We all know the wide range of Galaxy devices released by the Korean company Samsung. At one time, it was represented by the best gadgets in their categories, which were at the peak of sales. Due to this, it can be assumed, the manufacturer received many regular customers who subsequently “stepped” from one device to another, attracted by the capabilities of the phones.
In this article we will review one of the smallest smartphones in the line - Samsung models 5360. We will talk about how it differs from competing devices, what positive and negative qualities it is endowed with, as well as how the manufacturer positions this device in its line.
The concept of the “junior” model
There is nothing new in the fact that the manufacturing company has placed its smartphones in a kind of “hierarchy”. The highest position in it is occupied by the “flagship” - a phone that has the most serious technical characteristics and, therefore, costs the most. It is followed by phones that are simplified in one way or another: one of them has a simpler camera, the other a little less powerful processor, the third has a simpler display, and so on. Thus, a line of devices is formed depending on their functionality and technical characteristics.
Since we are describing the Samsung 5360, it should be noted that it is the smallest of the presented devices by many criteria. This applies to both the price of the phone and the size of its screen, processor power, amount of RAM, and so on.
Based on this, we can say that the Samsung Y 5360 is the most modest, but at the same time very good device in terms of functionality that the company presented in its line.
Design
It is quite simple to characterize the appearance of the phones combined in the Galaxy line. The fact is that the developer (Samsung company) did not try too hard to unify the appearance of all models. Perhaps, she left some individual features for top-end, flagship devices due to their high cost and uniqueness of their kind. As for the Samsung 5360, this model had a design typical of the line: a rectangular “brick” with blurred edges near the back cover and rounded edges. As a result, we got a round “baby” with a characteristic “Samsung” side edge protruding above the screen, covered with chrome; a typical ribbed back cover and a standard Galaxy set of elements: a speaker slot with a metal “mesh”, a screen lock key on the right side, a “rocker” for changing the sound level on the left, a “Home” button in the center, surrounded by the “Back” and “Options” on the right and left. Nothing new, actually.
Dimensions
Continuing the topic appearance, I would like to note the small size of the 5360. The device is specially made compact in order to provide the user with maximum comfort from interacting with it. We can safely assume that the phone is intended for those who do not want to carry a “shovel” with a 5-inch screen in their side pocket. And the case width of 58 mm along with a height of 104 mm are excellent indicators for a portable device that is easy to take with you everywhere. At the same time, you get functionality that best suits modern smartphones(at least at the time of the gadget's release).
Screen
As you remember, our “baby” Samsung GT 5360 is “junior” by all criteria. The display is no exception. There is a 3-inch screen with a resolution of only 240 by 320 pixels. It goes without saying that these parameters are far from “flagship” ones. Because of this, the user notices the “grain” effect on such a screen from the first seconds of getting to know the device. And, due to its small size, you can’t watch movies in HD quality on it. A basic set of basic functions remains: calls, SMS, surfing.
CPU
The smartphone will also not be able to boast of powerful hardware. And it cannot be said that he really needed it. There is a Qualcomm processor with clock frequency 0.8 GHz, which clearly does not make the phone the fastest. Obviously, the manufacturers were guided by the fact that there was no need to install a strong processor on this device. Therefore, it is not surprising that over time the phone begins to slow down and freeze due to a weak processor. As evidenced by reviews describing the Samsung GT 5360, this problem can be solved by full reset phone to factory settings (and, of course, deleting all data on it).
Connection
All Galaxy phones, as we are used to, work with two SIM cards. At least, those who have seen a couple of such devices may think so. The Samsung 5360 reviewed today is an exception. The model supports only one SIM card, so it cannot be said to be economical, allowing you to spend less on communication services. And in terms of comfort (if you have several SIM cards), this model lags a little behind: don’t buy a second one for another card...
Camera
Another criterion by which we can evaluate a device is the camera. Galaxy phones typically have Korean manufacturer offers a 5 megapixel module. And here the Samsung GT S 5360 can be called an exception. The model has a 2-megapixel camera, which probably will not be of sufficient quality for Everyday life. Most likely, this phone will not be able to convert even photographed text into readable form. Therefore, you should not hope that you will take colorful photos using the device. Samsung Young 5360 should clearly be used for some other purpose.
Memory
But in terms of capacity everything Galaxy phones keep the brand. The model we are characterizing has 160 MB internal memory, on which you can install applications and upload personal files. In addition to them, there is also a slot for a memory card that works with microSD format (the volume can reach 32 GB). Give yourself the opportunity to store so much information on your phone!
