9:52 PM
Lecor Martineau
In hindsight, the previous Galaxy Y is a bestseller mainly because of its ultra-affordable price tag. The next generation Galaxy Y Duos has a more expensive price point; but its main selling proposition is that it is the first Samsung Android smartphone to have dual-SIM capabilities. In a summary, these are the strengths and limitations of the new model --
Strengths:
- Solid build quality
- Impressive battery life
- Responsiveness
- Excellent phone call reception
- Ease of transitioning from 1 SIM to another
- Pinch to Zoom Enabled
- Value for money
Limitations:
- Screen Resolution
- Camera
- No Camera Flash
- No Adobe Flash
- Design and Build Quality
The full touch screen smartphone has an exterior construction that uses a solid metal frame surrounding the front and has rounded corners. It fits comfortably in one’s hand. The detachable shiny plastic back cover encloses the battery, SIM card slots and Micro SD.
The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos features a slightly larger screen size (3.14 inches) compared to its predecessor, Samsung Galaxy Y (3.0 inches) although with a lower screen resolution, 127ppi to 133ppi respectively.
User Interface and Functionality
The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos uses the standard Touchwiz UI overlay on Android version 2.3.6 Gingerbread. It is an easy-to-learn Android 'experience', really. The home screen is navigated using a side-swiping gesture. the scrolling and transitions to be surprisingly smooth, considering that this is an entry-level Android. The phone also supports multi-touch gestures when navigating through the panels.
Messaging
The onscreen keys of the device are moderately responsive. Texting on the Galaxy Y Duos in the landscape orientation is highly recommended to be able to use the larger QWERTY keys.
Dual SIM capability
Switching from one SIM to another for calling and texting is quick and easy; It is just a 2 step procedure. First, swipe the top portion of the screen downwards to access the drop down menu. Second, from the menu, select the SIM card (SIM 1 or SIM 2) you are going to use. Easy as that. One will also find that calls or texts are labelled as 1 or 2 accordingly so the user would not be confused.
Phonecall Reception
The Galaxy Y Duos is surprisingly excellent for phone calls. The voice from the other line sounded clear and audible. The speaker on the other end has loud and clear voice output.
Internet Browsing
Internet browsing on the Galaxy Y Duos is satisfactory. When using a stable internet connection, the phone loads websites quickly. The phone doesn’t support Adobe Flash, but fortunately, accessing an embedded Youtube video on a website redirects me to the mobile version of Youtube. One good feature of the phone is the ability to pinch-to-zoom while using the browser. One would find it especially useful because the unit is only equipped with a low-resolution screen.
Apps and Games
The user of the Galaxy Y Duos can be assured of smooth gameplay on the most popular mobile games such as Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Drag Racing, etc.
Music
The phone uses the standard Samsung Music Player, which categorizes the music into Artists, Albums, Songs, and Playslists. The phone has decent speaker loudness and clarity.
Camera
The camera is one department where Samsung Galaxy Y Duos can be deemed underwhelming, which is understandable considering that this is an entry level smartphone. The unit is only equipped with a 3.15MP camera and does not have an LED flash. The colors are also not vibrant. On the plus side, the camera features a fast shutter speed, allowing the user to shoot quick snapshots.
Shooting videos is quite decent with its camera. Although the videos lack detail and vibrancy, the video output does not have many stutters. The Galaxy Y Duos captures QVGA video at 24 fps.
Battery Life
The Galaxy Y Duos presents an impressive battery life. The unit lasted one day and a half with moderate use. That’s approximately using the phone for calls and texts the entire day, and about 1.5 hours for internet browsing and social networking.
Although the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos is more expensive than the original, it is well worth the price. The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos does not intend to compete with the ultra-budget phone category where the Galaxy Y obviously reigns, but rather targets a different market profile: the dual-SIM users who want to upgrade to the Samsung Android experience.
This is the first dual-SIM Samsung Android phone. Although there are other dual-SIM brands that are slightly cheaper, the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos features a better build quality, faster performance and ease of use.
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