Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 vs Galaxy Grand vs Idol X size and specs comparison

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Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 vs Galaxy Grand vs Idol X size and specs comparison
When Samsung lifted the veil from the Galaxy Grand late last year, 5"+ phones weren't the norm as they are a year later. At the time the Grand was meant to be a very affordable big-screen phone for those who can't shell out $600 for a flagship outside of a carrier contract. With a dual SIM version, the phone was your only bet for a cheap large screen handset that can support two SIM cards at once - a very sought after option in emerging markets.

The specs were pretty ho-hum, though, even for 2012 standards, especially the 480x800 pixels screen resolution, which ringed in the abysmal 187ppi pixel density, and the basic 1.2 GHz dual-core processor. 

This year, however, we have an abundance of big-screen smartphone choices, and some of them sport dual SIM versions, too, so Samsung had to up its game in this market niche with the Grand 2. We don't get a much larger display, as that would encroach on the Mega 5.8 territory, just a small bump from 5" on the original Grand, to 5.25" on the Grand 2.

The resolution, however, is greatly enhanced at 720x1280 pixels, making Grand 2 a very decent choice if you are after a brand name big-screen handset with dual SIM abilities. In addition we get a quad-core 1.2 GHz chipset of unknown make to replace the dual-core one, though the bump in performance will still be a far cry from the flagships out there.

The other more than welcome specs bump is in battery size - the 2600 mAh unit is as big as the one in the Galaxy S4, so battery life should be improved in comparison with the first Grand. We also get a slightly higher 1.5 GB of RAM amount, against just a gig in the original.

Designwise the Grand 2 is also in line with the late 2013 crop of Samsung, as it sports a faux leather back with stitching, similar to the Galaxy Note 3, indicating that Samsung is trying to break away from the plastic look of its phones, even in the midrange category. With the increase in screen diagonal we get a slightly taller Grand 2, which, however, is thinner and narrower, potentially easing one-handed operation.

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Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
Dimensions

5.78 x 2.96 x 0.35 inches

146.8 x 75.3 x 8.9 mm

Weight

5.75 oz (163 g)

Samsung Galaxy Grand
Dimensions

5.65 x 3.03 x 0.38 inches

143.5 x 76.9 x 9.6 mm

Weight

5.71 oz (162 g)

Alcatel OneTouch Idol X
Dimensions

5.53 x 2.66 x 0.27 inches

140.4 x 67.5 x 6.9 mm

Weight

4.23 oz (120 g)

Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
Dimensions

5.78 x 2.96 x 0.35 inches

146.8 x 75.3 x 8.9 mm

Weight

5.75 oz (163 g)

Samsung Galaxy Grand
Dimensions

5.65 x 3.03 x 0.38 inches

143.5 x 76.9 x 9.6 mm

Weight

5.71 oz (162 g)

Alcatel OneTouch Idol X
Dimensions

5.53 x 2.66 x 0.27 inches

140.4 x 67.5 x 6.9 mm

Weight

4.23 oz (120 g)

See the full Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Grand vs Alcatel OneTouch Idol X size comparison or compare them to other phones using our Size Comparison tool.

The Grand 2 will come in more color choices such as black, white and pink, but we still don't know the make-it-or-break-it information on the price tag. Last year the dual SIM Galaxy Grand wasn't exactly covering the term "affordable" entirely in relation to its specs, but this year the competition scenario is rather different for Samsung.

We are thus curious whether we will see one of the best dual SIM phones out there with the Grand 2, or another overpriced option. As you can see from the specs comparison table above, the dual SIM Alcatel One Touch Idol X beats Grand 2 in terms of specs and compact design, and is just around $350 without a contract, flaunting a 1080p display. Anything much above that price point, and Samsung will be relying on brand name, marketing and distribution to move Grand 2 more than its merits. Granted, we do get a removable back cover, extendable memory and larger swappable battery with the Galaxy Grand 2, which counts a lot these days.

Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 Samsung Galaxy Grand Alcatel OneTouch Idol X

Design

Dimensions
5.78 x 2.96 x 0.35 inches
146.8 x 75.3 x 8.9 mm
5.65 x 3.03 x 0.38 inches
143.5 x 76.9 x 9.6 mm
5.53 x 2.66 x 0.27 inches
140.4 x 67.5 x 6.9 mm
Weight
5.75 oz (163.0 g) 5.71 oz (162.0 g) 4.23 oz (120.0 g)
Keys
Left: Volume control; Right: Lock/Unlock key Left: Volume control; Right: Lock/Unlock key Right: Volume control
Colors
Black, Pink, White, Gold Yellow, Red

Display

Size
5.2-inch 5.0-inch 5.0-inch
Resolution
1280x720px, 280 PPI 800x480px, 187 PPI 1920x1080px, 441 PPI
Technology
TFT TFT IPS LCD
Screen-to-body
68.84 % 64.43 % 72.62 %
Colors
16 777 216 16 777 216 16 777 216
Features
Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass (Dragontrail), Oleophobic coating

Hardware

System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 8226 MediaTek MT6589
Processor
Quad-core
1200 MHz
ARM Cortex-A7
Dual-core
1200 MHz
Quad-core
1500 MHz
ARM Cortex-A7
GPU
Adreno 305 Yes PowerVR SGX544
RAM
1.5GB 1GB 2GB
Internal storage
8GB 8GB 8GB, available to use: 5.6 GB
Storage expansion
microSDXC up to 64 GB microSDXC up to 64 GB microSDHC up to 32 GB
OS
Android (4.4.2, 4.3), Samsung TouchWiz UI Android (4.2.2, 4.1.2) Android (4.4.2, 4.2)

Battery

Capacity
2600 mAh 2100 mAh 2000 mAh
Type
Li - Ion Li - Ion Li - Ion

Camera

Rear
Single camera Single camera Single camera
Main camera
8 MP (Autofocus)
Aperture size: F2.4
8 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor) 13.1 MP (Autofocus)
Flash
LED LED LED
Video recording
1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)
Video calling
1920x1080 (Full HD) 1920x1080 (Full HD)
Front
1.9 MP 2 MP 2 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD)

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
4.0 4.0 4.0
WLAN
802.11 a,b,g,n,dual-band
Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
802.11 b,g,n
Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
802.11 b,g,n
Wi-Fi Direct
USB
microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 2.0
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass GPS, A-GPS
Sensors
Accelerometer, Compass, Hall (for flip covers) Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass Accelerometer, Compass
Other
ANT+, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Loudspeaker Earpiece, Loudspeaker Earpiece, Loudspeaker
Features
Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback
Screen mirroring
DLNA DLNA
Video playback
Features: Zoom, Stretch to fullscreen
Radio
FM FM, Stereo, RDS FM, Stereo, RDS

Cellular

3G
Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100) Bands 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100) Bands 8(900), 1(2100)
Data Speed
HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, UMTS HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 11 Mbit/s
Dual SIM
Yes
SIM type
Micro SIM

Phone Features

Notifications
Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone
Other features
Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Nov 07, 2013
FCC ID value: A3LSMG7102
Measured SAR
Head: 0.40 W/kg
Body: 0.82 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.03 W/kg
Wireless Router: 0.88 W/kg
EU SAR
Head: 0.58 W/kg

Availability

Officially announced
Nov 25, 2013 Dec 18, 2012 Feb 24, 2013

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