Samsung Reveals New Galaxy Grand Smartphone

Samsung today announced the Galaxy Grand 2 smartphone, the successor to the company’s Galaxy Grand handset first released in January. While the screen on the new model is slightly larger than the one on its predecessor, the device does not appear to boast the original Grand’s slogan of “as big as your ambition.”  

“Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today introduced the Galaxy Grand 2, a device that offers an optimal large-screen experience on a portable, compact smartphone. This evolution of the Galaxy Grand series brings meaningful upgrades to its predecessor including an improved HD viewing experience, enhanced performance, and many other intuitive features,” the company said in a press statement.

While reception for the original Galaxy Grand was fairly positive, many reviews at the time noted that the phone was priced too high in contrast to similar phablet offerings from other manufacturers.

The Galaxy Grand 2 is similarly geared to be a multimedia powerhouse. Its camera captures full HD video at 1920 x 1080 at 30 frames per second. The more-than 5-inch screen meanwhile can play back all your HD content at native resolution and the large display allows for a 16:9 aspect ratio.  

“The Galaxy Grand 2 brings users an incredible smartphone viewing experience with a 5.25-inch screen with 16:9 HD ratio, perfect for watching movies, playing games and e-reading. Multi Window takes multitasking to the next level by maximizing the benefits of the device’s large screen, enabling users to run one application in two windows at the same time.”

Regrettably, the Galaxy Grand 2 will ship with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, like most devices that don’t have Nexus in the title. Even more troubling—the Grand 2 will come running Samsung’s proprietary TouchWiz UI, which you’ve grown to loathe if you’re anything like us. In any case, the CyanogenMod team is no doubt already at work on a custom KitKat ROM for this smartphone, so if you’re in the market for a good multimedia streamer, the Grand 2 might be a good choice.

Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 Specs:

Connectivity: HSPA+, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0

Screen Size: 5.25” HD (1280x720)

Chipset: 1.2GHz Quad Core

Internal Storage: 8GB (expandable via microSD card up to 64GB)

RAM: 1.5GB

Operating System: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

Camera: Rear 8 megapixels LED Flash/ Front 1.9 megapixels

Sensors: Accelerometer, compass, proximity, light, hall sensor

Dimensions: 146.8 x 75.3 x 8.9 mm, 163 grams

Battery: 2,600mAh