Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 SM GT-7102 Review, Kimstore Price, Unboxing, Antutu Benchmark Score, Sample Camera Photos and Selfies

Been playing with the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 SM-G7102 for a month now and as a first generation Samsung Galaxy Grand owner, I can really say that the 2014 refresh represents a considerable upgrade - one that you'd do well to check out - from the initial release.

I got my unit from Kimstore, my trusted online store, for Php 13,000. Kim told me it's one of her fastest moving products currently so if you intend to get it from her store, you might as well ring them soonest.

As you can see in these shots, Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 swaps its predecessor's glossy pebble-like look for design elements found on the Korean Giant's current flagship releases. It has a frame to screen ratio and footprint similar to that of Samsung Galaxy S5 and a plastic back plate with faux leather texture and side-stitching just like Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

If there's anything that it retains from the first grand, it's the plain metallic accent running down its side. No ridges and grooves -- just a flat, high-gloss finish.

Unlike the company's flagship releases, though, SGGrand2 comes with no lush metallic branding on the back plate; Just the painted Samsung logo. Above that, we'll find the 8 Megapixel camera module with single LED flash and the two holes for the loud speaker.

Let's do a little unboxing and check out the accessories that join Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 inside the package.

Samsung Galaxy Grand 2, just like Samsung Galaxy S5, comes with this simple paper carton packaging with wood-like print or design reflecting the company's "nature-inspired" thematic campaign. At the bottom of the box, we'll find the phone's key - albeit not all too detailed - technical specifications.

Lifting the cover and being greeted by the handset - fit very snugly in the box, you will get the impressions that Samsung really tried to minimize the carbon footprint of its packaging by keeping it small. As a tree-hugger, that's something I appreciate.

The Standard Package includes all of these accessories and documentation.

All Samsung Galaxy handsets currently have this pre-installed sticker with text showing you some of the phones' specs. I think it's redundant since these details are already printed on the box. I wish Samsung would just remove the print so users could at least use the sticker as a pre-installed screen protector.

Some illustration showing you how to gently remove the back plate so you can put the battery in and access the dual SIM card slots and the microSD card slot. One thing I love about Samsung Galaxy handsets - ever since the first flagship release - is that their back covers are very easy to remove. No struggle whatsoever. Just use your finger tip or a plastic card to pry them open and it's very convenient to pull them all out.

The device comes with a removable 2,600 mAh Li-Ion battery pack, which - I find - delivers a rather decent uptime of around 12 hours with mixed usage including sending text messages, making calls, playing not too specs intensive games, updating social networking accounts, and browsing websites.

The package that I got comes with a travel charger having two rounded prongs. Obviously, I use an adapter to plug it to our electrical outlets here in Pinas.

Standard earphones with mouthpiece so you can use them to during calls. Notice the shape of the earbuds -- with that portion, which kinda juts out? I think Samsung designed them in such a way that they won't easily fall out of your ears while you're jogging or working out.

MicroUSB to USB cable for charging the device and connecting it to your computer.

Of course, we have the Quick Start Guide and the "features" booklet.

As I've said, Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 sports an 8 MegaPixel camera at the back. I know some of you might say that the first generation Grand's main cam has the same resolution but let me tell you, the new one focuses on subjects faster - if a bit - and delivers better image quality overall. Of course, the quality is far from what Samsung Galaxy S5 or Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will give you, but overall, the resulting shots are alright. Here are some that I took using SGGrand2, click on them for larger view.

If - like me - you also love taking selfies, then you'd fall in love with Samsung Galaxy Grand 2's 1.9 MegaPixel front cam, which automatically goes into Beauty Mode when you launch it. Under this mode, the app automatically post-processes your shots - evens out your skin tone and fixes little skin imperfections - resulting in better selfies. Along with Starmobile Octa and O+ Air, SGGrand2 is one of my favorite selfie phones.

Inside the shell, Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 runs Android 4.3 operating system heavily skinned by the Korean company's TouchWiz user interface with a Quad Core 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A7 and Adreno 305 based Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8226 SoC. The handset handles multitasking with 1.5 GB of RAM and has 8 GB of internal storage that's expandable through the device's microSD card slot.

These innards combine to give Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 an Antutu Benchmark Score of 16,876, which supposedly puts it in between Samsung Galaxy S3 and Google Nexus 4 from 2012 in terms of overall performance. I'd say, though, that this score is well-reflected in the very smooth touch response and screen transitions that I'm getting from the device, which is far, far better than what I used to get on the first generation Grand. Non-specs intensive games - like the top 10 free games on Play Store - run well on the phone but it struggles just a bit with HD and 3D titles.

As for connectivity, the handsets supports WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and 3G HSPA+. Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 has Dual SIM (both microSIM) Dual Standby capability but the cards aren't hot swappable as you'd have to remove the battery to access the SIM slots.

Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 flaunts a 5-inch HD TFT display panel, which is sizable but - while not horrible or bad - lacks the vibrancy and clarity of SuperAMOLED and IPS screens. I own other handsets in this price echelon with IPS display so I don't get why Samsung passed on a better screen type on this one.

To wrap this up, let me say that I love Samsung Galaxy Grand's improved design, smooth touch response, and great front-facing camera. The display and main camera could be better but then again, you'd get a better version of those on the company's more expensive releases. For a midrange release, it's good enough. All things considered, I'd give it 9.5 out of 10 TP Stars.

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name	Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
Type	Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen)
Price Category	Midrange
Dimensions	146.8 x 75.3 x 8.9 mm
Weight	163 grams
Available Colors	White, Pink, Black
Operating System	Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
Display	5.25 inches (~280 ppi pixel density), 720 x 1280 pixels, TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Processor	Quad Core 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A7 CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8226 chipset
RAM	1.5 GB RAM
Internal Storage	8 GB, expandable via microSD card slot supporting up to 64 GB
Camera	8 MegaPixels, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, 1.9 MegaPixels front camera
Video Capture	Full HD 1080p 30 frames per second for main camera, TBD for front camera, stereo surround recording
Audio and Video Playback	MP4, WMV, H.264, H.263, MP3, WAV, eAAC+, FLAC player
Ports	microUSB v2.0, 3.5 mm audio jack
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR, 3G HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
GPS	Yes, with GLONASS and A-GPS
Sensors	Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity
Network	2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
SIM Card Type	Dual microSIM
Battery	Removable Li-Ion 2,600 mAh battery
Uptime	370 Hours of Standby, 17 Hours of Talk Time
Value-Added Features	Refreshed Design, HD display, TouchWiz UI, SNS Integration
Announcement	February 2014
Availability	February 2014
Price	Kimstore Price as of June 9, 2014: Php 13,000