Galaxy Grand, which supports dual SIM cards. The device is a good device with a 5-inch screen and a relatively low price. Of course, don't expect performance like the Galaxy S III, but it's probably one of the best dual-SIM smartphones out there.
As expected, Samsung Galaxy The Grand is not the most compact device that can be found on store shelves. Its dimensions are 143.5 x 76.9 x 9.6 mm, which means it is not the thinnest smartphone with a 5-inch screen, but it is comfortable to hold in your hands, since Samsung was able to keep the thickness less than 10 mm. The weight of the device is 162 grams, which is relatively good for its size.
The smartphone has a color similar to the models that appeared after the Galaxy S III. The main design features are borrowed from it, but a slightly different plastic is used, which is more slippery to the touch. It doesn't look as good as plastic Galaxy Note II, therefore, it can be assumed that the cost was reduced in this way. Note that slippery plastic may cause some problems, but if you have enough big hands(or when working with both hands at the same time), then it will be convenient to operate the device.
On the front surface of the device there is a screen, under which there is a home control key, and above it there is a speaker, sensors, a front camera and the company logo with the inscription “DUOS”. On the right side you can see the power/lock button, and on the left - the volume control key. At the top end there is a 3.5 mm headphone output, and at the bottom there is a microUSB output and a microphone. On the back side there is the main camera with LED flash, slots for an external speaker and the company logo.
That's all about the appearance of the device.
Now let's see what's under the battery cover. There you will find two slots for SIM cards and one for a microSD card. To access one SIM slot, you need to remove the battery; to access the second, you just need to remove the back cover.
Performance and Software
Samsung Galaxy Grand is powered by a dual-core Broadcom Cortex-A9 processor with clock frequency 1.2 GHz, Broadcom VideoCore IV graphics accelerator and 1 GB RAM. The smartphone is controlled by the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system.
Although the specifications are similar to the Galaxy S II Plus, the architecture is slightly different, so different test results are possible.
The Benchmark Pi single-threaded process test showed rather poor results. But this was predictable, since it was largely outperformed by smartphones with higher processor clock speeds.
In the Quadrant test, the gadget again beat the Galaxy S II Plus and lost only to 4-core devices. It also beats the original Galaxy S II quite a bit.
In the GLBenchmark test, our test subject was unable to beat the Mali-400MP graphics accelerator, which is used in original Galaxy S II, but still it is quite close to it.
Finally, the SunSpider and Browsermark tests showed very good results. Our smartphone comes right after the Galaxy S III.
The Galaxy Grand comes with 8GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via microSD cards (max. 64GB).
The gadget supports Wi-Fi/ Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS, 3G and FM radio.
The device comes pre-installed with: browser, mail client, programs for integration with social networks, audio and video players, as well as some other applications and games.
Screen
The Samsung Galaxy Grand uses a 5-inch capacitive display, made using TFT technology, with a resolution of 800x480 pixels and a color rendition of 16 million shades. The pixel density is 187 ppi, which is quite low.
You will not see the high contrast, good viewing angles typical of AMOLED screens, and the clarity is far from 5-inch displays with FullHD resolution.
In general, the screen leaves much to be desired, but do not forget that the device belongs to the mid-price segment and it cannot compete with Full HD monsters.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy Grand has an 8-megapixel camera capable of taking pictures with a maximum resolution of 3264x2448 pixels and recording Full HD video at a frame rate of 30 frames per second. It has an LED flash for shooting in low light conditions.
The smartphone has an extensive set of features: touch focus, smile detection, continuous shooting, panorama mode and can take photos while recording video (but only in 720p resolution). But it's missing here.
The pictures come out quite good. But if we compare, for example, with the Galaxy S III, the shadows on the flagship are better developed, and in terms of color reproduction and detail, the gadgets are almost identical.
Examples of photos:
The Grand also features a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video calling.
Battery
The device has at its disposal lithium ion battery capacity 2100 mAh. One battery charge, according to the manufacturer, should last for 10 hours 10 minutes battery life talk time and 440 hours of standby time.
Price
The price of Samsung Galaxy Grand on the Russian market is 17,990 rubles. Note that this smartphone suitable for those who need a second SIM card slot, a fairly large display and a solid software package. If Dual-SIM does not play a special role, then it is better to take a closer look at the Galaxy S II, which will be an excellent alternative to a new smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy Grand video review:
When choosing a smartphone for each user, there are important aspects that must be present in it. However, sometimes the choice is made in favor of more expensive flagship models, although subsequently most of their functionality is still not used.
But do not forget that some budget gadgets may have no worse functionality, and the performance is quite enough for trouble-free use, and they cope with all everyday tasks. The Grand Duos GT-I9082 is exactly such a model, the characteristics of which are far from flagship ones, but the device deserves attention.
