An analysis of the smartphone market showed that Samsung is gradually losing its position in the mid-price segment, giving way to Chinese manufacturers. Models from China with similar technical characteristics are sold much cheaper, so the company is simply forced to respond to this not only with massive staff cuts, but also by reducing prices for its lines.

One of these answers was the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime. Naturally, we should start the review of this smartphone with the price: for the characteristics that the device offers, it is completely justified. The average cost of a model range on the online market fluctuates around 10,000 rubles, which may already be of interest to potential buyers.

The company decided to save on the technical component of the display in favor of the battery capacity and smartphone camera. Pixels and screen resolution that could have been included in the display were transformed into a 5-megapixel front camera with a wide-angle format, which has already been recognized as one of the best in the budget smartphone segment.

Grand Prime SM and VE are an excellent help for both individual and group selfies, while having a camera viewing angle of 85 degrees, while their closest analogues cannot boast of more than 70°. It is worth additionally noting that the main 8 megapixel camera also meets all the stated characteristics and is distinguished by high-quality shooting and review.

As a result, the company launched a “selfie phone” on the market with an impressive battery, an attractive price, and a new 64-bit processor from the Snapdragon 410 series, which will not only allow you to surf the Internet without any problems, but also play games.

The display turned out to be of average quality: 5-inch with a resolution of 960x540 pixels. The image may not be as sharp, but the IPS matrix provides high brightness and relatively good viewing angles.

Generally speaking, the Grand Prime smartphone is suitable for those people who need a durable battery and high-quality selfies. The line can be purchased in white and gray versions, White and Gray, respectively.

Appearance

By its appearance, the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime VE model is easily identified as a representative of the Samsung company, even if it did not have a characteristic logo. The line has a typical Samsung design and style: the side frame is made in silver, rounded edges, a classic speaker just above the logo and an oval button at the control point.

On the back of the smartphone there is a slightly protruding lens, a little to the left there is a backlight, and to the right of the camera there is a speaker divided in two by a strip of plastic.

The power key and volume rocker are located on the sides of the device, there is also a headphone jack and a microport for SD cards. Overall, the smartphone gives the impression of an attractive and solid gadget.

Dimensions

The device has the following dimensions: 145x72 mm with a thickness of 9 mm. They are extremely similar to the Sony Xperia Z3 model. But with a diagonal of five inches, the case seems too thin and too tall. But nevertheless, the smartphone is comfortable to hold in your hand.

The device is made of plastic and is assembled quite well, which is typical for the company’s products, in particular for the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime VE. Reviews about the device sound mostly positive, and no serious shortcomings were noticed: nothing plays, crunches or bends. The case is collapsible, the cover under which the battery and SIM slots are located can be easily removed and put back in place. You can remove the battery or replace the SIM card without any problems, without fear of breaking anything.

Screens of the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime line

The review of the screen should start with the not-so-pleasant moments, since the company has clearly decided to save money on it. The display resolution is 960 by 540 pixels, like on an old mini-flagship, but with a smaller screen. The dots per inch density is very small - 220 ppi, and plus, there are no light sensors, and at the same time, adjustable brightness.

The only thing that pleases is the lack of a TN matrix in the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime. User feedback was nevertheless heard, and the line was equipped with an IPS analogue. Although the display of the device does not have sufficient clarity (by the standards of modern smartphones), the viewing angles are quite good.

Among the few advantages of the display, one can note a fairly high brightness of 400 cd/m2, which allows you to work normally with the device during daylight hours in the fresh air. It is worth immediately warning that the display does not have protective glass, so the screen “collects” fingerprints and small scratches. Be careful and get a case with extra film.

Camera

The device is positioned by the company as a device for selfies, which is facilitated by the main 8-megapixel and front 5-megapixel cameras, specially included by engineers in the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime line. The camera's field of view is within 85 degrees, which allows them to take high-quality atmospheric and panoramic images.

The camera has plenty of possibilities and additional functions, coupled with a variety of modes. The only thing that is missing, judging by user reviews, is an image stabilization system; otherwise, the line pleases with its capabilities and photo resolution (3264x2448). The pictures are of quite acceptable quality, deserving all praise.

The maximum resolution for video formats is 1920 by 1080 pixels with a recording speed of 30 frames/second. The camera has tracking autofocus and, together with a microphone, records sound in stereo mode.

