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Freetel announces the new Rei, a stylish Android up-and-comer

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At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, Freetel has announced a new Android device that will more than likely make its way to the United States, along with a handful of other smartphones from its Samurai lineup.

If you haven’t heard of Freetel before, the company is a relatively new mobile manufacturer based in Japan that offers affordable handsets, and it announced that it would be bringing its devices to the U.S. and Europe at CES 2016 in January.

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Now the company has announced the Rei, a 5.2-inch Full HD device, powered with an octa-core CPU (likely Mediatek), with 2GB of RAM, and a 2,800mAh battery. The device will come with a MicroSD card slot, so you can increase the amount you have from the initial 32GB that’s offered. Powered by Android 6.0, the device actually looks virtually exactly like the iPhone 6S, though it’s a little less rounded around the edges. It also has a physical home button that’s reminiscent of the one you’ll find on Samsung’s Galaxy phones.

The Rei has an aluminum back cover with a 13-megapixel rear camera on it. Across the front is an 8-megapixel selfie cam. The aluminum back cover will come in four colors, which will vary by market. Going by the photos from the initial announcement it will be available in black, silver, gold, and one that looks like rose gold.

Freetel doesn’t have an exact ship date on the Rei, but it’s expected to come to the USA, along with a few other devices, in the second quarter of 2016. The company hasn’t mentioned the price either, except that it’s “affordable.”

We’ll find out more and update you when we take a better look at the device, and the company’s lineup as Mobile World Congress begins in full Barcelona.

Julian Chokkattu
Former Mobile and Wearables Editor
Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…
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