The 2016 edition of an entry-level smartphone that was launched last year as Samsung’s most affordably-priced handset, is now available for purchase in Dubai, if latest reports are to be believed. The device in question happens to be the Galaxy J1 (2016 model), which now takes over from the first-generation Galaxy J1 that was launched last year by the South Korean company. The specifications of the new model had leaked late last year, and only yesterday, @evleaks had posted the official renders on Twitter, giving us a fairly decent look at the smartphone. Now, the device seems to be up for sale in Dubai, UAE, although it hasn’t been announced officially as such by Samsung. With the official availability of the device, however, it looks as though the leaked specs have hold up pretty much to a T.
Taking a look at the new generation Galaxy J1, the smartphone features a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED display that has a pixel resolution of 800 x 480 (WVGA). The device is powered by what’s said to a quad-core processor, clocked at 1.3 GHz. While the make of the SoC isn’t entirely clear just as yet, earlier rumors had suggested the presence of an Exynos 3475 chipset under the hood. The handset comes with 1 GB of RAM and just 8 GB of internal storage. As for the cameras, the primary one comes with an 8-megapixel sensor while the secondary front-facing one is of the 2-megapixel variety. The smartphone also comes with LTE connectivity and carries a 2,050 mAh battery.
Coming to the pricing, the unlocked, SIM-free version of the Galaxy J1 (2016) comes with a price-tag of 499 Dirhams ($135) in the UAE, and is expected to be priced at similar levels elsewhere as well. While there’s no word on when it might be released elsewhere, emerging markets like India, China, Brazil and Russia will probably get the device at some stage sooner or later. When finally launched, the smartphone is expected to compete with devices like the LG K4, which has just been demoed by LG in its latest promotional video, and is likely to be launched at some stage within the next few weeks.