True, given the small screen, we will more likely talk about musical compositions than about some films or TV series.
operating system
The 5360 we presented operates on the basis of the operating Android systems. Since the gadget was released back in 2011, we are talking about a modification of Gingerbeard, version 2.2. If we wanted to use it now, we would not be able to update it to a newer generation of this OS.
However, despite the fact that we are talking about an outdated version of the system, the phone still works with Android functionality. This means that it has everything that an average user might need: navigation, entertainment, communication, surfing, the ability to create your own content and manage existing content. All this is possible even on the “younger” Samsung S 5360.
Bad model
Use experience: more than a year
Advantages of the phone Light and small, ability to display necessary gadgets and programs Disadvantages of the phone: many
Comment about the phone:
From the first month, problems began with the memory card: it was visible, sometimes it was not - accordingly, the programs installed on it constantly disappeared from the display. I had to go into the settings and reconnect the card. But this did not always work, so I had to remove the back cover and remove and reinsert the card itself mechanically.
When calling from contacts, he thinks for a very long time and starts calling.
1 year of use: problems with calls began. There was no way to reach me or call me. I had to reboot the phone every 2 days if I didn’t want to miss important calls.
After 2 years of use, it began to reboot itself.
3rd year. The battery is covered. At first she started to charge only a day. Then the charge began to be enough for 5 minutes on the Internet or several messages or 5 minutes in talk mode (when fully charged),
Started resetting the time settings.
Conclusion: in the 3rd year you can only use it as a stationary device to access the Internet.
Review No. 2 about the Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 phone
Great model
Use experience: less than a month
The advantages of the phone are pleasant, light, simple settings, good touch screen, good photos, good audibility, uploading your own melodies (music) to calls (to individual contacts), SMS, alarm clock, information messages. Disadvantages of the phone: sometimes it glitches - reboot helps.
Comment about the phone:
This is my first smartphone. I read a lot of bad reviews here, but decided to buy it anyway, because... I really liked the look.
I’m very pleased that I set up my music for individual contacts on the phone, for SMS, for the alarm clock and for information messages.
I quickly got used to the touch keyboard while typing SMS - I turned on the usual type of keyboard like on push-button phones (instead of the keyboard in the form of individual letters, when using which I constantly pressed in the wrong place, even though my fingers are small).
On the day of purchase there was a glitch - the call did not work - nothing happened when pressed. The reboot helped, apparently, it loaded a lot of things into the phone, so I went. After that, nothing like this happened for a month.
I remember reading reviews that it loses the network and doesn’t find it back - I don’t have that, if it loses it, it finds it within a few minutes. I tested it for sending SMS and making calls in the St. Petersburg metro - everything was within normal limits. But, of course, there was a feeling that the old Nokia flip phone was faster. But Samsung picks up the network at every station and every time after it loses it.
The camera is quite good, the photos are good.
Finds Wi-Fi at home quickly, stays stable, doesn’t fall off, and it’s convenient to use the Internet. I downloaded the games to my phone, everything is fine.
I figured out the phone quickly, there were no problems with anything. If any questions arose, the answers were quickly found through an Internet search engine, because There are many forums with questions and answers about this phone model.
Personally, I’m very pleased with it: it’s convenient to call, it’s pleasant to talk on it (the sensor turns on when you bring the phone to your ear), it’s comfortable to write SMS, the camera is good, the menu is convenient (I got used to it quickly).
For those people who have not had smartphones before and who have nothing to compare with, and who are not yet accustomed to expensive models, I highly recommend this smartphone. For the money, the smartphone is good.
P.S. I've been using it for a little over a month - the smartphone always lives in the case - there is not a single scratch.
Instructions for the Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 phone
Instructions for the phone Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 free download. Read the instructions for the Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 phone Study the instructions for the Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 phone
Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 phone price
Market price at the time of page creation
Contents of delivery:
- Telephone
- Battery
- 2GB microSD memory card
- Charger
- USB cable
Positioning
The Samsung Galaxy Y smartphone is a relatively inexpensive phone with an operating system Google Android, belonging to the new Galaxy line. Among the many budget “Androids”, the Samsung S5360 stands out with a fairly “fast” processor with a clock frequency of 832 MHz and a Video Core IV graphics accelerator. However, unfortunately, “Vai” has nothing more to brag about.
