Samsung Plans Budget Smartphones ‘Over Galaxy S6’

Details emerge of low-end Galaxy J smartphone family, taking focus away from flagship brand

Samsung is gearing up to launch a family of new budget smartphones as it looks to claw back some of its hold in the worldwide market, according to reports.

Sources speaking to SAMmobile have revealed information concerning the company’s Galaxy J line-up, and in particular the first device on this group, the Samsung Galaxy J1.

Targeting first-time buyers, the Galaxy J1 features entry-level specifications, including a 4.3in WVGA LCD 800×480 display and 1.2Ghz quad-core processor, but will feature 4G LTE connectivity, making it an attractive proposition for new customers.

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According to the report, the Galaxy J1 will also come with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, which can be extended via a microSD card, alongside a 5MP rear camera and 2MP front camera. The device will run Android 4.4 KitKat and come with an 1850mAh battery, which with the above specifications should provide all-day battery life.

The device is set to arrive sometime in the middle of next year, but there are indications that Samsung’s low-cost smartphones could be taking resources away from the next generation of its flagship Galaxy S series.

Having not released a high-end smartphone since February, when the Galaxy S5 (pictured above) was revealed, the South Korean manufacturer has struggled in what has become an increasingly crowded mobile device market. The company’s most recent set of results, revealed in October, showed that falling smartphone sales had dented its profits in its most recent quarter, falling 60 percent to 4.1 trillion won ($3.8bn; £2.5 billion).

It has tried to kickstart this with a range of new devices, including the metal-bodied A3 and A5 devices launched in September, the company’s slimmest smartphone offerings yet, directly targeted at young consumers, featuring mid-range specs at an affordable price.

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