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Yesterday when a render of an unknown Samsung handset with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard surfaced, we raised the question as to whether or not it could be AT&T’s variant of the Galaxy S II. Turns out, that is exactly what the device will be. Images of the handset have surfaced clearly showing the SGH-I927 model number associated with the Galaxy S II. This time around it appears as though Samsung has managed to slim up the handset considerably compared to last year’s Epic 4G on Sprint (is it also safe to assume Sprint won’t receive a keyboard-laden version of the Galaxy series this time?). Other than the addition of the QWERTY keypad we expect specs to remain identical to the Galaxy S II elsewhere, even if this handset eventually goes by the name Attain. We expect an August release for the US versions of what has become Samsung’s hottest selling handset to date.
[via BGR]
Awww I wish mine had a slide out QWERTY!
Really hoping Verizon’s version DOESN’T have a slide-out…then again, if it’s not 4G my concerns might be moot….
Looks much nicer than the epic last year.
Is that stock Android?
no
Now that is tempting
Wasn’t AT&T’s Galaxy S 2 that looked like the Infuse already leaked? Will they pick up 2 variants?
ooooo shiny. and mr. blurrycam is really losing his touch; those pictures are rather sharp and crisp.
Ahahahaha, AT&T just got owned.
what the!????????????? NO way will I get this if it is the Verizon version has a slide out. MOST DON’T WANT SLIDE OUTS ANYMORE!!!!! It will be Bionic for me or Nexus Prime if the verizon version is the same.
What proof is there that this is even an ATT phone??
What proof is there that this is even an ATT phone?
Exactly, I haven’t seen any indication. Can someone shed some light? Otherwise it sounds like 1 person’s assumption that every Android blogger decided to run with.
That sucks. I guess I won’t be getting that phone then. I was waiting for the GS2 for AT&T, but not with a slide out keyboard.
Same here, been waiting for 3 months with a broken screen. Now I’ll probably have to wait longer…
If this is true, you can still buy an unlocked phone and use the Att&t bands. Granted the phone will be quite expensive, but it will most definitely lack the physical keyboard.
Someone earlier in the comments mentioned a trade. Upgrade to this and trade someone in Europe for their normal SG2. Sounds fair.
noone would trade that
Some people prefer keyboards. I’m sure someone in all of Europe would want a
keyboard. People have different opinions :)
i’ve been waiting 3-4 months for this with my LG enV3. If verizon has the same slide-out, i’m going to go nutso!
mmm and i just bought a droid 3!! well, this doesn’t have a five-row keyobard… but still, if it uses exynos, i might be forced to go back to samsung
why??The Omap is a good chip
yes it is, but i want to be able to play torrented 720p MKVs on the phone, and, up until now, only my old captivate has been able to do that… not even my tegra2 honeycomb tablet…
i have not received my droid3 yet so i don’t know if it is capable, but i’m hoping it is, mostly just because it has the same GPU…
for now, i’m thinking of getting an old galaxy tab 7 just for media playback…
Oh I understand
What’s wrong with slide-out QWERTY’s? A lot of “dumbphone” users are still dependent on them and hesitant to upgrade to a smartphone. As long as there’s not much difference in size, what’s the disadvantage to having one?
dumbphones use quertys because MOST don’t have touch screens. A slide out keyboard on an android phone is not very useful anymore simply because of the quality and quantity of touchscreen keyboards available. The predictive text can (and does) make typing faster!
I disagree. For me, typing on my OG Droid’s keyboard is much faster than the virtual keyboard. However, my next phone will not have a physical keyboard only because I like the slim form factor. I don’t do enough texting/emailing for it to make a difference.
I can switch between multiple apps in less with a second with a keyboard. try doing that with a touchscreen-only phone. Believe it or not, a keyboard makes an Android phone thrice as functional.
Try playing Super Mario 3 on a screen-only phone. It’s sucktastic. Try to run and jump without an actually button. Oops…. fell into the lava again, didn’t you?
try typing a password on a predictive keyboard. It’s really annoying!
Awesome! With the slide out keyboard, this will definitely be my next phone.
NOOOOOOOOO I was waiting for this telephone! But with the keyboard its a no deal. I hate the slideout keyboards.
bam! mine! asap
Why in the EFF does the American carriers have to screw things up with different models of the same mother F’ing phone!!!!!
I don’t think the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has anything to do with it.
To answer your question: because they can. They want to be the world’s best at screwing it up. Other countries may be able to screw phones up, but not like American mobile networks. And AT&T is the world leader at screwing things up. Other American network operators follow their lead.
Geez. Next you’ll be asking why America doesn’t use the word “football” to describe that game that the rest of the world calls football, where players actually use their feet. :-)
Man samsung screws this up..I feel bad for att customers…Who would want a slide out keyboard on one of the thinnest phones out right now..So lets take a thin phone and make it fat and heavy….How dumb are they? Just give customers the galaxy s2 og
Where’s the “dislike” button when you want one…
Seriously, what is it with all the hate for keyboarded smartphones? There are tons of slab phones out there and only a handful of qwerty’s available, yet there are always people like you that have to constantly spew hate towards them. There are those of us out there very thankful of those qwerty’s that come along, especially when they are actually put on decent hardware.
