Reports of Samsung’s next flagship, Galaxy S6, did its first round of leaks yesterday. Now, a phablet with model number SM-G7200 has been spotted on GFXBench, clearly indicating to be the next iteration in the Grand series, the Galaxy Grand 3.
If these GFXBench results are to be believed, then the Grand 3 seems to be quite an overhaul over its predecessor. Going by the reports, the upcoming flagship in Grand series is likely to feature a 5.5-inch display, which is slightly larger compared to the Grand 2, though the screen resolution remains the same at 720p.
Under the hood, it will be powered by a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon clocked at 1.2GHz, bundled with a 1.5GB RAM and Adreno 306 graphics. In terms of memory, it is likely to have 16 GB of onboard storage, out of which 12 GB will be available to users.
The camera seems to be the biggest upgrade. The Grand 3 will likely get a 12MP rear camera along with a 5MP front-facing camera, compared to the 8MP rear and 1.9MP front snapper found on the Grand 2.
The Grand 3 is expected to run Android 4.4.4 KitKat. As of now, there is no confirmation regarding the Lollipop update. We can expect the Grand 3 to launch in India anytime before the end of this calendar year.
Samsung has just announced the South Korea variant of the Galaxy Grand which was launched last week in India. While the looks of the device are identical to the global variants, there are several changes inside, including a Quad core SOC. The phone is also apparently capable of LTE networks, as opposed to the dual-core chip and 3G capable variant launched in India.
The best part is that the South Korea version of the Galaxy Grand also has NFC capabilities and a USB 3.0 port for faster data access. The phone retains the WVGA display and 5 inch screen along with the 8 megapixel rear and 2 Megapixel front camera. The phone also carries Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS from Google along with TouchWiz user interface.
Interestingly the Galaxy Grand South Korea version is based on an Exynos chipset with a MALI GPU, and will be available in South Korea for 350,000 won (around $325 / or INR 18,000 approx) which is about 5k cheaper than the low spec’d variant in India.
Does this mean Samsung is going to refresh the Indian variant soon?
The market is a blaze with possibly the two best dual sim smartphones of this quarter, The Micromax A116 Canvas HD and the Samsung Galaxy Grand I9080. The question that everyones asking is what is really the difference between the two.
Brand Names
Apart from being manufactured totally differently, the two phones come from two different type of manufacturers. Micromax up until recently was known as a “Budget/cheap” phone maker for India, whereas Samsung has enjoyed the market name and snob value of a luxury phone brand.
Canvas HD A116
SOC
The Micromax A116 is built on a Mediatek SOC, a relevantly newer company formed in 1997, that also builds components for “Budget and Chinese” devices. The company has made some breakthroughs in technology in the past two years and shares a considerable chunk of the marketshare.
The Galaxy Grand is built on a 1.2 GHz processor which remains unknown as of now. Several indicators point to the use of a Broadcom BCM28155 SoC. It comprises a pair of ARM Cortex-A9 cores and Broadcom’s own VideoCore-IV graphics engine for 2D and 3D acceleration. Whether this performs any better than the Mediatek processor is currently unknown.
Sim Cards
Both the phones have Dual Sim, The Galaxy Grand has a slight advantage here, because it has smart autoforward, so it allows a busy Sim Card’s calls to be sent to the other phone, keeping both sims active at once. Although the chip inside the A116 is capable of similar features, the Canvas HD currently is only single sim active.
Displays
Displays are an interesting comparison for these devices, while the Canvas HD boasts a whopping 1280 x720 pixel laden 5 inch IPS display the Galaxy Grand only comes with a 480 x800 px LCD display. Numbers aside the display on the Grand was pretty impressive and does not feel pixellated as the numbers on the sheet would suggest. We also found that the colors were more vivid on the Galaxy Grand’s display as opposed to the Micromax Canvas HD.
Galaxy Grand i9080
Canvas HD A116
Cameras
Both Carry 8 MP camera’s which will only be tested while we are reviewing the devices, but if Samsung is using their own sensor in the camera, the Grand could have a slight advantage over the A116. The front camera on the Galaxy Grand is also superior to the 0.3 MP basic front camera on the Canvas HD A116.
