Samsung Galaxy V Review – Is V for Value?
Samsung Galaxy V is an unapologetically entry level smartphone . With bare minimum features, this is targeted for consumers looking for value-for-money device. It rocks a 4 inch TFT display, 512 RAM , 3MP rear camera and a 1.2Ghz SINGLE CORE processor ( yes, you heard that right). In today’s tight race to the bottom, vendors are upping their game by releasing multi-core processor entries at a bargain basement price. Samsung on the other hand, opt to significantly cut corners for this budget device.
With the influx of other brand with better specs-to-price ratio, definitely this is not the cheapest phone in the market right now. So how does Samsung Galaxy V stand? Read on below to find out.
Build Quality, Display and Interface
The phone is made out of entirely plastic shell with familiar Samsung faux-metal band. It seem Samsung deviate from a wider form factor as the shape of the phone is now more elongated. I mean this budget offering has narrower but longer aspect ratio almost similar to that of iPhone 5’s taller frame.
While the trend is about phone with not-so-pocket-friendly-size, some may find 4 inch still the sweet spot for single-handed operation without having to resort to serious hand gymnastics. Though Samsung is known to produce the best screen for a phone, they definitely skimp by using TFT display instead. Don’t get me wrong, the screen looked great when you look at it directly, but tilt it slightly at an angle and you will notice display immediately get washed out. It is also difficult to read under the sun as strong light drown everything on the screen.
Pull down the notification and it will reveal control toggles including manual brightness slider, which you may find using frequently due to lack of auto-brightness
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Performance and Battery
Truth be told, we don’t dive in this review expecting a performance that blow us away so smartphone snobs may want to look elsewhere. But for what it is, this sub-$100 (or around Php 4,500) do what it is supposed to do. The single core 1.2 processor under the hood and KitKat 4.4.2 is surprisingly fast enough for day to day usage. Of course, there is lag here and there particularly when opening apps but overall, it doesn’t hinder your experience. In fact, merely looking at its specs may not inspire confidence, but the reality is, you might find it quite zippy to use.
We have tested apps like Facebook, Viber and some light games like Subway Surfer. The apps open at slow speed but the phone handles them well once it is loaded. Meanwhile, gaming is not really this phones forte but game like Subway Surfer is very playable with very responsive touch control. It is not hard to imagine some less graphics intensive games will also run OK on this phone.
Powered by 1500 mAH battery. You can eke out two days of minimal use but get ready to charge it on a daily basis if you use this online to browse the web or keep in touch with friends on Facebook.
Samsung Galaxy V Camera Samples
Equipped with 3-megapixel rear camera with flash, Samsung Galaxy V can also take pictures that are decent enough for sharing in a social networking site. Under a good light source, it can take quite good images provided you don’t zoom in as pixel limitations becomes too apparent. Below are some rear camera samples.
Not bad for a 3-megapixel camera. |
Lack of autofocus makes taking macro images and close-ups a blurry affair |
Sharing your cat pictures using Samsung Galaxy V’s camera? Why not. |
Indoor shot with light from outside is noisy but… |
…it fares better with flash on, though background is noticeably dimmer |
Final Thought
The problem with Samsung Galaxy V lies with how it’s price as of this moment. Single core doesn’t cut it these days to a picky budget smartphone consumer. Having said that, The Samsung Galaxy V isn’t exactly a slouch either running with somewhat dated innards. Still, it can manage to perform basic smartphone task and should suffice most undemanding users out there.
Within the price range, there are actually plenty of competition right now that bested the performance and feature of Galaxy V. The cheaper devices under local brand and Chinese manufacturer may dissuade buyers from this unit. But what is going for with Samsung is the goodwill from it’s brand name recognition and for some, that may enough to sway them to Galaxy V.
To its credit, the phone is capable of handling day-to-day but undemanding tasks, has good build quality albeit plastic materials, a pocket-friendly size and surprisingly acceptable performance for a single core device.
Quick Glance at Samsung Galaxy V (G313HZ) Features
- Screen Size: 4 inch TFT display
- Processor: 1.2 Ghz Single Core
- Camera: 3 megapixel rear-fixed focus with flash, VGA front facing camera,
- Android Version: KitKat 4.4.2
- Memory: 4 GB internal, 512 MB ram
- Dual Sim,
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