Samsung Debuts 4 Low-Cost Galaxy Phones

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The new (from left) Galaxy Core II, Galaxy Ace 4, Galaxy Young 2, and Galaxy Star 2.

Image: Mashable composite. Mashable, Samsung.

By Karissa Bell2014-06-30 18:59:47 UTC

Samsung added four new low-cost phones to its Galaxy lineup Monday. All four devices will run the latest version of Android along with a pared-down version of Samsung's TouchWhiz interface.

The new Galaxy Core II, Galaxy Star 2, Galaxy Ace 4 and Galaxy Young 2 are meant to be affordable alternatives to the company's flagship Galaxy S5.

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Of the four, the Galaxy Core II has the most impressive specs. The handset is equipped with a 4.5-inch display, quad-core 1.2 Ghz processor and a 5MP rear-facing camera. The Galaxy S5, by comparison, has a 5.1-inch display, 2.5 GHz quad-core processor and 16 MP camera.

The Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 (left) and Young 2 (right).

The Galaxy Ace 4, the mid-range handset of the new phones, will come in LTE and 3G varieties. The LTE version will have a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, 4-inch display and 5 MP camera. The 3G version has a slightly smaller 1.0 GHz dual-core processor and also has a 4-inch display and 5MP camera.

The Galaxy Star 2 and Galaxy Young 2 round out the lower end of the lineup. Both devices come with single-core 1.0 GHz processors, 3.5-inch displays and 2 and 3 MP cameras, respectively.

It's not clear when the new phones will go on sale and Samsung has not yet revealed pricing for the new devices or where they will be sold. Given the low-end specs and emphasis on affordability, it's possible some or all of the new phones will be targeted at markets outside of the U.S.

Samsung has recently made producing affordable devices for emerging markets a bigger part of its mobile strategy. Earlier this year, the company unveiled the Samsung Z, the first device to run the company's Linux-based Tizen operating system. The Z, also meant to be a low-cost alternative to Android devices, will go on sale in Russia later this year before expanding to other markets.

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Topics: Mobile, samsung, Samsung Galaxy S5, Tech