Design and ergonomics
The smartphone features Samsung's signature design and has a physical Home button at the bottom of the screen. In general, the appearance is attractive, but it is not entirely convenient for using the gadget with one hand. The fact is that the back cover is glossy, and the phone can easily slip out of your hands. In addition, it collects fingerprints well and scratches easily. Therefore, immediately after purchasing a smartphone, you should think about purchasing a case that covers the back cover, such as a bumper.
In total, the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos GT-I9082 smartphone is made in two color variations - white and blue. The blue one looks more attractive because it has a light metallic tint with shine, while the white one is no different from devices from other manufacturers. The build quality is high, there are no gaps or creaks, and the back cover closes tightly.
In addition to the large Home button, other controls are located on the smartphone in the usual Samsung style. The power/unlock button is located on the right side, the volume rocker is on the left. The top end is occupied only by a headphone jack, while the bottom has a USB connector and a microphone hole. The flash, camera and speaker are lined up at the top of the gadget. The camera protrudes a little, and there is a slight bulge on the speaker grille, which ensures high volume when the smartphone is lying on the table on the back cover.
Display
There are no complaints about the display diagonal - it is an honest 5-inch that has become the standard for modern state employees. However, the picture quality has greatly deteriorated, and there are two main reasons for this. The first is the rather low resolution for such a diagonal, which is only 800 x 480 pixels. This value is too low, and pixelation is clearly visible even without a detailed examination of the image. The second reason is the use of a simple TFT matrix. If there were at least IPS here, the low resolution could be forgiven, but with the low viewing angles inherent in this particular technology, the picture quality becomes completely sad. Therefore, the display can definitely be attributed to the disadvantages of this device.
The sensor of the device is classic for budget models. The response is fast and accurate, multi-touch is supported up to five touches. The display is protected by glass, but not tempered, so you should think about protecting it from scratches with protective film or glass. Using the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos GT-I9082 sensor, whose characteristics are still pleasant, is quite convenient, and does not cause any particular complaints.
Main camera
The Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 Duos GT-I9082 smartphone has two cameras with pretty good characteristics. The main one has a resolution of 8 megapixels and high-quality optics, which allows you to take clear, noise-free pictures in clear weather and fairly acceptable quality photos in artificial or low light. In addition, there is the ability to shoot video in 1920 x 1080 resolution at up to 30 frames per second. The LED flash doesn't really help with photography, but it can serve as an excellent flashlight.
Front camera
The front camera has a resolution of 2 megapixels, which is quite enough for pleasant video communication. Selfies can also be taken, but only if there is good lighting, otherwise the photos will turn out noisy and unclear. But in general, regarding the cameras, the smartphone got pretty good results for a budget phone.
Autonomy
The smartphone has a battery with an average capacity for this price segment of 2100 mAh. According to the manufacturer, this capacity should be enough for 10 hours of calls on a 2G network. And it is here that the presence of a display matrix that does not require power makes itself felt and becomes a plus, increasing the operating time on a single charge. As a result, the smartphone survives quite effortlessly during a day of active use with it always on or mobile internet, or Wi-Fi. If you use it mainly for calls and short correspondence, then the battery will last for 2-3 days.
It is worth noting that the Samsung GT-I9082 Galaxy Grand Duos battery is quite durable, and its capacity does not begin to noticeably drop after the first 100 cycles, as is observed from other manufacturers.
Hardware specifications
It is often impossible to find any MTK or similar budget crystal from Samsung and similar manufacturers. Likewise, this model has a Broadcom BCM28155 chip installed, which has 2 cores with frequencies of 1.2 GHz each. Graphics processing is provided by the VideoCore IV video accelerator. It can be seen that the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos GT-I9082 has far from flagship characteristics, and could have problems in operation if not for the low resolution of the display. Thanks to it, the interface remains smooth, and using the smartphone is quite comfortable, although there are some slight stutters. However, you can safely forget about heavy gaming applications with high demands on the graphics subsystem - they simply either will not start or will not work correctly.
For simultaneous operation of several applications, 1 GB of RAM is provided. It is enough to use a couple of instant messengers and a browser without constantly closing each application. To store user and system files The device received 8 GB of non-volatile memory. The system out of the box takes up about 4 GB, the rest of the volume is available to the user. It’s worth noting right away that applications are not transferred to the memory card, so it would be best to leave this volume specifically for them, and to download music, videos, movies and other content you need to install the card MicroSD memory, with a capacity of up to 64 GB. To connect your smartphone to your computer and reset files, you should download the driver for the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos GT-I9082, which can be found on the manufacturer’s official website.
When purchasing a memory card with the maximum capacity for the device, it is best to immediately check its compatibility right in the store, since it was noticed that some cards, despite the fact that they were correctly formatted, were not visible to the smartphone.
