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Samsung Galaxy Y Duos GT-S6102 Review

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Banking on the success of the Galaxy Y handset, Samsung is releasing the Galaxy Y Duos, a dual-SIM Android handset that’s technically an update of the Galaxy Y.  The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos is still within the budget phone category, but it is not as “budget” as the predecessor.  While the Galaxy Y retails for P5,990, the Galaxy Y Duos is priced at P8,990.  The Galaxy Y Duos of course has improved specs, but is the bump in specs worth the higher price tag? Read on to find out.

Samsung Galaxy Y Duos GT-S602 Specifications

  • 3.14-inch QVGA TFT LCD with 240×320 resolution
  • 832MHz processor
  • Android 2.3 Gingerbread, TouchWiz
  • 3 Megapixel fixed-focus camera
  • Video Recording QVGA@24fps
  • 3.5mm Ear Jack, Stereo FM Radio with RDS
  • Dual-SIM
  • ChatON, Samsung Hub, Kies
  • A-GPS, Geotagging
  • Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0
  • micro-USB storage up to 32GB
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
  • Accelerometer, Digital compass, Proximity
  • FM radio
  • 109.8 x 60 x 11.98 mm, 109 g
  • Li-ion 1300 mAh battery

Hardware and Design

The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos is an upgrade of the Samsung Galaxy Y so it’s not surprising that in most respects, the two handsets are similar.  The front part of the handset looks like the Galaxy Y, expect for the trimming on the edges that overflows on the lower part to the front surface.  And where the silver accent on the Galaxy Y was distinctively chrome in finish, the one on the Galaxy Y Duos is decidedly less flashy.  The back cover is where the two handsets really differ.  For the Galaxy Y Duos, Samsung opted to go glossy black instead of the textured silver finish on the original.  The glossy back cover on the Galaxy Y Duos easily reminds me of the iPhone 3GS.

 

Now on to the display of the Galaxy Y Duos.  When I reviewed the Galaxy Y, I was very particular of the screen quality of the handset.  I was not too happy with the resolution, although for the price of P5,990 I couldn’t really complain.  The screen of the Galaxy Y Duos is now bigger, but not by much.  While the older model had a 3-inch screen, the Galaxy Y Duos has a slightly larger 3.14-inch display.  The sad part is, it has the same 240 x 320 resolution as the older model.  At this resolution, the pixels on the screen are pretty visible, which of course translates to a less satisfying user experience.  The display type is also the same QVGA TFT LCD used on the Galaxy Y, so both screens have the same qualities.  The display’s brightness and color rendition are quite acceptable but I cannot say the same when it comes to viewing angles.

The  Galaxy Y Duos has a 832MHz processor, the same as the one on the Galaxy Y.  Thankfully, the camera has been improved.  The 2 megapixel camera on the Galaxy Y is quite limited, so Samsung’s decision to use a 3 megapixel sensor on the Galaxy Y Duos is commendable.  The camera is capable of recording QVGA videos at 24fps.

For ports and terminals, the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos has only a few.  On the front you’ll see the Home, Menu and Back buttons.  The Home button is a clickable physical button while the other two are touch controlled buttons. Just above the Home button is the text “Duos”.  On the left side of the phone is the volume rocker while on the right side is the power button.  On the top is the 3.5mm headphone jack while the 3-megapixel camera is located at the back beside which is the speaker grille. When you remove the back cover (a very easy feat), you’ll see the microSD card on the top left while the two SIM card slots are located under the phone’s battery.

The overall appeal of the phone is that of the iPhone 3GS, although smaller and pudgier.  The phone is admittedly attractive but in daily use, the back cover easily gets handprints and hand marks.  The marks of course can be easily wiped off but this could be an inconvenience to some users.  In terms of construction, the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos is fairly solid.

Performance, UI, Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos bears the same 832MHz processor that’s running on the Galaxy Y, so the performance is a bit similar.  It’s fast enough for most applications but when you load multiple apps, you feel the power’s inufficiency.  Games like Angry Birds and Paper Toss will have no problem running on the Galaxy Y Duos. It’s with graphics-intensive game titles that you encounter stuttering, or in some instances, they simply won’t run on the phone.  However, the Galaxy Y Duos is still fairly within the budget phone category so you might want to see past the lack in processing power.

The Galaxy Y Duos runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and it’s quite sufficient for normal use.  The phone renders the UI quite fast enough for a budget phone, although as previously mentioned, when a lot of apps are running in the background, you still notice some stuttering.

