More on Samsung Galaxy Grand specs

Samsung Galaxy brand of smartphones have attracted quite a crowd over the years. Devices like SGS2, SGS3, Note and Note 2 have caught everybody's eyes. However, not everyone has been able to afford either of those gadgets. People on tight budgets have always felt left out as a result.

Not anymore, though. Samsung just recently announced the new Samsung Galaxy Grand. It very much seems like a low budget device. A sneak peek at the Samsung Galaxy Grand specs allows us to establish that. More on Samsung Galaxy Grand specs in our Samsung Galaxy Grand preview.

A Familiar Sight

You might be surprised by the looks of Samsung Galaxy Grand; it looks awfully similar to Samsung Galaxy S3. You might remember the Samsung Ativ S carrying the same business-like look when we previewed it. Let's say, this one just makes it tougher to tell the difference.

It is slightly bigger, though. Measuring 143.5 x 76.9 x 9.6 mm, Samsung Galaxy Grand promises some extra screen estate for users to enjoy. These measurements more likely put it in the same league as Samsung Galaxy Note at the same time. Of course, the differences in the rest of Samsung Galaxy Grand specs tell them apart.

Display

Samsung Galaxy Grand doesn't have a size as big as the Samsung Galaxy Note for no reason. The 5-inch display largely benefits from such generous room. 5-inch displays sound great but not so much without resolution that suffices. With the 480 x 800 pixels supported on Samsung Galaxy Grand, that's hardly the case.

However, this might as well be justified provided that the Samsung Galaxy Grand is priced appropriately. Users may be able to pardon the fuzz and relatively dimmer display on a 5-inch device afterall. There will be plenty moaning about the sub-par pixel density of 186ppi on Samsung Galaxy Grand. Again, it is not too bad for a low-budget device.

Software

For those fearing the device might run an outdated OS, you need to relax. The best part is, Samsung Galaxy Grand will run Google Android 4.1.2 out of the box. In hindsight, that is as close to updated as one can imagine.

Moreover, the software on Samsung Galaxy Grand will enable users to enjoy the Multi Window feature. This will enable users to run multiple apps at the same time without having to switch screens. Besides this, the Samsung Galaxy Grand will have amenities such as Direct Call, Smart Alert, S Video, Popup Video and AllShare Play.

Processing Power

Samsung Galaxy Grand may not be a powerhouse like the SGS3 or Note 2. However, its 1.2 GHz Dual core processor will allow atleast two running apps to make use of the Multi Window feature. 1GB of RAM also sounds sufficient to get most operations going at a fair pace.

Luckily, users will not be tied down with sealed battery covers or unexpansive storage memory. Whenever users run out of the internal storage of 8GB, they have the option to switch to external storage. That's precisely why Samsung Galaxy Grand sports a microSD card slot which can be increased as much as 64GB.

Camera

An 8 megapixels camera on the Samsung Galaxy Grand sounds pretty good. Only time will tell how well it fares against the other 8 megapixels snappers we have seen in a while. What makes this one even more interesting is that it is said to support zero shutter lag and has an illumination sensor at the back.

Besides being able to capture images in the dark and shooting Full HD videos with the rear camera, users will be able to benefit from the front-facing 2 megapixels camera for video chatting.
 
Connectivity

Samsung Galaxy Grand is loaded with pretty much all connectivity options. LTE fans might be a bit let down, but Samsung traded it for HSPA+. You also get your standard WiFi, DLNA and Bluetooth 4.0. There is good news for people who fancy dual-SIM functionality in smartphones. Samsung Galaxy Grand will be available not only as a lone SIM phone but it will be accompanied by a dual-SIM alternate.

MOTOROLA RAZR MAXX HD Specs

Take a look at a smartphone from a few years ago compared to something available today and you'll find a number of major differences. Screens, processors, operating systems and more are advancing at a breakneck speed. However, battery tech has been stuck moving at a relatively glacial pace, as evidenced by even some of the highest spec'ced smartphones of today struggling to make it through a full day of use. This is where Motorola stepped in with the original RAZR MAXX by infusing the DROID RAZR with a large battery to keep even the heaviest of power users satisfied.