The average cost of the device is 6,000 rubles. Interestingly, in large retail chains the price rises to 6,990 rubles. And for this money you can purchase the previous line of “Galaxies” - Samsung Galaxy Gio/Fit or LG Optimus Link, which have more interesting characteristics.
Design, dimensions, control elements
Galaxy smartphone Y is a typical Samsung representative. The front panel is black, the edge around the perimeter is made of chromed plastic, the back cover is embossed (the same as in Ace) and covered with silver paint. The screen is protected by ordinary plastic, which retains not only fingerprints, but also minor scratches. As much as I take care of phones, nevertheless, scuffs somehow appeared on the display of the Samsung S5360. But everything was fine with the assembly: there was no play or creaking, and no crunching when pressed hard.
The dimensions of the device are quite miniature - 104x58x11.5 mm, weight - 97 grams. Easily fits into the pockets of jeans, trousers, shirts or a small handbag. It fits well in the hand thanks to the streamlined shape of the body and the ribbed surface of the back.
The front panel contains a proximity sensor and a speaker. Its volume is high, the interlocutor can be heard even in a noisy place (subway, street), intelligibility is not bad. The Samsung Galaxy Y is worth mentioning separately for this parameter - the earpiece is really high quality. The following controls are traditionally located under the screen: a plastic mechanical “Home” key (minimum travel, firm press), and to the left and right of it - respectively touch buttons"Menu" and "Back". They are painted with white paint, there is no backlight.
On the left side there is a thin and wide volume rocker key and a strap attachment, on the right side there is a small on/off button recessed into the body, as well as a phone lock button. The microphone is located on the bottom end, the microUSB is covered with a plug, and the standard 3.5 mm audio output is on the top. On the back of the device there is a camera peephole and a slot where the ringing speaker is hidden.
The microSD memory card is installed under the back cover on the left side. Hot swap supported. The SIM card slot is under the battery – there are metal slides.
The keys and connectors are well located, and the design as a whole can be called ergonomic.
Samsung Galaxy Y (left) and Samsung Star II:
Samsung Galaxy Y (left) and HTC Mozart:
Display
Perhaps the only complaint about this model is the display parameters. Firstly, the diagonal is only 3" (physical size 46x61 mm), secondly, the resolution is 240x320 pixels (density - 133 pixels per inch), thirdly, the matrix is made according to TFT-LCD technology and is capable of displaying 256 thousand shades of color. It seems to me that for 6 - 7 thousand rubles it would be possible to install a better matrix. The sensor is capacitive, supports “multitouch” (not “pinch-to-zoom”) - two simultaneous touches. Sensitivity is average and slightly worse than on the Galaxy Gio, Fit and Ace. Pixelation is noticeable: the font in the menu and on the main screen looks loose.
 |
 |
 |
 |
The viewing angles are small: when you tilt the screen to the right, the colors are inverted, when you tilt it to the left, the contrast drops, and away from you and toward you, the brightness decreases slightly. There is no light sensor in the device; the brightness can only be adjusted manually. Color rendering is mediocre.
As in previous models, in the settings you select the font, wallpaper of the “Home screen” and “Lock screen”, calibrate the three-axis accelerometer (BMA222), set the screen timeout (from 30 seconds to 30 minutes), enable or disable auto-rotate information when tilted phone. The device contains a magnetometer MMC328x.
The screen fades in the sun, but in the light the picture looks more or less readable.
Viewing angles Samsung S5360
Displays of Samsung Star II (left) and Samsung Galaxy Y:
Battery
The Samsung Young uses a removable lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery with a capacity of 1200 mAh. Model EB454357VU. Galaxy Ace, Gio and Fit have 1350 mAh batteries. The manufacturer claims that in standby mode the Galaxy Y will “live” up to 850 hours (2G) and up to 540 hours of 3G network. Talk time - up to 17 hours (2G) and up to 7 hours on a 3G network.
 |
 |
In practice, the results were approximately the same as on the Galaxy Gio. If you use the phone for about seven hours, the battery will be completely discharged provided: 20-30 minutes of calls per day, three hours of using Wi-Fi Internet (Twitter, mail, downloading applications and installing them), about three hours mobile internet, a couple of hours of listening to music. It was noticed that the smartphone consumes maximum electricity during a conversation, because only when connected to Wi-Fi (mail and Twitter) the device holds a charge for almost three days. When playing music, the battery died after 17 hours.
