Samsung unveils the budget Galaxy Core Advance, comes in Q1 2014

The Galaxy Core Advance, which Samsung announced today, is a new mid-range device, aimed at consumers on a tight budget. The Galaxy Core Advance succeeds the Samsung Galaxy Core, which was released several months ago.

However, judging from the official photos, the looks of the Samsung Galaxy Core and the Galaxy Core Advance have little in common, as the latter is more reminiscent of something like the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active. The 4.7" display of the Galaxy Core Advance features a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, which means that the device has a low pixel density of 198 ppi.

Unlike its predecessor, which has only one, the newly unveiled mid-ranger has three physical buttons on the front – home, menu and back ones. What's more, the sides of the Galaxy Core Advance will not only sport a volume rocker and power button, but also dedicated keys, which will allow users to take photos and access some of the voice recorder functions.

According to the Korean giant, the Soft Feel back cover of the smartphone will make the device more comfortable to hold. Allegedly, the back coating will also improve the overall durability and deliver greater protection from accidental scratches.

The Galaxy Core Advance will be slightly bigger and heavier than the Galaxy Core. With dimensions of 5.24 x 2.77 x 0.38 inches, the device will tip the scales at 5.11 oz (145gr).

Speaking of hardware, the Galaxy Core Advance is quite similar to its predecessor. It will come with a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU and 1GB of RAM on board. . The internal memory of the device is 8 gigabytes, but users can add some extra space by using a microSD card of up to 64GB. The Samsung Galaxy Core Advance has a 2000 mAh battery, unlike the Galaxy Core, which utilizes a smaller, 1800 mAh unit. Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC with S Beam are on board, too. A 5MP VGA snapper can be found on the back of the smartphone.

Software-wise, the Samsung Galaxy Core Advance will ship with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Some of the apps, which come preloaded on other devices from the Galaxy family, such as S Voice, S Translator, Sound & Shot, Easy Mode, etc, have found their way on the upcoming mid-ranger as well. The Galaxy Core Advance will come with several accessibility apps preinstalled. One of them is Optical Scan, which scans a photo or picture for text and if any is found, it will be read aloud to the user.

According to Samsung, Light Sensing, another accessibility feature, will use the camera of the smartphone to sense light direction and brightness, which will be of aid to the visually impaired users. In order to provide greater level of privacy and save some battery juice, another feature, Screen Curtain, will allow users to input commands on a blackened screen.

The Galaxy Core Advance will come in either blue or white. There is no info about pricing, but it is expected that the device will be available in early 2014. According to Sammy, a line of dedicated accessories will be available shortly after the smartphone's release.




source: Samsung Mobile Press