Table of Contents
Design
Galaxy Core 2 still own body square with rounded corners that you have ever encountered on numerous series midrange / low-cost. If only the view from the front, the Galaxy Core 2 is not impressed from the first sight.
But when viewed from the rear, your impression of the Galaxy Software prices will change completely. The most prominent feature of the Galaxy Core 2 is the design details have been Samsung “recycled” from the Galaxy Note 3. Beneath borders “false metal” more horizontal pattern of the plastic shell is so soft style “leatherette” of Note 3. We greatly appreciate this back coating, because when viewed from the rear you will not think this is a cheap phone. However, Samsung could have a material able to choose more advanced screen edges (eg hard plastic without rims) for Galaxy Core 2 to complete the design for the product.
Because this phone has 4.5-inch screen, you can comfortably use with one hand Galaxy Core 2. The body of moderate thickness, plus the back cover are rounded and soft textured hand experience creating comfortable and pleasant. The buttons are also reasonably placed for convenient use with one hand: volume control buttons are located on the left side, while the power button is placed right next to the camera body. Like many other Samsung line, the Home button is designed bulging from the front of the Galaxy Core 2 to increase usability.
Another strong point of the Galaxy Core 2 is the design quality is certain: no buttons feel loose, though the back cover is removable but still very thick, sturdy and does not create noise strange when users hold the camera too tight. Galaxy Core 2 together with the new Lenovo S660 recently launched show really cheap phones have come a long way in materials and design.
Overall, the Galaxy Core 2 design with bold “style” Samsung which users are quite familiar: no more than stunning looking but very comfortable handset. We do not appreciate the metal rim, but at price range, perhaps less people will complain about the weakness of the Galaxy Core 2.
Screen
Galaxy Core 2 only equipped with 4.5-inch TFT LCD screen resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, 207 ppi pixel density. The first feel of the computer screen is the sharpness and brightness at an acceptable level, but the color is slightly lighter, less attractive. In addition, the screen of the Galaxy Core 2 also be points deducted by limited viewing angle in all 4 directions. Hence the use of the machine to tilt the screen to play games or watch movies, view photos and more difficult, uncomfortable.
Using assessment tools dedicated screen, we measured the maximum brightness of the screen rather inadequate (346 nit), the high-contrast black and color temperature reclining green but heavier. The basic color as well as grayscale skewed more.
Interface and software features
Launched in the segment but cheap Samsung Galaxy Core 2 is still equipped with the official version is the new Android 4.4 KitKat. Ministry icon Galaxy Core 2 app is designed towards a flat, simple but also very colorful.
Critical applications such as Phone, Messages, Contacts, Calendars will also carry too many colors. How to manipulate the color of Samsung in flat panel design does not create a sense of gentle, slender as original iOS or KitKat, but also does not create a sense of youthful as Windows Phone. The interface elements on the interface of the Galaxy Core 2 often suffer or too dark, or too pale, or contrast levels together unreasonable. Certainly, many users will prefer the original interface of KitKat than the interface and the icons are all too “industrial” on Samsung Galaxy Core 2.
In terms of software, pre-installed Samsung Galaxy Core 2 sets of familiar Google applications (Chrome, Gmail, Google+, Maps, Play, Drive …) along with a number of self-developed applications. Samsung familiar applications such as ChatON (instant messaging), and the Samsung GALAXY gifts Apps (Samsung application markets) are on Galaxy Core 2. Applications Calendar (Calendar) available on Android has been replaced completely by applications S Planner application developed by Samsung.
Like other default apps on the Galaxy Core 2, S Planner interface is pretty rough and did not have any special features compared to Android’s native Calendar app. Another plus point is quite small for S Planner feature highlighted (red) for the traditional holiday, so that users can plan sort of work / rest for a more convenient way.
Performance and battery
The Galaxy Core 2 is equipped with a quad-core processor with 4 cores unnamed Cortex A7 1.2GHz clock. However, RAM is cheap smartphone limited to 768MB.
