Samsung Galaxy S II Android arrives for XT

UPDATE September 2: The Galazy S II has gone on sale for Telecom TX today, priced at $1099, or $0 up front on certain smartphone plans.

Vodafone first with supersize Samsung Galaxy S II Android - but others will follow

UPDATE JUNE 14:  After a brief delay, the Samsung Galaxy S II Android has gone onsale today, through Vodafone and JB Hi-Fi.

Samsung NZ has not made any other carrier announcements.

But NBR understands from a well-placed insider that the S2 will also appear for Telecom's XT network within weeks and, more surprisingly, 2degrees.

The SII - succesor to the 10 million-selling SI, has a supersize 4.27-inch screen, easily eclipsing the iPhone's 3.5-inch, yet weighs slightly less than Apple's handset.

Other mod-cons include HSPA+ support, allowing for a theoretical maximum download speed of 21Mbit/s on Telecom's XT and Vodafone's 3G network (though expect real-life speeds that top out at about a third of that for any HSPA+ device).

The SII costs $1149 from Vodafone (handset only) and $1147 from JB Hi-Fi on prepay.

APRIL 28: Android devices continue to tumble onto the NZ market.

The latest to be announced is the Samsung Galaxy S II, the successor to the Galaxy S, released this time last year.

Samsung claims to have sold 10 million units of the original S, making it one of the most popular high-end handsets running on Google's Android software.

Whereas the S had a 4-inch display, the S II offers a super-sized 4.27-inch screen - inching ahead of Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc (announced for NZ yesterday) with its 4.2-inch display - despite being just 8.49mm thick.

Apple's iPhone has a 3.5-inch screen.

So far only Vodafone has been named as an official carrier (regardless of the official carrier, te S II supports Telecom, Vodafone and 2degrees' frequencies).

Release is scheduled for May.

Like other Androids, the Galaxy S II supports Microsoft Exchange Active Sync for business email.

Samsung also bundles other corporate-friendly software, including a virtual networking and VoIP (internet call) apps from Cisco, and a device management security app from Sybase.

Galaxy S II tech specs (click to zoom)