 

The UI on the Galaxy Y Duos is the same as that on the Galaxy Y, which is a lighter version of TouchWiz.  The default screen unlock mechanism is still the same. It’s a swipe gesture that works in all directions, but this can be changed on the settings.  Users can still opt for a pattern, PIN or password unlock.  There’s a built in Task Manager, an FM Radio Player, Memo creator, a file viewer in My Files, and the Social Hub app which integrates phone messaging and social messaging.  Other than these special apps, the OS is pretty much basic. Not so much bells and whistles.  You have access to the Android Market of course so you can have pretty much any app you want running on the Galaxy Y Duos, except of course the graphics-heavy ones.

The 1300 mAh battery on the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos is pretty decent.  A full charge lasts about a day on regular use.  Regular use includes playing games, Wi-Fi browsing, calls and texting, and video playback.  The battery lasts longer on lighter use.

The Dual-SIM Functionality

Dual-SIM functionality is one of the selling points of the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos.  Apart fromt he slightly bigger screen and the improved camera, dual-SIM functionality is one of the reasons the phone is priced higher than the Samsung Galaxy Y.  The dual-SIM feature on the Samsung Galaxy Y works, as it should.  There’s no issues with the phone’s reception of calls and messages from two networks.  It handles these tasks rather efficiently but this is not surprising since Samsung has already dabbled in dual-SIM phones in the past.  The networks I’ve tried simultaneously are Smart and Globe, so if you plan on using SIM cards from these two telcos, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Camera

The camera is one of the upgrades of the Galaxy Y Duos from the Galaxy Y.  The Duos has a 3 megapixel sensor, as opposed to the paltry 2-megapixel shooter on the Galaxy Y.  I was disappointed with the performance of the Galaxy Y’s camera, but thankfully, the camera on the Galaxy Y Duos is much better.  Not by much of course but it’s still considerably better than the one on the Galaxy Y.

The camera UI on the Galaxy Y Duos is fairly simple.  There are rows on the left and the right.  On the left are the Shooting Mode, the Scene Mode, the Brightness selector, and the shortcut to the camera Settings.   On the right row are the camera/video mode selector, the Shutter button and the shortcut to the Image Viewer.  The Shooting Mode has the Single Shot, Smile Shot and Panorama modes, while the pre-set Scene options are the Landscape, Night, Sports, Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dawn, Color of Fall, Firework, Candlelight and Backlight.  There are no in-camera editing options except for rotating and cropping the image.

As to image quality, the shots are much improved from the ones taken on the Galaxy Y, but they are at best just ordinary.  There’s no surprise here since the sensor is only 3 megapixels.  The shots lack sharpness and detail, although for basic needs like posting on social networking sites, the shots will do.  The shots also need some tweaking with respect to contrast details.   Shooting under a bright background will result in much better shots but night shots reveal too much noise.  Overall, the camera on the Samsung Galaxy Y gives you shots that are fairly expected from the handset’s price.  It’s  a case of you get what you pay for.

Here are some sample shots from the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos.

  

The Competition

The Galaxy Y Duos is fairly priced considering the specs.  I remember that the first HTC Wildfire, for instance, retailed for P16,000 so the Galaxy Y Duos is really cheap.  Still, the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos may be a hard proposition, not because of the lack of good features but because of the current competition.

The Galaxy Y Duos is priced at P8,990, quite steep compared to the P5,990 Samsung Galaxy Y.  For the higher price, however, you get a slightly bigger screen at 3.14 inches, a slightly better camera at 3 megapixels, a new external design, and of course, a dual-SIM functionality.  On the other hand, you get the same screen resolution, the same OS and the same UI.  The screen is definitely not a reason to upgrade from the Galaxy Y since the resolution is the same and the display is only 0.14-inch bigger.  It boils down to the 3-megapixel camera and the dual-SIM functionality.  For those who need dual-SIM features and a decent camera, the Galaxy Y Duos can be a good choice over the Galaxy Y.   Otherwise, the Galaxy Y will still seem as a good choice considering its price.

