Another Galaxy phone, the Samsung Galaxy Star S5282 was launched earlier today. The Galaxy Star is a dual-SIM low cost device, Samsung would hope this phone does well against the various offerings from budget Indian manufacturers.
One of the direct competitors to this device would be the Karbonn A4+. The A4+ is priced at 5299 INR which means it’ll cost about 400 INR more than the Galaxy Star. Let us go ahead with the quick review to actually find out if the Galaxy Star is worth the money.
Camera And Internal Storage:
This entry-level smartphone from Samsung features a 2 megapixel fixed focus rear camera without support for flash. There will be no front camera on the Star. This, in a way, brings down the value proposition factor which the Indian is always on the lookout for. Although the non-availability of a front camera is justified because the phone does not have support for 3G, but Samsung surely could’ve done better with the rear camera, 2MP fixed focus camera means that you can’t even set focus on the subject you want; you will just have to live with the pre-set focus level.
Samsung are offering 4GB of internal storage on the device, but with support for additional memory using a microSD card of up to 32GB. Keeping in mind the price tag, we would say that 4GB of storage sounds fair enough. Also keep in mind the fact that the phone isn’t meant for full time multimedia; so the 4GB should suffice.
Processor, Battery And RAM:
This is one aspect where the Samsung Galaxy Star might disappoint even the most optimistic. The phone comes with 512MB of RAM coupled with a 1GHz single core processor. We saw in the Karbonn A4+, at only a little more cost you get a dual core processor which should prove far better than the one on this phone. Another downer being that the 1GHz single core processor on the Star is based on the Cortex A5, so do not expect anything overly spectacular out of it.
It is important to note here that Samsung offer the phone with ‘Motion UI’, which they claim makes the user experience better by including features such as ‘turn over to mute’ calls.
The phone will be powered by juice from a tiny 1200mAh battery, but keeping in mind the screen size and the lack of 3G, one can expect the phone to take you through the day without any qualms.
Display Type And Size:
The device will come with a 2.97 inch (7.56cm) display, which will be based on the TFT technology. It will come with a QVGA resolution on 320×240 pixels, which is pretty outdated. To speak of the competitor, i.e. the A4+ display, it comes with a 4 inch display with a WVGA resolution of 480x800p. This means that the A4+ is better not only in terms of screen size, but also in terms of the resolution and consequently, the pixel density.
Samsung Galaxy Star | |
RAM, ROM | 512MB, 4GB ROM expandable up to 32GB |
Processor | 1GHz single-core A5 |
Cameras | 2MP rear fixed focus camera, no front camera |
Screen | 2.97 inches TFT with resolution of 320×240 |
Battery | 1200mAh |
Price | 4,990 INR |
Conclusion, Price And Availability:
Honestly, we are not overly impressed with this offering from Samsung. Samsung are trying their hand in the already flooded budget dual-SIM market in India, and by the looks of it the start does not look very promising. The Karbonn A4+ is definitely a better choice, it beats the Galaxy Star hands-down.
The phone is priced 5299 INR, and should be available to buyers soon. The Samsung Galaxy Star duos can be bought from Flipkart for 5299 INR.