Samsung finally has all of its major smartphone launches out of the way for 2015. It all started with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge earlier this year, then the Galaxy Note 5, and a Galaxy S6 Edge+ just a couple of months ago. If you are not in the market for something quite as powerful or expensive, the largest manufacturer of smartphones also makes entry-level and mid-range devices as well – such as the Galaxy Grand Prime. The Grand Prime was released back in October 2014, about a year ago, and has already spent time in Canada – it has been available through Bell, Telus, Virgin, Koodo, Videotron, and Fido – Rogers is now adding the Grand Prime to its smartphone lineup for about the same pricing. The Grand Prime will cost you $229.99 on a no-term or $0 on a two-year contract.
The Galaxy Grand Prime comes with a 5.5-inch qHD TFT display (not to be confused with a QHD display) with a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels and 220 pixels-per-inch (PPI). A Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor clocked at 1.2 GHz and an Adreno 306 GPU provide the brains of the device. It packs 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, although you can add another 64GB via a microSD card slot. The main camera is sporting an 8MP sensor, autofocus, LED flash and includes geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection and offers panoramic shots. For social media selfies and video chatting, the Grand Prime provides a 5MP front-facing camera (FFC).
The Galaxy Grand Prime has all of the usual suspects – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, NFC capability, an FM Radio and a microUSB v2.0 port for charging and data transfer. A 2,600 mAh battery powers the device. Although produced in White, Gray or Gold, we do not know what color or colors, Rogers will offer. It measures 144.8 x 72.1 x 8.6 mm and weighs in at 156 grams. The Grand Prime was released with Android 4.4.4 KitKat, but has since been upgraded to Android 5.1 Lollipop. This is a great mid-range offering, especially if you are looking for a cheaper priced, but reliable smartphone…especially, one that comes with a better front facing camera.