Samsung Galaxy Y S5360 Review

Here is another Android offering from Samsung. This time, there’s something special. The special thing is its price and features that this phone offers. Samsung Galaxy Y is targeted towards young audience. The phone comes with Android OS Gingerbread version 2.3.5, 3.0 inch screen size and 832 MHz processor.

Samsung Galaxy Y S5360 Tech Specs

Touchscreen: Capacitive touchscreen, TouchWiz UI and multi-touch input method
Display: 3.0 inch screen size
Resolution: 240 x 320 pixels with 256K colors
Operating system: Android OS, v2.3.5 (Gingerbread)
Processor: 832 MHz processor
Applications: Installed. More can be downloaded from Android Market
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and microUSB v2.0
Memory: 160MB internal memory. Expandable upto 32GB (2 GB microSD Card included)
Camera: 2 MP camera (1600×1200 pixels)
Video: QVGA at 15fps
Weight: 97.5 gm
Dimension: 104 x 58 x 11.5 mm
Battery: Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh
Other features:
– 3.5mm jack
– GPS with A-GPS support
– Radio
– YouTube
– Predictive text input
– Google Search, Gmail, Maps

Now that we are aware of it’s tech specs, let’s start Samsung Galaxy Y review:

Display and Touchscreen

The screen size is 3.0 inch with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels with 256K colors. Its TFT screen and unlike other high end phones, this is not AMOLED screen. The Galaxy Y also has an accelerometer and proximity sensor.

The touchscreen is capacitive and very responsive. The TouchWiz user interface by Samsung runs with no problem and home screen is also customizable. Shortcuts of various apps can also be created on the home screen.

Chassis and keys

The phone doesn’t look bulky, unlike the Galaxy S2. It is perfect to be handled by anyone. The design looks superb, especially the silver lining on the edges and this gives the phone as if it is some expensive model. “Home” button is actually a button and the other two are touch sensitive buttons, the back key and menu key. Press “Home” key to return to the idle screen and press and hold this key to open a list of recently used applications.

On the right side we can find the power/reset/lock key. Unlock the device, press this key and you can power off the device or lock the touchscreen. On the left side there are volume keys (also known as volume rocker).

Also the multifunction jack and headphone jack (also known as 3.5 mm audio jack) are conveniently located at the top. If the phone is in your pocket then you won’t face any problem inserting headphone jack and headset.

The back cover seems to be made of cheap plastic, perhaps this may due to a cost cutting factor. The phone is very light to handle. If you buy this, then take care that it doesn’t gets slipped out of your hand often, as the build quality is not that strong. Of course, I cannot complain much due to such an affordable pricing label. You cannot expect much at such a budget.

Connectivity

The phone supports GPRS, EDGE and 3G with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA. Besides these options, there is Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and USB port. Connect PC to phone using the data cable provided and start sharing files.

The phone also features push email. Upon connecting through Wi-Fi, it automatically syncs to server to fetch latest emails.

Dialing

Dialing a number from the virtual keypad is no problem. It’s a breeze. If you want to access contacts, logs or favorites, then all this can be done from here.

Benchmarking – Neocore

Now let’s do some benchmarking. Neocore is graphics performance benchmark for Android devices, useful for comparing different devices. Neocore scored 40.1 FPS.

Quadrant
Quadrant is a CPU, I/O and 3D graphics benchmark. Here is result obtained by running full benchmarks.

Software

A CD of Samsung Kies is included in the package. The software takes just 5 minutes to install it on a PC and you’re ready to transfer all your music, video, images and other files to the phone. Connect the phone to a PC using the data cable provided. There are two ways to transfer the files – either by using Samsung Kies or by using “Windows Explorer” and you will be able to see a new “Removable Disk”. Double click on it and copy and paste all the files.

The fun with Kies doesn’t ends here. Access your contacts from the phone, messages, memo, photo editor, music player, video player, disc burning, tethering, video converter, etc. The video converter can really come in handy to make the video compatible with the phone.

Talking about the operating system, the phone comes with Android v2.3.5 (Gingerbread). No Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for now.

The inbuilt video player runs MP4 video without installing any other third party app. Those who are of that “business” type, can use the “QuickOffice” app that comes by default. This app is a collection of three utilities – Quickword, Quicksheet, Quickpoint and QuickPDF.

Battery life

With some moderate usage, the phone can run for 2 days. In these 2 days, I have played video and audio, browsing through Wi-Fi, playing games, installing apps, run CPU intensive tasks, etc.

Overall it can be said that battery life is just ok, nothing impressive here. Of course, if you disable services like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and close all running apps from “Task Manager” then battery can last longer.

Package Contents

The package contains everything to get started. From data cable to installation disk, you won’t find anything missing in the package.

The box contains:

• Handset
• Charger (Travel adapter)
• Battery
• Stereo Headset
• 2 GB memory card
• Data cable
• Samsung Kies installation disk

Pricing

This is where the phone surprises us. Samsung Galaxy Y price in India is Rs 7000 (which equals to around $150 USD). Yes, you read it right and this is no mistake. Currently, this is the cheapest Android phone available in the market. At this price, you get a complete Android based phone, with 2 GB memory card and everything to get started is included in the package. Samsung is already famous for its Galaxy S2 phone and it can’t be wrong with this new low end Android offering.

Pros

– Capacitive touchscreen and TouchWiz UI
– Works pretty smooth, better than expected at this price point
– 2 GB memory card included
– Super affordable pricing

Cons

– 2.3 MP Camera is disappointing. Samsung should have integrated at least 3.2 MP camera.
– Body is made entirely out of plastic

Conclusion

Rejoice people, because if you really want to try out Android and don’t want to burn a hole in your pocket, then this phone is for you. You spend only $150 on this baby with no contracts and no frills. Those who are thinking to dump their existing phones and want to jump the Android bandwagon, this phone won’t disappoint you. But if you have already tried some high-end phone with a gorgeous AMOLED screen, then this phone won’t appeal to you.