While the Nokia Lumia 525 has been in the news in the past few weeks thanks to its launch in India, the Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 hasn’t managed to get the media mileage in the recent times, but still remains to be a favourite among buyers. Both devices find themselves in the 10k INR mark range of phones, which is seen as quite affordable these days.
The major difference between these devices is the OS, while the Lumia comes with WP8, the S Duos 2 features Android. Let us talk about this competition in greater detail.
Hardware
| Model | Nokia Lumia 525 | Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 |
| Display | 4 inches, 800 x 480p | 4 inches, 800 x 480p |
| Processor | 1GHz dual core | 1.2GHz dual core |
| RAM | 1GB | 768MB |
| Internal Storage | 8GB | 4GB |
| OS | WP8 | Android v4.2 |
| Cameras | 5MP | 5MP/VGA |
| Battery | 1430mAh | 1500mAh |
| Price | 10,399 INR | 10,000 INR |
Display
As you can see from the head-to-head specs comparison on the table above, both phones feature the same 4 inch display with a WVGA resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. It is hard to choose from one in between them – having used both, the Lumia 520 and the S Dous, which happen to be the previous versions of either devices, I would like to believe that the S Duos 2 has the better screen. Simply because of the better viewing angles and the more neutral colour tone.
Camera and Storage
The Lumia 525 comes with the same imaging armoury as seen on the 520, consisting of a lone 5MP unit at the rear. There’s no front camera, which is a bit of a disappointment. On the other hand, the S Duos 2 features the same (based on megapixel count, strictly) 5MP rear along with a VGA front. Although the front VGA will perhaps not be a worthy selfie shooter, it will come into use during video calls.
On the storage front, the Lumia 525 outdoes the S Duos 2 with an on-board storage of 8GB as opposed to 4GB on the S Duos 2. However, both phones come with microSD slots for expandable storage.
Processor and Battery
Again, not much of a difference here. While the Lumia 525 packs a 1GHz dual core processor inherited from the 520, the S Duos 2 features a 1.2GHz dual core one. However, thanks to the better hardware-software optimization on the WP8 operating system combined with 1GB RAM (768MB on S Duos 2), the Lumia 525 will definitely feel much smoother in UI and transitions, as well as app loading times.
Both phones feature comparable batteries – Lumia 525 comes with a 1430mAh unit, while the S Duos 2 packs a 1500mAh. Battery life on either device should more or less be comparable, with the Lumia 525 taking the odd lead.
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Conclusion
The competition between budget smartphones is fierce, and these two are among the hottest ones going around in the category. While we like the screen on the Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2, we expect a better overall experience on the Nokia Lumia 525 thanks to the deeply optimized operating system. If you’ve ever used the Lumia 520 (which features just 512MB RAM), you’ll know. Conclusion is, anyone looking for a long term device and smooth UI should go with the Lumia 525 while those looking for a deeply customizable device should go for the S Duos 2.
