Samsung unveils 5-inch Galaxy Grand with dual-SIMs

[Jos]

Samsung has added a new big screen phone to its lineup today with the introduction of the 5-inch Galaxy Grand. The device sticks to the design language introduced with the Galaxy S III, featuring a hard plastic body and removable back cover for battery access, but it also makes some significant compromises to keep costs down. Namely, that huge display sports a modest WVGA 480x800 resolution and 186ppi pixel density.

The rest of the specs look a little more promising. The Grand is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory expandable through a microSD slot. There's also an 8MP rear camera offering 1080p video recording and a 2MP front camera for 720p video calls.

On the connectivity front you're looking at Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz), Wi-Fi HT40, Bluetooth 4.0 + LE, A-GPS, Glonass and DLNA -- 4G LTE support is notably missing. All the usual set of sensors are present too, including an accelerometer, light and proximity sensors, gyro sensor and a digital compass.

Available with the latest Android 4.1.2 'Jelly Bean' mobile operating system out of the box, the Galaxy Grand will be sold in both single-SIM (GT-I9080) and dual-SIM (GT-I9082) variants. The latter is dual-SIM active, which means it is possible to receive calls on either number at any given time, even simultaneously.

Samsung didn't share any details on pricing or availability.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/51122-samsung-unveils-5-inch-galaxy-grand-with-dual-sims.html

 

[MrBlkfx1]

Read the title and was immediately interested. Unfortunately, I was let down just as fast upon reading the article. The pricing better be as modest as those specs.

 

[Cueto_99]

I hope price goes way down... about $50 to $75 in comparison with the S3... I think its a good move, the dual simcard + S3 Looks + Low price, might be a good catch for many people.

 

[Guest]

I like this move. This is clearly an attempt at capturing another audience. In many developing nations, the majority of cell phone users opt for cheaper chinese-manufactured copies of popular phones regardless of the low quality, just to have access to a "smart" phone with dual sims. I can see a phone like this -dual sim, high quality materials, and high profile phone lookalike at a slightly lower cost level- becoming the most popular phone in developing markets. Things like LTE and high-res screens are something that people in those markets do not find as important as screen-size and dual sim capability. (It looks flashy and expensive, and LTE is not available in many developing markets)

 

[Guest]

"Read the title and was immediately interested. Unfortunately, I was let down just as fast upon reading the article. The pricing better be as modest as those specs."

--> Agree

 

[Guest]

I have been an iphone user since getting a smartphone. tried android out and hated it, but, this phone here would make me switch. 5", dual sim, good display, good enough power, JBean, hope its $300-400 but will probably be more like $400-$500

 

[YellowApple]

The dual-SIMs is the only interesting thing about this phone. My current phone (Sprint's version of the GSII) already has the same performance features, as well as a larger amount of onboard storage. Plus it supports 4G.

 

[spydercanopus]

A 5:3 aspect ratio is pretty odd... I guess Samsung is either throwing everything out and seeing what sticks or has some supplies they're trying to off-load. Dual SIMs does sound nice, however.

 

[Guest]

4.1.2? Latest? No it's not. I'm already on 4.2.1.
4.1.2 is from all the way back in October.

 

[Tygerstrike]

I like the screen size. Im interested in the dual sims, but its not a deal breaker. Im sure it will be offered on all the major carriers. For what I do, it would be perfect. I dont have time to watch movies on my phone. I barely have time to play any "tap" games. So this phone would be a nice change. The bigger screen is nice, but I feel that on a lot of consumers, it would be wasted. Atleast in the US. In other parts of the world however this phone is going to blow up. It looks A LOT like a GS3. If its going to be that cheap, then a whole boatload of these are going to sell.

 

[veLa]

Read the title and was immediately interested. Unfortunately, I was let down just as fast upon reading the article. The pricing better be as modest as those specs.

Well put.

 

[Trillionsin]

Read the title and was immediately interested. Unfortunately, I was let down just as fast upon reading the article. The pricing better be as modest as those specs.

Well put.

Yup...

 

[slh28]

Wow, that really is a terrible screen. Would have thought that a larger S3 based phone would have a higher or at least the same 1280x720 resolution. And no LTE either? The dual sim sounds good though, hopefully more high end phones will start to offer this.

 

[Trillionsin]

What's the point in having dual sim cards?

 

[Guest]

@Trillionsin said:
What's the point in having dual sim cards?

Because the usa is pretty small in the world, only is [RIGHT][FONT=sans-serif]4.46% of the world[/FONT][/RIGHT]

 

[St1ckM4n]

Ha, so they got a cut-down SII, and put it in the shell of a SIII? Well played, Samsung..


Btw, dual-sim is good in smaller countries, e.g. europe where roaming is needed.

 

[Aamir]

Samsung is opening its Pandora box... well done..Now if it has everything same as SIII with added feature of dual sim then we don't need to carry at least two phones

 

[Guest]

Well said.

Although Europe is not of course a country but a continent. And as a combination it is not small at all, one of the world's largest markets.

 

[Leeky]

I think dual-sim would be good for those using two networks (think business sim and personal sim) without having to resort to two separate devices. I have to say I've never actually used a dual-sim handset though so not sure if both can run concurrently. Would be ace if they could though.

I suspect the better market would be developing countries with smaller carrier infrastructure in different parts of the country. I can pretty much use my current network provider anywhere on Mainland UK and most of Europe (all the way to, and including Russia) and still have signal -- even if using it would be extortionate!).

Is the US wireless infrastructure unable to give coverage using one single provider throughout the US then?