Software
Out of the box, the device comes with firmware based on Android 4.1.2. Subsequently, if desired, it can be updated over the air to version 4.2.2. Unfortunately, with this version, support for the smartphone was discontinued by the manufacturer, the appearance of custom firmware with more new version systems is also unlikely, at least they are not yet available in a special Samsung theme Galaxy Grand Duos GT-I9082 w3bsit3-dns.com
The software is well optimized, which reduces battery consumption and improves the smoothness of the interface; this is often emphasized by users when they write reviews about the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos GT-I9082. Like other devices from Samsung, the smartphone received the TouchWiz Nature UX branding. However, along with this interface, the smartphone contains a large number of proprietary applications, which, however, may be useless for some. Unfortunately, they are system-wide and cannot be removed without rooting the system.
Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.
| Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 76.9 mm (millimeters) 7.69 cm (centimeters) 0.25 ft (feet) 3.03 in (inches) |
| Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 143.5 mm (millimeters) 14.35 cm (centimeters) 0.47 ft (feet) 5.65 in (inches) |
| Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement. | 9.6 mm (millimeters) 0.96 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft (feet) 0.38 in (inches) |
| Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 162 g (grams) 0.36 lbs 5.71 oz (ounces) |
| Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. | 105.94 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 6.43 in³ (cubic inches) |
SIM card
The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.
Mobile networks
A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.
Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds
Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.
SoC (System on Chip)
A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.
| SoC (System on Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components such as a processor, GPU, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation. | Broadcom BCM28155 |
| Process Information about the technological process by which the chip is manufactured. Nanometers measure half the distance between elements in the processor. | 40 nm (nanometers) |
| Processor (CPU) The primary function of a mobile device's processor (CPU) is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications. | ARM Cortex-A9 |
| Processor size The size (in bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of the registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance compared to 32-bit processors, which in turn are more powerful than 16-bit processors. | 32 bit |
| Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute. | ARMv7 |
| Number of processor cores The processor core executes software instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to be executed in parallel. | 2 |
| CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 1200 MHz (megahertz) |
| Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) Graphics processing unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphic applications. IN mobile devices it is used most often by games, consumer interface, video applications, etc. | Broadcom VideoCore IV |
| Amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted. | 1 GB (gigabytes) |
| RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its operating speed, more specifically, the speed of reading/writing data. | 400 MHz (megahertz) |
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.
Memory cards
Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.
Screen
The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
| Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the quality of the information image directly depends. | TFT |
| Diagonal For mobile devices, screen size is expressed by the length of its diagonal, measured in inches. | 5 in (inches) 127 mm (millimeters) 12.7 cm (centimeters) |
| Width Approximate screen width | 2.57 in (inches) 65.34 mm (millimeters) 6.53 cm (centimeters) |
| Height Approximate screen height | 4.29 in (inches) 108.9 mm (millimeters) 10.89 cm (centimeters) |
| Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.667:1 5:3 |
| Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means clearer image detail. | 480 x 800 pixels |
| Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be displayed on screen with clearer detail. | 187 ppi (pixels per inch) 73 ppcm (pixels per centimeter) |
| Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors that the screen can display. | 24 bit 16777216 flowers |
| Screen area Approximate percentage of screen area occupied by the screen on the front of the device. | 64.69% (percent) |
| Other characteristics Information about other screen features and characteristics. | Capacitive Multi-touch |
Sensors
Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.
Main camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for taking photos and videos.
| Sensor type Digital cameras use photo sensors to take photographs. The sensor, as well as optics, are one of the main factors in the quality of the camera in a mobile device. | CMOS BSI (backside illumination) |
| Flash type The most common types of flashes in mobile device cameras are LED and xenon flashes. LED flashes produce softer light and, unlike brighter xenon flashes, are also used for video shooting. | LED |
| Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of mobile device cameras is their resolution, which shows the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in the image. | 3264 x 2448 pixels 7.99 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution when shooting video with the device. | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
| Video - frame rate/frames per second. Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the device when shooting video at the maximum resolution. Some of the main standard speeds shooting and playing video is 24p, 25p, 30p, 60p. | 30fps (frames per second) |
| Characteristics Information about other software and hardware features related to the main camera and improving its functionality. | Autofocus Geographical tags Touch Focus Face recognition |
Additional camera
Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device screen and are used mainly for video conversations, gesture recognition, etc.
Audio
Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Location determination
Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.
WiFi
Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.
| Version There are several versions of Bluetooth, with each subsequent one improving communication speed, coverage, and making devices easier to discover and connect. Information about the Bluetooth version of the device. | 4.0 |
| Characteristics Bluetooth uses different profiles and protocols that provide faster data transfer, energy savings, improved device discovery, etc. Some of these profiles and protocols that the device supports are shown here. | A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) AVCTP (Audio/Video Control Transport Protocol) AVDTP (Audio/Video Distribution Transport Protocol) AVRCP (Audio/Visual Remote Control Profile) BNEP (Bluetooth Network Encapsulation Protocol) EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) GAVDP (Generic Audio/Video Distribution Profile) GAP (Generic Access Profile) GATT (Generic Attribute Profile) HFP (Hands-Free Profile) HID (Human Interface Profile) HSP (Headset Profile) LE (Low Energy) MAP (Message Access Profile) OPP (Object Push Profile) PAN (Personal Area Networking Profile) PBAP/PAB (Phone Book Access Profile) SPP (Serial Port Protocol) SDP (Service Discovery Protocol) |
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.