I, for one, would love to get my hands on this phone… but I’m on Verizon. Instead, we’re most-likely getting a rehashed Epic (if they actually decide to give us an alternative to the Droid 3, unlike the Droid 2 which had no decent alternatives). Be thankful for having options.
Indeed. I’m pretty sure this is AT&Ts first decent Android with a physical keyboard and I for one am glad it finally has one. I had all but given up on AT&T ever coming out with a Android with a slider and was planning to get the GS II anyway, this makes it way more exciting for me.
One of the beauties of Android over iPhone is choice. Choice of mobile networks. Choice of phones, manufacturers, size, shape, color, price. Now, finally a choice to have a slide out keyboard, hopefully on a high end phone.
OTOH, some people would say the beauty of the iPhone over Android is the lack of choice. The one true way. Adapt your expectations. Steve Jobs demonstrated the correct way to hold your phone.
Go buy an Iphone and get out of here troll.
Dude, it’s an option. i don’t understand the logic behind you kids these days. If you don’t want the keyboard get the one without it.
as of now there is no gs2 without a keyboard here in the states.
There’s no Galaxy S 2 in the states period.
as of now there is both keyboard and touch PERIOD
Says the guy using his bag phone.
i agree…i don’t know what the problem is with U.S. carriers always messing up the galaxy phones.
Who would want a slide out keyboard ???
I do. I am a G1 and G2 user and I’m waiting for another good phone that has slide out keyboard.
Why I like slide out keyboard? Because, when I type on text boxes, I want the text box to stay the same. Maybe you don’t know that coz you’ve never used an Android with a keyboard.
I was a G1 user and I dont know about the G2 but this keyboard sucks a dick. The keys are all in straight columns instead of making a damn normal staggered keyboard.
Whats the big deal with staggered? Simple my friends, you can use the left side like a d-pad (wasz) and the right side in a playstation/xbox layout. With this keyboard you cant do that at all. What a waste of a good phone this looks like cheap shit.
Whats up with the cheap looking plastic on the camera part? Fuggin Ugly.
I would choose bigger battery or slide out keyboard intead of 2 or 3mm thinner phone any day. Phones now are so thin that seems to be wroken in the first fall. 10mm qwerty > 8mm slab, at least for me.
if I wanted a phone without a keyboard, I’d just get an iPhone. I like android+keyboard because I want a pocket computer.
Do people just dislike keyboards or is it the slide-out design they hate? I’m waiting for a good AT&T QWERTY for a long time. If it feels right I’ll be swapping my Atrix for it.
I think people care more about fitting thin phones in their tight jeans’ pockets.
hipsters man
skinny jean wearing hipsters ruin a lot of things…. keyboards rule!
AMEN!
WHAT
this phone has a 4.3 inch screen and they couldn’t fit in a NUMBER ROW? my phone has a screen that’s smaller than the SGSII by 1.1 inches (3.2 inch screen) AND it has a number row. Samsung missed out on a sale (assuming they’ll release this phone outside the USA)
I always told myself that if Samsung released a SGS2 with a 5 row keyboard, It’s going to be an instant buy, without any second thoughts.
that’s the question for me though… did they keep the screen the same size. if so i’ll buy it regardless (esp as i’m STILL using a touch pro) the keyboard doesn’t bother me. the loss of screen size would bug the hell out of me. plus how would the addition of a kb affect the use of custom roms?
It probably wouldn’t affect custom roms much.
Maybe a few files like the keyboard layout and drivers, and maybe some modifications to some other files, and that should be it. That’s assuming the rest of the hardware is exactly the same as the SGSII.
Note: I am not a ROM developer, so I could be dead wrong about this.
I love keyboards….anyone want to trade with my European S2???Samsung should release this in Europe….
Was going to get this phone, but now with the slider I’ll be passing. Thanks AT&T!
*Checks remaining AT&T contract length*
That h/w keyboard redesign is such a disappointment. Keyboards are just a waste of space, for everyone except some phone “gamers”, and for people who think they NEED it because they’ve never used Swype before, or are too lazy to change.
I definitely won’t be upgrading my SGS1 (Captivate) now. Will wait another year for the SGS3, Nexus Prime, or whatever else is king at that time.
I hate onscreen keyboards. I don’t play games on phones, I gave Swype and onscreen keyboards in general a go numerous times and still think they’re total garbage.
Ever tried doing some real productivity/work on a phone? Software keyboards do nothing but slow you down.
Sorry that you fail at swyping.
(And very few people are truly productive on their phones for extended periods; that’s what laptops/desktops/tablets+BTkeyboards/docks are for)
Try swyping some PHP or javascript and come back to me when you do.
You’re doing it wrong.
Keyboards are still better at everything anyway.
Also, keyboard shortcuts. The process to select, copy, and paste text on a touchscreen-only phone is absurd.
Sorry that swyping fails…
Try typing out “chmod 777 /etc/hosts.deny” on your swype keyboard and let me know how that works for ya. How ’bout just doing an “ls -l”?… these are basic commands you ought to be able to input into your linux-based phone without issue.
