Samsung Galaxy Grand to be launched in India this month

Barely days after it was revealed that Samsung Galaxy Grand is headed to Europe, speculations are rife that the phone will be officially announced for India this month.

Samsung has announced a press event for January 22 to unveil ‘the newest Galaxy'. It does look like the Samsung Galaxy Grand, which was first announced in December, will be available in India at around the same time as it will be in Europe –which is tentatively in February. 

The price of the Samsung Galaxy Grand in India is rumoured to be set somewhere just below Rs. 25,000, which is slightly higher than what was expected earlier.

The Samsung Galaxy Grand smartphone runs Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), Google’s latest operating system. It sports a 5-inch display, which Samsung claims offers expansive viewing experience, presenting messaging, multimedia and web content in brilliant colour and clarity.

Samsung Galaxy Grand may be priced at just below Rs 25,000

Despite the large screen, the phone is still supposed to be slim, ergonomic and comfortable to hold. Users can also enjoy multitasking functions offered by the Samsung Galaxy Grand by running multiple apps simultaneously and without switching screens using the Multi Window feature.

The phone resembles the Samsung Galaxy S III in looks and is powered by a 1.2GHz dual core processor that supports seamless multitasking, faster web browsing, fast screen transitions and superior graphics for some of the apps and games that squeeze a phone’s power.

The camera on the Galaxy Grand smartphone has a zero shutter-lag and ultra-quick start-up. It includes a backside illumination sensor to ensure clear shots even in dark conditions, as well as full HD video recording.

Samsung Galaxy Grand also includes intuitive features that are supposed to make the phone easy to use. For example, Direct Call enables users to automatically dial a call by raising the device up to the ear; users can also shake the phone to trigger status updates, or pan it to zoom into a screen. Smart Alert shows missed events such as missed calls and new messages simply by picking up the phone. The Pop Up video feature lets users watch video in a pop-up window anywhere on the screen while running other tasks; S Voice lets you control the phone using your voice; and AllShare Play lets you share content across Samsung devices using a single account.

The phone is also pre-loaded with the latest versions of Samsung Hubs to deliver popular games, movies and music direct to the user on demand. Interestingly, Samsung had said in a statement in December that the Galaxy Grand will be available in two versions – the dual-SIM version (GT-I9082) and the single SIM version (GT-I9080). The dual-SIM version of the phone is expected to launch first, said Samsung.

For the dual SIM version, Samsung claims that its innovative dual-SIM feature provides total communication flexibility, allowing users to manage two phone numbers from a single phone. It is possible to receive calls on one SIM number while taking a call from the other, ensuring efficient management of personal and work commitments without ever missing a call. It goes on to add that dual-SIM also offers the flexibility of selecting different billing plans for either SIM, switching between them to make the most of cheaper call and data plans.

The specs of the Samsung Galaxy Grand are:

• 5-inch WVGA TFT LCD display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi capabilities
• A-GPS Glonass
• Bluetooth
• 8MP camera
• 8GB internal memory + expandable up to 64GB via microSD card