With limited amount of RAM, the Galaxy Core 2 could bring the Android experience at a relatively constant. Obviously, you can not expect good performance as the high-end models. Right from the unlock screen, the Galaxy Core 2 has demonstrated the limited processing power: the circle slowing effects are not too severe shock, but also very easy to recognize. In return, optimized by 4.4 KitKat very good, the interface tasks such as changing the Home screen or launch the default application in less than 1 second, not really fast, but not to the extent of nuisance for users.
Low-level smartphones have really come a long way and this is shown quite clearly in the Galaxy Core 2. The common tasks such as application launch, open multiple tabs at once in Chrome … are implemented fairly smoothly on Galaxy Core 2. in the YouTube video, the Galaxy Core 2 does not encounter the phenomenon of delayed shock even when playing at high resolution.
However, positive signs were quickly made way for disappointment. The issue of Galaxy Core 2 memory (including RAM and memory) quickly revealed significantly when running heavy applications such as gaming relative. Memory problems more severe: the operating system and software installed by Samsung makes only 4GB of memory less than 700MB available, making the installation of heavy game becomes impossible. Obviously, users “knowledge” Android still can install applications to external storage, but ordinary users will certainly get stuck with Galaxy Core 2.
Galaxy Core 2’s heavy gaming performance pretty bad. During the Ice Storm graphics tests – tests of 3DMark lightweight, Core 2 rarely exceeds 20 frames / sec. Certainly, only 768MB RAM of Galaxy Core 2 is the reason leading to this situation. If raised to 1GB RAM, Galaxy Core 2 certainly will not lag too much for Lenovo S660 and OPPO Yoyo when considering the application performance.
On the software overall performance evaluation, the Galaxy Core 2 scores lower inadequate. Specifically, the machine reached 16,590 on AnTuTu and 3394 points Quadrant.
Equipped with 2000 mAh battery to maintain operation for the 4.5-inch screen resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, the Galaxy Core 2 is the amount of time used in the average level.
Through a review battery, the machine works pretty persistent with the task of watching HD movies continuously for 5 hours 32 minutes. At the review hearing called batteries, the machine 10 hours 48 minutes achieved since fully depleted battery time to 10%, while the results in tests in the simulator game high graphics on GFX Bench software is 3 hours 2 Minutes.
These figures are not really too impressed but it hit well against the machines in the same price range and fully meet the needs of normal use is not charging for the day.
Camera and photo quality
Photography apps on the Galaxy Core 2 default nothing special. The familiar operations such as autofocus or flash, image size options are logically arranged in the interface icons.
You can edit the options affect the image quality, such as white balance, exposure, ISO, or choose Macro (close-ups of objects), but in the majority of cases these options are not can “save” Galaxy Core 2 escape from the “class” … poor quality photography is very popular on smartphones cheap.
The level of detail of the photo stop at the temporary glitches in the photos have good light, but in low light environments (eg outdoor shots in the evening), the Galaxy Core 2 to take a lot of detail in the dinner and show quite a lot of noise on the photo. In some shooting conditions are not ideal, low-cost smartphone Samsung also inevitable phenomenon of moving objects blurred image.
Overall, the Galaxy Core 2 is still suffering from the inherent weaknesses of the current cheap smartphone: screenshot pale and poor vitality. To overcome the weaknesses of the Galaxy Core 2, you will have to turn to the color filters of Instagram or Camera editing software such as 360.
In terms of video, the Galaxy Core allows recording with a resolution of 720 x 480 pixels maximum or VGA (640 x 480 pixels), the speed of 30 frames / second (fps) on the popular mp4 file format. In parallel with image quality similar to photography, color slightly pale and low granularity.
Conclude
In fact, the Galaxy Core 2 is still a fairly typical handset for low-level segment
We appreciate the portable experience and daily use of the Galaxy Core 2, but the camera quality and game performance of the Galaxy Core 2 seems deficient compared to competitors like Asus Zenfone 5. While issues cameras have become so familiar to users cheap price segment, Samsung would have been able to give a better software experience with large memory quite a bit for Galaxy Core 2.
Therefore, the choice to buy or not to buy the Galaxy Core 2 still depends on what you really need, and if it is “definitely hardware, daily pleasant experience” – Galaxy Core 2 is the affordable smartphone for you.