Samsung Galaxy Chat is announced – Ice Cream Sandwich flavored, packs a QWERTY keyboard

Remember that low-end Samsung QWERTY smartphone that leaked a couple of days ago? Yeah, the device has just been announced officially. It is called the Samsung Galaxy Chat and it is an entry-level Android 4.0 device made for people who still favor physical keyboards over those pesky virtual ones. 

As far as specs go, here is what has been confirmed so far: the Samsung Galaxy Chat has a 3-inch display with... QVGA resolution. Yikes! The camera on its back is of 2 megapixels and has no flash, the 4GB of on-board storage can be expanded with a microSD card, and the battery inside it has a capacity of 1,200mAh. The unit itself weighs 112 grams and is 11.7 millimeters thick. Interestingly, one of the images suggests that an LTE version of the smartphone is being planned, although in our opinion, that is most likely a mistake. We have no information yet regarding the processor inside the Samsung Galaxy Chat, but we doubt it will be something that will shatter any Quadrant highscores.

On the software side, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich comes pre-installed, which is a plus. Samsung's ChatON messaging app is pre-loaded and can be launched with a dedicated key. Additionally, the smartphone comes with the S Planner app, Game Hub, AllShare Play, and a "customizable favorites tray".

Expect seeing the Samsung Galaxy Chat on shelves starting this month. It will be first made available in Spain followed by other countries in Europe, Latin America, Middle East, China, Southeast Asia, and Southwest Asia. Pricing remains unknown and will likely vary by region, but we expect the handset to be quite competitively priced.

source: Samsung