Samsung Galaxy grand 2 is an upgraded version of the Samsung Galaxy Grand which is the popular affordable budget phones Samsung launched last year. Grand 2 has been pushed out as upgraded enhanced version of the device and its has been released at a slightly higher price as compared to grand. In this review we tell you whether this device worth the money you spend on it.
Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 Full In Depth Review + Unboxing [Video]
Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 Quick Specs
- Display Size: 5.25 inch TFT LCD capacitive touch screen with 720 x 1280 HD resolution
- Processor: 1.2 GHz Quad Core processor
- RAM: 1 Gb
- Software Version: Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean) OS
- Camera: 8 MP AF camera.
- Secondary Camera: 2 MP front-facing camera FF [Fixed Focus]
- Internal Storage: 8 GB with 5 Gb user available
- External Storage: Expandable up to 64GB
- Battery: 2600 mAh battery Lithium Ion
- Connectivity: 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, aGPS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
- Others: OTG Support – No, Dual SIM – Yes, LED Indicator – No
- Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity
Box Contents
Inside the box you get Grand 2 handset, in ear headphones, user manual, USB to micro USB cable, 2AMP charger, warranty card and some samsung product leaflets.
Build Quality, Design and Form Factor
The build quality looks great on grand 2 with matte finish leather like back cover as we see on Note 3, it looks great and feels far more solid than the older original grand. The design is no way unique, its looks just like slightly bigger version on the grand or samsung galaxy S4. The form factor of the phone is good, with 5.2 inch display its bigger to hold in one hand but thickness of 8.9 mm and weight of 163 grams makes it fairly portable and easy to carry with you around, the only big size device feel will get away in 2-3 days as you get used to using this big size phone in day to day usage.
Camera Performance
The rear camera is 8 MP supports auto focus and has LED flash as well, the shots captured in daylight were good and low light shots were ok in terms of colors and the details in the low light photos was also missing. 2MP front camera can take decent self shots and can also broadcast good quality video on video calls and video chat.
Camera Samples
Samsung Grand 2 Camera Video Sample
Display, Memory and Battery Backup
It has 720 x 1280 TFT display which has good viewing angles better than older grand and color reproduction is good as well, the pixel density of the display is good enough for you to not notice any pixilation even when you read very small text in a large text document or ebook. The in built memory of the phone is 8Gb out of which around 5 Gb approx. is available to the user but you have support for microSD card but you cannot install apps on the SD card. The battery of the device is 2600 mAh which seems to be quite sufficient for this 5.2 inch 720p display as you will get around 1 day of backup with moderate usage which does not include extensive game play and video watching, but extensive app usage and internet browsing on the phone.
Software, Benchmarks and Gaming
It runs samsung touchwiz UI on top of android which makes the UI laggy at times, but you can do much about it unless you root the phone, disabling some UI animations and features like launch of S voice with home button will help to make the UI responsive and faster, in day to day usage the UI is smooth but not fast. It can handle gaming pretty well, either graphic intensive or casual both types of games can run on the device without any issues.
Benchmark Scores
- Quadrant Standard Edition: 8170
- Antutu Benchmark: 16476
- Nenamark2: 56.2 fps
- Multi Touch: 5 point
Samsung Grand 2 Gaming Review [Video]
Sound, Video and Navigation
It has loudspeaker on the back side which will get blocked at times when the device placed on its back, however the loudness of the sound from the loudspeaker is loud enough but not the loudest we have heard. The video playback for HD videos is supported on the device, you can play 720p and 1080 p videos without any audio or video sync issues, for unsupported video formats you can use third party apps like MX Player and BS Player. It can also be used for GPS Navigation however, it does have magnetic compass sensor, but GPS navigation on this device work smoothly with the help of assisted GPS.
Samsung Grand 2 Photo Gallery
What We Liked
- Slim Form Factor with big display
- Better Graphics
What We Did Not Liked
- High Price
- Slow Custom UI Layer
Conclusion and Price
Grand 2 is available for a price of approx. Rs. 20300 in the market, its a decent hardware you can get for this price point which will last for years with occasional lags and hangs, thank to touchwiz UI. But its better than many other indian domestic mobile phone players offering in this price range and you can expect a better after sales support comparatively if you buy this phone. The main problem with this phone is limited internal storage and you cannot install or move apps from phone memory to SD card.
