Motorola’s Intel based Ice Cream sandwich phone has been leaked. The image, which depicts a slim Android smartphone running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The handset is said to feature an updated version of MotoBlur as well as an impressive new camera. The Motorola smartphone is expected to debut at Mobile World Congress later this month.
With the Motorola and Google merger getting the yes, this could very well be the first Nexus device that Google manufacturers themselves. Specs should tout a quad core processor and a high res Amoled or equivalent display.
Rumor after rumor after rumor, when it comes to Apple iPad 3. iMore cites unnamed sources in claiming that Apple’s next iPad will come equipped with a 2,048 x 1,536 Retina display and a quad-core A6 processor. Confirmation of faster connectivity options, with possibility of 4G LTE capable networking. The website is making solid claims on the launch dates which have been confirmed from other sources aswell, including The Loop. The launch stands confirmed at 7th march, however the specs may vary.
So we finally got our taste of the new Wave M, the cheaper version in the new range of BADA devices from Sammy. The Phone has a good set of specs and a decent price, but we sometimes feel Samsung is stretching its luck.
The device is well built to say the least, the touchscreen is very responsive and the list of included apps is interesting. The device does however lag a lot, and we saw this during our initial impression, its not a pretty sight.
In the Box is a charger, usb cable, 3.5mm headset with in-ear cups, the phone itself, a 1350mAh battery, a leather type cover and the warranty booklet along with quick start guide.
The back of the device is an interesting metallic texturized looking finish which is actually pretty smooth to touch and yet does not attract fingerprints. The buttons seem tactile and the device feels good to hold in the hand.
Initial impressions of the software lacked and the device failed to deliver during browser testing in the initial hands on (you will see in upcoming video).
In an effort to boost its affordable Champ phones, Samsung has launched the new Champ Deluxe Duos (C3312) in India. The new budget touchscreen phone has Dual Sim capabilities along with a 2.8 inch touchscreen. It also boasts Touchwiz UI on top of what appears to be either Brew OS or Samsung lower form of BADA.
Some Apps Like Facebook, Twitter,Yahoo, MSN and GTalk come preinstalled along with Samsung’s popular ChatOn application.The OS has a Virtual QWERTY keyboard, Hindi language input and dual-SIM dual-standby support.
Other Specifications Include:
GSM Dual-Sim
2.8 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with 240 x 320 pixels resolution
3.5 mm jack
microSD card support upto 32GB
EDGE
Bluetooth 3.0
microUSB 2.0
1.3 megapixel camera
FM Radio
1000mAh battery
Owners will get unlimited Free Music and unlimited Free Games from Samsung Hub / Samsung World and Samsung Apps. The device will also come preloaded with tons of free apps.
The Time for a change, in the way we look at smartphones, has come to India, funnily enough technology has started to come to our shores than faster the time it takes to penetrate the Western Hemisphere.
The Samsung Galaxy Note is a device that is being targeted as a Hybrid device and trust us, its doing wonders for Samsung aswell. So why does the Samsung Galaxy Note spin a different note? We’ll tell you why!
Build Quality
The Galaxy Note is simply well built, with an awesome bezel that looks like metal – feels like metal – is strong like metal, but is actually a plastic composite. The back cover is a larger version of the flimsy plastic we saw on the S2 Review, somehow it seems a bit more durable on the Note. The front of the Note features a gorilla glass-type reinforced display, which is a very tough, scratch and impact resistant glass. But, its not invincible and the glass is raised above the bezel, which makes it a point of worry for us considering the large size of the Note (5.3 Inch Display).
Hardware
In terms of specs, the Note is really top notch. check out the full list below.