Operating System
Samsung puts in a lot of effort into making a custom UI for their devices, along with several apps and tweaks. So Samsung definitely gets the upper hand here. With features like pop up play, direct call, multi window and most importantly an inbuilt task manager the Galaxy Grand gets the much needed upper hand here. Of course TouchWiz UI has several other features and good looking icons that most are aware of.
Micromax clearly looses here, the software is basic Android jelly bean, with a bit of customizations done by the Micromax Software Research team in conjunction with the manufacturers. The UI can become laggy and does not have the easy tweaks as seen in TouchWiz . However Micromax’s UI offers several customizations and file access that is restricted in Samsung devices. You can almost install any app and replace the UI, But you will not get the fit and finish of a manufacturer made custom UI. Maybe in the coming years with the success of the Canvas series Micromax can build their own UI (or buy one : MiUi would fit the name too)
Build Quality and Looks
More or less built with plastic, both devices have identical looks. The Micromax Canvas HD A116 seems a lot more refined to look at in comparison to the Canvas 2, and feels a lot more sturdier than the already sturdy past model. The Galaxy Grand is set to resemble the Note 2 when it arrives in the market, with a glossy bezel and identical looks and matching colors with flip cases. A user could easily pass off as using a company flagship for half the price. Build to that the identical user interface and similar features including perks like multi window puts the Galaxy Grand a step ahead in the Looks department.
Samsung India is banking on identical looks to be a key sales factor in India, especially because Grand owner can get the feel of a Note 2 for almost Half the price.
Price
In India its all about the price, and Samsung will loose here, miserably. The Galaxy Grand is priced at Rs. 21500 at street level selling price. Whereas the Micromax Canvas HD A116 has a MRP. of 14999 and is expected to sell under Rs. 13000. This puts a gap of 10000 Rupees or almost US$ 200 between the two. An amount which in some cases could comprise of a monthly salary of working individuals.
Conclusion
While we honestly cannot tell if one performs better than the other until we have our dirty claws in the dish and can review both these phones side by side. We do have one news that is set to make matters difficult for everyone, Karbonn and Lava are all set to announce quad core phones, so Stay Tuned.
Samsung saw the “Indian” version of the PHABLET and decided that it needed to penetrate the market which was dominated by lower class devices. The new Samsung Galaxy Grand aims to do that, with slight bit of problem the initial market price of Rs 21,500.
At first the Galaxy Grand looks like a fuse between the S3 and the Note 2, however it has features of neither (except the looks). The Samsung Galaxy Grand is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, it has 1 Gb of RAM and 8GB internal storage which honestly is the only current redeeming feature. The Grand also belongs to the DUOS series since it a dual sim phone.
The front of the device has a 5 inch 480×800 px display which surprisingly is very clear and vivid with good outdoor visibility. The phone also has multi window which we demonstrated in our hands on video (coming up.)
8 MP Camera
On the back, the Samsung Galaxy Grand features an 8 megapixel primary camera with LED flash, which if Samsung is to be believed has “enhanced optics”. At first it just seems like a bunch of gimmicks, only a final review will tell. The camera however zero shutter-lag and a backside illumination sensor.
The build quality of the phone is also standard Samsung style, so plastics all round, keeping manufacturing costs low for the device. Samsung Galaxy Grand comes with Jelly Bean and Touch Wiz designed for Jelly Bean. So Samsung though it fair enough to stuff the phone with features like “direct call” and “popup video” from the Galaxy S3 and Note 2.
Usual Button Layout
Flip Case
[pullquote_left]”too little too late”[/pullquote_left] Although the Galaxy Grand is a noble attempt from Samsung, is the device “too little too late” especially considering the “Indian” counterparts one up-ed Samsung just a day ago. While true usage capabilities will only come with the final review, as far as The Galaxy Grand is concerned, it should be a decent if not “GRAND” add-on to the lineup of devices from Samsung. However considering sheer market value and brand value, a stable user experience and a good user support coverage, the device will be a great eye candy and will attract a lot of buyers, especially those who will prefer a “brand” over specs.
