Samsung is cranking out the low-end devices for the global market, with an apparent eye on becoming not only an industry leader with flagship devices, but also cornering a large chunk of the developing markets with low-cost devices like the Galaxy Pocket and now the Galaxy Pocket Plus. The information regarding an impending release in Europe was first broke by Samsungworld.nl and then through a leaked ROM.
The model number for the new device, S5301, adds one number to the original Pocket S5300, a standard method of denoting a plus model for Samsung. The current Galaxy Pocket is the cheapest Android smartphone offered by Samsung and is being sold for $130 unlocked, and a little more for the dual-sim Pocket Duo version which was released a few months after the original model.
There’s very little available about the specs on the newest version of the series, but the highlight that’s already been released is the inclusion of Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. This is a huge improvement over the predecessors which are still running on Gingerbread, though there is now speculation that they may receive an update when the new model is released. That’s yet to be confirmed by any carrier or by Samsung.
Specs for the original Samsung Galaxy Pocket:
- 2.8-inch QVGA Screen
- HSDPA
- Wi-Fi Enabled
- GPS Enabled
- 832 MHz Single-Core Processor
- 3GB Internal Storage
- Expandable Micro-SD Slot
- 2MP Rear Camera
It’s important to note that no details have been released regarding the specs for the new version of the device, but they will likely be very similar with minor upgrades. There will also likely be very little in the way of company marketing or fanfare as the device is announced and subsequently released, as the flagship devices will still be receiving the bulk of advertising dollars for the forseeable future. Samsung may however choose to invest heavily in local marketing during the European release in those areas that will be most interested in a low-end device of this nature.
It’s difficult to determine what, if any, impact this release will have on the current low-end smartphone market in Europe, but the Galaxy name is very popular and will likely gain a lot of attention through name recognition alone. Anyone from Europe excited about this release?
Source: SamMobile