Headphone jack
This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connecting devices
Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
Video file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.
Battery
Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.
| Capacity A battery's capacity indicates the maximum charge it can hold, measured in milliamp-hours. | 2100 mAh (milliamp-hours) |
| Type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, the chemicals used. There are different types batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries most often used in mobile devices. | Li-Ion (Lithium-ion) |
| 2G talk time 2G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 2G network. | 10 hours 10 minutes 10.2 h (hours) 610.2 min (minutes) 0.4 days |
| 2G latency 2G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network. | 440 h (hours) 26400 min (minutes) 18.3 days |
| 3G talk time 3G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 3G network. | 10 hours 10 minutes 10.2 h (hours) 610.2 min (minutes) 0.4 days |
| 3G latency 3G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network. | 440 h (hours) 26400 min (minutes) 18.3 days |
| Characteristics Information about some additional characteristics of the device's battery. | Removable |
Scope of delivery:
- Samsung i9082
- Battery
- Wired stereo headset
- Network adapter and USB cable
- User Guide
- Warranty card
Positioning
Last year, Samsung began selling a dual-SIM smartphone on operating system Android under the simple name Galaxy S Duos. It is interesting that the device turned out to be successful, since users left extremely positive reviews, and there were many flattering words in my review, despite the fact that there were plenty of competitors among third-tier brands. But the launch of the Galaxy Grand Duos, frankly speaking, was not expected at all, since rumors were only about the Samsung Galaxy S III with two SIM cards for the Chinese market.
In general, everything is not bad with the hardware and software in the Grand Duos smartphone: a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor with the addition of NEON, a relatively powerful VideoCore IV HW graphics accelerator, one gigabyte of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera, the ability to shoot FullHD videos. However, the screen resolution raises questions: provided that the diagonal of the i9082 is 5 inches, it is only 480x800 pixels. In addition, Samsung's pricing policy in Russia leaves much to be desired, since the cost of the Galaxy Grand Duos is no less than 18,000 rubles. For example, in Ukraine, a device can be found for 3,800 hryvnia, which is about 14,000 in rubles.
It seems to me that the smartphone will be of interest to those who do not consider “Chinese” devices as a purchase, but the gadget must have two slots for SIM cards and a large display diagonal. Otherwise, there are simply a huge number of competitors for 18 thousand rubles.
Design, dimensions, control elements
Samsung, in fact, like some other companies, over the last couple of years has begun producing smartphones based on the design of flagship devices. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for some, Grand Duos is no exception. It is almost completely copied from the popular and widely advertised Galaxy S III smartphone: a characteristic oval body, similar shapes of controls and individual details appearance SGS III, location of sensors, keys, cameras and flashes. There aren't many differences. Naturally, these are larger dimensions - 143x76x9.6 mm (for the Galaxy S III - 136x70x8.6 mm), weight - 162 grams versus 133 grams for the Galaxy S III. Instead of a metal mesh of a polyphonic speaker, the Grand Duos has two slots and a slightly larger physical button under the screen. It is also worth noting that the back panel of the Galaxy S III is made of glossy plastic, and the cover of the Galaxy Grand Duos is made of two layers: the first is matte with a thin mesh visible at certain angles in the light, the second (applied on top) is glossy.
A chrome-plated plastic insert runs along the edge. More pleasant, in my subjective opinion, are the “Grand” materials.
Samsung Grand Duos and Samsung Galaxy S III
Because I'm used to huge smartphones(I use Galaxy Note II, before it there was Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note), then the Grand size seemed quite comfortable to me. The device can theoretically easily fit into the pockets of jeans, trousers or a jacket.
The device is well assembled, there are no complaints: the case does not creak, the panel does not play, and there is no crunching noise when squeezing or twisting. I was not able to accurately understand whether Gorilla Glass is used as screen protection, because... There is very little information on this gadget. In any case, even if it is not glass from Corning, it uses quite durable material (obviously not simple plastic), and not a single scratch appeared on the screen during use. The surface of the display is non-staining, marks are almost invisible. They are also not visible on the back cover - the plastic is semi-glossy and painted white.
On the top of the front panel there are light and proximity sensors, a front camera and a speaker covered with a metal chrome mesh. The sensors work correctly, no questions arise. The speaker has a high volume, and during a conversation you can adjust the level not only standard means, but also activate the special “Additional Volume” function. It seems to me that it does not increase the volume, but rather makes the interlocutor’s voice seem closer to the ear, the sound becomes a little more natural and richer. Overall, the speaker is of high quality, I liked it.
Below the display is a traditional mechanical button in the shape of a rectangular trapezoid with smooth edges. It is practically recessed into the body, it is pressed gently, but the stroke is small, the “click” is quiet and dull. To the right and left of it are touch buttons. Without backlight ( white) they are not visible.
