An exact replica of Samsung's 2012 flagship smartphone with improved specifications and support for two SIM cards is the Galaxy S3 Duos. Despite the fact that a lot of time has passed since the start of sales of this device, its characteristics still continue to be relevant. It is they, as well as reviews about this gadget, that will be discussed in detail in this article.
Smartphone Niche
From the point of view of performance, the Galaxy S3 Duos can be safely attributed to entry-level solutions. However, it is slightly overpriced. But this significant drawback is easily compensated by a number of characteristics (for example, the increased size of the touch screen diagonal, the impressive capacity of the integrated drive, improved parameters of the main camera). Therefore, this smartphone model is of the greatest interest for those who want an entry-level device, but with slightly improved parameters compared to competitors. Well, you will have to overpay for these improved parameters. But, on the other hand, this is quite justified, because you get a device that is much easier and more convenient to work on.
Package
Samsung Galaxy S3 Duos canboast standard equipment. It includes the following components and, of course, accessories:
- Smartphone.
- 2100 mAh battery (it is inside the gadget and is removable).
- Advanced stereo headset with a set of attachments.
- Charger.
- Interface cord.
- Quick start guide and warranty card combined in one booklet.
The body of the machine is mostly made of plastic. To avoid possible damage during operation, you will have to immediately buy a cover. Moreover, this device is almost an exact copy of the original S3 flagship, and cases from the latter are ideal for S3 Duos. For the same reason, it is highly recommended to purchase and apply a protective film for the touch screen. This will also help to avoid possible damage during operation in the future. Another important accessory is a memory card. It is also not in the delivery list, and therefore will have to be purchased separately. Although, in principle, the owner of this device can do without it. The capacity of the integrated drive allows this.
Design
In terms of design, the gadget is completely identical to its predecessor Galaxy S3 Duos. An overview of the appearance of these devices even allows you to distinguish between them. The only difference is the inscription on the front panel, at the end of which the word Duos was added. On the front panel of the gadget, as it should be, a display with a diagonal of 4.8 inches is displayed. Below it there isthe usual control panel, which consists of a central mechanical button and two extreme touch buttons. Unlike most similar devices, in this case, the buttons have a backlight, which greatly simplifies the work on a smartphone in low light levels. Above the screen is a speaker, a “peephole” of the front camera, and light and distance sensors. On the top edge of the smartphone, there is only a 3.5 mm wired audio jack. On the left side of the device there are buttons for volume control, and on the right side there are buttons for locking. At the bottom, there is a micro-USB connector and a microphone hole. On the back cover, in addition to the logo of the manufacturer and the inscription DUOS, there is also a hole for the main camera and LED backlight. The main speaker is also displayed here, which is hidden behind a metal mesh.
CPU
Galaxy S3 Duos uses a time-tested and very reliable chip as a computing platform - the Snapdragon 400, developed by Qualcom. It consists of 4 computational models of the "Cortex A7" architecture. Each of them can accelerate to 1.4 GHz at maximum load. It is also manufactured using the 28nm process technology. All this allows it to combine an acceptable level of computing performance and high energy efficiency. For most everyday tasks, this semiconductor crystal is more than enough. This list includes playing videos, listening to music and radio, reading books, browsing the Internet. Here are the most demanding gamesThe latest generation certainly will not run on this device. For the most part, they are optimized for 64-bit computing, and this chip can process only 32 bits per cycle. Hence the problems with their launch.
Device display and graphics
Very high quality display in the Galaxy S3 Duos. Its characteristics are as follows:
- Matrix manufacturing technology - "SuperAMOLED".
- Resolution - 1280x720.
- Display diagonal 4.8 inches.
Such technical specifications require a good graphics accelerator. In this case, Adreno 305 is used. Of course, he certainly cannot boast of an exorbitant level of performance, but one certainly cannot expect this from an entry-level device. However, for most everyday tasks, its presence is enough.
Cameras
Simply a great main camera in the Samsung Galaxy S3 Duos. It has an 8MP sensor. Autofocus technology is also implemented, there is a digital zoom. Well, in the dark, a high-quality picture will allow you to get, albeit a single, LED backlight. As a result, the quality of the photo is very good quality. Video recording is great too. Video resolution can reach 1920x1080. In this case, the image will be updated 30 times per second. More modest parameters for the front camera. It has a 1.9 MP sensor. Therefore, a quality "selfie" in this case is out of the question. But for video communication, this is more than enough.
