Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo (Quick Review) is now available in India for around Rs. 18,000 approx and the phone lies intermediate of Galaxy Grand and Grand 2. Grand Neo packs a quad core Broadcom chipset under the hood apart from some Samsung software tweaks which majorly distinguish it from Galaxy Grand. The phone has been showcased at Samsung Forum 2014 in Bali, Indonesia and we see different color variants of this phone including orange and yellow.
Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo Quick Specs
- Display Size: 5 inch TFT LCD, 800 X 480 resolution, 186 PPI
- Processor: 1.2 GHz Quad Core Broadcom BCM23550 chipset with VideoCore IV GPU
- Software Version: Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with TouchWiz UI on top
- Camera: 5 MP AF camera capable of 720p Video recording
- Secondary Camera: VGA Front Facing camera
- Internal Storage: 8 GB/ 16 GB
- External Storage: up to 32 GB using MicroSD support
- Battery: 2100 mAh battery
- Connectivity: 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, aGPS, GLONASS
- Others: Dual SIM – YES,
- Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity
Samsung Grand Neo Hands on, Review, Camera, India Price and Features Overview [Video]
Design and Build
The design and built is pretty much similar to Samsung Galaxy Grand. The phone does not sport faux leather back cover as speculated earlier but comes with matte finish on the back cover, which is still better than the glossy plastic back seen in low end Samsung devices. The volume rocker and power key are present on the edges like most Samsung smartphones.
The Display is 5 inches in size and features a rather slim WVGA resolution. The display is similar to the predecessor in terms of specifications and in reality as well. In spite of the fact that Samsung is not using IPS LCD panel, the viewing angles are better than expected, though not great. Color reproduction is also above average. Overall, the display could have been better at this price tag.
Camera and Internal Storage
The camera has been downgraded to 5 MP in terms of raw specs as compared to Galaxy Grand but the camera quality is pretty ok-ish. The images lacked details and video recording showed lots of noise in our initial time with the device, but it will rank high when compared to other 5 MP camera’s that we have seen.
The internal storage is 8 GB and can be extended to 32 GB using Micro SD support. This should be sufficient for most people out there, for others, Samsung might also launch a 16 GB variant.
Battery, Chipset and OS
The battery rating is 2100 mAh which sounds above average for a 5 inch display device. Considering the low display resolution and cortex A7 SoC we are optimistic about the backup you can squeeze from this removable battery.
The operating system is Android 4.2 jelly bean with TouchWiz UI on top with added features like Multi Windows. The software has definitely evolved for the better and is quite feature rich compared to other phones in this price range. The chipset is Broadcom BCM23550 chipset with VideoCore IV GPU. We will tell you more about the performance of the chipset after our full review, but the chipset is expected to perform better than dual core cortex A9 based chipset in Galaxy Grand.
Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo Photo Gallery
Conclusion and Overview
The first glance at the spec sheet was slightly disappointing, but having spent some time with the device, the phone does seem better than expected. The display is strictly ok, the UI is better and the imaging hardware is average. The phone however is still expensive for the features it offers and perhaps will be a significant upgrade over Galaxy Grand only after the price gets slashed.