At the bottom end there is a microUSB without a plug and a microphone, at the top there is a standard 3.5 mm audio output for headphones or a headset.
On the left side there is a volume rocker key almost recessed into the body, on the left, of the same type, there is an on/off button. Its location is quite good, since for right-handers it is under the thumb, and for left-handers it is under the index or middle finger.
Flash, large camera eye framed by a chrome-plated plastic rim, speaker - on back side smartphone.
To open the cover, you need to pry it by the notch on the upper left side. The slot for SIM1 is on top of the battery, SIM2 is on the bottom right. Both are mounted in metal slides. The slot for installing a memory card is located under the battery at the bottom.
Samsung Grand Duos and iPhone 4S
Display
The display diagonal of the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos is 5 inches (physical size - 109x65 mm). This screen size is common for most flagship smartphones today. Even though I'm on at the moment I use Note/Note II with ease, but I still had to get used to the large diagonal. But that's a separate conversation. But the Grand Duos screen resolution is questionable: at five inches – 480x800 pixels! For some Chinese smartphones This would be considered the norm, and now almost all more or less adequate devices have qHD or HD resolution.
Naturally, Samsung can be partly understood: release a device with a 5" HD screen, and the question will arise, what to do with previous smartphones (Galaxy Note, Galaxy S III)? If you reduce the price, then you need to reduce it for younger models - Galaxy S II , Galaxy Advance, Galaxy S Duos, and so on. Of course, all this is unprofitable. Apparently, that’s why marketers decided that it was the most. the right step will make a device with a low screen resolution, but cool stuffing, including a camera.
The Grand Duos matrix is made using IPS technology. If it were not for its excellent quality, one could give up on the smartphone. And so, even despite the low resolution for a 5-inch diagonal, the picture does not look too pixelated. Those. individual pixels are visible, but they are not striking. I don’t want to defend Samsung in any way, I’m just stating a fact: the screen is cool, but I would like the resolution a little more.
The sensor layer is capacitive, the sensitivity is very high. Works up to 10 (!) simultaneous touches.
The viewing angles of the screen are large. When tilted, the brightness decreases slightly; when viewed from the side on the right, the colors acquire a slight violet tint; when viewed from the side on the left, they acquire a yellowish tint. In short, a regular IPS matrix.
Brightness is slightly above average. On the street the image is practically invisible; in the sun it becomes completely blind.
Display settings:
- Multiple windows
- Contextual pages (headphones, stands, roaming). For example, when you connect headphones, the virtual screen with a choice of music, videos, etc.
- Brightness
- Intellectual anticipation. The screen stays on while you're looking at it
- Font style
- Font size
- Backlit keys
- Show charge percentage
- Auto-adjust screen brightness. The image is analyzed, and in connection with certain data the brightness of the picture is set.
Battery
Installed removable lithium ion battery capacity 2100 mAh. Type – EB535163LU. On the one hand, the capacity is small, but on the other hand, the screen resolution is low, the backlight is not bright, and the chipset is not the most productive. The developers claim that the device will operate for 440 hours in standby mode, and up to 10 hours in talk mode. I can partially confirm these figures; the device really worked for a long time.
With 20-25 minutes of calls a day, 4-5 hours of 3G, a couple of hours of Wi-Fi, an hour of watching videos and the same amount of listening to music, the Galaxy Grand Duos managed to squeeze out up to 12-13 hours of work from a single charge.
More numbers:
- Only in talk mode the device works up to 7 hours
- Only when playing video (720p) at maximum volume in headphones and maximum screen brightness - just over 4.5 hours
- Only playing music in headphones at maximum volume – about 30 hours
- Games only (using NOVA3 as an example) – just over 3 hours
Communication capabilities
The smartphone works in cellular networks 2G (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (900/2100 MHz). Speed HSDPA – up to 21 Mbit/s, HSUPA – up to 5.76 Mbit/s. Available Bluetooth version 4.0 HS (A2DP, LE, EDR).
Wireless present Wi-Fi connection 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 GHz). The device can be used as an access point (Wi-Fi Hotspot) and file transfer (Wi-Fi Direct). In the settings there is an item “Modem and access point”. Samsung connects to the computer over the air using Kies via Wi-Fi. During the entire operation, the network did not fall.
High-speed USB 2.0 is also used for file transfer and data synchronization. When connected to a PC, the “duos” is defined as a USB-Flash device (MTP) or a camera (PTP).
SAR value
Your phone is manufactured to comply with EU Council guidelines for exposure to radio frequency (RF) energy. These standards prohibit the sale mobile phones, whose radiation level (called specific absorption rate, SAR) exceeds 2.0 watts per kilogram of body weight. During testing (information provided by Samsung), the maximum SAR for this model was: 0.24 W/kg near the head, 0.288 W/kg near the body.
When in use, the actual SAR values of the device are significantly lower than the values stated above. This is due to the fact that for efficient work system and reduce network impact, the operating power of the mobile device is automatically reduced if the call does not require full power. The lower the device's power output, the lower the SAR value.