Heck, I have enough of a headache using these virtual keyboards just for quick texts…. my son Robbie becomes Ronnie, my friend Donny becomes sonny, etc… and thats even after I’ve typed it correctly. Grrrrr
Well said; my thoughts exactly.
Virtual keyboards are OK for quick texts and such, but try typing something longer (like an email) or doing anything involving symbols and you’ll quickly appreciate having a physical keyboard.
I pretty much agree with you about quick texts, though I uninstalled the virtual keyboard.
Also, reducing the LCD density makes onscreen keyboards instantly useless.
For each of you that hate the slide out keyboards there is one of us that love them. Sometimes you just want to feel some buttons and type away. I agree that short text messages and such go fine on screen but for a long message I need keys! There are lots more qwerty free phones out there. Let us have a few with keys too. This phone looks nice. I hope they get it elsewhere as I dislike AT&T.
The carrier that offers an SGS2 slide out keypad model with a 5 row keypad and also an SGS2 with no keypad so that I can evaluate both will most likely get my business.
Okay so how do we explain this thing against the “leaked” Attain photos from last month that people thought were the Infuse but was pretty certainly a S2 based on the camera hump and power button difference? I mean, that one actually had the ATT logo on it. I’m glad some people are happy about the QWERTY but personally I am bummed because I don’t care for slide-out keyboards at all.
wowwww WAY TO FUCK UP THIS AMAZING PHONE ATT
hopefully t mob and verizon do a better job
The only carrier I have seen with a mockup is Sprint.
(misposted)
This fucking sucks. I want thin, not a fat bitch on a harley.
cool, another thing at&t is gonna be ruining
OMG the best smartphone just got better, at least its not an iphone ripoff :D slide out qwerty its a way to go, im glad that att and samsung do somthing great, finally a desire Z successor
folks complain too much if u wear skinny jeans yeah u’ll be mad but ur a hipster so no one cares how u feel, but unless ur a chick who wants a cute phone why are u mad at phone that may be like half an inch thicker than what u expected? does half an inch really screw up you’re lives?
gosh, a keyboard is great when typing in multi-faceted passwords(numbers+letters+symbols) plus speaking from experience when your touchscreen fails having a physical keyboard is a lifesaver. sometimes skype screws up, sometimes they onscreen keyboards screwup the spell checks screw up too…
this is a good move by sammy its different, daring and apple can’t sue them.
if it’s half an inch thicker, i guarantee you they wont sell any…
You will guarantee that 1/2″ will result in ZERO sales of this phone? I would love to get on that wager…
aside from screen size what no one else has mentioned so far is, what if they put an lte modem in there since it was going to be thicker anyway? or decided to put a keyboard on there since lte would make it thicker
American got fat hands that why they give gs2 a keyboard.
keyboard or no keyboard? come on people…It’s ATT and Samsung’s business. You dont like it dont buy it and they will know they eff’d up..
is anyone seriously surprised by this? What phone does an OG GS2 keep getting compared to? What network houses the majority of that phone’s suscribers? AT&T didnlt want people “getting the GS2 confused with the iPhone” and probably asked -amsung to make this version. Or Apple pressured AT&T to have them get a slider version.
I have been looking at this phone and pictures before and I have two concerns, that makes me think this is either another phone in the galaxy lineup but not the galaxy s 2. first the front facing camera is on the oppesite side in everyother picture out there. Also the samsung galaxy s 2 has a phyiscal button on the bottem center. Let me know what you guys think.
fuck you mytouch 4g slide and hello SG S2 slide
I don’t understand why it’s only a 4 row?
Anyone else notice it’s also shaped more like the leaked Sprint GS2 than the OG GS2? the corners are defiantly more rounded like the Nexus S.
People chill. I heard they are gonna release a few different galaxy so 2.
and where did u read this from? or do u mean different galaxy s 2 on different carrier…
Did anyone else notice that the “Samsung Attain” cases for sale aren’t made for a slide out keyboard? I’m calling BS
are any of these cases being sold by samsung? no? well there you go.
Double post, sorry!
Ouch. ATT really screwed the pooch with this one.
well that just sucks! I have been waiting for the SGSII for att figuring that they would keep the slide-out keyboard over on sprint and just give us an updated captivate
Crap, what happened to the buttons that disappear on the bottom? I was going to give AT&T a try but now I’m going to have to see what the other carriers GSII look like.
I’m so mad right now. My Atrix feels so damn old. would really really love this full qwerty keyboard RIGHT NOW. I’LL TRADE MY ATRIX FOR THIS THING. It’s better looking than the EPIC. AT&T really getting some good phones this year.
This is not the Galaxy S II Android version!
Have you seen the pictures, it is running gingerbread. What is it then?
To the rescue!
http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s-2-may-be-coming-att-non-qwerty-version-well
Im in time to give up the captivate
I want this phone, but on verizon’s network.
WANNNNT!!!!! I’m not longer eligable for an upgrade but if this thing is as awesome as the regular Galaxy S2 sounds with the QWERT I will absolutely pay full price for this and then hock my Atrix to someone who doesn’t want a keyboard.