Manufacturer
Samsung
Phone Style
Touchscreen + Hybrid Pen Input
OS
Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread + Touchwiz
Thickness
9.7 mm
Length
146.9mm
Width
83mm
Weight
178g
Built-in Memory
16/32GB, 1 GB RAM
Additional Memory
Up to 32GB, 2 GB included
High-speed Data
GPRS, HSDPA,Wi-Fi,
Connectivity
Bluetooth, USB
Screen Size
5.3-inch screen Super-Amoled Display
Processor
Dual-core 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor
Screen Colours
16M colors
Camera
8 megapixels + LED flash + HD Video 1080p
Radio
Yes
Speaker
Yes
Internet
Yes
Browser
HTML
Games
Yes
Battery
Li-Ion 2500 mAh
Display, Camera and Multimedia
One of the most beautiful displays to cross our paths the Note has a gorgeous 5.3 inch Super AMOLED display which has a resolution of 1280x 800 px. The display replicates black on the screen and the depth of color actually shows on the screen. Pioneers in the AMOLED display industry, Samsung has really proved their point. Watch movies or play games, the end resultant is stunning Visuals. The MultiTouch capacitive display has 10 point input system, which makes for a brilliant touch experience. Fruit Ninja anyone?
The camera has an 8MP sensor that does wide angle imaging and a stunning video at full hd 1080p. The endless list of settings in the Note allow for users to really tweak their cameras before they go about snapping the world or themselves using the 2MP front camera.
Sound quality from the device is good, the speaker is loud enough and media is simply amazing considering the large AMOLED monster of a display. The movies playback really smooth and its actually an experience to watch on this device. Brilliance in all multimedia aspects, including the most unused feature of an FM radio.
Tablet-Phone and S PEN.
The device is not quite a tablet and is definitely much more than a simple phone, hence a hybrid title. The device has the most impressive form factor to deal with both aspects. Although it runs Android 2.3 GB, it going to be one of the first devices to get ICS by Samsung. The TouchWIz user interface cleans up the Note to a much deeper level than ever possible on Android. The custom editing and look of the device when you power it on is very clean and therefore is preferred by users.
From Editing documents , to making presentations, the Note has the screen real estate and the juice to do what the work demands. Combined with the realistic and lifelike S Pen the Note actually hands you a Magic Wand to play around with. We detailed the S Pen in a video you will find in the links below, but to sum it up, you can crop, edit, scribble, write and draw, convert writing to text and even sign documents with the SPen, great job Samsung!
Phone Calling and Messaging
The Samsung Galaxy Note is a brilliant phone, considering it comes with a loud earpiece and a very good quality mic. The network reception on the Note is also very solid. With no dropped calls and excellent network connections including HSPA and 3G , we were impressed with the network handling of the chipset within the Note.
The screen is large enough to accommodate the largest of fingers, and with a 10 point input, its practically impossible to miss the keys while typing. The standard keyboard includes swype for the drag and type – types. The Samsung keyboard can also be replaced with a host of others available in the Android Marketplace for free as well as a minor premium.
Internet and Battery Life
We found the performance of the Galaxy Note great in all aspects especially the internet and data transfer access. The Note handles all apps in a wonderful fashion so allows the full use of the World wide web and its applications. The device is a great bit of joy to read your books on , or even get the latest news, get updates on your stock purchases all with the flick of your wrist.
Battery life was bit of a shocker initially, especially when we got really low run times with a massive 2500 mAh battery pack. The culprit was data usage, and the OS is not optimized in the best possible fashion to handle media. A few tweaks of the background data usage setting and we got the following usage life :
2G Usage
3G Usage
Wifi Usage
Calling
7 Hours
4.8 hours
– NA-
Standby Time
3 Days
2 Days
7 Days
Internet
7 Hours
4 Hours
11 Hours
Gameplay Multiplayer
4 Hours
3.75 Hours
5 Hours
Conclusion
The Galaxy Note is an amazing device, the best possible device, but only if you plan to use it intensively the way its meant to handle the usage. The S-Pen adds functionality we only dreamt of on devices during the time of i-mate and O2 XDA phones. Its definitely a great device for a business user, also for a person looking to make a consolidated investment b/w phone and Tablet. The screen is beautiful the performance great and the experience difficult to replicate with any other device available today. The device is slim enough to fit a pocket, yet large enough to feel awkward when you hold it to your face.