Memory and memory card
Samsung smartphone The i9082 has 1 GB (available - 796 MB and free on average about 400 MB) of RAM, its volume is quite enough for most tasks.
4 GB of Flash memory is allocated for installing applications, photos, music and videos, of which 1.3 GB is free, the rest is filled with applications that are installed by Samsung by default. Naturally, there is a slot for a microSDHC memory card, its maximum capacity can be 64 GB.
Camera
The Galaxy Grand Duos has two camera modules: 8 MP (with autofocus) and 2 MP (front, without autofocus, for video calls). There is a single-section LED flash.
The quality of the photos is very good and practically does not differ from frames taken on the Galaxy S III or Note II: high detail, natural colors, wide dynamic range, absence of any distortion, great job exposure meter and autofocus.
In general, I was somewhat surprised that this model uses such a high-quality module. By the way, the front camera takes photos not much worse than the main one :).
Grand Duos shoots video in resolutions up to 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second, regardless of lighting level. During recording, two types of focusing operation are available: automatic and semi-automatic (“touch focus”) - you need to click on the display. There are no questions about the videos either - everything is clean, smooth, without noise or lag, with good focus performance.
The phone works great with Skype.
The interface is exactly the same as in any modern Samsung smartphone. The only thing missing is an HDR mode.
Video file characteristics:
- File Format: MP4
- Video codec: AVC, 17 Mbit/s
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080, 30 fps
- Audio codec: AAC, 128 Kbps
- Channels: 1 channel, 48 KHz
Examples of photos taken with the main camera:
Examples of photos on front camera :
Performance
We are already accustomed to the fact that most Samsung smartphones use two types of chipsets: Qualcomm and its own Exynos. Broadcom is installed very rarely, mainly in budget phones. The specifications for the Galaxy Grand Duos on the official website, and not only on it, only indicate that the Grand has two Cortex-A9 processors, and that’s all. No more information. It turned out that the Grand Duos has a Broadcom 28155 chipset; frankly speaking, this is the first time I’ve heard about it. There are not very many details on the chip manufacturer's website: it is said that two Cortex-A9 cores with a SIMD command processing unit (NEON), 40 nm process technology, single-core VideoCore IV graphics accelerator, support for 20 MP cameras, 720p/1080p video playback, integrated sound system.
After using it for some time, I can say unequivocally - the Galaxy Grand Duos is very fast! If I didn’t know what kind of chipset is used here, I would assume that TI OMAP 4460 or Exynos 4212. The interface works smoothly (this is worth noting separately!), I didn’t notice any slowdowns, “glitches” or “bugs” either.
The most interesting thing is that powerful toys like NOVA3, Asphalt 7, GTA Vice City, Dead Space and the like do not slow down.
Below is a short technical information and performance tests:
Quadrant Standard
Navigation
The smartphone has a GPS navigator. A “cold” start for determining the coordinates of a “duos” is about a minute (quite quickly), a “hot” start is up to 5-10 seconds. Unfortunately, indoor satellites are reluctant to be detected, so the navigator had difficulty finding only one. However, in open space in clear weather, Galaxy Grand Duos identified more than 8 satellites.
Software platform and shell
The smartphone operates in the operating room Google system Android versions 4.1.2, firmware version i9082XXALK6. Updates will most likely come, and the device will receive Android 4.2. For me personally, it’s important that it’s already 4.1. This version allows you to comfortably use the interface thanks to Project Butter's super smooth operation.
The shell used is TouchWIZ, called Nature UX. The shell is familiar to us from reviews of the company’s top devices. If you have questions, I advise you to read the Samsung Galaxy S III or Galaxy Note II tests. I will only provide screenshots of the system.
Challenges
IN this device One radio module is installed, but two SIM cards. Naturally, when talking on one SIM, the other will be unavailable. In general, as usual: if you want to always stay in touch, buy a second phone!
However, the smartphone has an “Active Mode” feature. It allows you to forward calls from one SIM card to another. To do this, you go to the “SIM Card Manager” and select “Active mode”, check the “dual SIM mode” checkbox, enter (if necessary) the card numbers and set the mode: both SIM cards, from SIM1 to SIM2, from SIM2 to SIM1.
“SIM cards” can be removed “hot”, but for proper operation of the device it is recommended to reboot the device. At every new installation SIM card system prompts you to enter card information.
In “SIM Settings” the name of the SIM card is changed, the icon is set (blue or green “SIM”, home, “work” and heart).
The dialer is standard for Samsung phones. To call specific number from one or another SIM card, just click on the desired icon at the bottom left.
From the dialer it is easy to get to your contacts and call log. While dialing a number, a list of contacts starting with these numbers appears in the input field window. To create a contact, you need to click on the “plus” in “contacts”. The following information is available for each subscriber: avatar, first and last name, phone number, email address, Google account Talk, group, ringtone, postal address, organization, note, nickname, website, birthday and anniversary.
