Samsung Galaxy Express review: Jelly Bean Express

Introduction

The Samsung Galaxy Express represents an interesting mix of features. The latest Jelly Bean flavor, the impressively fast processor, the LTE connectivity, the spectacular 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, and the Galaxy S III looks are all attention-grabbers.

Yet, the Galaxy Express only offers a 5MP camera with 720p video and the screen is only of WVGA resolution. As usual, unless you go for the flagship, it's always a question of compromises in the midrange and the Galaxy Express is yet another mix of gives and takes, which would hopefully satisfy a good part of the consumers.

Ever since Qualcomm's dual-core Krait made its debut on the HTC One S, it has been making the headlines with its top-notch performance at a decidedly more affordable price point. While other chipsets have since narrowed the performance margin, the Krait architecture continues to be one of the most successful chipsets around, particularly in the dual-core arena.

   

Samsung I8730 Galaxy Express official images

However, despite its proven track record, Krait-powered Android Galaxy smartphones are as rare to find as two-headed snakes, especially outside the US. Samsung released an AT&T variant of the Express this past November, which is part of a growing family dual-core Krait devices available for the US market.

Now Samsung seems finally ready to test out the processor in international waters, and the I8730 Galaxy Express is its first such foray. Let's take a look at what it brings to the table:

Key features

• Quad-band GSM, 3G, and LTE support
• 21.1 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4.5" 16M-color Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen of WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution
• Android OS 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with Nature UX
• 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8930 Krait CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, 1GB of RAM
• 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash, face and smile detection, image stabilization
• 1.3MP secondary camera
• 720p HD video recording at 30fps with stereo sound
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n support; DLNA and Wi-Fi hotspot
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity and GLONASS; digital compass
• 8GB of inbuilt storage, microSD slot
• Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB v2.0 port with MHL
• Stereo Bluetooth v4.0
• FM radio with RDS
• Great benchmark performance for its class

Main disadvantages

• No dedicated camera key
• Preinstalled video player lacks DivX video support
• Poor low-light camera performance

The included Jelly Bean update makes the Galaxy Express I8730 a bit more than a simple rehash of the AT&T's version, which is still stuck on Ice Cream Sandwich. We also shouldn't forget AT&T's propensity to include a good amount of carrier bloatware in the form of preinstalled apps and services, which bring down the user-available storage in the US version from 8GB to 5GB.

And although the dual-core Krait in the I8730 is downclocked to 1.2GHz (compared to 1.5GHz on the I437 Express for AT&T), the updated Android experience should still provide you with a better out of box experience than what you'd find Stateside. Plus, the lower CPU clock will certainly go easier on the battery.

  
The I8730 Samsung Galaxy Express

Anyway, we'll go more in-depth with what you can expect from software point of view a bit further in our review. Up next, we'll get started with our usual hardware tour.

Samsung I8730 Galaxy Express 360-degree spin

The Galaxy Express has the trademark white paintjob we've come to associate all new Android-powered Samsung's ever since the S III came out. It measures 132.2 x 69.1 x 9.3mm, which is marginally smaller but thicker than the US variant.

Weight-wise, it is a negligible 3.1g heavier, but it's still the same slim handset that's pretty comfortable to handle and easy to pocket.

Design and build quality

The Samsung Galaxy Express design is a pretty strong reference to its standing in the pecking order. It has borrowed heavily of the Galaxy S III design and finish, which results in a surprisingly good feel. And while looks are strictly a matter of personal preference, the good grip and the fingerprint-resistance are not - and they are both present here.

  
Our white Galaxy Express next to the Galaxy S III

The Galaxy Express back tends to become more slippery, the more you handle it. While the 4.5 inch screen is manageable, it lies on that tricky precipice between too large and just right, depending on your preference.

As far as durability goes, the Samsung's hyperglaze coating has performed very well since its inception on the S III, so we have no reason to believe the paintjob will fade or chip anytime soon.