Samsung Omnia W is the first official Windows Phone from Samsung in India. The smartphone has been aggressively priced seeing the massive launch from Nokia for their Lumia Series. The Samsung Omnia however beats the odds of the Nokia Lumia series trumping them in a certain aspects. The Omnia W weighs just 115 gms making it a fairly light phone. The 3.7 inch Super AMOLED screen is exceptionally vivid and has rich deep black levels. The form factor and over all size of the device is very comfortable in the hand.
The Omnia W features a 5 MP camera with autofocus and LED flash, 720p video recording and a front facing VGA camera for video calling. The Omnia W also has a 1.4 GHz Scorpion processor and Adreno 205 GPU. It has 8 GB storage, 512 MB RAM, along with GPS, AGPS for location and high speed HSPA connectivity. The omnia comes with Windows Phone 7.5 mango and is currently available in black color for Rs. 19,900/-. Check out our Video unboxing below and stay tuned for a Full Review out Shortly.
The Galaxy Note Review is long pending, and coming soon. But before we really look at that, we take out the time to highlight the features of the S-PEN, the stylus type capacitive pen. The PEN is actually ( according to us) one of the major reasons the Note is such a wonderful device. Check out the full video below.
We got over a thousand requests to review the Samsung Galaxy R especially after the price drop. The device originally launched at Rs. 27000, just a little shy of the price of the Galaxy S2, but now the phone is priced at a mere 20,800 , also available at online retailers for a discount of 1000 using a coupon. Making it the best under 20k handset, here is why.
Build Quality and Design
Not the best build quality by Samsung, the Galaxy R lacks precious looks and precious materials. The back panel especially fades away after just light use, the scratch resistant front display is not so scratch resistant after all. We did face some issue with the power button and it turned out to be really fidgety. Apart from the downsides, we did like the look of the handset and it does feature some great elements, including a nice sized, tactile home button along with a nice chrome bezel.
The design is identical to the S2 but is much fatter than the powerful predecessor. The back of the device makes it look a bit ugly, and since it fades easily the look worsens day by day.
Hardware and Multimedia
Now that the price is so different, we see that there is a slight difference b/w the specs of the S2 and the R.
COMPARISON
Samsung Galaxy R I9103
Samsung Galaxy S 2 I9100
Platform
Operating Freq
GSM – 900, 1800
GSM – 850, 900, 1800, 1900; UMTS – 2100
OS
Android v2.3 (Gingerbread)
Android v2.3 (Gingerbread)
User Interface
TouchWiz
TouchWiz 4.0
Java
Processor
1 GHz ARM Cortex A9, Dual Core
1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A9, Dual Core
Graphics
ULP GeForce
Mali-400 MP
Display
Type
Super Clear LCD
Super AMOLED Plus
Size
4.2 Inches
4.27 Inches
Resolution
WVGA, 480 x 800 Pixels
800 x 480 Pixels
Colors
16 M
16 M
Camera
Primary Camera
5 Megapixel
8 Megapixel
Secondary Camera
VGA
2 Megapixel
Flash
LED
LED
Video Recording
1280 x 720
1920 x 1080, 30 fps
HD Recording
HD
HD, Full HD
Other Camera Features
Geo-tagging, Smile Detection, Auto Focus, Image Editor
Auto Focus, Shot Mode, Photo Effects, White Balance, Geo-tagging, Face and Smile Detection
Zoom
Digital Zoom
Dimensions
Size
66 x 125 x 9.5 mm
66.1 x 125.3 x 8.4 mm
Weight
135 g
116 g
Battery
Type
Li-lon, 1650 mAh
1650 mAh
Talktime
18 hrs (2G), 8 hrs (3G)
Standby Time
710 hrs (2G), 610 hrs (3G)
Memory and Storage
Internal
8 GB
16 GB
Expandable Memory Slot
Micro SD, upto 32 GB
Micro SD, upto 32 GB
The camera on the device is a 5MP snapper and it gives out decent image quality and 720p video, the LED flash is also good enough to illuminate low lit subjects, but don’t expect it to fill a room. Images are as crisp as can be from a 5Mp sensor, the quality when compared to a 5MP snapper from the iPhone 4 is a bit lower. 720p video is smooth and without jitters and we will soon upload a video sample to demonstrate that.
