Tech journalist and leaker extraordinaire, Mr. Evan Blass, a.k.a. @evleaks on Twitter, has just tweeted what could very well be the first set of official renders of Samsung’s next-generation entry-level smartphone, the Galaxy J1. The device is expected to replace the first-generation J1 that was launched last year by the South Korean company in a number of emerging markets around the world including India. As per the tweet from Mr. Blass, the device will come in at least three different colors – black, white and gold. While there’s no ETA given regarding the actual launch, it probably isn’t a long way away, seeing as the marketing material is already being readied by Samsung. Also, the first-gen Galaxy J1 was launched last January, so it is only logical to expect the J1 (2016) to be made official any time now.
This, of course, is not the first time we’ve read about the 2016 edition of Samsung’s most affordable handset. While @evleaks doesn’t discuss hardware specs this time around, earlier rumors have suggested that the device will feature a 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels (WVGA). The current-generation J1 comes with a display panel of the same resolution, but has a slightly smaller screen that measures 4.3-inches. The upcoming handset is expected to be powered by an Exynos 3457 SoC, that’s designed and developed in-house by Samsung, and incorporates a quad-core application processor. The all-new Galaxy J1 is also expected to sport 1 GB of RAM and have Android 5.1 Lollipop pre-installed, no doubt with Samsung’s trademark TouchWiz interface laid on top.
While nothing more is known about the upcoming, revamped Galaxy J1 at the moment, the device is expected to be launched in high-volume emerging markets like India and China at the earliest. The handset might also make its way through to the US, seeing as the first-gen device was launched as a prepaid smartphone on Verizon back in May last year. Samsung will be hoping that its mid and entry-level devices start getting some momentum, seeing as its market share in the segment has been in a seemingly perpetual freefall over the past few years. While the company’s recently-announced fourth quarter result fell well below market estimate, analysts continue to remain bullish on the company’s stock in the near future.