Now there is another option if you need a dual-SIM Android phone.  You can check out the Alcatel Blaze Glory 918N which is also a dual-SIM phone but with a 3.2-inch display, a 3-megapixel camera and retails for P5,990.  Admittedly though, the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos has a better battery life compared to the Alcatel Blaze Glory 918N.  It lasts a full day (sometimes longer) on a full charge, something that I did not get from the Alcatel Blaze Glory 918N.  The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos also looks slightly more premium than the Alcatel Blaze Glory, not to mention it has a faster processor. Here are photos comparing the two handsets.

 

Your other option is the Lenovo A60, another dual-SIM Android phone that runs Gingerbread and has a 3.5-inch display and 3.2 megapixel camera.  It retails for P7,990.

Wrap-Up

The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos is a decent phone.  It’s an Android 2.3 Gingerbread phone with dual-SIM functionality and a 3-megapixel camera.  In terms of specs, it is clearly better than the Galaxy Y.   Note, however, that the Galaxy Y Duos’ screen’s resolution is still the same at 240 x 320 and the screen size has only increased by 0.14-inch.

The camera is a different story since it has clearly improved from the 2-megapixel camera on the Galaxy Y.  The camera UI is also quite nice and offers a lot of options and features.  If you dig the iPhone’s design philosophy, you might also dig the Galaxy Y Duos’ looks.  From afar you’ll mistake it for the iPhone 3GS.

After taking everything into account, it’s clear that the selling point of the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos is the dual-SIM functionality.  Among entry level Android phones, this is one of the few with dual-SIM features.   If the Galaxy Y Duos were offered at a cheaper price, it could easily be ahead of the competition but there are other options at this price range like the Alcatel Blaze Glory 918N that has a lower P5,990 price tag.  However, that the Blaze Glory has a shorter battery life, a slower processor, and a less premium appeal.  If branding and looks is a big deal to you, get the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos.  The brand is simply reliable.

There is also the Lenovo A60, but I have not been able to use or review this handset so I can’t say how it fares compared to the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos.

Rating: 8/10

 

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135 Comments

  1. NITIN SHARMA Reply

    i want to neeed samsung galaxy  y duos GT-s6102 pc driver download

  2. i m thinking to buy that mobile but i m afraid that am i right or wrong .

  3. The in-built memory and ram is too small. I can no longer receive text messages on my phone because I keeping getting the message, storage memory getting low yet Just few and neccessary things are saved to the phone that won’t move to my sd card. What do I do? I’m getting fed up and thinking of selling the phone.

  4. hi, i wanted to send this samsung galaxy y duos to my husband in QATAR and i wanted to download app. like viber and other app,,  HERE in the Philippines, could it be possible to be used in Qatar if downlaoding is done here in the Philipinnes, or do the down loading in Qatar,  iam afraid this app, particularly viber doesnt work in Qatar . pls reply thanks so  much

  5. i just bought my SAMSUNG GALAXY Y DUOS at YTELCOM (SM CITY DAVAO)

  6. yeah its good because i have all the samsung phones and camera .. and samsung galaxy y duos it easy to use and has a good battery life and it is durable and has a fast coverage in sim

  7. Mj_balino18 Reply

    pls help me technobaboy.. i just bought my phone 3 weeks ago, kya lang ang hirap paganahin ung back key at menu key..my alam ka ba qng pano 2 ayusin pra d na aq pumunta sa store na pinagbilhan q.. plss…

    • I’m selling mine @ 5,300 pesos only. Bought it yesterday at higher price. Emergency came needed some money. Phone and charger only interested people contact me @ 09062861130 09062861130

  8. how can i unlock the unlock screen. it needs google account?. can you please help?i for got my google account

  9. hi thanks for the blog still thinking if im gonna buy one… 7290 nlng dito sa laguna

  10. Seenakuryan2009 Reply

    i bougt glaxy y duos phone but now i have doubt it is original or not,how to know it is original

  11. hi paano ba makakapag net dito sa unit na ito…pls help me with the settings…nahihirapan kase ako, minsan sayang lang pag nag register ako sa unlisurf… thanks 

  12. do you know how to place the sim1 & sim2 activation display on-screen? is it possible?

  13. Scary_face06 Reply

    i bought my phone yesterday…bkit mahina ung sounds nya even naka maximum na?

  14. Jiejieloren Reply

    how to downloads games and themes using this phone ba? its so hard to have a site which can be readable with this phone…:(
     

  15. I just bought mine for P8,590 in Mobile World (MOA) last week! In Samsung outlet price range is P8,990. Just wondering why my SGYDuos back cover is not glossy?! :'(

    •  yes you can. while on call just press the center button and presto you can do multitasking :)

  16. wat type of videos are compatible in this galaxy duo? can i paste it through cp from pc?.. pls.. reply.