The screen is not anything like the Super AMOLED Plus display on the S2 but the SLCD display is the same size and same pixel resolution, also the same color density and is a exceptionally bright display with great outdoor visibility. The display is try capable of playing good video and the device supports unto 1080p video playback without any issues.
Audio on the device is loud, a bit louder than the S2 we presume, the earpiece did give us some problems as we mentioned in the unboxing, but somehow the volume keeps going up and down in the earpiece and we suspect its a software thing. Mic works great without any problem.
The NVidia Tegra 2 chipset is well supported in the gaming developer community, so expect to find more games work on this device than were supported on the S2 initially. Let us mention that all sort of games play brilliantly.
Call Quality and Messaging
The network is great and no breakages in sustained network, even while traveling. We did however face low signal in key areas like flyovers and tower changes. Audio is good, but like we mentioned the earpiece can get a bit bothersome.
The device also supports video calling over 3G networks which is a great add-on to those who want to use this feature, although we prefer services like Skype and Fring which work great too.
Messaging works great on the nice and large screen, with the ability to switch to Swype which is inbuilt into the system you can enhance the experience of typing. You can also switch to a flurry of available keyboard replacements in the Android Marketplace to best suit your needs of typing.
Battery Life
The battery life on this device is varied out of the box you will struggle to pass a few hours with the device, you will need to charge it at least twice a day if not more. But we found easy fixes, and we have discussed these with Samsung and we believe that a software update should rectify the problem soon. Turn off Wifi, background data sync and Mobile data, when not in use and here are the results
Talk time 2G : 5 hours
Talk Time 3G : 4-4.5 Hours
Standby Time : 2 Days- 3 Days
Internet usage : 8 Hours over Wifi
Video Playback : upto 6 hours constant video
Conclusion
The device is an exceptional device especially after this price drop, it does lack proper construction, but has a set of features that are difficult to match at this price. The only thing that comes close to this device is the LG Optimus 2X with almost the same price and the same chipset. The Galaxy R has a newer built of Android and will definitely get the ICS update. The Galaxy R also has TouchWiz UI which we prefer over the one on LG. We also believe that the device is well supported in the developer community and has a larger user base.
Samsung Galaxy R is a great purchase and a brilliant holiday gift.
The HTC Sensation XE has been a low baller in India, especially because it was launched soon after the Sensation, added only minor improvements that made major differences. Here is our review.
Build Quality
The Sensation XE, just like is predecessor, is built in a unibody fashion, with a sold structure and aluminum back panel with rubber edges. The front of the device has an outward curved gorilla glass which is shatter and scratch resistant. The HTC Sensation XE is superbly built and will last a lifetime by designers who took everything into perspective from the aesthetics to the functionality and the intelligent placement of the buttons – which by the way are extremely tactile and responsive.
Specs
There is no questioning the latest hardware in the Sensation XE, the latest dual core processors a very high resolution screen, functional 8 megapixel camera with full HD video at 1080p not to forget the added Beats by Dre audio.
DESIGN
The Sensation XE is still the Range Rover that the original sensation was, you can infact say this is a higher end model, especially because it does not add any changes to aesthetics except the obvious beats branding and the red accents.
PHONE AND MESSAGING
Just like the original Sensation we got superior audio in and out during calls. The network performance was excellent and sustained throughout our test period. 3G and WCDMA performance excelled in the Sensation XE. The XE also continues the standard that the Sensation set as being the best in phone networks on our list of devices. Over all impressive.
The touchscreen on the device is same as the original Sensation, allowing 4 point interaction, what that means is that you can have 4 simultaneous inputs. What it also means is that you can use the onboard keyboard as fast as you can move your thumbs. This allows for really fast messaging and the keyboard has nice and large keys considering that the Sense keyboard is one of the most coveted Android keyboards yet.