The front row is designed not only for calls, but also for wide-angle selfies. Separately, it is worth noting the group shot mode, where it is possible to create a mini-panorama where your entire company will fit.

Internet

Built-in browsers from Android and Chrome OS are quite convenient for web surfing. If you have the opportunity to purchase a Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime LTE, then browsing the Internet turns into a real pleasure. The connection of the device is stable and does not cause any complaints from both specialists and ordinary users. The gadget is equipped with dual-band Wi-Fi at 802.11 b/g/n points and Bluetooth version 4.

Multimedia

The company pays a lot of attention to the multimedia capabilities of gadgets in its devices, but not in the case of the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime. The review showed that the smartphone plays most known video formats without preliminary conversion and subsequent optimization. But the “Grand Prime” line couldn’t handle such seemingly popular resolutions as MKV and MOV, and this is a big minus for the device.

With audio formats, everything is basically standard: MP3, WMA, WAV and similar resolutions were played by the player without problems, but the device stumbled on FLAC and had to be launched by a third-party program.

Autonomous operation

The smartphone is equipped with a lithium-ion battery with a relatively good capacity for its price of 2600 mAh. The device can work for almost seven hours with continuous playback of high format (HD) video with maximum brightness, almost like the sixth version of the Apple gadget.

Standard audio mode drains the smartphone in about 80 hours. The Galaxy S5 showed a similar time. Overall battery life indicators confidently indicate that the smartphone in its price category is superior to many analogues in the segment.

Modes and charging

Additionally, we can mention the extreme energy saving mode, which can extend the operating time of the device to one hour with a flashing battery. So you can not only have time to finish an important conversation, but also run to the nearest outlet. The included charger fills the battery from 220 volts in just over two hours.

If you charge the battery from a computer, the 2.0 port will charge the phone in three and a half hours, and the USB 3.0 interface will require no more than two hours. Charging may not be as fast as that of similar Sony smartphones, but the company immediately warned about this in the preview of the models.

Summarizing

The Grand Prime line runs on the Android 4.4.4 operating system with the proprietary TochWiz interface, which has stood the test of time and comes with expensive devices. Models can support two SIM cards and have special features for people with hearing problems: mono sounds, flash notifications, etc.

All kinds of modes allow you to quickly control the phone, and extreme energy saving will make it possible to end a conversation and continue working with the device for a long time.

The company listened to user feedback about its smartphones and did not “clog” the line with pre-installed software, as a result of which the device became noticeably faster, as did the interface.

The models of the “Grand Prime” series are worth the money, and they will perform all the functions that are inherent in modern smartphones, if not with an “A”, then with a solid “B” for sure. The verdict is very positive - we recommend it.

2 years ago 0

Camera. Big screen. Bright display. Excellent sound. Two SIM cards.

2 years ago 0

I'm happy with everything, especially the camera

2 years ago 0

1. Battery 2. Price

2 years ago 0

Interesting design, quite productive, good battery life, 2, although not super, but still good cameras, Android 4.4.4 (for me personally this is a plus, but I hope for a quick release of 5.0) Good speaker, good build.

2 years ago 0

Price (I got it for 9990) Design Build quality Availability of a large selection of accessories Screen Quite a good camera

2 years ago 0

price, design, front camera, built-in memory, functionality.

2 years ago 0

The battery lasts a long time and that's it

2 years ago 0

For this price you won't find a better smart phone. Doesn't slow down, runs almost all applications. I bought the case right away along with the phone (so I wouldn’t have to look for it later)

2 years ago 0

5" screen, 2 SIM cards, 2600 mAh battery - enough for 2 days of standard use (social networks, video)

2 years ago 0

The screen is excellent (bright), and does not slow down at all. The front camera is good, I was pleased. The price is very attractive, if someone buys the Samsung galaxy grand prime you won’t regret it!

2 years ago 0

2 years ago 0

When opening some programs, it slows down and freezes, a black screen appears

2 years ago 0

1. Quiet speaker
2. Lack of LTE

2 years ago 0

It’s a pity that this device is made with only 2 SIM cards, this is a minus for me personally. It’s a shame that the screen is rather weak, I still wanted to see at least HD, even if it would cost 2-3 thousand more, but it would be super. The only design quibble is the protruding camera. It’s not that it really interferes, I’m just afraid that she might get scratched so quickly.

2 years ago 0

It's slowing down!!!

2 years ago 0

lack of backlighting of the buttons, when you press a button on the right side, you involuntarily press the button on the left side.

