A lot of people are asking me why the Netphone 701 (ZTE Blade) is more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy Y Netphone Edition. So I looked a little closer and wondered the same. Here’s a quick comparison to give you a better overview of the two Netphone variants.
Aside from the fact that the Samsung Galaxy Y is the newer handset (released October 2011) compared to the Netphone 701 (released October 2010 as ZTE Blade), the latter is twice as expensive as the former.
Here’s a comparative chart of the two:
The big advantage of the Netphone 701 over the Galaxy Y is the bigger screen and the amount of RAM. However, memory management has been improved since Android 2.2 so this isn’t a big disadvantage by the Galaxy Y in terms of performance.
The faster processor and Gingerbread flavor on the Galaxy Y would certainly break even the differences between the two.
With this in mind, it certainly is a puzzle why the Galaxy Y Netphone Edition is much, much cheaper than the Netphone 701. That, plus the fact the it’s a Samsung handset versus a ZTE handset.
IMO, the Galaxy Y seems to give the better bang for the buck if it’s just the Netphone ecosystem you are after. There’s also the danger that the Galaxy Y will eat into the market of the Netphone 701. My guess is Smart is going to correct this price discrepancy soon.
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mark p acosta says:
pareho maganda
Minerva Tolibas says:
Good day!
Just want to know about the galaxy netphone for a smart postpaid plan, regarding the requirements on how to apply..
thnaks & god bless,
Minnie
aerish says:
palike po fanpage ng netphone kung sinu po naka kuha na ng netphone my magagawa pa po tayo para maapgrade yung phone nyo…just post lang po ng question dun sa page..then turo ku po kung pano iaapgrade to gingerbread pwede pa nga po sa honeycomb kaso di support yung call..upgrade hoo natin using cyanogenmod thanks po
Jampol says:
OK, May 10K na ipon na po ako at nagdadalawang-isip po ako kung anung phone po bibilhin ko… Iphone 3G po sana kaso mabilis daw maubos ang battery
Few questions lang po.
– Kaya po bang mag-watch ng vids onlide dito sa netphone at Galaxy Y?
D po kse ako sure kng Mabilis ang Net – Access nito eh. Tsaka kung Kaya nya mag-play ng vids sa internet ng mabilis na pag buffer.
– Can Galaxy Y and Netphone compete against Iphone 4S?
– matagal po ba maubos battery nung dalawa? ilang hours po ang maximum usage kpag using the internet or playing games?
lancer says:
i bought my open-line samsung galaxy y for P5,995 two weeks ago. So far im satisfied with its internet and it has more applications to download from android market. i agree with petevizcaya, the battery is disappointing. i expected that this samsung gadget also has longer battery life. my cellphones tho are all samsung brand anyway… but overall rating, im very satisfied 8/10.
372466 says:
Merong GPU yang Galaxy Y. Gawa ng Broadcom, katulad ng sa Nokia N8, di lang nila nilagay sa specs.
genesis says:
comment ko lng po dpat tlaga mas malaki ang ppi pg mas malaki ang screen pag mas maliit ok lng ung mas mababa ang density..
also ung ram ng galaxy y ay 512 not 256
ang downside lang po ay ung cam
petevizcaya says:
I bought galaxy Y! its cheap, running on gingerbread. Yeah! but battery is disappointing. I adjusted the brightness to its lowest level na para lng makasave sa batt.. On the initial days the brightness was set to about half on the scale and I noticed that it would just last for 10hrs if u do browsing on youtube/FB.. that is i think normal nmn. It’s 2MP cam is not that disappointing. Ok nmn xa unlike other phones that says 2MP pero panget nmn quality hahaha. Pero Overall I give Galaxy Y an 8/10 :))
beamer says:
I finally bought the galaxy y for 5990 thru smart. It came with e-card load worth 1000 so It’s like buying it only for 4990 – it was even more cheaper.
