By: iPadfanzz staff on March 18, 2013
Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos is hottest new smartphone in the market: a mid-range handset which is meant for people who can’t buy the Galaxy Note 2 and the Galaxy S3. Although a bit pricey, the smartphone comes with features that are available in some high-end smartphones. If one has to describe the smartphone in one sentence then it should be “A pricey phablet.”
The biggest noticeable feature of the all-new Galaxy Grand Duos is its 5-inch WVGA TFT screen which is good enough to impress those smartphone buyers who want more screen real estate. The smartphone comes with a resolution of 480x800 pixels(187ppi), which will affect your viewing and browsing experience. Moreover, rich videos shot at 1080p will be toned down to match the screen resolution, thus not giving the desired HD experience. Similarly, graphic intensive games will give the same feeling like in a higher-resolution smartphone.
The G Grand Duos runs on a dual-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz. It has 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable with an in-built micro SD card. The 1GB of RAM provided in the smartphone is not appreciable considering that it is too small to be eaten up by software and apps. Therefore, lack of adequate RAM will haunt the buyers.
The tablet costs Rs 22,900 and at this price point, the phone does not offer the scratch resistant Gorilla Glass.
The Grand DUOS looks similar to the Note II, with the faux metal rim on the sides, and the tapered back with subtle patterns. However, given the large screen real estate it is hard to operate with just one thumb. Although the phone does not feel thick and bulky, it is not pretty light either (162 g). So carrying it around all day may seem like a burden especially if you are not too used to it. However, the large screen size will add to movie and video viewing experience along with games.
The Grand Duos is good in terms of multitasking as you open multiple apps and multiple windows. Simply drag any app and it automatically gets in the windows size.
The phone is equipped with an 8-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED flash and has the same sensor as seen in the Galaxy S II. Pictures in daylight will appear detailed and crisp, but pictures taken inside may not be too good. Users can available camera settings like like Panorama, Face detection, Flash, Exposure value, Scene mode, ISO, White balance and so on. You can also GPS tag photos, set a timer ranging from 2-10 seconds or use grid lines to capture a well-balanced picture.
It’s a dual-SIM phone so you can switch back and forth via the SIM Card Manager app in Settings, or from the notification bar, which lets you go from one card to the other with a tap, while the phone supports dual standby mode as well.
The battery life of Grand Duos is 2000 mAh which is quite less. For instance, if you are used to play music in the background, accessing internet in a 3G connection, YouTube videos, then all you’ll get is just 13- 14 hours.
The Grand Duos is equipped with the latest JellyBean 4.1.2 OS and packs a host of proprietary applications include Smart Stay, S Planner, S Memo, S Voice, S Suggest, Chat On, Games Hub and myServices along with an array of motion based gestures. The standard Google apps including Gmail, Youtube, Maps, Chrome, are present as well.
In terms of connectivity, the Galaxy Grand performs well over both Wi-Fi and 3G cellular networks. The device offers quad-band GSM support and tri-band 3G support, dual-band Wi-Fi with hotspot capabilities and Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0 and GLONASS.
Overall, it is a good phablet that is okay for everyday taks. A decent dual-core processor, a well-performing 8 MP camera, dual-SIM, and the ability to add storage via the microSD card slot, various high-end smartphone features goes well for the smartphone. If you are willing to flaunt the Samsung brand that comes with 5” screen and does not have problem with poor battery life and the low resolution display then the smartphone is not a bad choice either. But if you want to consider a bit inexpensive option along with an HD experience, you can consider the Micromax A116 Canvas HD priced under 15k.
Specs:
General: 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
3G Network: HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 - SIM 1 only
HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100 - SIM 1 only
SIM: Dual SIM (Mini-SIM, dual stand-by)
Body: 143.5 x 76.9 x 9.6 mm (5.65 x 3.03 x 0.38 in)
Weight: 162 g (5.71 oz)
Display: Capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size: 480 x 800 pixels, 5.0 inches (~187 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch: Yes
- TouchWiz UI
Sound: Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
Memory: Card slot microSD, up to 64 GB
Internal: 8 GB, 1 GB RAM
Data: GPRS Yes
EDGE: Yes
Speed: HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth: Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR
USB: Yes, microUSB v2.0
Camera: Primary 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality
Features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization
Video: Yes, 1080p@30fps, check quality
Secondary: Yes, 2 MP
OS: Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
CPU: Dual-core 1.2 GHz
Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Messaging: SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
Browser: HTML5
Radio: Stereo FM radio with RDS
GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, support and GLONASS
Java: Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
Colors: Black, White
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- SNS integration
- MP4/WMV/H.264/H.263 player
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player
- Organizer
- Image/video editor
- Document viewer
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa
- Voice memo/dial/commands
- Predictive text input
Battery: Li-Ion 2100 mAh battery
Stand-by: Up to 440 h
Talk time: Up to 10 h 10 min
Misc: SAR US 0.37 W/kg (head) 1.11 W/kg (body)
SAR EU 0.24 W/kg (head) 0.29 W/kg (body)
Price group: 22,900
Tests: Display Contrast ratio: 948:1 (nominal) / 1.321:1 (sunlight)
Loudspeaker: Voice 74dB / Noise 66dB / Ring 76dB
Audio quality: Noise -80.8dB / Crosstalk -80.7dB.
Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos is hottest new smartphone in the market: a mid-range handset which is meant for people who can’t buy the Galaxy Note 2 and the Galaxy S3. Although a bit pricey, the smartphone comes with features that are available in some high-end smartphones. If one has to describe the smartphone in one sentence then it should be “A pricey phablet.”
The biggest noticeable feature of the all-new Galaxy Grand Duos is its 5-inch WVGA TFT screen which is good enough to impress those smartphone buyers who want more screen real estate. The smartphone comes with a resolution of 480x800 pixels(187ppi), which will affect your viewing and browsing experience. Moreover, rich videos shot at 1080p will be toned down to match the screen resolution, thus not giving the desired HD experience. Similarly, graphic intensive games will give the same feeling like in a higher-resolution smartphone.
The G Grand Duos runs on a dual-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz. It has 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable with an in-built micro SD card. The 1GB of RAM provided in the smartphone is not appreciable considering that it is too small to be eaten up by software and apps. Therefore, lack of adequate RAM will haunt the buyers.
The tablet costs Rs 22,900 and at this price point, the phone does not offer the scratch resistant Gorilla Glass.
The Grand DUOS looks similar to the Note II, with the faux metal rim on the sides, and the tapered back with subtle patterns. However, given the large screen real estate it is hard to operate with just one thumb. Although the phone does not feel thick and bulky, it is not pretty light either (162 g). So carrying it around all day may seem like a burden especially if you are not too used to it. However, the large screen size will add to movie and video viewing experience along with games.
The Grand Duos is good in terms of multitasking as you open multiple apps and multiple windows. Simply drag any app and it automatically gets in the windows size.
The phone is equipped with an 8-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED flash and has the same sensor as seen in the Galaxy S II. Pictures in daylight will appear detailed and crisp, but pictures taken inside may not be too good. Users can available camera settings like like Panorama, Face detection, Flash, Exposure value, Scene mode, ISO, White balance and so on. You can also GPS tag photos, set a timer ranging from 2-10 seconds or use grid lines to capture a well-balanced picture.
It’s a dual-SIM phone so you can switch back and forth via the SIM Card Manager app in Settings, or from the notification bar, which lets you go from one card to the other with a tap, while the phone supports dual standby mode as well.
The battery life of Grand Duos is 2000 mAh which is quite less. For instance, if you are used to play music in the background, accessing internet in a 3G connection, YouTube videos, then all you’ll get is just 13- 14 hours.
The Grand Duos is equipped with the latest JellyBean 4.1.2 OS and packs a host of proprietary applications include Smart Stay, S Planner, S Memo, S Voice, S Suggest, Chat On, Games Hub and myServices along with an array of motion based gestures. The standard Google apps including Gmail, Youtube, Maps, Chrome, are present as well.
In terms of connectivity, the Galaxy Grand performs well over both Wi-Fi and 3G cellular networks. The device offers quad-band GSM support and tri-band 3G support, dual-band Wi-Fi with hotspot capabilities and Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0 and GLONASS.
Overall, it is a good phablet that is okay for everyday taks. A decent dual-core processor, a well-performing 8 MP camera, dual-SIM, and the ability to add storage via the microSD card slot, various high-end smartphone features goes well for the smartphone. If you are willing to flaunt the Samsung brand that comes with 5” screen and does not have problem with poor battery life and the low resolution display then the smartphone is not a bad choice either. But if you want to consider a bit inexpensive option along with an HD experience, you can consider the Micromax A116 Canvas HD priced under 15k.
Specs:
General: 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
3G Network: HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 - SIM 1 only
HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100 - SIM 1 only
SIM: Dual SIM (Mini-SIM, dual stand-by)
Body: 143.5 x 76.9 x 9.6 mm (5.65 x 3.03 x 0.38 in)
Weight: 162 g (5.71 oz)
Display: Capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size: 480 x 800 pixels, 5.0 inches (~187 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch: Yes
- TouchWiz UI
Sound: Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
Memory: Card slot microSD, up to 64 GB
Internal: 8 GB, 1 GB RAM
Data: GPRS Yes
EDGE: Yes
Speed: HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth: Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR
USB: Yes, microUSB v2.0
Camera: Primary 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality
Features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization
Video: Yes, 1080p@30fps, check quality
Secondary: Yes, 2 MP
OS: Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
CPU: Dual-core 1.2 GHz
Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Messaging: SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
Browser: HTML5
Radio: Stereo FM radio with RDS
GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, support and GLONASS
Java: Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
Colors: Black, White
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- SNS integration
- MP4/WMV/H.264/H.263 player
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player
- Organizer
- Image/video editor
- Document viewer
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa
- Voice memo/dial/commands
- Predictive text input
Battery: Li-Ion 2100 mAh battery
Stand-by: Up to 440 h
Talk time: Up to 10 h 10 min
Misc: SAR US 0.37 W/kg (head) 1.11 W/kg (body)
SAR EU 0.24 W/kg (head) 0.29 W/kg (body)
Price group: 22,900
Tests: Display Contrast ratio: 948:1 (nominal) / 1.321:1 (sunlight)
Loudspeaker: Voice 74dB / Noise 66dB / Ring 76dB
Audio quality: Noise -80.8dB / Crosstalk -80.7dB.