As the current Motorola flagship device there's definitely shared DNA with their other recent handsets, but there are also new touches like an aluminum band that runs along the side-s of the phone where all the ports reside. The back is coated in a generous amount of Kevlar, which not only is very soft to the touch but also gives a good bit of grip and should provide some level of protection against minor scratches and spills. Every texture and surface on the phone feels premium with very tight tolerances, but thanks to a fairly large bezel above and below the screen you won't be mistaking this for a RAZR M. It's only marginally thicker than the standard RAZR HD at 9.4mm compared to 8.4mm but the weight is considerable and squared off edges don't do much to help the phone feel any smaller. It looks great but compared to some other phones of this size ergonomics are lacking.

Currently the MOTOROLA RAZR MAXX HD is running Android 4.0.4, however, an upgrade to Android 4.1 is set to hit in the near future. Thanks to an impressive display of restraint from Motorola the phone runs a fairly lightweight skin making it quite fast, although animations aren't as smooth as they could be. There are a few additions such as a Quick Settings toggle you can get to from your home screen, the great Smart Actions app which can automatically do everything from send a text message to lower your screen brightness when triggered and a Circles widget to let you see the time, weather and battery use at a glance. You'll find a fair amount of Verizon bloatware that can't be uninstalled, but with 32GB of storage it really isn't a huge issue.

Powering the RAZR MAXX HD is a 1.5GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 SoC with 1GB of RAM which is shared with most other high end Android phones, a 4.7" Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280x720, 32GB of storage along with a MicroSD card slot for up to an additional 32GB and that huge 3300mAh battery.

With an 8 megapixel camera and LED flash you'll find it's a decent if not spectacular performer when capturing images and video. Pictures tend to be very saturated and detail is above average, however, performance with the flash is somewhat disappointing, as it is with most smartphones.

The Review About Sony Xperia S

Sony Xperia S Android phone is the company's first product release following its acquisition of the Sony Ericsson joint venture last October. The Xperia S has a great screen, a good camera and looks every bit the premium device, but it has too many niggling flaws to immediately recommend.

The Xperia S is the start of a new line of Sony phones called Xperia NXT and on first glance, there is definitely a lot to like about this phone. The design is simple and elegant — it's basically a square, flat block with a curved back that gives it a unique look in an otherwise boring market of black slabs. The Xperia S is just about the perfect weight — it's light enough not to be a burden to carry around, but heavy enough that it doesn't feel like a cheap toy.

The top, bottom, back and sides of the Xperia S feature a soft feeling plastic finish which is very kind to fingerprints, though the same can't be said about the front of the handset which is a glossy fingerprint magnet. We like the well positioned power key, but both the volume and dedicated camera button should be raised more to provide better tactility. We also dislike the fiddly, flimsy feeling plastic covers that hide the HDMI and micro-USB ports on either side.

The most distinctive design feature of the Xperia S is a transparent band below the screen with back, home and menu key labels. If you look closely, you can see a grid inside the transparent bar, which Sony says is part of the Xperia S' antenna system. The band has a soft, white backlight when the screen is on which does look attractive, though the colour of the light can't be altered.

On first glance you would expect this bar to house the back, home and menu shortcut keys but this is not the case. The bar is simply a backlit label for the capacitive buttons, which are denoted by small dots above the labels. These buttons are without doubt the worst aspect of the Xperia S. In my experience they responded about one in every three presses, are poorly positioned too close to the bottom of the screen and are simply a waste of space that just makes the phone longer than it should be. We can only hope this issue is resolved in a future software update.

Even more questionable than the transparent strip is the fact that the Xperia S has a removable rear cover despite the fact you can't change the battery. There's no microSD card slot either, so we can't understand why Sony didn't just use a slot loading micro SIM card slot on the side of the device instead of a removable cover that is quite simply pointless.

The best feature of the Sony Xperia S is its 4.3in LED-backlit LCD display. It has a HD resolution of 1280x720, the same resolution as the Google's flagship Galaxy Nexus. It also has a pixels per inch (ppi) count of 342. As a comparison, the iPhone 4S's "retina" display has a lower ppi of 326, while the Galaxy Nexus also has a lower ppi of 316.

The end result of these impressive numbers is super sharp and crisp text, even when zoomed in, excellent image quality for both photo and video content and truly outstanding sunlight legibility. While the Xperia S's LCD panel might lack the true vibrant colours and excellent viewing angles that AMOLED screens are capable of, there is no doubting that this is one of the best smartphone screens we've reviewed.

