Instead of a normal USB port the Samsung Galaxy S2 has a Mobile High-Definition Link (or MHL) port, which allows you to plug all manner of things into it. The best use I’ve found though, is to plug that big TV in your living room in via an HDMI adapter to play back all those videos back on a massive display the way they were meant to be viewed.
One of the best solutions I’ve found is to use a mobile phone dock with an HDMI output which allowed me to output holiday videos to a 40” TV at 1080i resolution. Seeing them on a large screen really demonstrates how good the camera on the S2 is. Of course it isn’t just things you’ve recorded yourself, with the ability to stream and download videos and films from YouTube and – more recently – Android Market.
Samsung Galaxy S2 Desktop Sync and Charge Cradle With HDMI Out
The dock I used felt well built and had some weight to it, which is handy considering the S2 certainly doesn’t! When docked the phone sat at just the right angle to still use it when placed on my desk, and didn’t budge when using the touchscreen or home button.
In order to fully test the dock I downloaded and watched a film from Android Market, and whilst the lack of an HD option was a bit annoying (but perhaps something we can look forward to in the next year or so as Android devices start sporting HD displays) it still played really well, and looked and sounded great. The Galaxy S2 being as powerful as it is of course this didn’t surprise me!
Throughout my testing of the dock I did experience one problem I couldn’t quite eliminate, which was that my Wi-Fi signal would drop out when docked and outputting via HDMI. This wasn’t a massive bother as I was still able to download extra content beforehand (the film downloaded straight off Market and could be rewatched for up to 48 hours after the first viewing), and obviously all of my holiday films were already on the phone’s memory; however it did rule out streaming which would have been useful. Admittedly though, streaming aside, if you’re watching a film you probably don’t need an internet connection!
Pros:
- Watch films and home videos from your Galaxy S2 using just a normal HDMI cable.
- Demonstrate to your friends your (not so) amazing skills on Angry Birds.
- Charge your phone while it’s docked so it never runs out of power when you need it.
Cons:
- Wi-Fi signal dropouts made streaming impossible.
- The Galaxy S2 appears to only support 1080i, which (some claim) lacks the full quality of 1080p. This is a limitation of the handset however; not the dock.