The verdict:
As posted earlier. Aside from the price, I only wanted it for two things being 2.3.5 gingerbread. That it would work with Google Earth and Skype. I was dismayed.. Skype is working but upon installing Goggle Earth, it said it DOES NOT SUPPORT the device.. Is netphone or red bend blocking the installation of goggle earth?. Is there a work around to install Google earth in my galaxy Y being a 2.3.5? Is it possible to remove redband & netphone and just load up the “standard stock model? Would it work?
Thanks guys. Another thing, has anybody tried VPN connection with this unit?
cowscrubber says:
Like my earlier post, Google Earth is not available in the Philippines and, as you said, is not compatible with your device.
There is NO WORKAROUND for this especially since this is also a hardware issue. Netphone and Red Bend have nothing to do with anything. They’re both basically just a set of apps.
Having a newer version of Android, per se, does not give your phone additional abilities. Like in desktop computers, upgrading Windows not automatically allow you to run previously incompatible programs if your hardware is not up to the requirement.
Bottom line is that some apps require certain hardware to run, and hardware cannot be upgraded in mobile phones.
zteRulz says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvf6nNnZHfU
LOLers says:
It’s like comparing a Cherry QQ to a Honda jazz lol obviously Samsung has known for its reputations for this kind of industry, dont you get it as the saying goes, you get what you paid for… its a strategy for the samsung team to target or to aim to be the most affordable android phone ganun naman tlga yan eh maglalabas ng bago kulang un ganito kulang un ganyan syempre marketing strategy nila after nian maglalabas ulet sila ng bago galaxy y 2 hahaha na mataas na ang RAM at may GPU na
sunawi17 says:
compare looks like qq n jazz is not fair because in fact the specs of blade is real better,
LEBOBO says:
mas maganda pa yung LENOVO A60 kaysa sa smart netphone at samsuck galaxy Y na yan..
Name: blade says:
i’ve just read a review ’bout this phone on some site, it was a pretty dismal review for this lil’ phone being compared to those glamorous and powerful smartphones which i guess the writer is tryin to be straight forward about the pros and cons on this….btw, i read it supports adobe flash…I like it.
jejeje says:
haha natawa ko sa huling comment. anyway, my take is, i think that galaxy y is the better choice.
HAHAHA says:
MGA PUTANG INA NYO :)
asong ulol says:
@ HAHAHA – tama ka bro.- TUMAWA AT MAGMURA -yan ang normal na reaction ng taong walang laman ang utak kaya hindi makasali sa normal na usapan. mag bate ka na lang bro -ng mabakinabangan ka naman ng mga butiki sa kisame. hindot ka ulol!.
cowscrubber says:
I think the Galaxy Y’s powerful processor is negated by the following – it has no GPU.
That means that overall, it is NOT NECESSARILY FASTER than the Blade.
While the ZTE Blade is almost a year old, its specs are still comparable to more recent mid-range phones like the HTC Wildfire S.
cowscrubber says:
Let me be frank with you…
You don’t know what you’re talking about!
You really don’t have any idea… and using words like “processor” and “red bend” does not help.
beamer says:
@ cowscrubber, as net phones by smart, both are supported by smart thru ‘red bend’ so any new innovation introduced by smart will probably beneficial to both with a slight advantage to galaxy y due to its faster processor and a higher android version. zte blade has been in the market for a year and may be close to obsolescence while galaxy y – barely a month. So I will not discount the possibility that your CyanogenMod will soon ride the galaxy bandwagon. Not being sounding ‘techhie’ but i’m not about to spend my money on a pricey unit raised from the ashes of obsolescence just to live for another six months?
cowscrubber says:
Remember that the ZTE Blade is supported by CyanogenMod, while the Samsung Galaxy Y is not.
So technically, the Blade also has plenty of room to improve…that is, if you’re techie enough. If you’re not, then one probably wouldn’t care about upgrades.
beamer says:
that is correct. but why would you buy a unit that is on its maximum upgrade status ( hangang 2.2 na lang sya) as against a ‘month old’ model that has still plenty of room to improve?
ilovehtc says:
can we apply cyanogenmod 7 on netphone?
joco_ph says:
i just did but i lost my google maps,places,latitude…etc.