The Xperia S also comes with Sony's Mobile Bravia engine feature. This is the same technology seen on previous Sony Ericsson phones like the XPERIA Arc, the XPERIA Arc S, and the XPERIA Ray. It claims to enhance sharpness, contrast and colour saturation of photos and videos while minimising digital image noise. It worked well on previous Sony Ericsson phones we tested and the same applies to the Xperia S here.

Which One Is Better, HTC One X Or iphone 5

By virtue of its more expansive display, the HTC One X is the larger handset, measuring 134.4 x 69.9 x 8.9mm where the iPhone 5 sizes up at at a marginally smaller 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6mm. As a result of its larger form factor, it's a slightly heavier piece, weighing in at 130 grams where the iPhone 5 is a mere 112 grams. There's not a lot in it, though, and most buyers' decisions are likely to be dictated by their screen-size preference.

With a 4.7in display, the HTC One X is an attractive option for consumers who crave the largest display possible, though personally I feel the iPhone 5's 4in display is quite well considered and more than ample. Apple's new handset offers an improved media experience - particularly with regards to gaming and video playback - whilst still maintaining the device's physical manageability. Still, with the One X, HTC impresses by not compromising image quality despite the size of the screen: with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at 312 PPI, it certainly competes with Apple's smaller, 4in screen, which features a still attractive resolution of 1136 x 640 pixels at a sharper 326 PPI.

With the iPhone 5 likely to match the One X's 1GB RAM capacity when the spec is confirmed, this particular battle becomes largely about internal storage, and the iPhone 5 looks the safer option for those concerned with being able to pack more on to their smartphone. Since neither handset features a microSD slot, the fact that the HTC One X is limited to just a 32GB model could send a fair few consumers Apple's way. The new iPhone comes in an expanded 64GB iteration in addition to the more standard 16GB and 32GB models, but it's going to cost you a pretty pence or two - the large-capacity iPhone retails for £799. Still, if you want such a ridiculous amount of storage, you're probably willing to cough up the extra dosh. Ultimately, this aspect of the device deathmatch goes a long way to highlighting why some consumers see microSD slots as so important.

Apple made a lot of nice sounding claims about it's new A6 chip, saying the SoC offers CPU and GPU performance that's twice as fast as the older A5, which would certainly appear to make the iPhone an above-average machine from a hardware standpoint. What it didn't do was to reveal whether or not the A6 is a dual-core or quad-core unit, with the subsequent consensus being that the lack of hoo-hah on Wednesday points to the former. It's a clearer picture with regards to the One X, which packs a Tegra 3 quad-core that clocks in at a commendable 1.5GHz. Performance will ultimately vary by application, so we'll have to wait to get our hands on the new Apple device before we can say if either device is noticeably more powerful.

It's a classic iOS versus Android battle in regards to software, with the iPhone 5 set to benefit from Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 6, while the HTC One X runs on version 4.0 of Google's OS, dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). There's little doubt that iOS 6 is going to be a hugely appealing interface, demonstrating all the smoothness and ease-of-use that Apple's platforms are noted for as well as a characteristically strong selection of apps. ICS is no slouch either, though many Android fans now view the latest iteration of the OS, version 4.1 Jelly Bean, as the more desirable product these days, and there's no word on when the One X might get an upgrade. Both platforms have devoted followings, though on balance, more casual consumers may prefer iOS.

On paper, it's pretty much a dead heat camerawise. With the iPhone 5, Apple has optimised the highly serviceable 8-megapixel primary camera found on the 4S with some new features, including sapphire crystal construction to add extra durability to the lens, and a brand new panorama mode which offers a wider spectrum of photography options than before. The front-facing snapper - used for FaceTime calls - has been upped to 1.2MP, making for HD video calling. The One X offers the same key photography specs - both devices also boast a resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels and feature video at 1080p - but features a larger f/2.0 aperture compared to Apple's f/2.4. The One X narrowly shades its, therefore, on the basis of its faster aperture speed.

A clear win for the iPhone 5, many people probably won't even consider purchasing the HTC One X given it's stuck on 3G as the UK's 4G LTE spectrum is set to begin rolling out. Rivals, including Apple's new handset, are already confirmed to be supporting the new high-speed network. The One X does come NFC-ready where the new iPhone lacks the increasingly desirable connectivity extra, but it's hardly enough at this stage to tempt you away from vastly superior network speeds. With the phones quite evenly matched in other categories, this is most obvious tipping point in the iPhone 5's favour.