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Bringing Google's Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and the company's TouchWiz 4.0 user interface to the mix, Samsung has transformed the Galaxy S Advance's impressive array of innards and attractive styling into a handset that is simple and pleasant to use, if far from unique.
With a near-identical interface to that found on the full selection of Galaxy-branded smartphones, from the Samsung Galaxy S2 all the way down to the budget model Samsung Galaxy Y, there is little to set the Samsung Galaxy S Advance apart from a number of largely similarly specced phones that feature near-identical styling and, in some cases, lower price points.
Away from the lack of individuality, the Samsung Galaxy S Advance is an impressive handset in terms of usability. Thanks largely to its Gingerbread-flavoured Android OS, the handset boasts a friendly user experience.
The seven available home screens are easily managed and customised with a selection of pre-installed widgets and app shortcuts that bring the device to life with little fuss or fanfare.
With the standard centralised menu offering single-click instant access to the full selection of available applications, navigating through the handset's menus and features is handled with ease, as the 4-inch Super AMOLED display proves highly responsive.
Further enhancing the simplistic swipe to navigate system, the Samsung Galaxy S Advance features pressure and power-responsive scrolling with strong sweeping motions offering fast, flowing transitions while small, subtle finger movements result in slow and incremental changes to the on-screen content.
Despite featuring a 1GHz dual-core processor and 768MB of RAM, the Samsung Galaxy S Advance is surprisingly sluggish to exit applications and return to the home screen when commanded.
Featuring a very noticeable stutter, each press of the physical home button is followed by a pause before the handset finally kicks into action and returns you to the lead of the seven available and fully customisable home screens.
A welcome and recognisable experience for any consumers who have handled previous Android handsets, the Samsung Galaxy S Advance is simplistic and intuitive enough to enable first time smartphone users to pick up the basics in a matter of moments, with more advanced features quickly following.