JeyJey says:
Available da ba yang Samsung Galaxy Y dito sa pinas?
richard says:
Even though the Galaxy Y has a smaller screen real estate, i would prefer it over ZTE Blade. Brand and quality plays a big factor here. And of course the processor of Samsung is larger which makes it faster than the Blade.
cowscrubber says:
Like any other mobile phone, hindi na-uupgrade ang internal components ng Galaxy Y.
beamer says:
pwede bang ma ‘upgrade ang ram at GPU ng galaxy y? being a newer model there might be some work around to overcome these negatives…
cowscrubber says:
I think the Galaxy Y’s processor is negated by the following – it has no GPU and has LESS RAM.
That means that overall, it is NOT NECESSARILY FASTER than the Blade.
However, I think it makes up for that by (probably) having better battery life.
Friend says:
add 4K for a measly .5″ display size and 2x ram difference ?! absurd!
Friend says:
ahh sure … the ppi pixel density would really matter that much that it would cost us additional 4K just for that … yeah right …
Un-Friend says:
Well, you might have overlooked the ppi density of the 3.5″ screen of Blade
happykoko says:
Well if you upgrade the ZTE Blade to gingerbread then it trumps the Galaxy Y because the ZTE Blade has more screen real estate and bigger RAM.
cowscrubber says:
The only reason why it seems that the Galaxy Y is better than the ZTE Blade is that Smart overpriced the phone. In Europe, it goes as low as around 4,000 (converted to peso).
Also, theoretically, the netphone can be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich, while the Galaxy Y cannot because the new Android requires a GPU.
Netphone User says:
beamer, sir pde maupgrade ang Netphone(ZTE Blade) to Gingerbread, as latest as 2.3.7. ZTE Blade is one of the best phones at it’s price range, graphics plang sulit na. I’m expecting to upgrade mine to ICE Cream Sandwich (Android v4.0)
beamer says:
@ cowscrubber. If you are referring to the ‘real time gps positon on gooble earth, you are right. street level maps that i see in the desktop that i use at home will probably be close, if not, the same. I have yet to see it on the andriod apps on these units, that’s why i’m curious.
cowscrubber says:
@beamer
1. Skype also works on the ZTE Blade.
2. Google Earth is not available in the Philippines…unless you’re based abroad
Your obvious reasons are not really valid anymore.
beamer says:
two main reason why i need these netphone.
1. I subscribe to skype unlimited landline calls worldwide , so i can call ANY listed countries on the go any time.
2. i like the google earth android app that can
zoom up to street level if you want to find anybody’s house. but it requires android 2.3 minimum
kaya sa galaxay y na ako. for obvious reasons
beamer says:
Dyan ako na turn off sa zte blade netphone.. actually kukuha na ako pero nakita na originally zte was 2.1 na in-upgrade lang sa froyo 2.2… at HINDI na pwede ma upgrade sa gingerbread. so cancel ko ang zte.. yung galaxy y me room for improvement pa. plus there are newer android apps na minimumum requirement ay 2.3.
beamer says:
Dyan ako na turn off sa zte blade netphone.. actually kukuha na ako pero nakita na orignally zte was 2.1 na unupgrade lang sa froyo 2.2… at HINDI na pwede ma upgrade sa gingerbread. so cancel ko ang zte.. yung galaxy y me room for improvement pa. plus there are newer android apps na minimumum requirement ay 2.3.
evosieg says:
If SMART would be smart enough they’ll keep the prices as it is. From the looks of it the Galaxy Y will fill-in the place of the Samsung Champ in their lineup so it’ll make no sense if they bump the price up especially since a lot of new phones will be released before the year ends. Perhaps even the 701’s price will drop once the Netphone service stops being free by January.