Samsung is closing out 2011 by introducing the Galaxy Y Duos and Galaxy Y Pro Duos, two low-end dual SIM models that allow two separate phone numbers and a simultaneous use of data on the same handset.
The idea of the dual SIM devices, which both run Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, is that users can use a personal phone number and a professional number without buying and carting around two phones.
The Duos and Duos Pro are similar under the hood.
Both offer consumers 832 MHz processors and 3 megapixel cameras, which may seem out of place at a time when most Samsung Gingerbread phones are powered by 1GHz-plus dual-core processors and 8MP autofocus cameras. Both also include VGA cameras in the front of the phones.
However, externally the phones are very different. The regular Duos is a candy bar phone with a 3.14-inch full touch display, while the Duos Pro pairs its 2.6-inch screen with a full QWERTY keyboard.
The presence of the physical keyboard is intended to give the handset a Blackberry feel for professionals who prefer typing emails and text messages on a physical keyboard.
Back to the features and functionality each Duos model has in common. Both phones are equipped with ChatON, Samsung’s communication service and the Social Hub, which funnels e-mail, social network profiles and instant messaging to one inbox.
The Duos phones also employ Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface and provide access to Google Mobile apps, including Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps and Google Calendar.
Each Duos model also has Polaris, which allows accessing and editing of Office documents, and Find My Mobile, which lets users trace the device, remotely lock the phone, remotely wipe its contents in case of loss or theft. See more specifications in Samsung’s press statement here.
Samsung is targeting the phones for “for young and practical consumers who want to manage their professional career and busy social life with affordable price,” the company said in a statement.
Such diversification is wise at a time when Motorola Mobility (NYSE:MMI) has launched several rugged, enterprise Android phones and HTC is selling Facebook phones and other handsets for younger audiences.
The Duos will be available in Russia in January, and several countries outside the U.S. thereafter. Galaxy Y Duos will roll out to Europe, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, Middle East, Africa and China. Y Pro Duos will next year be available in Europe, Latin America, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Africa.
The Duos models stand at the other end of the spectrum from Samsung’s new Galaxy Nexus, an excellent handset featuring the fresh Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS, running on a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display and powered by a 1.2GHz processor.