The original Orange San Francisco was launched in 2010, and hailed as a welcome budget option for those in the UK who wanted a smartphone, but didnt want to spend a fortune. For its £99 price tag (on Pay As You Go), the San Francisco was many people's first choice when it came to choosing an Android smartphone. Modders liked it because you could remove all the Orange branding and run your own software over the top. Developers liked it because it was a cheap way to get a dummy phone to test the Android apps they were working on. And first time smartphone buyers liked it because it was a cheap way to get your first Android phone.
With the announcement of the San Francisco 2, Orange want to keep this segment of the market. Their Director of Products and Devices has said
"The Orange San Francisco II is a fitting successor to the award-winning first model, and offers the latest developments in data, voice and design. We are delighted to be following up on the success of the award winning original with such a full-featured product we expect it to be really popular with consumers in the run up to Christmas"
So what has changed between the original San Francisco and this new update?
1) Hardware
Both versions of the San Francisco are exclusively available on Orange. The manufacturer behind them both is ZTE, with the original San Francisco also known as the ZTE Blade.
In looks, there isn't too much to tell the San Fran 2 apart from the original. More or less in the same in width and length, the only real improvement for the San Fran 2 is its depth. At over a millimetre skinner than the original, ZTE have given Orange a phone that has been manufactured with precision to fit the latest hardware technology into a slimmer chassis. The second version is also 10 grams heavier than the original.
This extra weight is definitely the result of newer, better hardware being packed into the San Fran 2. It sports a decent 800 MHz processor, far beating the 600 MHz processor of the original. Although smartphones have now reached dual core levels, 800 MHz is still pretty good for a budget offering.
Next on the list of improvements is the camera. The original San Francisco sported an average 3MP camera. This has been booted up to 5MP on the newer model, and now comes with an LED flash. There is now also a forwards-facing camera on the front, so you can make video calls on it.
Aside from the few points above, there is little difference between version 1 and version 2 of the San Francisco. The new one still has a 3.5 inch capacitive touchscreen, and still has touch sensitive buttons along the bottom of the screen. The bulk of the differences come from the software.
2) Software
Smartphone technology moves quickly, and in the space of a year Android 2.3 has become the Android platform of choice for the most up to date samrtphones. Thankfully, the San Francisco sports this exact version of Android, a vast improvement on the version that came with the original. The original San Francisco ran Android 2.1 (or Eclair, as it is also known), a version of Android that is around 2 years old and definitely ready to be forgotten.
Along with Android 2.3, the San Fran 2 sports a suite of software improvements that make the new version a better prospect than the original. The first one is an integrated Application Manager. The App manager allows you to control the apps that are running on the phone. If an app is selfishly hogging all your 800 MHz of processing power, you can nip it in the bud right away to make the San Fran 2 start working smoothly once again.
It is of course possible to use a task manager on the original San Francisco, but is wasnt available straight out of the box. Its smaller processor means that you are far more likely to need an App manager for the original!
Orange have also added Signal Boost technology to the San Francisco 2. The original lacked this functionality, which is a shame because it really is powerful stuff. Using UMA, it allows the phone to use your Wi-Fi connection in order to boost the signal used for phone calls and text messages. This means that, provided you have Wi-Fi in your house, you can guarantee good signal for calls and texts when you're in your own home.
Not content with UMA technology, Orange have also peppered the San Fran 2 with HD Voice technology. This uses a different sound band to encode more data with the voice call, making it sound crisper and clearer. Phone calls will never be the same again.
With this whole set of features to make the San Fran 2 stand out from the original, is there any software that has remained the same?
The San Fran 2 still has all the Orange apps that came with the original, which will please some and frustrate others. Of course, it will be possible to root the San Fran 2 in the same way that you could purge the original of its Orange-branded software. But for those who like it, you'll still get Orange Wednesday apps and a contacts back up app.
The Price
Price is all-important for Orange if they are hoping to maintain the success of their San Francisco brand, despite its substantial upgrade to both hardware and software.
And the good news is that this updated Orange San Francisco 2 is available on Pay As You Go for £99, or on Pay monthly for £10.50 a month. It looks like Orange got it right this time!
The San Francisco 2 is available on a Pay Monthly Orange Contract as well as Pay As You Go.
