Facebook Pixel Code

Still quite grand

The Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 is a good phone at mid-level prices

A couple of years back, when the first Samsung Galaxy devices started hitting the market, the hero effect for the high-end smartphones in the range was going to smaller brands that had cheaper phones. People would aspire for a Samsung Galaxy SII but end up buying a Micromax phone which has a similar look and specs, but a much cheaper price tag. This was when Samsung Galaxy Grand range was launched, to offer a cheaper Samsung Galaxy device for these buyers. A year later, the Grand range is among Samsung?s most popular devices in India and due for an upgrade. Enter the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2.

So what?s new?

If you go purely by looks, it is very difficult to differentiate the Grand 2 from the others in the pack. But then almost all Galaxy devices look the same. But it seems Samsung has had enough of people calling its devices plasticky. For the new Grand 2, like the Note 3, has a leather finish rear panel. This is much better than any plastic, but I am not sure this is a good in white in Indian conditions. So like all Samsung users, the buyers of this phone will also secure the phone with a flappy cover.

Plus, this phone has a little bit more real estate. The Grand 2 has a 5.2-inch screen compared to the 5 inches in earlier models. But that won?t change life all that much for the end user, except for the fact the phone seems to have become a few grams heavy.

The other big change is the processor,which is now quad core compared to the earlier dual core. But that is a standard feature at this price range, especially since dual core is not considered basic for Android phones. The benchmark scores are really good for this phone, but what really matters is that the quad cores makes life much more easier for multitasking. The Grand 2 is great for multi-tasking, as like the Samsung Galaxy Mega phones this one too comes with multi-window option that lets you do two things at the same time. For instance, I could check and compose mail even as I was listening to a music video on YouTube, both running on the screen at the same time. This works only with some of the apps, but that functionality is very good.

The other improvement in the device is the camera, which despite being the same 8 MP as before is much faster and gives great results. The clarity in the pictures that we shot outdoor was really good, while there was just minimal noise in the indoor pictures. For a phone that sells in the mid range, that is a good result to have. There are also some interesting modes like Sound & Shot that add a bit of audio to go with pictures.

What?s not so great?

I did not find any major issues with the phone, except for the fact that the rear tended to heat up with long calls and a few minutes of browsing. I was expecting to run into trouble with the battery, but that ended up as a positive for this phone with the 2600 mAh battery giving about 24 hours of life on a single charge. The other sore point for the phone is its price. This phone is a good buy at anything under R20,000, but at a street price of R21,500 we are tempted to say this is a bit costly. Actually, Samsung price is R22,999, while the box price is even more at R24,890. Pay a little extra and get this if you want a large screen, good battery life and smooth performance.

* Estimated street price: Rs 21,500

Get live Share Market updates, Stock Market Quotes, and the latest India News and business news on Financial Express. Download the Financial Express App for the latest finance news.

First published on: 20-02-2014 at 03:42 IST
Market Data
Market Data
Today’s Most Popular Stories ×