      • Shaniah_tamayo Reply

        @TechnoBaboy:disqus  please reply

                                                                    thank you very much:)

    • I got mine for P8, 590 at Mega – Rob Place Ermita.:) I’m happy!

  17. ganon talaga,one sim active at a time f u received call.but both sim active to receive texts

    •  I don’t think so Sir…kasi yung sakin smart ang active pero pinatawagan ko yung sun ko nag-call naman…baka sa settings lang yan.

        •  Yup! Hal. may nagtext sayo makikita mo sa inbox mo kung sim1 o sim2 ang may text. Maa-identify naman kung anong sim ang may text. Sa call naman parehong makaka-receive pero na-experience ko na kanina lang natawagan mo tapos ng tawagan mo ulit out of reach na ewan ko kung bakit! Sa pagreply depende kung parehong may load ang sims mo di mo na kailangan i-switch sa (sim1) or (sim2) para makapag-send ng message.

          One more thing, kung gusto mo siyang replyan gamit ang sim2(sun to sun) at naka sim1 ka iswi-switch mo muna yung sim1 to sim2.

    •  What do you mean, kunwari, sa Sim 1 may nagtext tapos sa Sim 2din meron, pareho lang ba siya mag aappear?? sa call din ba ganun?

  18. I am not able to receive call from both SIM if one in use other is not reachable the same in both Slot 

  19. Ricky Gutierez Reply

    thanks for the detailed info..I bought one from Globelines Unli Plan P 599/m0. with a cash out of P 4529.00

  20. may flash suport po ba ang galaxxy y dous…plazzz reply…….thanks

  21. ROn V. Llamera Reply

    magkano ang samsung galaxy y duos????mas mahal ba yan sa samsung galaxy young???

  22. Milindjoshi29 Reply

    Hi,
    Sorry but its really frustrating because i am able to switch between both the SIMs,but when i send SMS , it still uses one particular SIM even though i switched to the another SIM.Means SMS charges are applied on particular SIM,not the other SIM.
    Is there any other settings need to be done for SMS for SIM1 and SIM2?
    Pls Help !!!!!!

  23. Akosirhed23 Reply

     hahaha! badtrp eto pala un! :D buti nlng may nkita pa ako kagabi! :D thank you LORD! 

  24. hello! totoo ba ung mga nabasa ko about this phone na kailangan mo pang magswitch between sim cards so it means na dual sim xa pero hindi xa dual standby? and sabi kapag nag iinternet ka gamit ung sim1, then may tumatawag sa sim2 mo, magiging out of reach ung line mo? help please.. thanks!

    • i.e. u’re using sim1 pero sim2 may load. u need to switch to sim2 para makasend ka. wala xang option when u’re sending message kung sim1 or sim2. change mo muna sa drop bar.

    •  I just bought mine just last week at in-explore ko yung unit ko..ok naman both sims are in standby mode at pwedeng matawagan kahit di active yung isang sim sa settings lang po check nyo.

  25. i bought the phone just today and so far, i am loving it :D but i am theme lover and i experienced difficulties :( i downloaded the go launcher app and downloaded some themes. my previous phone was the galaxy mini but i needed to have a dual sim phone so i bought this. when i press the menu button to change the theme, it would say that the phone is applying the theme after i choose the theme. however, the icons are the only things that changed :( there was this one time that i.rebooted the phone and the theme changed (thank God!) so i thought i just had to reboot to see the theme. but when i tried it again, it just changes the icons :( the wallpaper is the default one. and the background is from the theme. can anybody help?

    • Hi Hannah! I’d been looking for this mobile in malls, can’t seem to find it, can you tell me where you bought yours?

  26. mas ok ang lg optimus net dual 320×480 ang reso plus 1500mah ang battery.

  27. thanks to this review. i have made my decision. i’ll buy it! now na! :)

    • Oninsalamat Reply

       just text me f u want to buy Samsung Galaxy Y Duos,..,09186406588,…,for affordable prize!,..,Note: Brand New!

