Samsung has added another device to its Galaxy portfolio. The device falls under the phablet category. Called the Galaxy Grand Duos, the device boasts of some impressive specifications. To start with, it has a 5-inch WVGA TFT display with a 480×800 pixel resolution. This makes the resolution at par with a few budget phablets available in the market today, though some, like the Micromax A116 Canvas HD, sport 720p HD resolutions.
In terms of other specifications, the Samsung Galaxy Grand I9082 has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. It runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean straight out of the box and has Samsung TouchWiz UI. The device is quite slim at 9.6mm and weighs 162 grams. It has 8GB built-in storage expandable up to 64GB via a microSD card. It has an 8MP (BSI sensor) rear snapper with the ability to record video in full HD and a 2MP front facing camera. It has Bluetooth 4.0 and a 2100mAh battery.
In its looks the Samsung Galaxy Grand I9082 is just like the S III. Keep the device at a distance and you won’t be able to recognize if it is an S III or the Grand.
On the software front, the Grand Duos brings with it a few features found on premium Samsung devices. To start with, the device brings with it multi-window functionality, i.e., you can run two apps simultaneously on the display. You can also watch a video in a small window and perform other work while the video plays – true multitasking.
The Galaxy Grand Duos also boasts of dual-SIM functionality, hence the Duos moniker. No single-SIM version of the device has been announced. It also boasts of a Smart Voice and Data app. Put simply if one of your SIM cards isn’t catching network, the call will be forwarded to your other SIM. Please note that here data charges will apply.
Other Samsung apps such as S Voice, Smart Stay (the display won’t go to sleep if it knows that you are reading), All share, Chat On and more are also present on the device.
With the Galaxy Grand, Samsung has introduced a service called My Service. My Service gives users access to My Movies (a library of more than 2000 movies), My Music (3 lakh songs in collaboration with Hungama), My Education (1200 text books, 60 video books and 150 assignment papers based on the CBSE board) and My Mobile TV (100 live TV channels).
With the Galaxy Grand, Samsung has an introductory offer. It has tied up with Vodafone to give users 2GB data for two months and My Service features worth Rs. 8,000. Users will also get access to 50GB cloud storage from Dropbox.
At the event Samsung said that it currently has 45 percent of the smartphone market share in India and that we can expect to see more than 40 devices launch under its portfolio.
The Galaxy Grand Duos is priced at Rs. 21,500 and will be available from the first week of February.
Another device that will be launched in the first week of February is the Micromax A116 Canvas HD. Micromax announced the budget phablets yesterday. You can catch the complete details of the device here. You can also read our first impressions of the A116 here.