Messages
For typing, Samsung traditionally uses a proprietary keyboard, as well as T9 and “Continuous input” (analogous to Swype). The phone has an accelerometer, so when you turn the smartphone on its side, the keyboard takes on a landscape view, making it more convenient to enter text. The screen diagonal is small, but due to the sensitive and precisely calibrated sensor it is convenient to press small buttons.
To send a text using a particular SIM card, you need to click on the desired icon in the center right.
Web browser
A standard Android browser is used. Due to the fact that the device has an ARMv7 processor, Flash animation is supported. The speed is high, I didn’t notice any jerks.
Multimedia
Music player . The usual Samsung player. Allows you to sort songs by albums, playlists and artists. The screen displays the song name, volume control, and timeline. In the settings, the user has access to a quick list, sending music (via MMS message, Bluetooth, email and Wi-Fi), set as a ringtone or SMS.
IN additional options There are equalizer presets: auto, normal... classic, bass boost, treble boost, virtual 7.1 channel system, cafe. There is also a customizable equalizer from 60 to 14,000 Hz with seven bands. The extended equalizer added 3D, Bass, Reverb level, Room size, Clarity.
The sound quality of the Samsung i9082 headphones is excellent: pleasant, non-humming low frequencies, smooth mids and not overwhelmed high frequencies. The volume is high.
The main speaker has high volume, light bass sound, and sounds clear. If you cover the speaker, the volume will drop by 40-50%.
FM radio. Operates in the range 88.5 – 108 MHz. RDS supported. The sensitivity is not very high, the volume is average.
Video player. There is a separate shortcut in the phone menu that links to launching the video file manager. The player “understands” H264, Xvid, DivX codecs and AVI, MP4, MKV, WMV file formats. The video player plays videos in resolutions up to 1080p. To support other video and audio formats, you should install a third-party player.
By the way, using a special function, the video player window can be displayed on home screen or in the background of any application!
Conclusion
The first impression of the device: “Well, Samsung again, same design, high price...”. This is partly true. But the more time you spend with some devices, the more you begin to appreciate them. Recently, I have tested a huge number of “Chinese” smartphones and realized that no matter how you look at it, devices from large vendors still work more stable and smoother, and certain functions are performed more correctly and with better quality.
The undeniable advantages of the Galaxy Grand are: a powerful graphics accelerator, a gigabyte of RAM, a very high-quality photo and video camera, a loud speaker, smooth operation of the interface. Naturally, there are disadvantages, and they are so obvious that it is not worth writing about them in detail: low screen resolution and high price. But despite the negative aspects, I liked the smartphone. For those who don’t really care about screen resolution, I recommend buying: a high-quality phone with two SIM card slots with big screen and a cool camera.
Company Samsung already has long taken a leading position in all price segments among Android smartphones. Now the next step is to repeat the success among dual-SIM Android smartphones. So far, Samsung has succeeded. And now the manufacturer is announcing a huge DualSIM - Galaxy Grand Duos - a smartphone with a 5-inch TFT display with a resolution of 800x480 pixels. You could expect something similar from little-known manufacturers who are trying with all their might to grab a piece of the pie from a huge market, but from the leader you expect something more impressive, with a screen with a resolution of 960x540 pixels, or better yet, 1280x720 pixels. When the smartphone came to us for testing, we could not even imagine how it would all turn out. It turned out that Samsung once again managed to create a device that other manufacturers will look up to.
We reviewed a test sample of the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos with a couple of defects on the body, so we will not evaluate the build quality.
Design and ergonomics
The design of the new product has become closer to, while the younger model is more like. Dimensions of the smartphone are 143.5 × 76.9 × 9.6 mm, weight 162 g. For comparison, Galaxy sizes S III 136.6x70.6x8.6 mm, weight 133 g, Galaxy Note II - 151.1x80.5x9.4 mm, weight 180 g. Since the screen diagonal in the Grand Duos is 5-inch, it would be more correct to compare it with the Galaxy S III with a 4.8-inch screen, but the numbers suggest that we are looking at a slightly smaller copy of the Note II rather than a larger Galaxy S III. The smartphone does not look compact - it is a large device with a large screen and a glossy body, however, Grand Duos fits comfortably in the hand.
On the front side of the case there is a set of sensors, a speaker, a camera and keys. Only the event indicator is missing. The hardware Home key rises above the glass, and its edges are cut to give the user the impression that it is made of metal. It looks unusual and attractive.
The silver plastic around the perimeter of the case is designed to resemble metal as much as possible. It contains the power button, volume button, headphone jack, charger and a small microphone hole.
On the back side, in one line, there is a recess for removing the cover, a flash LED, a camera eye and two speaker slots. Under the cover are hidden slots for SIM 1 and SIM 2, as well as memory cards. Access to the SIM 1 and memory card slot is blocked by the battery, while the SIM from the second slot supports hot swap. For a smartphone, it doesn’t matter where each SIM is; in the menu you can set the 3G mode for any of them
The removable cover is not as flexible as in older models, but unlike them, it has a pattern in the form of triangles, so it cannot be called completely featureless, although we would prefer rough plastic, as in the Galaxy S Duos.
