Samsung Galaxy Core I8260 Review

The Galaxy Core is one more soldier in the horde of Samsung Android smartphones. As if made out of a single blueprint, all Samsung handsets look alike and this one is no exception. Dressed in that typical Samsung uniform however hides an interesting device: one that marches not in the forefront with top of the line specs, but indeed in the core of Samsung’s army - the mid-range.
The Samsung Galaxy Core comes in both single and dual SIM versions (named Galaxy Core Duos), and we have the dual SIM one for review. It comes equipped with a 4.3-inch display, a dual-core processor and a 5-megapixel camera in a well-rounded package selling at a very affordable price.

Overall, the Galaxy Core does not shine in any particular area, but it hits all the bases of a decent smartphone. Is that enough to survive in a fiercely competitive dog-eat-dog world of Android devices? Or does it need a little extra flare after all? Let’s see.

In the box:

Headphones
microUSB to USB cable
Wall Charger
User Manual

By design, the Galaxy Core is a typical Samsung device, made out of the same general blueprint as a horde of other Android handsets by the Korean company. Is it plastic? Yes. Is it identical to so many other Samsung phones? Yes. But is it practical? Yes, as well.The Galaxy Core comes in a white and blue versions, and we have the white one for test. The build quality is solid, with no screaking parts. The handset is thin rather than thick at 9mm (0.35”). It is very lightweight, tipping the scales at only 124 grams (4.38 oz). It is also relatively compact and easy to use single-handedly, plus it won’t stick out of your pockets like some larger phones. Under the easily removable back cover are a user-replaceable battery, a microSD card slot and the two micro SIM card slots.The button layout is standard for Samsung. There is a single physical home key on the front, the lock key is on the right side and the volume rocker on the left. You can easily find the buttons in the dark as they protrude a bit. They also have nice travel and pressing them is effortless. The microUSB port is located on the bottom of the device, and up top is a 3.5mm headset jack.

The 4.3-inch LCD display on the Galaxy Core features a middling resolution of 480 x 800 pixels (WVGA). The screen is not razor sharp and you’d notice slight pixelization. Technically, pixel density comes at 217ppi, slightly below average, but we would not count this as a fatal flaw given the price of the handset.

The first thing you notice when you fire up the display is that it is just not bright enough. At a peak brightness of merely 343 nits, everything on it looks dim to the point where it’s hard to use the device outdoors. Color accuracy of the display is high and generally we are pleased with the picture. Viewing angles are good and colors do not deteriorate even when viewed from an angle.

Samsung also saved on oleophobic coating and the screen quickly gets covered in greasy smudges, making it hard to read and forcing you to wipe it clean way too often. There is also no light sensor and that means no automatic brightness setting. Samsung had to cut it short somewhere to arrive at the affordable price, but lacking automatic brightness setting is just plain annoying. Luckily, Samsung includes a brightness slider right in the notification dropdown for easy and quick control.

Available as Samsung Galaxy Core I8262 with Dual SIM card slot.

General	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - GT-I8260
		GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - GT-I8262 (SIM 1 & SIM 2)
	3G Network	HSDPA 900 / 2100
		HSDPA 900 / 2100 - GT-I8262 (SIM 1 & SIM 2)
	SIM	Optional Dual SIM (dual stand-by)
	Announced	2013, May
	Status	Available. Released 2013, June

Body	Dimensions	129.3 x 67.6 x 9 mm (5.09 x 2.66 x 0.35 in)
Body	Weight	124 g (4.37 oz)

Display	Type	TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	480 x 800 pixels, 4.3 inches (~217 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes

Sound	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

Memory	Card slot	microSD, up to 64 GB
Memory	Internal	8 GB, 1 GB RAM

Data	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
	USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0

Camera	Primary	5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
	Features	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection
	Video	Yes, 480p@30fps
	Secondary	Yes, VGA

Features	OS	Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
	CPU	Dual-core 1.2 GHz
	Sensors	Accelerometer, proximity, compass
	Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
	Browser	HTML
	Radio	FM radio with RDS
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Metallic Blue, Chic White
		- SNS integration - MP4/WMV/H.264/H.263 player - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player - Organizer - Image/video editor - Document viewer - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa - Voice memo/dial - Predictive text input

Battery		Li-Ion 1800 mAh battery
	Stand-by	Up to 500 h (2G) / Up to 300 h (3G)
	Talk time	Up to 14 h (2G) / Up to 9 h (3G)

Misc	SAR EU	0.29 W/kg (head) 0.95 W/kg (body)

A must have Phone !!! Best Regards Admin Ritesh Jain :)

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