Controls and ergonomics

The controls on the Samsung Galaxy Express are more or less identical to what's become a proven formula for Samsung since the S III. Below the screen we find the same three keys as on other Galaxy's - the capacitive Menu and Back buttons either side of a hardware Home key, which can be set to either always illuminate or just when you interact with them (or the screen).

The white paintjob can make them a little harder to see than on a darker finish.

The three-button combo below the screen

The keys are well-sized and spaced to allow for comfortable use and the capacitive touch technology makes sure the transition between them and the screen is seamless.

Above the display we have the earpiece, as well as the proximity sensor. There's an ambient light sensor to to control automatic brightness. There's a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video calling as well.

The usual array of sensors and the front-facing camera surround the earpiece

The 3.5mm headphone jack is at the top of the phone. There's also a secondary microphone, which allows stereo sound recording in videos.

 
The top is where the secondary microphone and the audio jack are located

At the bottom are the microUSB port and the mouthpiece. The microUSB port supports MHL, enabling HD video out and multi-channel audio output.

 
The primary microphone keeps the MHL-enabled microUSB port company

On the left side of the Samsung I8730 Galaxy Express we find the volume rocker, while the power/lock key is symmetrically placed across on the right. There's no dedicated camera shutter key.

   
The power key is on the right, while the volume rocker is on the left

The 5 megapixel camera lens and the single LED flash can be found on the back, alongside a loudspeaker grille in the bottom right corner.

The 5MP camera is the star backstage

The back panel comes off easily, and underneath you'll find a microSD card slot which is hot-swappable, and a micro-SIM card slot, which is not.

The two card slots are located under the back panel

Display

The Samsung Galaxy Express employs the same 4.5" Super AMOLED Plus screen as the AT&T version. This means you can count on excellent viewing angles, as well as sky-high contrast and reasonable brightness levels.

 
The Galaxy Express display has pretty decent image quality

The WVGA resolution is stretched a bit thin on the 4.5" display, making for a pixel density of just 207ppi, but it's by no means bad to look at. Of course, those 720p and 1080p monsters out there look way sharper, but this one is pretty crisp, too.

Sunlight legibility is nothing short of great, too. Check out how the Galaxy Express did in our dedicated sunlight legibility test.

Display test	50% brightness			100% brightness
	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio
Samsung I8730 Galaxy Express	0	201	∞	0	364	∞
HTC Butterfly	0.14	173	1200	0.45	501	1104
Sony Xperia Z	-	-	-	0.70	492	705
Oppo Find 5	0.17	176	1123	0.51	565	1107
Sony Xperia S	-	-	-	0.48	495	1038
Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III	0	174	∞	0	330	∞
HTC One X	0.15	200	1375	0.39	550	1410
Nokia Lumia 920	-	-	-	0.48	513	1065
Nexus 4	0.22	314	1447	0.45	608	1341
LG Optimus G	0.14	197	1445	0.33	417	1438
Apple iPhone 5	0.13	200	1490	0.48	640	1320

Contrast Ratio

You can find more information on our display test here.

Sunlight contrast ratio

• Nokia 808 PureView4.698
• Samsung Omnia W3.301
• Samsung Galaxy S3.155
• Nokia N93.069
• Samsung Galaxy Note2.970
• HTC One S2.901
• Samsung Galaxy Express2.861
• Samsung Galaxy S II2.832
• Samsung Galaxy S II Plus2.801
• Huawei Ascend P12.655
• Nokia Lumia 9002.562
• Sony Xperia Z2.462
• Samsung Galaxy mini 21.114

Handling

Overall, the Samsung I8730 Galaxy Express is a phone of commendable ergonomics. Slim and lightweight, it's pretty easy to handle and slips comfortably into pockets. The grip is somewhat compromised due to the slightly larger screen, but shouldn't be much of a problem for the average (male?) user.

 
Despite the larger screen, the G

by via GSMArena.com - Latest articles