The Samsung Duos line has been slowly working up the ranks to finally cross paths with the Galaxy S line. Its obviously not the kind of collision to create a big bang but were still pretty excited about the exchange of DNA.
Honestly, if it takes nothing less than a Samsung Galaxy S III to light your candle, theres little to see here. Dual-SIM phones are in a niche of their own and usually keep a safe distance from flagships, old and new. And no, the Galaxy S Duos hasnt crossed any lines but dares to do things a little differently.
The Galaxy S Duos could easily pass for a Galaxy S III mini. It too runs the revamped version of TouchWiz dubbed Nature UX. It has two fully-functioning SIM slots, a 1GHz single-core processor and 512 MB of RAM. For a, hopefully, reasonable price you will also get a decent 4"WVGA screen and a 5MP still camera. Heres what else the Galaxy S Duos offers.
Specifications
General:Dual-SIM (Dual Stand-by) GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76
Form factor: Touchscreen bar
Dimensions: 121.5 x 63.1 x 10.5 mm, 120 g
Display: 4.0" 16M-color WVGA (480 x 800 pixels, ~233 ppi) TFT capacitive touchscreen
Chipset: 1 GHz single-core Cortex-A5 processor, Adreno 200 GPU, 512MB RAM
OS: Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Memory: 4 GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot (up to 32 GB)
Camera: 5 megapixel camera with geotagging; VGA video recording at 30fps
Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, stereo Bluetooth 3.0, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, stereo FM radio with RDS
Misc:Nature UX version of TouchWiz, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, Swype text input, 1500mAh battery
Good looks and Ice-cream Sandwich are major points in favor of the Galaxy S Duos. It is clearly better than the Ace Duos in every way possible and will certainly cost a lot more. It would be a huge surprise for a dual-SIM smartphone to outsell a typical midrange droid and the Galaxy S Duos wont even be trying. But its might be able to change the users perception of dual-SIM phones and probably spur new demand.
Frequent travelers and people looking to get the best out of multiple carrier plans are not after the ultimate in processing power or eye-popping screen resolution and the Galaxy S Duos is OK with that. Its offering reasonable equipment and good looks, on top of being able to handle two SIM cards.
Thats not a bad start for a phone that wants to do well in the midrange but we always like to have a closer look. Next stop is hardware and youre more than welcome to join us.
Design and construction
In many ways the Samsung Galaxy S Duos resembles the current Samsung flagship, the Galaxy S III. Its not as tall and not as thin of course, but the general aesthetics are undoubtedly influenced by the nature-inspired design of the S III.
The Galaxy S Duos is a lot more subtle than its prominent sibling, most of which is down to the compact size. The good thing is it doesnt look like a cheap replica - far from it. In fact, the Galaxy S Duos is more sensible with the finish and does well without the high-gloss of the S III.
Display
The display on the Galaxy S Duos is a 4" TFT unit of 480 x 800 resolution, resulting in a density of approximately 233 pixels per inch. Those are some pretty good specs, considering the class of the smartphone.
Colors and contrast are good but the unit is too reflective (as seen by the sunlight legibility score). Also the S Duos doesnt offer an automatic brightness setting as it lacks an ambient light sensor.
Samsung Galaxy S Duos S7562 360-degree spin
The Galaxy S Duos is fairly compact and quite pleasant to hold. At 121.5 x 63.1 x 10.5 mm its barely bigger than an Ace 2 while featuring a bigger, 4" screen. The all-plastic device is very well put together and weighs the acceptable 120 g.
Design and construction
In many ways the Samsung Galaxy S Duos resembles the current Samsung flagship, the Galaxy S III. Its not as tall and not as thin of course, but the general aesthetics are undoubtedly influenced by the nature-inspired design of the S III.
The Galaxy S Duos is a lot more subtle than its prominent sibling, most of which is down to the compact size. The good thing is it doesnt look like a cheap replica - far from it. In fact, the Galaxy S Duos is more sensible with the finish and does well without the high-gloss of the S III.
Compared to the Galaxy S III
Display
The display on the Galaxy S Duos is a 4" TFT unit of 480 x 800 resolution, resulting in a density of approximately 233 pixels per inch. Those are some pretty good specs, considering the class of the smartphone.
Colors and contrast are good but the unit is too reflective (as seen by the sunlight legibility score). Also the S Duos doesnt offer an automatic brightness setting as it lacks an ambient light sensor.
Controls
Looked from the front, the Samsung Galaxy S Duos looks like a high-end or at least an upper midrange device, with the thin bezel and nicely lookingwhite paintjob working well in its favor. Above the 4" WVGA (480 x 800 pixels) screen theres a VGA camera and a proximity sensor. There isnt an ambient light sensor.
Below the screen is the familiar three-button combo - a hardware home button in the middle with two capacitive keys on either side for Menu and Back.
A silver frame runs all around the phones front. The right side of the phone features the power button and the hot-swappable microSD card slot with a protective cap.
On the left side youll find only the volume rocker and a lanyard eyelet.
The 3.5 mm headphone jack is placed at the top of the device.
The microUSB port and the mouthpiece are at the bottom.
The primary 5 MP camera of the Samsung Galaxy S Duos comes with a single LED flash. Theres also a loudspeaker grille at the back. The battery cover has a delicate rubbery feel to it for an excellent feel in hand.
A double-slotted SIM compartment is ready to accommodate the two regular SIM cards - unlike the Galaxy Ace Duos, you dont need to remove the battery to reach the SIM cards. Of course, changing SIMs requires a reboot anyway. Nokias sound-mounted hot-swappable SIM slot is by far a more comfortable solution. An ample 1500 mAh battery powers the phone.
Overall, the handling of the Samsung Galaxy S Duos is a very pleasant experience. Nicely curved and very sensibly finished, the phone fits comfortably in the hand and easily fits inside a pocket.
We like the Galaxy S Duos - its well-built and good looking. Borrowing the premium design of the Galaxy S III was risky but it was done quite tastefully. The Duos is elegant without being overdone - we wouldnt be surprised if some people find it as attractive as the flagship Galaxy S III.
Now, on to software where ICS will hopefully help the Galaxy S Duos keep up the good impression.