Communication capabilities
The phone operates in 2G (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (900/2100 MHz) cellular networks. HSDPA speed – up to 7.2 Mbit/s. Available Bluetooth version 3.0 (with A2DP stereo profile) for file and voice transfer. There were no problems connecting the headsets: the connection is not very fast, but speech is transmitted relatively clearly. Please note that Galaxy Gio, Fit and Ace have blue tooth version 2.1.
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Present wireless connection Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. The device, of course, can be used as an access point ( Wi-Fi Hotspot). In “Settings” there is a special item “Modem and access point”. USB 2.0 (HighSpeed) is used for file transfer and data synchronization. At Samsung connection S5360 to a PC it is defined as a USB Flash device or USB modem.
SAR value
The phone is manufactured taking into account the utmost permissible levels exposure to radio frequency (RF) energy recommended by the EU Council. These standards prohibit the sale mobile phones, whose radiation level (called specific absorption rate, SAR) exceeds 2.0 watts per kilogram of body weight. During testing, the maximum SAR for this model was 0.655 watts per kilogram.
Memory and memory card
The Samsung Y smartphone has 290 MB of RAM (usually about 150 MB free), which is enough for most tasks. 160 MB of Flash memory is allocated for installing applications. If desired, all applications are transferred to microSD; a 2 GB memory card is included in the package.
 |
 |
Camera
The device has a 2 megapixel camera without autofocus and flash. The maximum photo resolution is 1600x1200 pixels, video resolution is 320x240 pixels at 15 frames per second.
The camera module is very simple, so the quality leaves much to be desired. If you take a photo of a sheet of A4 paper with text and copy the photo file to a PC, then theoretically you can read this text.
The camera is launched through the menu using a shortcut. The interface looks like this: on the left - shooting mode (single shot, smile detection, panorama), scenes (landscape, night, sports, indoor, beach, sunset, etc.), brightness adjustment (1 to 9), settings . On the right is the gallery, switching from photos to videos.
Photo settings:
- Timer
- Resolution (320x240, 1280x960, 1600x1200)
- Metering (center-weighted, spot metering, matrix)
Video mode interface: left – recording mode (normal, for MMS), brightness, settings; on the right – switching from video to photo, entering the gallery.
Video settings:
- Timer
- Resolution (176x144, 320x240)
- White balance (auto, daylight, cloudy, incandescent)
- Effects (no effects, negative, black and white, sepia)
- Quality (regular, excellent, best)
Album:
 |
 |
 |
 |
You can get full EXIF information from a photo file:
Video characteristics:
- Format: MP4
- Video codec: MPEG-4 Visual, 764 Kbps
- Resolution: 320 x 240, 15 fps
- Audio codec: AAC, 96 Kbps
- Channels: 1 channel, 16.0 KHz
Sample photos:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Performance
Unlike the previous budget Galaxy line, the new one is equipped with a Broadcom BCM21553 Thunderbird EDN31 chip, where the processor operates at a clock frequency of 832 MHz (minimum 312 MHz). Unfortunately, its architecture is ARMv6, which means it does not support Flash 10.x. Graphics accelerator – VideoCore IV HW.
There are no complaints about the speed of the device. However, some toys, such as the popular Angry Birds, can be a little slow.
System information:
Navigation
The smartphone has a GPS navigator. A-GPS helps him. The functionality is the same as most inexpensive phones. “Cold” start – about 5 minutes, “hot” – up to 6-8 seconds. During testing, minor problems arose: the phone sometimes refused to load Maps, citing a lack of Internet connection (despite the fact that there was a connection). It was “cured” by rebooting the device.
Software platform
Samsung Galaxy Y smartphone runs on Google operating system Android versions 2.3.6. The test device has firmware version S5360XXK5, kernel version - 2.6.35.7root@dell130.
Shell and menu
The usual TouchWIZ 3.0 is installed as the shell. There is no point in describing it in detail. But in short: seven desktops with widgets, a panel with “Dialer”, “Contacts”, “Messages” and an entrance to the “Menu”. To unlock the screen, you need to press the “Menu” button or the device’s power button and then move the “Lock Screen” picture to the side. The following are assigned to desktops: shortcuts, folders, hotkeys and various widgets. Static and animated screensavers are used as wallpaper. When you hold down the mechanical Home button for a long time, a menu appears with previously launched applications. The task manager is also located there.
