The Galaxy Y Duos builds on the single-SIM Galaxy Y with a slightly larger screen, a higher-resolution camera, larger capacity battery and, most importantly, an extra SIM slot. The latter will, of course, be its key selling point in emerging markets, but here's what else is on offer.
KEY FEATURES
- Dual-SIM (dual stand-by)
- Quad-Band GSM and dual-band 3G support
- 7.2 Mbps HSDPA
- SIM switch in notification area
- 3.14" 256K-color QVGA TFT touchscreen
- 832MHz ARMv6 processor, 290MB of RAM
- Android OS v2.3.5 (Gingerbread) with TouchWiz UI
- 160MB of internal storage, hot-swappable MicroSD slot, 2GB card included
- 3.15 MP fixed-focus camera with geotagging
- GPS receiver with A-GPS
- Stereo FM radio with RDS
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Document viewer
- Accelerometer and proximity sensor
- Swype text input
- MicroUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth 3.0
- Social network integration
GOOD AUDIO QUALITY
We've come to expect good quality audio output from Samsung smartphones and the Galaxy Y Duos S6102 is no exception. Obviously, audio quality wasn't one of the corners the Koreans had to cut to keep the price tag low.
An active external amplifier lets the Galaxy Y Duos show its full potential and achieve some excellent scores. It's not particularly loud, but everything else about its output is as good as it should be.
The degradation when headphones come into play consists of a huge hike in stereo crosstalk, and some extra intermodulation distortion. The rest of the scores remained pretty decent so it seems the Galaxy Y Duos is ready to offer more than what the average user needs.
BASIC CAMERA
The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos S6102 has a slightly better camera than the single-SIM Galaxy Y, but not by much. What you're getting is a 3MP fixed-focus camera and no flash.
The camera app has a pretty good user interface, which is touch-friendly and has great built-in features such as smile shot, preset scenes, geotagging, effects, on-screen guidelines and panorama mode.
The Galaxy Y Duos is aimed at entry level smartphone enthusiasts who want to make the best out of a limited budget. This dual-SIM droid is based on the original Galaxy Y - which in turn was a cut above the usual dumbphone.
We guess the two won't directly compete with each other: the dual-SIM smartphone will probably reach a different demographic. A package like the Galaxy Y (single SIM) is a more short-term affair - a phone to learn the basics with before moving on to something more advanced.
A dual-SIM phone on the other hand is the sensible choice for the budget-conscious - a typically older audience that's not as keen to upgrade ever so often. On the other hand, teens too will probably enjoy the flexibility of mobile plans that two SIM cards provide.
DUAL-SIM CONNECTIVITY
The Galaxy Y Duos is ready for worldwide roaming with quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dual-band 3G with HSDPA download rates of up to 7.2 Mbps for both its SIM cards.
You should keep in mind that not more than one card at a time can use a 3G connection, the other one uses 2G. You have to go into the settings and manually toggle which one uses 3G and which one 2G.
Each SIM card has its own tab with settings
The connectivity package also offers Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP support and USB v2.0.
The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos doesn't pack much internal memory (180MB is downright low for app installation), but it comes with a 2GB microSD card and support for cards up to 32GB.
The 3.5 mm standard audio port completes the connectivity tally. You can keep your favorite headphones and use them with the Galaxy Y Duos hassle-free.
LOW-END BROWSING
The Android Gingerbread browser usually offers a great mobile browsing experience. But on the 3.14" low-quality QVGA resolution you'll need a lot of patience to go through a page or read an article.
The user interface is pretty much nonexistent at first sight, which leaves what little screen real estate there is to the web page. Once the page finishes loading, all you see is the status bar on top of the screen as the address bar hides automatically.
The Galaxy Y Duos browser supports three zoom methods - dedicated buttons, double tap and multi-touch pinch-zooming. The browser also supports text reflow, which is essential on such a low-res screen.
GOOGLE MAPS AND GPS NAVIGATION
The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos packs a GPS receiver, which got a satellite lock in about under a minute with A-GPS turned off. A-GPS can speed this up, but requires an Internet connection.
Google Maps is the app of choice and offers the latest touch optimizations like the two finger rotation and tilt, it also features navigation, search for POIs and much more. Street view is, of course, part of the package too.
GOOGLE PLAY MARKET
The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos has the latest version of the Android Market - now called Google Play. The new name and icon aside there aren't major changes to the look of the app store. In select countries aside from apps you'll also find music, movies and books but this content remains limited so far.
Main Disadvantages
- Low screen resolution limits choice of apps
- Fixed focus camera
- No secondary camera
- No camera flash, no dedicated camera key
- QVGA video recording @24fps is pretty low
- No Adobe Flash support
SUMMARY
The Galaxy Y is hugely popular in some regions and the extra SIM slot will make it even more desirable. A second SIM means you can get a cheap texting plan or a plan with lots of minutes to other carriers. A plain data plan with no calling is possible too (as those are cheaper than add-on data plans).
If you're running a tight budget for both phone and monthly bills, the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos S6102 is a good pick. Whether you find the SIM slot a must-have or a sideline, the phone has everything other entry-level Android phones have.
SOURCE : GSMARENA