Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos Review

Introduction

Samsung Galaxy Grand enters a pretty interesting marketing niche – people eventually eager for a big-screen smartphone that might not break the bank. The 5” Galaxy Grand skimps on features like HD screen resolution and internal memory to reach that goal.

The phone is apparently aimed at emerging markets, judging not only from the specs, but from the availability of a dual SIM version with the Grand Duos we have in our hands. Has Samsung compromised too much or will it reach a newly created target market, just like it did with the Note family? Read our review to find out...

Design

The Galaxy Grand DUOS looks like a larger S III, or a smaller Note II, whichever you prefer. Samsung is making everything nowadays, big and small, with the distinctive rounded corner design that is immediately recognizable because of its blockbuster S III handset.

You can compare the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.


The Grand DUOS is more reminiscent to the Note II, actually, with the faux metal rim on the sides, and the tapered back with subtle pattern makes is fairly comfortable to hold with one hand, considering the screen size, but hard to operate with just your thumb, of course. The phone is somewhat hefty for today's standards at 5.71 oz (162 g), yet having in mind the screen size again, it does not feel thick and bulky.


Display

We know what you are thinking – WVGA on a 5-incher? C'mon! Well, 480x800 it is, which returns 187ppi pixel density, and doesn't look good if you are used to the HD and Full HD screens of late. For comparison, the 4.8” HD screen on the Galaxy S III, which is not small by any measure either, rings in at 306ppi. The resolution is not unusable, as the Grand DUOS is a big-screen phone and you hold it further from your eyes than usual, thus diminishing the low resolution effect somewhat.

Samsung uses LCD here, instead of the AMOLED technology that goes for its flagships - the 5” panel on the Grand DUOS is with decent viewing angles and bright enough, so you can tell what's on it outside under direct sunlight, thus the only big drawback remains its low pixel density.



Interface and functionality

Samsung has graced the Grand DUOS with the Nature UX it debuted in the S III, in all its Smart Stay and PopUp Play glory. The phone is poised to run Android 4.1.2, too, so in terms of software and interface you will be at the forefront of dual SIM device choices.


Moreover, despite its average specs, the Grand DUOS rocks the Multi-window mode with a handy switch in the notification bar toggles. It lets you run two apps on the screen at any given time, and you can resize the space they occupy at will. A floating keyboard also appears in this mode, so you can type comments, and watch something at the same time. Needless to say, the bigger the screen, the more useful this multi-window mode, and in that respect the Grand Duos delivers.

The two regular-sized SIMs are switched 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 SIM app lets you manage the level of connectivity – for example, you can tell the handset to allow an incoming call from the other card while you are using data with the SIM currently set as default.


Another setting you can check is to receive incoming call from the other line while talking through your main SIM.

Processor and memory

A Broadcom processor is what powers the Grand DUOS, not an Exynos chip. The BCM28155 SoC is a dual-core 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 fabrication with a homebrew VideoCore IV GPU, and the typical for Cortex-A9s of yesteryear 40/45nm production method. The graphics processor made some pretty decent scores in NenaMark 2, as it has much less pixels to power than on HD or Full HD handsets.

	Quadrant Standard	AnTuTu	NenaMark 2
Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos	3728	7525	58,9
Samsung Galaxy Note II	5806	13515	58
LG Optimus L5	1470	2665	14,2
Google Nexus 4	4757	10188	58,6

Samsung has placed 1 GB of RAM inside the phone, and 8 GB of internal memory, but there is a handy microSD slot for up to 64 GB memory cards as well.

Internet and connectivity

The default Samsung WebKit browser sports handy functions like saving the page for offline reading and adjustable brightness from within the browser interface, but since we have Android 4.1.2 here, it offers no Adobe Flash support from the box, so you'd have to sideload it if needed.

Viewing websites at this resolution is probably the biggest drawback of the 187ppi pixel density screen, as small text becomes unreadable when you zoom out, and appears somewhat jagged when reading.


The Grand DUOS can keep you connected with two carrier networks at once, and you can use up to 21 Mbps HSPA+ download speeds on one, for instance, while receiving an incoming call from the other SIM card. The phone also houses the usual suite of other wireless connectivity options – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS with Glonass support, DLNA and FM Radio. About the only thing missing is NFC.

Camera

An 8 MP camera unit is what is housed inside the Grand DUOS, with adjacent LED flash and zero shutter lag. The camera interface is also well-known, and offers numerous scene presets, as well as a macro mode, plus various color effects to spice up your pics, but no HDR mode.


The pictures turned out very good, even in the rainy day we shot them – accurate colors, well-defined details and adequate dynamic range measurements


Videos are recorded in 1080 definition with 30 frames per second, and the camera is fast in both modes. The footage runs smooth, with true colors, and without skipped frames, wandering focus or artifacts. Exposure compensation while panning around was also pretty quick.

Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos Sample Video:



Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos Indoor Sample Video:



Multimedia

All the bells and whistles of Samsung's Nature UX music and video players are present on the Grand DUOS, complete with a rich number of equalizer presets, as well as the PopUp Play function, which detaches the video you are currently watching and pins it on the screen while you do something else around it. DivX/Xvid video format files are supported out of the box, too.


The gallery is listed in the split view mode, where the folders are displayed in a column on the left, and their content is on the right, thus aiding quick navigation.

Call quality

The Grand Duos delivers good voice quality in the earpiece, with enough volume, and without any audible distortions. It doesn't have a second mic for noise-cancelation, but the one it has relayed our voice loud and clear to the other side.

Battery

Samsung inserted a 2,100 mAh battery in the Grand DUOS, just like the one it has for the Galaxy S III, and hasn't listed official talk and playback times yet. The dual-standby capabilities of the phone, however, might take more than the usual toll on the battery life, as the phone has to stay hooked up to more than one network at a time. The battery unit is perfectly swappable, for that matter.

Conclusion

We thought we'll be throwing up as soon as we see 480x800 WVGA resolution on a 5” screen, but in reality it is pretty usable for everyday tasks. The rest of the specs are adequate as we have a decent dual-core processor, a well-performing 8 MP camera, and the ability to add storage via the microSD card slot.

Thus if you have been longing for a huge screen phone that manages two SIM cards at once, it is not that you'll have many alternatives to the Grand DUOS anyway. Combine this fact with the chassis recognition and respect Samsung's Galaxy line has earned lately, and the only variable in the success equation for the Grand DUOS market niche is the retail price, which hovers around the $400 mark without carrier subsidies.

A homegrown alternative is the Samsung Galaxy S Duos, which is more compact and about the same price, but has a 5 MP camera. If you want an even smaller screen and price, you can check out the Sony Xperia E dual.

Software version: JZ054K.I9082XXAMAB

Samsung Galaxy Grand DUOS video review: