstra version and the open market version lots of us already have, particularly as regards signal strength. I know I’m very happy with the one I open market one I have.
Buzz, the only difference you’ll see between both generic and Big T’s SGSII is your one won’t be riddled with bloatware, otherwise all standard SGSII handsets support quad-band, so mate, you’ve definitely got the better end of the deal! XD
Nice excuses for being nearly 2 months late Telstra. Meanwhile Optus and Vodafone have been creaming sales of the world’s fastest selling Android handset. Oh and as usual Telstra is about $20 more expensive than everyone else. Gotta pay for those 3 cycle testers perhaps.
as usual, telstra is much more expensive. shareholders must be complaining again!
What we think is behind the first dot-point is that they’ll try to get the device to stick on the 850MHz network a little more than the 2100MHz 3G network. Very true. I remember when I signed the Nokia N95 8GB with 3Hutchison. The phone does the same thing. I was in the Dandenong mountain and thee was no 3G reception there and the phone would not roam over to the Telstra network, which it suppose to. I think they program the software to only stay on the 3G NETWORK unless you go to settings and manually swithch to the… Read more »
PFFFFT! Is all I’ve got to say to their tweaking. I bought mine outright from telechoice for $779 and flashed it with a stock kernal and mate! she downloads at over 1 megabyte a second on the Next G network and the wifi peaks my download/upload speed at home. So Telstra, how about you lick my tear ducts! I’m regretful I never waited to see those disgusting prices and the BS tweaking…..
On a lighter note – I LOVE YOU MY SEXY SAMSUNG GALAXY S II FROM DROPTUS/Telechoice store!!!!!
Warning: Telechoice sells the Samsung Galaxy S II with Optus bloatware.
WTF 20 a month on $59 Virgin here i come
With the possible exception of the antenna tuning, shouldn’t all the other “improvements” be things that should be pushed out by Samsung to other Galaxy S2 owners, anyway?
you’ll probably find the “Improvments” all on xda.
with NFC?