Specifications:
| GENERAL | 2G Network | CDMA 800 / 1900 |
|---|---|---|
| GSM 900 / 1800 | ||
| 3G Network | CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | |
| Announced | 2012, February | |
| Status | Available. Released 2012, February |
| BODY | Dimensions | 112.4 x 59.9 x 12.5 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 125 g | |
| - Touch-sensitive controls |
| DISPLAY | Type | TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches (~165 ppi pixel density) | |
| Multitouch | Yes | |
| - TouchWiz UI |
| SOUND | Alert types | Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones |
|---|---|---|
| Loudspeaker | Yes | |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| MEMORY | Card slot | microSD, up to 32 GB |
|---|
| DATA | GPRS | Yes |
|---|---|---|
| EDGE | Yes | |
| Speed | Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps | |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot | |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v3.0 with A2DP | |
| USB | Yes, microUSB v2.0 |
| CAMERA | Primary | 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Geo-tagging | |
| Video | Yes | |
| Secondary | No |
| FEATURES | OS | Android OS, v2.2 (Froyo) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm MSM7627 | |
| CPU | 800 MHz | |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, proximity, compass | |
| Messaging | SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email | |
| Browser | HTML | |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio with RDS | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS support | |
| Java | Yes, via Java MIDP emulator | |
| Colors | Black | |
| - MP4/H.264/H.263 player - MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player - Organizer - Document editor - Image editor - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration - Voice memo/dial - Predictive text input (Swype) |
| BATTERY | Standard battery, Li-Ion 1650 mAh | |
|---|---|---|
| Stand-by | Up to 300 h | |
| Talk time | Up to 7 h |
| MISC | SAR US | 0.43 W/kg (head) 0.73 W/kg (body) |
|---|---|---|
| SAR EU | 0.23 W/kg (head) | |
| Price group |  |
Review:
Samsung launched the Galaxy Ace DUOS (GT- S6802), Dual SIM GSM phone with Dual SIM Active feature in India in June. The design and the features are similar to the single SIM version, Galaxy Ace. Samsung launched the Galaxy Ace DUOS (GT-I589) in India back in February with Dual SIM GSM + CDMA support. You saw the unboxing of the Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos last month, here is the complete review of the device.
Design and Build Quality
This sure looks like a pair of ducks but a good player can play it as an ace. And it's got nothing to do with luck. You cannot always hold the best cards but you can try and make the best of the cards you're dealt. And they may as well be SIM cards.There’s not much that has changed here – this phone has the exact same looks as the Ace with the addition of an extra button for dual SIM configuration. The same 3.5-inch screen has been retained with a pixel resolution of 320 x 480. The look and the feel is exactly like the S5830.
Features and Performance
Interface
With the addition of a second SIM card slot you get more icons on the top of your screen and some more settings in the connectivity options. But still the phone is powered by the same 800 MHz processor with 158 MB of internal storage and 278 MB RAM. It’s got Samsung’s TouchWiz UI onboard and is sadly one of the slower phones in the market at this price range. Not too impressive on the spec front, either, but in terms of plain usage, with time, the phone tends to get frustratingly slow making multitasking an absolute no brainer.
We put it through a few synthetic benchmark tests as well and here are the results. In AnTuTu, the Duos got a score of 1626 points, which puts it well below the HTC Explorer, but above the LG Optimus Net – two phones that are much cheaper than this one. In Linpack, we got a single thread score of 9.49 points and a multi thread score of 8.418 points.
Media
The one thing we really loved about the Duos was the media department. The same interface look that we saw on the Wave Y Young is present on the Duos as well. Custom enhancements, 5.1 channel sound and a good pair of in-ear headphones means that you’ll be rocking to the tunes. Format support is limited, just like the original Ace, but you have third party apps to counter that problem. The Ace Duos was unable to play 720p videos, but that’s a limitation you’ll have to live with.
Connectivity
Here’s where the Galaxy Ace Duos stands out from the other Androids in the market. Err, did i just say stand out? This section more or less exposes the shortcomings of the Duos. Firstly, it’s got dual SIM card support, which means you can slot in a primary CDMA card and a secondary GSM or CDMA card slot.
Both SIMs can be active at the same time, so that’s good as well, but here’s the important part - there is no Internet access for the GSM SIM card. So, the only thing you can do with your secondary SIM card is make voice calls and send text messages. Downer, right? Yes, because that in itself greatly limits its target audience. Unless you’re going to be sticking to your CDMA card as your primary one, you don’t really have a valid reason to buy this device. It’s also important to note that though the other dual SIM phones (like the Spice Mi-350n) I reviewed didn’t support GSM + CDMA, they did have Internet access for both. Now, back to the regular stuff. The phone comes with Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi and GPS. The dedicated dual SIM button let’s you quickly configure your network and SIM options.
Software
It runs on Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread) with the Samsung TouchWiz UI. The home screen is similar to the other Samsung Gingerbread phone with a weather widget, clock, and number of widgets. You can add up to 7 home screens and long press to add shortcuts, widgets, folders or change the wallpaper. The top status bar shows 2 signal indicators, the one with shaded is the one used for primary data.
You can just swipe anywhere to unlock the screen when locked. You can
also set patter lock, PIN lock or password lock from the location and
security, under settings menu. The drop down notification bar has
shortcuts to toggle WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Sound and Auto rotate. You can
also switch to SIM 1 or SIM 2 as primary or secondary SIM cards which
would let you access data. It also includes find my mobile features that
alerts you, when you change SIM card and remotely wipe the data.
There is a total of about 3GB of internal memory (2.15GB mass memory
and 900MB for apps) , better than the original Ace that just had 160MB,
additionally you can add a microSD card up 32GB. According to the specs
sheet, it says 512MB RAM but the task manager shows just 397MB.
Camera
Surprise, surprise! The original Galaxy Ace had a 5 mp with LED flash, but this one comes with a 3 mp shooter. The one thing that’s common is that like the previous shooter, this is equally bad in terms of quality. While low light snaps are an absolute no go, even outdoor shots are at best, average. Why the downgrade, Samsung? The video quality is limited to a meagre 320 x 240 resolution.Over all poor camera from the point of view of 3MP.
Battery Life
The Ace Duos comes with a 1650 mAh battery and under normal usage, your battery will last you about three fourths of a day. In our loop test with only one SIM card running, we managed to get eight hours of total usage, which is pretty average considering, other phones (like the Xperia Pro) came with a 1500 mAh battery and showed a better chart. Video playback clocked in at seven hours and forty minutes.Conclusion
The Dual SIM active feature is definitely a feature that stands out
among other Android phones. This is also packed with features but
Samsung could have added at least a 1GHz processors to improve the
performance. The 1300 mAh battery for a Dual SIM phone, instead of 1650
mAh in the Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos I589 (GSM + CDMA) is disappointing.
With both the SIMs active and 3G enable in one SIM, you can hardly make
it last throughout the day. After lot of criticisms about the price, now
the price is down to Rs. 12,000 which is good for those who are looking
for a Dual SIM active phone.
Pros
- Dual active SIM
- 3 GB of internal memory
Cons
- There is no LED flash and front facing camera
- No out of box Android ICS
- Mediocre Processor
- Average battery Life
Total stars: 2 out of 5
PRICE IN INDIA: APPROX 12000 INR