Memory
1.5 GB is the amount of RAM in the Galaxy S3 Duos. 16 GB is the capacity of the integrated drive. This will be quite enough for the average user for work and leisure. If for some reason you need to increase the amount of memory in the device, you can install an external flash drive. At the same time, its maximum volume can be equal to 64 GB. For greater reliability, it is recommended to store the most valuable information on cloud services. This will help you avoid losing it if your smart phone is stolen or broken.
Device autonomy
Samsung Galaxy S3 Duos cannot boast of high autonomy. The main reason here is the battery capacity of 2100 mAh. In a case with a thickness of 8.6 mm, a larger battery is difficult to put. Add to this the presence of two SIM cards and a display diagonal of 4.8 inches. To a certain extent, the energy-efficient processor solves the problem, but this is not enough to fully address this issue. As a result, all the previously mentioned factors lead to the fact that at maximum load this smart phone can last a maximum of 12 hours. If you reduce the load, we get 2-3 days of confident work on a single charge of the battery. If this is not enough, then we buy an additional external battery. Of course, this is not a very elegant solution, but your phone will not let you down at the most inopportune moment for this.
Interface Kit
Samsung Galaxy S3 Duos boasts of havingthe following interfaces:
- "Wi-Fi" - quick download of any amount of data from the Internet to your smartphone.
- GSM and 3G - with their help you can download information from the global web, make calls and send or receive SMS.
- GLONASS and GPS allow you to determine your location or get directions with high accuracy.
- NFC - this wireless interface allows you to download files of any size to a similar gadget in a matter of minutes.
- Bluetooth allows you to do the same as NFC, but the amount of data should be much smaller.
- 3.5mm audio jack allows you to output sound from your smartphone to external sound sources (speakers or headphones).
- Using the micro USB to charge the battery. This wired interface also provides synchronization with external devices (PC, laptop).
Software
This smartphone uses "Android" as the system software. Initially, the version with serial number 4.3 was installed on it. But after the first connection to the Internet, the Galaxy S3 Duos firmware will be updated to a more recent version - 4.4. The owners of this gadget do not have to wait for further updates of the system software. The smartphone has been on sale for a long time, and for quite a long time the manufacturer has not released updated software for it. On top of the operating system, as in any other device from this manufacturer, a proprietary TouchWiz shell is installed. You also need to allocate an impressive amount of pre-installed software. First of all, thisPolaris Office. That is, this smartphone can work with various electronic documents (.doc,.xls,.pdf, and so on) right out of the box. There are also familiar programs from Google. Korean programmers have not forgotten about social networks either. Well, to top it off, there is a complete set of utilities built into the OS. So the smartphone is ready to go out of the box.
Gadget price today
As noted earlier, against the background of direct competitors, the Galaxy S3 Duos is slightly overpriced. Its current price is $180. But, on the other hand, it can be justified by improved technical specifications. This is an increased diagonal of the display, and a better organized memory subsystem, and a more productive computing platform. Therefore, the higher cost of this gadget is offset by a number of advantages.
Reviews
There are minor flaws with the Galaxy S3 Duos. Reviews highlight this:
- Gloss finish back cover. Such a constructive solution leads to the fact that dirt collects on its surface and prints are clearly visible. However, it is difficult to remove them. A simple solution to this problem is to buy a silicone cover - a bumper. As a result, the surface of the lid will be reliably protected from various "harmful" influences.
- Small "glitches" in the software part associated with the operation of two SIM cards at once. This problem is manifested on the old version of the operating system. After installing all the updates, it will not be.
- Slipperythe surface of the back cover - because of this, you can accidentally drop the phone. Again, this problem, like the first one, is solved with a case.
But there are much more positive aspects:
- Performance computing platform.
- Increased RAM and built-in storage capacity.
- Good set of preinstalled software.
- Sufficiently large display diagonal.
- Ability to control with gestures.
Results
As a result, we get a great entry-level smartphone with a slightly overpriced price compared to similar devices. But this disadvantage of the Galaxy S3 Duos is more than offset by significantly improved specifications. This makes the purchase of this gadget more justified. You get a ready-to-use device right out of the box, which does not need to be additionally filled with application software.
