The Samsung Galaxy S3 might not have been announced at MWC 2012, but there's still many devices on offer for the smartphone users not wanting to spend top dollar on a phone.
The Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 is very much a sequel to the original Ace, and in more than name – the design language is a real nod to last year's device, but is much more rounded.
It has a solid feel in the hand though, with a meshed back once again present, although not as overt as the original. It actually makes the phone feel a little cheaper, but the weight and build quality feels about right for a phone that will likely land in the £200-£300 category SIM free.
The handset annoyingly doesn't run Ice Cream Sandwich though, despite having a dual core 800MHz processor – we'd have thought this would have been the baseline model for the new version of Android, and Samsung is unable to confirm whether the new OS will be emerging on the handset.
It's not the slimmest phone in the world at 11.5mm, but given the smaller size (we're looking at a 3.5-inch screen here) it doesn't feel too chunky in use.
The camera is still only 5MP though, with a single LED flash. In use, it had a very slow shutter speed as well – while this is only a prototype model, it's still a little disconcerting to see and needs a big speed boost when there are models out there capable of jumping from one snap to the next in under 0.5 seconds.
The screen might be a little smaller than the gargantuan specs of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, but it's pretty vivid for a cheaper model, meaning users will be able to happily consume media and browse the internet without feeling short changed on the screen technology.
Texting on the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 isn't the best out there, as the accuracy of the touchscreen wasn't always spot on in our tests. In truth, the level of performance we saw from this new model is very similar to the original Ace last year: OK, but not stellar.
The speed with which items open and close, or jumping from app to app, wasn't as fast as you'd hope for from the dual core processor either – we were hoping for something a lot more impressive given this is one of the first in a line of 'affordable' dual core devices.
Early verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 is definitely a step forward for a handset in this category – it's smarter, faster and has an improved build quality.
We're a little worried about the performance in some areas: the interface lag at times, the shutter speed of the camera – but then again, we had the same reservations from the first model, and that's been one of the big sellers in 2011.
We're going to putting the phone through its paces properly very soon, so keep your eyes peeled for our Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review.