Samsung Galaxy S Advance: a mid-range Android worth considering
When the original Samsung Galaxy S launched in 2010, it reshaped what shoppers expected from a touchscreen handset. Two years later, Samsung filled the space between its flagship Galaxy S II and its entry-level Galaxy Ace line with the Samsung Galaxy S Advance, a curved-back dual-core device aimed squarely at buyers who wanted Galaxy styling and sensible performance without the top-tier price. For anyone browsing the aisles of a Sydney mobile shop or scrolling through plans on Telstra's website in 2012, the Advance stood out as a credible middle ground.
In Australia, the phone arrived at a moment when prepaid plans were booming and 3G coverage extended well beyond the capital city centres into regional Queensland and Western Australia. Outright prices hovered around the AUD $399 mark through carriers such as Optus and Vodafone, and the handset's combination of a vivid display and comfortable chassis made it a frequent sight on commuter trains between Melbourne's outer suburbs and the CBD. It was, in short, an Android for the practical buyer rather than the spec-sheet hunter.
Hardware and ergonomics
Samsung kept the Galaxy S Advance compact by 2012 standards, fitting a 4-inch panel into a body that weighed roughly 123 grams. The chassis used the same gloss-plastic finish as the Galaxy S II, but the curved back sat more naturally in the hand during long calls or while scrolling through social feeds at a Brisbane café. Build quality felt solid enough to survive the inevitable knock against a car door during a weekend grocery run, though the slippery rear coating made a sleeve a sensible purchase.
Buttons and ports followed Samsung's familiar layout of the era: a physical home key flanked by capacitive menu and back buttons, a volume rocker on the left, and a micro-USB charging point along the bottom. The 3.5 mm headphone jack sat up top, which suited users who slipped the phone into a jacket pocket while jogging along Sydney's coastal paths or waiting for a tram in Melbourne's inner east.
Display and everyday media
The 4-inch Super AMOLED screen ran at 800 by 480 pixels, a step down from the 720p panels arriving on more expensive handsets but a clear upgrade over the LCD screens found on budget rivals. Colours leaned toward the saturated side, which made photos from a trip to the Gold Coast look punchy and gave video playback a lively feel. Blacks were genuinely deep, so reading emails or browsing news sites in low light was easy on the eyes.
A microSD slot accepted cards up to 32 GB, which mattered for Australians using the phone as a portable music library on long bus rides or while camping. The built-in speaker was loud enough for speakerphone calls in a kitchen but lacked the body for serious music playback, pushing most users toward earphones or a Bluetooth speaker for the beach.
Performance, software, and where it sat in the line-up
Under the hood, the Galaxy S Advance used Samsung's own NovaThor U8500 chipset with a dual-core 1 GHz CPU and 768 MB of RAM. It launched with Android 2.3 Gingerbread dressed in TouchWiz, and Samsung later pushed an update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in several markets, which gave the phone a useful second wind. Daily tasks such as messaging, maps, and social networking felt responsive, although heavy multitasking could push the limits of the modest RAM.
Customisation came through Samsung's widget collection and the standard Android home-screen system, letting users pin weather, calendar, and music widgets to their panels. Users who wanted apps that hadn't yet made it to the official Google Play Store often turned to third-party repositories, and the apkcara APK portal served as a familiar resource for sideloading APKs across the broader region. The interface remained approachable for first-time smartphone owners, including older Australians transitioning from a basic Nokia or BlackBerry handset.
Positioned below the flagship and above the entry-level, the Advance competed directly with the HTC One V, the Huawei Ascend G300, and Sony's Xperia U. The table below sets out how the main contenders stacked up at launch.
| Feature | Samsung Galaxy S Advance | Samsung Galaxy S II | Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 | HTC One V |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 4.0" 800x480 Super AMOLED | 4.3" 800x480 Super AMOLED Plus | 3.8" 800x480 PLS LCD | 3.7" 480x800 Super LCD 2 |
| Processor | NovaThor U8500 dual-core 1 GHz | Exynos 4210 dual-core 1.2 GHz | NovaThor U8500 dual-core 800 MHz | Qualcomm MSM8255 single-core 1 GHz |
| RAM | 768 MB | 1 GB | 768 MB | 512 MB |
| Rear camera | 5 MP, 720p video | 8 MP, 1080p video | 5 MP, 720p video | 5 MP, 720p video |
| Battery | 1500 mAh removable | 1650 mAh removable | 1500 mAh removable | 1500 mAh non-removable |
| Launch OS | Android 2.3 Gingerbread | Android 2.3 Gingerbread | Android 2.3 Gingerbread | Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich |
Camera and connectivity
A 5-megapixel rear camera handled the casual snapshots most users wanted, from a market stall in Adelaide's Central Market to a sunset over Perth's Cottesloe Beach. It recorded 720p video, which was acceptable for sharing clips online but limited when compared with the 1080p footage offered by the Galaxy S II. The 1.3-megapixel front camera was serviceable for video calls over Skype or Tango, though low-light performance was poor.
Connectivity covered Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, and 3G on the 900 and 2100 MHz bands used by Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone in Australia. Call quality was dependable, and the phone held onto a signal reliably in suburban areas where some rivals dropped to a single bar. DLNA support let users stream media to compatible televisions, which suited the growing number of Australian households with a smart TV in the lounge room.
Battery life and mid-range value
The 1500 mAh battery delivered a full day of moderate use for most owners, though heavy data use — particularly streaming music on a Telstra 4G hotspot fallback or gaming on the train — could drain it well before the evening commute. Anyone managing a handset from this era will recognise the daily juggle of conserving charge, and the same discipline applies across platforms — for related reading, our piece on tips for extending BlackBerry battery life without a spare battery walks through habits that translate to any smartphone of the period.
Priced beneath the Galaxy S II but above the Ace 2, the Galaxy S Advance offered a balanced package for Australian buyers in 2012 who wanted a capable daily driver without committing to a flagship plan, and it came with the comfort of standard Australian Consumer Law warranties backing the purchase. It remains a reminder of how Samsung's Galaxy line once sprawled across the market, giving shoppers real choice at every tier.
Browse our archive for more mid-2010s handset reviews, share your own memories of the Galaxy S Advance in the comments, and follow Sidoharjo for further Australian-focused mobile coverage as we revisit the devices that shaped the early smartphone era.