We go hands-on with the new Samsung Galaxy Win
We went to Samsung’s newly-opened store at SM Aura, which happens to be the biggest so far, hoping we can get a hands on review of the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 and 6.3. The nice people at Samsung said it will be available in stores June 22 (which means… MISSION FAIL). Trying to make the most of our visit, We looked around the store to see if there was anything new. The awesome news is that we saw a recently released Samsung smartphone — the Samsung Galaxy Win.
Samsung Galaxy Win Spec Sheet
- 1.2 GHz Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor
- Adreno 203 GPU
- 1GB RAM
- 4.7-inches TFT display (480 x 800 pixels) 199 ppi
- 8GB internal memory expandable via MicroSD up to 64GB
- 5.0-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus and LED Flash
- 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera
- 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi hotspot, DLNA, Bluetooth 2.0,
- GPS with A-GPS support
- Dual sim and dual standby
- Android 4.1.2 Jellybean
- 2,000 mAh battery
Affordable Quad-core Galaxy Option
The Samsung Galaxy Win is the most affordable quad-core smartphone from the Galaxy line because the SRP is only P14,990. However while the price is pretty competitive, it has a few compromises. For one, having a 4.7-inch TFT touchscreen with only 480 x 800 pixels at 199 ppi isn’t really that exciting, hehe. The good news though is that the quad-core processor combined with the 1GB RAM and Project Butter of Android 4.1 is ridiculously more than enough to push the pixels up the screen. The result of this spec set-up is that you get a very smooth experience with navigating through the Android UI.
In terms of form factor, the device looks very similar to the Galaxy S3. White glossy plastic chassis, chrome band, physical home button, and the 4.7-inch screen. The only visible difference is probably that it’s a little more rectangular and there’s a “DUOS” logo at the top of the screen (to signify that it’s dual SIM).
At the back we have the 5MP shooter. We tried it out in the store and the results were pretty standard, nothing really amazing. We didn’t experience any lags or delays as well with the camera UI because of the internals.
Over-all the experience of the Galaxy Win is exactly as what you would imagine it would deliver based on the spec sheet. Very good and fast performance, not-so-good display quality, standard camera, and the glossy Samsung body treatment. This is perfect for brand-conscious people who are in the market for a quad-core smartphone but with a mid-range smartphone budget.
However the flagship of local brands will definitely give this phone a run for its money. Not only are they cheaper but they offer different form factors, better cameras, and nicer displays. If you don’t mind the brand you might want to go for these handsets instead.
PS: With the plummeting price of the Galaxy S3 on online stores, you might want to get that phone instead of this one since there’s only a very small difference in price. Better screen, camera, and HSPA+ connectivity.
