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Samsung is apparently planning world domination. Or more exactly-following swift sales of 10 million Galaxy S smartphones and well more than a million Galaxy Tab media tablets-the launch of four more-affordable Galaxy S phones: the Ace, Fit, Gio and mini.
Geared toward first-time smartphone owners, the devices take their design cues from the original Galaxy S phones, says Samsung, and will be shown off at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona Feb. 14 through 17.
“In creating the Samsung Galaxy smartphone line-up, we wanted to expand on the things that made the Samsung Galaxy S such a runaway success whilst diversifying our product range,” Samsung President JK Shin said in a Jan. 26 statement. “Each device delivers something different, with the idea that each user is an individual and wants their mobile experience to be easy and fun.”
All four phones run Android 2.2 (also known as “Froyo”) and include WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as Samsung’s Social Hub, which integrates a user’s contacts, instant messaging and e-mail into a single page view, making them easier to manage. All also feature Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface, access to the Android Market-which is now 100,000-plus apps strong-and Swype’s QuickType, for speedy typing. Google Maps, a Quick Office document viewer, an Android browser, assisted GPS and voice search are likewise included across the board.
Of the four, the Galaxy Ace is the least round of the lot and most resembles its Galaxy S forebears. It measures 112.4 by 59.9 by 11.5mm and features a 3.5-inch HVGA TFT-LCD display. The processor runs at 800MHz, and the camera is 5 megapixels. According to Engadget, the Ace will be “available immediately” in Russia, followed shortly after by Europe, India and China.
The display size shrinks a bit from there. The Galaxy Fit features a 3.31-inch QVGA-TFT-LCD display, a 600MHz processor (with a 3D accelerator, adds Samsung) and a 5-megapixel camera. It measures 110.2 by 61.2 by 12.6mm, and like the Ace has a 1350mAh battery.
The Galaxy Gio measures 110.5 by 57.5 by 12.15mm and pairs a 3.2-inch HVGA TFT-LCD display with an 800MHz processor, a 3-megapixel camera and the 1350mAh battery. And finally the mini, which is actually a touch wider than both the Gio and the Ace, simply has the smallest display, at 3.14 inches. The processor is 600MHz and the camera 3 megapixels.
Samsung made no mention of whether the devices will eventually come to the United States. Consumers in the States can instead look forward to a 4G version of the Galaxy Tab, as well as 4G Galaxy S smartphone, which Samsung has promised to make for Verizon Wireless, to complement its 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network.
In 2011, Samsung’s Shin has said he expects the company to sell 50 million phones.