Smartphone users expect Samsung to have festive launches for their handsets, but the South Korean corporation shows that it can be discrete as well, as it just proved with its recent launch of the Galaxy J1 2016.
The release happened in Dubai, and thanks to Jomichan George, who tipped GSM Arena, we have some info on the entry-level phone. Were it not for the sharp-eyed contributor, the launch of the entry-level smartphone could have gone unnoticed.
The interesting thing is that the affordable phone was launched sans announcement in Dubai, one of the most popular destinations for luxury-seekers. Some rumors started making rounds back in December 2015 about the Galaxy J1, but now information about its specs and pricing is public.
Looking at the specs of the J1, we notice a 4.5-inch screen that displays a 480 x 800 pixel resolution, while benefitting from Super AMOLED technology. Processing power comes from a four-cored chip that is clocked at 1.3GHz and backed by 1 GB of RAM. The OEM did not specify which chip we are looking at, but speculations hint at an Exynos 3475 SoC.
Other specs include an internal storage of 8 GB and an unimpressive camera combo. The selfie snapper is a modest 2-megapixel camera, while the main camera has 5 megapixels. The power source of the device is a meager 2,050 mAh battery. The device seems to have two color variants: gold and black.
One notable upgrade that the Galaxy J1 2016 has over its predecessors is the LTE support in base form, a connectivity option which lacked in earlier versions.
With a price point of approximately $135, the handset is a convenient item for developing countries, where all major OEMs aim to expand.
If Samsung wants to win in developing market, however, it will have to do better than rival manufacturers who recently released hard-to-say-no-to offers.
For example, Lenovo's Lemon 3 and Xiaomi's Redmi 3 both have powerful specs, some of which are identical. Both mid-range smartphones have displays of 5 inches, and take processing power from a Snapdragon chip which is paired with 2 GB of RAM. Each of the two devices' storage space is of 16 GB, twice as big as the new Galaxy J1's. The camera combo is another similarity between the two Chinese handsets, with a 13 megapixel main camera on the back and a 5-megapixel selfie snapper on the front.
The recently launched Lemon 3 comes with a myriad of features and connectivity options. Some of them are dual-SIM capability, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, Proximity sensor, Ambient Light sensor and Android 5.1 out of the box.
When comparing differences, the two handsets diverge in some aspects.
Battery size is one place where the Redmi 3 wins by a long shot, as it sports a beefy 4,100 mAh battery. Lemon 3, in comparison, comes packed with a 2,750 mAh battery. Needless to say, both batteries are larger than the one on Galaxy J1.
If we look at the resolution capacity of the two devices that rival the Samsung J1 (2016), the Lemon 3 comes on top with a resolution of 1,080 x 1,920 pixels, beating Redmi 3's 1,280 x 720 pixels.
To add another layer of persuasion, both Lenovo's and Xiaomi's new budget offerings are cheaper than the new Samsung Galaxy J1, as they come in at roughly $105.