Operating system and shell
Smartphone running in operating room Android system 4.1.2. The proprietary TouchWiz – Nature UX shell is installed on top of the standard interface. With the exception of the S-Pen settings, the Grand Duos interface is no different from the Galaxy Note II. You can read about the possibilities of the latter in the material.
Among the new things that we are encountering for the first time, we note the presence of a new switch in the notification panel responsible for activating multi-window mode (if the function is inactive, calling multi-window mode by holding the “Back” key does not work). The active SIM card switch is also located here.
A new item has been added to the SIM card manager that allows you to receive calls on the second SIM, if the first one is currently being used to access the Internet, but the data transfer will be interrupted. Otherwise, the second SIM will not be available. To be able to receive calls on two SIMs simultaneously, you need to set up call forwarding in the “Active Mode” menu. In it you can specify where calls will be redirected if any of the SIMs is “busy”. If you set up forwarding between cards installed in your smartphone, then when there is an incoming call, if you are already talking, a corresponding signal and a pop-up window will appear, where you will be asked to make a choice, hold the current call and accept the incoming one, or end the current call and answer the incoming one.
You cannot assign a default SIM for making calls and sending messages, only for data transfer. When dialing a number and in messages, there are always two icons - SIM 1, SIM 2. That is, in order to make a call from the SIM card installed in the first slot, you need to click on the SIM 1 icon.
Among other notable features of the Grand Duos interface, we note the presence of many types of vibration operation with the ability to create your own and a wide range of background screensavers for messages.
Hardware platform
The smartphone uses a system-on-chip Broadcom BCM28155. The chipset is made using 40nm technology and includes two Cortex-A9 processor cores capable of operating at a maximum clock frequency of 1.2 GHz, supporting NEON, a graphics core VideoCore IV And 1 GB LPDDR2 RAM(400 MHz).
According to benchmark results, system performance is at the level of Nvidia Tegra2, MTK6577T.
The Epic Citadel app displayed artifacts, although there were no image issues in the games we tested.
The smartphone allows you to play video up to Full HD resolution, and you don’t need installation to watch it third party applications, the built-in player copes with this task well, moreover, it is one of the most advanced among the “standard” ones. Test videos AVI, MP4, MKV started and played without problems.
The conversational and multimedia speakers showed themselves to be good, both during conversations and calls. The sound in the headphones did not disappoint either; it is loud and will appeal to the vast majority of users.
The operating time of a smartphone is one of its strengths. The use of such a large display did not negatively affect battery life. The Antutu Tester application showed 4 hours or more than 700 points, which is equivalent to two days of work under average load or 6-7 hours with constant use of GPS. In reading mode, the smartphone will last 13 hours and 22 minutes, in player mode – 33 hours and 22 minutes.
Display
The smartphone display is clearly not the leader in terms of dots per inch, so those looking for a device with a Retina display will be disappointed. For me, an amateur quality screens, including high resolution and sharp images, the Grand Duos display did not cause rejection. This does not mean that the pixels are invisible, on the contrary, they are visible even at a relatively large distance from the eyes, provided that you have good vision, but these same pixels do not spoil the impression of the device.
When looking at the screen diagonally from the lower right corner to the upper left, the colors lose some of their saturation, but there is no trace of the inversion typical of inexpensive TN matrices. The minimum brightness is 11.7 cd/m², the maximum is 347 cd/m², 50% on the scale corresponds to 202 cd/m², and with automatic tuning in office lighting conditions the display shows 190 cd/m².
Camera
The quality of the main camera is traditionally good for Samsung; photos are sharp, with natural color reproduction. A ton of settings, including image stabilization, macro mode and many others, will allow you to choose the optimal settings to get the best shot. The most serious drawback of the camera is the lack of an HDR mode, but this fact is unlikely to deter you from buying a smartphone. The video quality is also excellent; while recording, you can specify the focus point by touching the screen.
Examples of 8 MP photos taken with a Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos smartphone
An example of Full HD video recording using a Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos smartphone
The front 2 MP camera copes with the tasks assigned to it, but I was surprised that the maximum video resolution is limited to 720x480 pixels.
Results
The Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos smartphone is far from the first device with support for two SIM cards and a 5-inch screen; it also cannot be called affordable. Why was he able to impress us so much? Firstly, one of the most functional shells. Working with it, you understand that the manufacturer cares not only about how to sell the device, but also about how to make it as convenient as possible in everyday work. Secondly, multimedia capabilities - the capabilities of music and video players. Thirdly, cameras, both main and front. Fourthly, work time. For a smartphone with such large display and two SIM cards - this is especially important. All this together makes the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos the best smartphone with support for two SIM cards with a 5-inch screen.
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