2 years ago 0

From the date of purchase the SIM cards did not work, after half a year stripes appeared on the screen, I think the pixels were broken.

2 years ago 0

It looks too much like my previous smart alcatel one touch idol (you can find and compare) even the power, not counting the 4 nuclear processors, is the same

2 years ago 0

I spent a long time choosing which phone to buy and my choice fell on the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime SM-G530H.
But, unfortunately, it did not live up to my hopes.
1) for such a screen the resolution of 960x540 is too small, which is why the colors are dull and unsaturated.
2) After a month, the phone began to freeze. At first I didn’t pay attention to it, but after that it became wildly annoying; when you play, watch videos, text, or even just try to make a call, it gives you an “application error”!
3) Camera. It’s definitely not 8MP, but a maximum of 5MP, and then only if you take pictures outside in good weather. As for the front, it’s generally 2MP and again on the street. In artificial light the photo is simply terrible.
4) As soon as I came to terms with the above, the smartphone gave me a new surprise

2 years ago 0

The equipment is very poor (the headphones are simple, not stereo! The pixels are very visible! The keyboard is terrible - very small, inconvenient! There are no cases for it in any store, even in the Samsung branded store

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Memory cards

Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Rear camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its back panel and may be combined with one or more secondary cameras.

Front-camera

Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a rotating camera, a cutout or hole in the display, an under-display camera.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

The SAR level refers to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.

additional characteristics

Some devices have characteristics that do not fall into the above categories, but it is important to point them out.

Nowadays, there are many smartphones that stand out either in appearance or in characteristics. The hero of our review, although he does not stand out as either the first or the second, but combines well a strict appearance and normal characteristics. Meet the affordable Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime smartphone.

The dimensions of the device may not be the most compact, but they are not record-breakingly huge either. You can either thank or blame for this, depending on how you feel about five-inch screens. The length is 144.8 mm, width 72.1 mm, and thickness 8.6 mm. The weight of the device is 156 grams.

It's nice that, despite the low cost, the manufacturer managed to make the phone very attractive. In appearance, there are notes borrowed from the manufacturer’s more expensive models. And the materials are quite good.

The front side is covered with protective glass, the sides are covered with glossy plastic disguised as metal, and the back cover is covered with matte plastic. Overall, for an affordable device, everything looks decent. To protect against scratches and falls, the front panel with the screen is slightly recessed inward.

Almost at the very top end there is a speaker, a scattering of sensors, among which there is no automatic brightness adjustment and a front camera. At the bottom there is a traditional composition of two touch keys and a mechanical key.

The location of the mechanical volume and power keys is familiar. The same can be said about the audio jack and microUSB port, which are located on the top and bottom ends, respectively. On the back side we will not see a second microphone, which is useful for noise reduction.

But a single LED flash, an 8 MP camera lens and a multimedia speaker are located right here. Under a thin cover with many latches there are connectors for two SIM cards in microSIM format and a microSD memory card, but you can only get to them after removing the 2600 mAh battery.

If we talk about ease of use, it is worth noting that operating the phone with one hand is not difficult. All controls are designed so that even users with small hands will not feel discomfort. Yes, and pressing the buttons has a predictable small stroke with a characteristic click.

Software, interface

The desktop interface uses TouchWiz paired with Android version 4.4.4. We have already seen this tandem in and its older brother, which we tested not so long ago. Despite the somewhat modest characteristics, the hero of the review did not lag behind its more expensive counterparts in smooth operation. Everything works smoothly and quickly.

Hardware platform

As mentioned above, the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime has a lot in common with the Samsung Galaxy E5 in terms of technical characteristics, but it is still somewhat simplified. Yes, the processor is the same - a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (MSM8916) with a maximum frequency of 1.2 GHz, the modest Adreno 306 acts as a video accelerator. But the amount of RAM is only 1 GB, of which about 350 MB is available after switching on. The built-in storage is also not very capacious - 16 GB, however, it can be increased by using a microSD memory card.

Among the wireless interfaces, everything is standard - Bluetooth version 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz, as well as a whole set of navigation systems, which includes GPS, GLONASS and Beidou. As you would expect, they all work stably and well. Work with two SIM cards is organized as standard. The volume of the main speaker is good, but not very high. The vibration is also good. The earpiece and microphone are average. Not bad, but not the best either.