    • Samsung outlet P8,990 in other outlets like Mobile Worldmm Games & Gadgets etc. P8,590 :)

    • Tinkerballs Reply

      Release already, i got mine at sm north at memo xpress Php 9,040.00
      Store that sells samsung phone only. nice performance on the unit

      • sa sm north din ako 9000k hindi pa cash. some store offered me this unit for 9,600k/6 mos. to pay. (6mos. to pay din ung 9k)

  28. got hold of the LenovoA60, i don’t like the creaking buttons….got tired of waiting for the Duos so I both the alcatel….battery life is so okay…standby at 2 days…good enough for me since my GS2 on extended battery needs charging daily! 

    Alcatel all black model doesn’t look cheap at all..i like the build and battery life, only the memory is lacking..i was only able to install the really needed apps!

  29. bariatric surgery Reply

    Galaxy y duos is really good phone to try. But the resolution of the phone is really big problem at least they need to provide 320*480. 

  30. I must say I really  like it. Your imformation is usefull. Thanks for share.

        • Oninsalamat Reply

            just text me f u want to buy Samsung Galaxy Y Duos,..,09186406588,…,for affordable prize!,..,Note: Brand New!

    • Oninsalamat Reply

        just text me f u want to buy Samsung Galaxy Y Duos,..,09186406588,…,for affordable prize!,..,Note: Brand New!

  31. Is it said in the GSMarena that is already available in the philippines buy when i got to the samsung in megamall they said they dont sure when it will launch in the philippines and if it will launch in the philippines….  anyone here know where can i buy this phone in manila??? Pls Reply ASAP pls….

  32. How does it compare with the LG Net Dual? I saw that they both cost about the same.

  33. is this user friendly compared to the alcatel blaze duo? because i hard time using the alcatel. im planning to get this or the LG optimus net duo. can you help me out in deciding as which phone is user friendly and a good value for money. thanks

  34. Is it true that it is already launched in the philippines as of feb 1??? pls confirm d ko kasi nakikita sa mga showroom nkita ko kasi sa gsm arena na mga comments na nai launched na sya sa manila???

    • technobaboy Reply

      according to samsung people 2nd week of feb but I guess it’s not impossible for units to start appearing first week

  35. can you confirm if it does really support adobe flash?

    you did not mention anything about the phone’s browser?

    how’s the browsing experience?

    • technobaboy Reply

      as to availability worldwide, the press release said that it will be available starting January 2012 and that it will be gradually rolled out to Europe, CIS, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, Middle East, Africa and China. 

  36. i wish their have a launching promo just to market this kind of  phone… but i think it will be competitive in line with dual sim phones….

  37. where do u get ur unit??? is that the real specs or it maybe change before it’s launch??

    • technobaboy Reply

      those are the real specs. the unit is a loaner, a review unit. 

  38. elo what is the exact date to be launched in the philippines?? is that the actual price???

    • technobaboy Reply

      the price is P8,990 according to samsung philippines. the release is second week of february. no specific date yet.

  39. Is this phone a dual active one….
    While browsing or using one sime ,the other sim is active??

      •  So, dual standby or dual active? If you’re using the first sim and someone call the other, is it ringing or saying the phone is switched not switched on?

          • you got that phone ? are you sure it’s dual-active and not dual-standby ? how many days you got it working without charging ?

  40. @TechnoBaboy:disqus which do you think is better, samsung galaxy y duos or sony ericsson xperia mini??

    • technobaboy Reply

      depends on what you’re looking for. what the galaxy y duos has that the xperia mini does not have is dual-SIM functionality.  In terms of other specs, though, the mini appears to better.  3-inch screen with 320 x 480 pixel resolution, 5 megapixel camera with autofocus. 1GHz processor.

  41. Living Manila Reply

    “It lasts a full day (sometimes longer) on a full charge, something that I did not get from the Alcatel Blaze Glory 918N.”

    So either of the phones you only get a day of battery life? Is this under normal use?

    • technobaboy Reply

      yup. normal here means playing games, texting and calling, viewing a short video or two, browsing using wi-fi connection. if you’re a relatively light user, you’ll get through the day, maybe even longer.   

    • technobaboy Reply

      it actually depends on what is important to you. you need to consider these: (1) galaxy y duos has faster processor on paper, longer battery life based on my experience, it looks better, samsung has better resale value. but (2) galaxy y duos is more expensive.  

  42. Wilfredo Tan Crisologo Reply

    meron na jan manila? d2 kaya dagupan kailan kaya sila rerelease d2? :)

    • technobaboy Reply

      i don’t know about release in india. in the Philippines it’s coming out 2nd week of February.

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