Challenges
The dialer is familiar to Samsung phones: large, convenient and functional. From it it is easy to get into contacts and call logs. While dialing a number, a list of contacts starting with these numbers appears in the input field window. To create a contact, you need to click on the “plus” in “contacts”. The following information is available for each subscriber: avatar, first and last name, phone number, email address, Google account Talk, group, ringtone, mailing address, organization, note, nickname, website, birthday and anniversary.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Messages
Traditionally for Samsung, typing is done on one of two keyboards: "Samsung", which resembles the keyboard in iOS, and Swype. Both seemed to me not very convenient due to the small screen size. IN in this case I am a supporter of the resistive type of sensor, since in this case you can at least hit the buttons accurately with a stylus. The phone has an accelerometer, so when you turn the smartphone on its side, the keyboard takes on a landscape view and makes typing a little more convenient.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Applications
This time I won’t list all the applications: the set of programs corresponds to those in all previous budget models. I will provide screenshots.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Web browser
Standard web browser. Does not support Flash 10.x, since the kernel architecture is ARMv6. You can try to install Adobe Flash, optimized for such chips, however, the surfing speed is sharply reduced and has a negative impact on stability.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Multimedia
Regular Samsung player. When playing a song, the album cover, player control keys, and a button for viewing the list of songs are displayed on the screen. In the settings you can set the sound to 5.1 or select an equalizer. There are 11 presets available for the latter: rock, jazz, classical, dance, pop, live sound, concert hall, wide range, music clarity, bass boost and externalization.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Supported audio formats: MP3 / AAC / AAC+ / AMR / AMR-NB / eAAC+.
The sound volume of the polyphonic speaker is average. Plays cleanly, without overload. The sound quality in the headphones is not bad, but far from ideal: there is a lack of low frequencies (40-50 Hz), and the high frequencies are greatly overwhelmed. Overall, the player sounds slightly worse than on Gio or Fit. Naturally, according to subjective feelings. True, the volume in the headphones is high.
FM radio
For it to work, you need to connect headphones, they act as an antenna. The sensitivity of the radio receiver is good. Operating range 85 – 108 MHz, RDS supported. Large numbers of the current frequency appear on the screen, and at the bottom there are four cells of frequently listened to radio stations. In the settings you can configure the radio auto-off timer: from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
 |
 |
Video player
A very simple player with support for H264/H263 codecs and MP4 and 3GP formats. The maximum resolution of videos is 720x480 pixels with a bitrate of no more than 4000 Kbps in MP4 format. There are no settings, only rewinding videos and “play”/”pause”.
If you install, for example, the MX Video Player application, you can watch AVI movies with a resolution of up to 800x600 pixels. The player also plays 1280x720 pixel videos, but the video is very slow.
Conclusion
Frankly, the Samsung Galaxy Y was a bit of a disappointment to me. Firstly, due to its cost, and secondly, due to its low-quality screen. Despite the new installed platform, the device did not work any faster compared to previous inexpensive models.
Actually, the Galaxy S5360 has several serious competitors, even among the previous “Galactic” line. For example, Samsung Gio costs either the same as Vi, or slightly more, but it has a 3-megapixel camera with autofocus on board, and the screen resolution corresponds to the minimum standard - 320x480 pixels, and the diagonal is only 0.2 inches larger . Smartphone Fit - 3.2" display, resolution 240x320 pixels, 5 MP camera module with autofocus, but the processor is weaker - 600 MHz. You can buy it for 6,500 - 7,000 rubles.
There is LG Optimus One. Costs about 6,000 rubles. Screen resolution – 320x480 pixels, diagonal – 3.2 inches, 3 MP camera with autofocus and video recording 640x480 pixels. Yes, the processor is weaker, but this does not affect the performance of the device in any way.
Before buying the Galaxy S5360, I advise you to at least quickly glance at the reviews of the above smartphones.
Specifications:
- Class: smartphone
- Form factor: monoblock
- Case materials: plastic
- operating system: Google Android 2.3.6
- Network: GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS/HSDPA 900/2100
- Processor: single-core, 832 MHz, Broadcom BCM21553
- RAM: 290 MB
- Storage memory: 160 MB and 2 GB memory card
- Interfaces: Wi-Fi (b/g/n/), Bluetooth 3.0 (A2DP), microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset
- Screen: capacitive, TFT-LCD 3.0"" with a resolution of 240x320 pixels
- Camera: 2 MP without autofocus, video recorded in QVGA
- Navigation: GPS
- Additionally: accelerometer, proximity sensor, FM radio
- Battery: removable, lithium-ion (Li-Ion) capacity 1200 mAh
- Dimensions: 104 x 58 x 11.5 mm
- Weight: 97.5 grams
Roman Belykh (