Samsung Electronics is reportedly working on an entry-level phone that comes with the latest Android 4.4 KitKat operating system out of the box. The device expected to have a price tag between ₹6,000 and ₹7,000, will take on Motorola's recently released Moto E, which also has a similar price tag.
The Korean Electronics giant had recently shipped a device with model number SM-G350E to India for testing, according to SamMobile. The dual SIM handset is said to have a 4.3-inch display.
Samsung's new low-cost phone is powered by a dual-core processor that clocked at 1.2GHz, packed with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, and features 5MP autofocus rear camera capable of HD video recording with VGA front shooter, according to Gadgetstouse. The sample handset, which is mentioned "TESTING AND EVALUATION AND NOT FOR RETAIL SALE", has a price tag of ₹6,070.
Interestingly, Motorola's recent release Moto E, which is the cheapest android phone running KitKat OS, is also priced at ₹6,999. It also shares a few similar features like 1 GB RAM, 4.3-inch display, dual core processor and Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Samsung's low-cost handset.
Moto E has dimension of 124.8x 64.8 x 12.3 mm, weighs 142 g, and sports a 4.3-inch qHD (960x540p) screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 scratch-resistant shield and has a pixel density of 256 ppi (pixels per inch). It is powered by 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 series dual-core CPU with 400MHz Adreno 302 GPU, runs on latest Android v4.4.2 KitKat OS and packs 1GB RAM with storage capacity of 4GB (expandable up to 32GB).
The device has a 5.0-megapixel camera (no flash and no front camera), and houses a 1980 mAh (Li-Ion) battery, which can provide power for close to 24 hours under mixed media usage. It also has features like Dual-SIM slots (micro), Bluetooth v4.0 (with LE), Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), micro-USB v2.0, microSD card slot and FM radio.
Motorola's budget phone received overwhelming response from price-conscious Indian mobile users, causing the Flipkart website to crash within half an hour of its release. The company sold out 20,000 units of the device within a few hours. This new development came as a threat to domestic mobile phone makers like Micromax, Karbonn and Lava to announce budget handsets with reasonable price tag. Lava has even gone ahead to announce KitKat OS updates to some of its smartphones in an attempt to please its users.
However, Samsung may give Moto E a run for its money with the launch of its upcoming budget smartphone with model number SM-G350E (yet to be named). With similar price range and some high-end features, the devices may end up eating into each other's revenues.
(Image Credit: Screenshot from Samsung Official Website)