Beats Audio + Multimedia
The Sensation XE not only features a Beats audio processing engine but also has one of the best included earphones/headphones with a smartphone. The iBeats come with a uniquely distinctive carry pouch and also have online microphone and remote for audio control. While you can’t compare the quality of audio to high end standalone headphones, these uniquely stand out far above normally included ones. Offering good, deep bass and excellent vocals. The device also instantly detects the iBeats, once plugged in, and activates the beats audio profile.
The screen is a brilliant qHD Screen with a native resolution of 540 x 960 px, large enough to put any phone to shame, not considering of course the Galaxy Note and likes. The screen is also no Amoled or Super-Amoled display so don’t expect it to be as vivid. But watching movies, reading text and playing games is great on this device. The Beats audio improves the overall multimedia experience a lot, making movies, music and just plain old videos sound better.
The camera is an 8MP snapper the same from the Sensation, it captures stunning pictures and great full HD video. The camera app comes with a lot of features in the standard HTC style, which allows for a lot of tweaks to be made by the photographer at hand. On the front is a lowly VGA camera which offers decent VOIP capabilities and no video calling.
BATTERY LIFE
Values
2G
3G
WiFi
Talk Time
unto 9.5 Hours
5 hours
–
Standby time
48 Hours
30 hours
7 Days
Web Browsing
8-9 hours
5 hours
5 Hours
Video Streaming
4.5 Hours
3 Hours
4 Hours
Music Streaming
15 hours
10 hours
14 hours
In certain cases we saw improvement in the battery management on the Sensation XE compared to that of the HTC Sensation.
Conclusion
Although not a major improvement over the Sensation, in terms of looks and performance, the little add-on definitely make a big difference. The processor bump to 1.5GHz improves overall device performance and does not affect battery life. The beats audio improves the overall experience of the device and the earphone make an excellent add on. The device is robust, well made and is built to impress, a definite up above the competition.
[xrr rating=4.5/5 label=”We Rate The Sensation : ” imageset=shiny_yellow_star display_as=fraction_stars]
The HTC Sensation XE is the first phone in India with the Beats Audio integration with HTC. The device is a standard HTC Sensation on heavy steroids. Watch our video below and stay tuned for the full review and comparison with industry standards.
The device is an easy way for the company to revive the dying sales of their flagship phones from companies like Samsung.
The Complete Spec List Includes :
Price
Rs. 35,500/-
CPU Processing Speed
1.5 GHz, dual core
Storage
Total storage : 4 GB
Available storage : up to 1 GB
RAM : 768 MB
Connectors
3.5 mm stereo audio jack
micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port with mobile high-definition video link (MHL) for USB or HDMI connection
(Special cable required for HDMI connection.)
Sensors
Gyro sensor
G-Sensor
Digital compass
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor
Multimedia
Gallery, Music, and FM Radio
Beats Audio™
DLNA for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to your TV or computer
Its been a blizzard of Artist branded earphones, from Dr. Dre, Lady Gaga , P Diddy and even Ludacris. These SL99 Soul by Ludacris earphones are not your everyday earphones, and thats why we liked them at first go. The come with a premium pouch to safely carry them around. The flat cable is highly tangle resistant and oxygen free. Gold plated tips and solid, heavy build make these earphones look, feel and sound good.
Motorola’s new Defy+ (Defy Plus) is the revision to their already popular Motorola Defy. The newer Device features an enhanced spec list and a better resistance to the elements. So lets take a look.
Sony has been going strong with its Xperia lineup this year. With over 5-8 models released this year does the company actually have what it takes to restructure the market with the right devices. Sony also Recently announced that it plans to buy-out the stake from Sony Ericsson (The Ericsson share) to call the company Sony mobile. The Neo V is an example of what Sony stands for, lets find out whether it delivers to the sony image or not.