If we return to performance, then it is worth noting that the smartphone as a whole works smoothly and quickly, but when using several resource-intensive applications it constantly closes them, which is natural, since there is not much RAM. Even so, if you use your smartphone more as a phone and a means of communication, and less for games, then it is very difficult to notice performance problems. But with demanding games everything is not so simple. Yes, most of them work, but at low graphics settings.

For example, Dead Trigger 2 runs on low settings without any graphics lag, but on medium settings you can already notice jerks in some moments. All this suggests that the Galaxy Grand Prime is not designed for gaming.

To test the omnivorousness of the video player, we used the AnTuTu Video Tester application, which mostly tests using high-resolution files, which is not entirely correct in our case, because the screen resolution is much lower than what the benchmark makes it play. Despite this, some files were still able to be opened, although it is worth noting that it is better to install a third-party player - then you will definitely be able to watch almost any videos.

Autonomy

The smartphone is equipped with a removable battery with a capacity of 2600 mAh. In medium load mode, the device easily works for two days, if you do not get too involved in games. At the same time, the screen worked for almost 5 hours, the phone conversation time was 1 hour 15 minutes, and the total playing time in DeadTrigger 2 was 40 minutes. Overall, these are very good results. In our tests, we set the brightness to 63%, which corresponds to a value of 200 cd/m².

In modereading All wireless communications are turned off, including data transmission on the mobile network, and the display brightness is set to 200 cd/m2. When listeningmusic automatic data synchronization and data transfer worked. The sound volume in the headphones is at 12 out of 15 possible levels. All music files are in MP3 format, bitrate 320 Kbps.Navigation includes route planning in the Google Navigation application. The brightness is set to 200 cd/m2, all data communication modules are disabled. During playback video Data transmission on the mobile network is active, the display brightness is set to 200 cd/m2, the sound volume in the headphones is at level 12 out of a possible 15. Video file format is MKV, resolution 1024x432 pixels, frame rate 24. Video playback from Youtube was accompanied not only by working on a Wi-Fi network, but also by active data transfer. The display brightness is set to 200 cd/m2, the sound volume in the headphones is at 12 out of 15 possible levels.* - data obtained under similar conditions, but with the brightness set to 50% and possible You can familiarize yourself with the testing methodology in material.

Screen

Our Galaxy Grand Prime is equipped with a TFT display with a resolution of 960x540 pixels, while the pixel density is 240 ppi. The screen has a small air gap and an oleophobic coating.

There is no automatic brightness adjustment sensor. The brightness itself varies from 17.9 cd/m² to 315 cd/m². In this case, the contrast is 1:439. Of course, the screen fades in the sun, but the information remains legible.

We also checked the factory screen calibration. The graphs show that the screen is a little warmer than necessary. The color gamut is narrower than sRGB and shifted towards warm shades. I wouldn't dare call the screen bad. But it can be good, because you need to understand that the device is inexpensive. On the other hand, it would be nice to have automatic brightness adjustment, but for some reason it is not here.

Cameras

Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime is equipped with two cameras – a 5 MP front camera and an 8 MP main camera. The front one has standard characteristics, but among them there are interesting settings that will help retouch the face, enlarge the eyes and change the oval of the face. The main camera can take photos in HDR mode and video in FullHD resolution. The basic settings are well known from other Samsung models.

If we talk about the quality of pictures from the main camera, they turn out to be quite average. There is nothing masterpiece, but the camera cannot be called frankly weak either. The pictures are especially good in sunny, clear weather, but with poor visibility and especially in the evening/night time, the quality of the photos is quite average. The front camera is only suitable for Skype. She is capable of taking good shots, but only in good lighting conditions.

Examples of photos taken with the main camera in automatic mode:

An example of shooting Full HD video:

Example of photos taken with the front camera:

Results

Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime is an inexpensive but very high-quality smartphone from a renowned manufacturer. Yes, its main competitors have better characteristics and screen resolution, but they are mostly produced by more modest brands. The small screen resolution in 2015 looks a little strange, but at the same time, to see individual pixels you need to have very good eyesight. A small amount of RAM, of course, is also not an advantage, but you need to take into account that the smartphone works smoothly and quickly, even with a large number of installed applications. Don't forget about the appearance - the smartphone looks more expensive than what they ask for. And this is a significant advantage for an affordable device. At the time of writing the review, the cost of the smartphone was 4199 UAH. It can be safely recommended for ordinary people who use their smartphone primarily for communication, and not for playing games at maximum settings.