Camera and Internal Storage
There is an 8 MP camera with LED flash and 1080p video recording on the rear surface and a 5 MP selfie shooter on the front side. At these prices most phones like Huawei Honor 6 offer a more detailed 13 MP shooter, but we are not willing to write it off just yet solely based on Megapixel count. The front 5 MP selfie camera can capture wide angle selfies. You can also use voice commands and palm gesture to shoot selfies. Samsung has also provided with a face beautification feature to make the front selfie camera more appealing. Internal storage is 16 GB and you can further use another 64 GB of secondary MicroSD card storage. This is good enough in this price range and should be well suited for most users.
Processor and Battery
The processor used is 1.2 GHz quad core processor, which is most likely Snapdragon 400 quad core. Samsung hasn’t specified the details of the chipset at the launch event. The quad core SoC will be assisted by 1.5 GB RAM for efficient multi tasking. The chipset seems similar to Grand S2 and thus you can expect similar performance. Battery capacity is 2400 mAh and Samsung has included its signatory Ultra Power Saving mode to further extend backup in critical conditions. Capacity wise, the battery is again average in this price range.
Display and Other Features
The 5 inch display is a Super AMOLED panel with 720p HD resolution. This is the first time Samsung is launching a smartphone under 20k with a Super AMOLED display, usually reserved for its high end S series smartphones. Super AMOLED display offers great contrast and fabulous blacks but whites are always in question. We would like to test how well this display handles the blue tint when viewed from an angle. With rich colors, you will definitely enjoy the display for watching videos and other multimedia content. The 7.3 mm thick Galaxy E5 also lists hybrid Dual SIM functionality, which means a SIM card tray similar to OPPO N3 and Vivo X5 Max. You can either use Dual SIM cards or a SIM card + MicroSD card. Many won’t be willing to compromise with either of the two. Software is Android 4.4 KitKat which isn’t as fancy as Android Lollipop, but won’t be a deal breaker for now. Other features include 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS/ GLONASS.
Comparison
Samsung Galaxy E5 will compete with phones like Samsung Galaxy A3, Lenovo Vibe X2, Huawei Honor 6, Gionee Elife S5.1 and Asus Zenfone 6.
Key Specs
What we Like
Slim and improved design
What we Don’t Like
Uncompetitive price tag
Conclusion
Samsung Galaxy E5 sounds like a decent mid range offering and the Samsung branding will definitely help it sail through. The price tag, however, seems a bit high, especially considering the competition we expect from upcoming smartphones like Asus Zenfone 2. Even Samsung last year’s flagship Galaxy S4 is available for 19,000 INR. With time the price is expected to slide further.