Build Quality and Hardware
The Neo V is exceptionally well built with great overall hardware design, and brilliant paint finish. the device feels like a luxury car parked right in the palm of your hand. A curvaceous back and a glossy paint finish make you feel special that you hold this device. There is no shake or rattle from this device and it delivers a robust experience while you fiddle around with the tactile buttons and great structure.
In terms of Hardware the Neo V has a great set check out the total specs:
5 megapixel with upto 16x zooming; Front VGA camera
Flash
Yes
Ringtones
Polyphonic, MP3, Truetone
Music Player
Yes
GPS
Gps + aGPS
Radio
Yes
Speaker
Yes
Processor
1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255
Internet
Yes
Browser
HTML
Games
Yes
Battery
Talk time: Up to 7 hrs on 3G and 6hours 55 minutes on 2G, Standby time up to 430 hrs on 3G and 400 hrs on 2G
Multimedia, Display and Camera
The device has a brilliant display with a Mobile Bravia engine, which ensures super smooth video playback. The Device however has only a 1GHZ single core processor which is somewhat of a let down for the price bracket. Coming back to the screen which is a 3.7 inch 854 x 480 px display which offers superior ppi for the size of the display, that makes images and videos look good and text look crisp.
Video playback is well supported over almost all available formats and scrubbing through video does not pixellate or mismatch audio. Audio is loud and clear and the device performs well in all aspects of the Multimedia field.
The camera has a 5 MP XMOR R sensor, which makes images look good even in low light. We however found video to be jittery with 720p at 30fps underperforming the label. Images were also decent but poor compared to those from similar camera of competitors. Overall a decent camera with a bunch of effects and software camera shake reduction, which may or may not impress you depending on where you come from (previous device).
Phone Messaging and Internet
The phone quality and network stability were solid, no dropped calls in 2 weeks of testing. 3G however was not as stable as we wanted and kept jumping from H to 3G to E. The sound and volume of it were clear and loud and we were quite impressed with it. Internet can be bothersome on the go when you shift from tower to tower, the phone takes about a minute to reset the data connection. On wifi however there is no problem.
The onboard keyboard is stock and therefore can be replaced easily with many from the marketplace. The typing experience is great thanks to the highly responsive screen.
The Device also supports the Wifi Hotspot feature which allows you to make the device into a portable router. Which is a convenient feature available in most Androids today, the difference here lies that the Neo V does not drain out of its battery like a dripping plastic bag. It sustains power management within the Wifi hotspot mode and offers extended usage.
Battery
The battery life on the Neo V was impressive swell with a longer talk time than mentioned in the spec sheet we were impressed
9 Hours on 2G
7.5 Hours on 3G
8 Hours Wifi Browsing
4 hours 3G browsing
4 Hours Wifi Hotspot (3 devices connected)
24 Hours of Music Playback
5 Hours of Video
Conclusion
The device is an expensive representation of devices like the Xperia Mini Pro, but offer a different form factor with slightly different specs. The battery life was immense and we were happy with it. The power management is great and handles most features brilliantly. The sealed Bravia display is a delight for those with love for mobile video and multimedia. The speakers and sound is crisp and loud from all areas and impressive overall. The device is a great phone and a nice looking one at that
Motorola is all se to launch the new Droid RAZR and The Atrix 2 in India. With the Defy + already discretely launched the company is promising the RAZR on the 12th of November and the Atrix 2 by the 20th. This news comes confirmed from various sources in and around Motorola.
We were also able to confirm this news from Motorola themselves. The Droid RAZR features the following specs:
ATRIX 2 Specifications:
You can expect a full featured iGyaan Unboxing Review and comparison as soon as they launch. Check out the Sidebar for booking details.
Times have changed over the years, but never did we see the smartphones reach the consumer market with such a blow that feature phones would almost disappear.
The new Samsung Galaxy Y offers a complete package for a fairly low budget, But is it actually a full smartphone ?
Lets find out in this iGyaan review :
Build Quality and Hardware
The Galaxy Y is well built to an extent where you wont be disappointed by any thing in terms of the exterior of the device. The screen is not tough so a screen protector is essential for the device. Every-thing else is built to last and will not need any extra care, solid built, tactile buttons and no rattle or noise from the body of the device.
