Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 review: Double vision

Display is a major step forward

The Galaxy Grand 2 has its screen updated in both size and resolution. The bump from WVGA (480 x 800) at 5.0" to 720p (1280 x 720) at 5.25" has resulted in an increase of almost 100ppi. Just shy of Retina quality, the Galaxy Grand 2's screen is pleasingly sharp - easily the most significant upgrade the second generation offers.

The display

The image quality is good, even if not quite flagship-grade. Contrast is about average and viewing angles are good if unspectacular. Colors were pretty good overall.

Display test	50% brightness			100% brightness
	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio
Samsung Galaxy Grand 2	0.24	232	815	0.72	588	813
Nokia Lumia 1320	0.34	341	1008	0.62	671	1089
Samsung Galaxy Note 3	0	149	∞	0	379	∞
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo	0	142	∞	0	389	∞
Samsung Galaxy S4	0	201	∞	0	404	∞
Apple iPhone 5s	0.14	163	1145	0.49	596	1219
Nokia Lumia 1520	0.22	263	1174	0.43	522	1207
Sony Xperia Z Ultra	-	-	-	0.47	467	1001
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3	0.12	160	1364	0.32	440	1379
Sony Xperia Z1	-	-	-	0.38	580	1513
HTC One	0.13	205	1580	0.42	647	1541

The reflectivity of the screen turned out pretty high, though, and the sunlight legibility suffers noticeably. An observation confirmed by our dedicated test.

Sunlight contrast ratio

• Nokia 808 PureView
  4.698
• Apple iPhone 5
  3.997
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
  3.997
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
  3.419
• Nokia Lumia 925
  3.402
• Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4
  3.352
• Samsung Omnia W
  3.301
• Samsung Galaxy S
  3.155
• Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
  3.127
• Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
  3.118
• Nokia N9
  3.069
• Samsung Galaxy Note
  2.970
• Sony Xperia Z1
  2.950
• HTC One S
  2.901
• BlackBerry Q10
  2.856
• Samsung Galaxy S II
  2.832
• Samsung Galaxy S II Plus
  2.801
• BlackBerry Z30
  2.790
• Huawei Ascend P1
  2.655
• Sony Xperia ZR
  2.672
• Nokia Lumia 900
  2.562
• HTC One Max
  2.537
• Nokia Lumia 720
  2.512
• HTC One
  2.504
• Sony Xperia Z
  2.462
• Samsung Galaxy S III mini
  2.422
• Motorola RAZR i
  2.366
• Samsung Galaxy Note II
  2.307
• Apple iPhone 4S
  2.269
• HTC Desire 600 dual sim
  2.262
• LG Nexus 5
  2.228
• HTC One X
  2.158
• Nokia N8
  2.144
• Oppo Find 5
  2.088
• BlackBerry Z10
  2.051
• Apple iPhone 4
  2.016
• HTC One mini
  2.003
• LG G2
  1.976
• Sony Ericsson Xperia ray
  1.955
• Samsung Galaxy Camera
  1.938
• HTC Butterfly
  1.873
• Huawei Ascend P6
  1.865
• Sony Xperia V
  1.792
• Sony Xperia U
  1.758
• Meizu MX3
  1.754
• LG Optimus 4X HD
  1.691
• HTC One V
  1.685
• BlackBerry Q5
  1.682
• LG Optimus Vu
  1.680
• LG Optimus GJ
  1.666
• HTC Desire V
  1.646
• Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
  1.622
• Sony Xperia Z Ultra
  1.578
• Samsung Galaxy Core
  1.563
• LG Optimus G Pro
  1.552
• LG Optimus 3D
  1.542
• Samsung Galaxy Core LTE
  1.542
• Nokia Asha 302
  1.537
• Sony Xperia M
  1.473
• Nokia Lumia 610
  1.432
• Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo
  1.393
• Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
  1.380
• Gigabyte GSmart G1355
  1.361
• Samsung Galaxy Grand
  1.321
• HTC Desire C
  1.300
• Nokia Asha 501
  1.270
• LG Optimus L7
  1.269
• LG Optimus L9
  1.227
• Meizu MX
  1.221
• Sony Xperia E dual
  1.203
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket
  1.180
• Sony Xperia tipo
  1.166
• Samsung Galaxy mini 2
  1.114

Battery life

The Galaxy Grand 2 boasts a more wholesome 2,600mAh battery to trump the original Grand's 2,100mAh unit. Samsung's numbers point to around 370 hours of standby with two SIMs and talk time of 17 hours.

The battery

Our tests revealed an impressive 20 hours of calling time and good performance in both web browsing and video playback. The dual-SIM stand-by however took its toll and brought the Galaxy Grand 2 overall rating of 45 hours. That's how long the phone will go between charges with an hour of calling, browsing and watching video daily.