Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus review, specs: The refreshed model of the 2011 flagship was at one point called a disaster by one reviewer who purchased the unit for his wife. But despite the S2 Plus being derided, it still counts hundreds of thousands, if not millions of fans. As 2014 progresses, will anyone still get this Android 4.2.2-powered unit? You decide.

According to Phone Arena, the hardware performance of the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus puts many of its rivals to shame and its very slim body was considered to be thinnest handset for a short while.

In 2013, Samsung refreshed the Samsung Galaxy S2 with the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus, which the tech site declares as a gadget that is “shaping up as a decent mid-range device.” For its price and specs, the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus still possesses a competitive edge.

Design. The Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus has a rectangular design, which has been adopted from its S2 reference. It’s slim and light and only need a single thumb to operate it efficiently. Whether you choose the blue or white variant, the Hyperglaze-inspired finish is appealing. Phone Arena said that the only downside to it is that the fingerprint tends to stick to the handset’s shiny surface easily.

Display. The 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus panel has a 480 x 800 pixels resolution. With such specs and a 216 ppi, letters and graphics are slightly pixelized around the edges but the paragraphs of text in web pages are unreadable unless you zoom in, Phone Arena noted.

What it lacks in its overall resolution, however, it makes up for its deep blacks and very wide viewing angles, which are characteristics that makes an AMOLED display a stand-out choice for a screen. The colors are lush and saturated and the videos and images you’ll comes across as high-quality.

Interface. At the time of this writing, the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus comes with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean out of the box and has Samsung’s custom user interface. It looks appealing without straining the smartphone’s performance, enabling you to navigate seamlessly from the features without exhausting battery power.

Some of the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus UI’s that comes in handy includes Smart Stay, which prevents the smartphone’s display from turning off as long as you’re looking into it; Direct Call, which dials the number of the contact you’re viewing as soon as you bring your S2 Plus unit to your ear. There’s also a task manager, which basically gives you the option to close apps that may not functioning well.

The on-screen keyboard for the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus has the traditional QWERTY layout and is enhanced with autocompletion and the Swype method. The S2 Plus is available unlocked for $299.99 at Amazon.com