In terms of the Hardware Specs:
Price
Rs. 7,830 (MRP)
Network
Edge + HSDPA upto 7.2 Mbps
Phone Style
Touchscreen Capacitive
OS
Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread
Thickness
11.5mm
Length
104mm
Width
58 mm
Weight
97.5 g
Built-in Memory
160 MB Rom Ram Unknown
Additional Memory
microSD, up to 32GB
High-speed Data
3G
Connectivity
Bluetooth, Wifi ,
Screen Size
3-inch, 240×320 pixels
Secondary Screen Size
N/A
Screen Colours
256k
Camera
2-megapixel ff
Camera Resolution
1600×1200 pixels
Flash
NO
GPS
Yes
Wifi
802.11 b/g/n
Music Formats
MP3
Radio
Yes
Speaker
Yes
Processor
832 Mhz Processor
Browser
Android Browser, Full Flash Enabled
Games
Android MarketPlace Games
Battery
1200mAh
Screen and Multimedia
The screen on the device is a 3 inch 320×240 px capacitive display, its a relatively low res display, but its leaps and bounds better than the one found on the Pop and Fit. Why ? You ask. There is a massive difference in the pixellation levels of the Galaxy Y and the POP, on the Pop you aslo only get Android 2.2, this device comes preloaded with 2.3.5 and a display that does not bother you at all with reading webpages etc.
The screen is decent for movie playback and the speakerphone is loud enough to get the message across. This device will feature as a portable media player for many a youth, but don’t expect it to replace a TV or even an iPod. Audio quality is good but is only limited with the hardware chip used. The maximum throughput of sound is limited hence will not deliver performance compared to even the Wildfire S. The Audio is not really an issue because an everyday user will not notice it, as the device produces a loud sound with or without the earphones, whcih is mostly enough for a consumer.
Phone, Network and Messaging
The device is an excellent phone, with robust network connectivity and a solid signal strength. We noticed no dropped calls in the extensive network tests conducted. Audio (incoming and outgoing) on both channels was crisp and loud, with no feedback issues. The “Y” gets a great rating because it does a good job of what its basic purpose is: to make and receive calls.
Messaging on the device is also easy and is demonstrated in our video review. Typing is simple thanks to an error correction algorithm by Samsung, which utilizes a most common error path and auto corrects the text errors. Pretty fancy for a sub 7k phone. You also get SWYPE inbuilt on the keyboard making it very useful indeed.
Data, Internet and Battery
By now we have learnt that Android devices are no too data friendly. Turning data on and off when required will boost your battery life enormously. That being said this device also features 3G data connectivity and HSDPA upto 7.25 Mbps. The connections are stable and not too power consuming, the Wifi Hotspot feature works great and does not suck the life forces from your device, like it used to on previous devices.
Internet connectivity is stable on both Wifi and 3G and the browser loads all sorts of Flash content, with a bit of hiccups. Browser is easily readable and on a screen this size you cant expect much more. The basics can be accessed from this browser, but its not a replacement for your computer.
Battery Life
Companies talk about battery life in their own mood, we do some extensive real life tests to get out the best from the device.
Talk Time 2G : 6 Hours
Talk Time 3G : 4.5 Hours
Standby Time : 36-72 Hours
WiFi Surfing : 4-5 Hours
3G Surfing : 3.5 Hours
Music : 7 Hours
Video : 2 Hours
Conclusion:
The Galaxy Y is now available for a price of 6800 INR on most online portals, possibly at a cheaper price at local vendors. At that price to get a 800+ MHz processor with native Android 2.3.5 capacitive touchscreen Wifi , 3G and Hotspot, we have no complaints from this device. Why should we? This is a complete device and offers anything you would need as a first time Android user on a budget, and also basics for somebody looking for a secondary device. It looks great, is manufactured by a trusted brand and has great service and support for a budget.
