Only a few years ago if you were to tell a consumer that you were going to sell them an outdated phone, you would have been laughed at; however, in recent years the previous-generation product line has become quite popular. The change happened years ago when many manufactures began to sell previous-models of their smartphones at reduced prices (including Apple and many of its competitors). Today Samsung announced that their taking this another step and will be offering their Galaxy S II with some pretty big updates – titled the Galaxy S II plus.

Here’s a bit of a rundown on the changes…

– An upgraded 1.2GHZ Dual Core processor enabling faster and smoother operation
– Upgrade to the latest version of Android 4.1.2. Jelly Bean
– 4.3 Inch Super AMOLED Plus Screen (still 480 x 800)
– Some upgrades to software including the latest TouchWiz UI and features not included on original Galaxy S II such as S-Voice, voice unlock, etc

I researched the Galaxy S II and I have to admit that the upgrades don’t seem like a big deal when put against the original model. If you’re looking to buy a past-generation product, this update will definitely help keep you up to date in the world of Android. That being said, I don’t fully understand Samsung’s decision to update the product. In my experience consumers who are in the market to buy a past-generation product are aware that there will be some limitations and missing features when they do so. The only thing that I can think of is that Samsung is looking to fill in the gap between their Samsung Galaxy S III mini and the Samsung Galaxy S III.