Samsung has announced the Galaxy Core, yet another mid-range Android smartphone with an average set of specs, plus a single or dual-SIM option for maximum availability around the world. Fitting somewhere in-between the Galaxy Star and the Galaxy Win, and probably slightly above the rumored Galaxy S3 Mini, should it arrive; the Galaxy Core isn’t all that different to the old Galaxy S2. Design-wise, it’s closer to the Galaxy S4, with a textured rear panel, rounded corners and a choice of either white or blue color schemes.
The screen measures 4.3-inches and has a resolution of 480 x 800, while a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM promises to keep the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system running smoothly. There’s a 5-megapixel camera on the rear of the phone, complete with an LED flash, plus a VGA video call camera sits above the touchscreen.
Several of Samsung’s beloved software features have been installed alongside Android 4.1, including Smart Stay to prevent the screen from dimming when you’re still looking at it, S Voice, Smart Alert, and Motion UI, which enables gesture controls for certain functions such as muting calls.
The feature list is completed with Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, an FM radio, Wi-Fi, a digital compass, and 8GB of storage memory. Samsung has added a microSD card slot ready to take cards up to 64GB in size, so don’t be too disheartened by the small amount of onboard memory. The Galaxy Core’s battery is an 1800mAh cell, which is wrapped up inside a 8.95mm thick body weighing 124 grams. There’s no 4G magic here, but it will connect to 3G HSUPA networks.
Samsung will put the dual-SIM Galaxy Core on sale in May, with the single-SIM version following in July. It hasn’t confirmed where the phone will go on sale or how much it will cost, but we’d imagine it’ll get a wide – and fairly cheap – release.