The final device will drop the matte bezel and will adopt a shiny glossy bezel, similar to the one on the Note 2. The added flip cover and the striking resemblance to the mammoth flagship will enable the user to pass the Galaxy grand as a Note 2 to the unknown eye. That is essentially what will make this device really popular for the Indian psyche.
Samsung is ready to announce the Galaxy Grand for the Indian market at 12:30 on January 22nd 2013. Bookmark this page to watch it live. The Samsung Galaxy Grand is dual-SIM smartphone and features a massive 5-inch WVGA display , which as per the resolution (800 x 480 pixels) can be termed as average at best. The smartphone runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean out of the box. Under the hood, the Galaxy Grand is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM so we can easily expect a smooth operation on the device for the most part.
The device looks strikingly similar to Samsung’s current flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S3 and comes with 8GB of internal storage along with a micro-SD card slot using which, users can expand the storage on the device by up to 64GB. For connectivity, the Galaxy Grand features 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS Glonass and DLNA.
Apart from these features, Samsung Galaxy Grand comes with some unique features as well. Some of the features on the device include ‘Direct Call’, which enables users to automatically dial a call by raising the smartphone to the ear.
Popup video allows the users to watch a video in a pop-up window anywhere on the screen while running other tasks on the device. The AllShare Play feature allows the users of the device to share content across different Samsung devices using just a single account. Another interesting feature is the ‘Smart Alert’. which shows missed events such as missed calls and new messages when users pick up their phone.
The Phone will be launched tomorrow January 22nd for India, expect a full detailed hands on video along with more relevant details for the launch.
Samsung has just announced that it will unveil the new Samsung Galaxy Grand at CES 2013 in Las Vegas. The Galaxy Grand will be available in Single and Dual Sim variants and boasts of a 5 inch WVGA display with a native 800 x480 px display (read: pixellated). The Galaxy Grand will also run Jelly Bean 4.1.2 out of the Box and will also feature a dual-core 1.2GHz processor. The new Phablet style phone will also have a host of the premium suite apps from Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, including Multi Window and Pop Up Play.
The Galaxy Grand has a 8 Megapixel Main camera and a 2 MP front faces with 720p video calling. On the inside you will find a 2,100mAh battery, 8GB of built-in storage and a microSD slot for expansion up to 64GB. Famous for various connectivity options Samsung includes HSPA+, Bluetooth, DLNA and WiFi.
The Galaxy Grand is expected to hit Asian markets including India early 2013.
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Samsung GALAXY Grand runs Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), Google’s latest operating system. Its vivid 5.0’’ display provides an expansive viewing experience, presenting messaging, multimedia and Web content in brilliant color and clarity. Even with the large screen, the phone is still slim, ergonomic and comfortable to hold. You can also enjoy true multitasking running multiple apps simultaneously and without switching screens using Multi Window feature.
GALAXY Grand with an impressive 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor supports seamless multitasking, faster web browsing, lightning-fast screen transitions and superior graphics for some of the most demanding apps and games.
The GALAXY Grand sports a powerful camera with zero shutter-lag and ultra-quick camera start-up. It includes a backside illumination sensor to ensure clear shots even in dark conditions, as well as Full HD video recording.
Samsung GALAXY Grand also includes intuitive features that make the phone easy to use. For example, Direct Callenables users to automatically dial a call by raising the device up to the ear; while users can also shake the phone to trigger status updates, or pan it to zoom into a screen. Smart Alert shows missed events such as missed calls and new messages just by picking up the phone. Popup Video, for example, lets users watch video in a pop-up window anywhere on the screen while running other tasks; S Voice lets you control the phone using your voice; and AllShare Play lets you share content across Samsung devices using a single account.
The phone is pre-loaded with the latest versions of Samsung Hubs to deliver the most popular games, movies and music direct to the user on demand.
The GALAXY Grand will be available in two versions – The Dual SIM version (GT-I9082) will launch first and the single SIM version (GT-I9080) will follow. For the dual SIM version, its innovative dual SIM feature provides total communication flexibility, allowing users to manage two phone numbers from a single phone. It is possible to receive calls on one SIM number while taking a call from the other, ensuring efficient management of personal and work commitments without ever missing a call. Dual SIM also offers the flexibility of selecting different billing plans for either SIM, switching between them to make the most of cheaper call and data plans.
