Samsung has unveiled its first Android Go powered device, the Galaxy J2 Core (SM-J260) in India. The smartphone runs on the Google’s lightweight Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition) operating system, which is a stripped down version of Android Oreo. The company has not revealed what it costs but considering that the Samsung Galaxy J2 sells around Rs 7,000, the new Galaxy J2 Core is expected to be priced lower.
The smartphone will be available in India and Malaysia from August 24 and will be made available in additional markets in the coming months. In terms of specifications, the Galaxy J2 Core is an entry-level smartphone with less powerful specifications. It is powered by a 1.4GHz Quad-Core Exynos 7570 14nm processor, which comes with the Mali-T720 MP1 GPU. Unlike the Galaxy Note 9 (review) and some other Samsung devices, don’t expect the Galaxy J2 Core to run Fortnite as it comes with 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage.
It features a 5.0-inch TFT display with a 540 x 960p resolution and supports dual SIMs. In terms of optics, it features an 8MP rear camera with f/2.2 aperture lens and a dedicated LED flash. On the front, it comes with a 5MP sensor with the same aperture size. The smartphone is powered by a 2600mAh battery and it skips on a fingerprint sensor and face unlock. “At Samsung, we are committed to providing our customers with inspiring technology and leading innovation across all our devices, in every category to fit their needs,” says Junho Park, VP of Global Product Planning, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “The Galaxy J2 Core offers a complete smartphone experience, incorporating some of the key features available on high-end devices with improved battery, storage and performance that is particularly appealing to first time owners.” The Galaxy J2 Core can be expected to be updated to the recently announced Android 9 Pie (Go Edition) in the near future.
The latest Android 9 Pie (Go Edition) OS improves upon Android Oreo (Go Edition) in many ways. It offers an additional 500MB of internal storage and faster device boot times, along with additional security features like verified boot, and an accessible dashboard for tracking and monitoring data consumption. You can read more about the Android Pie (Go Edition) here.
All devices running on Android Go OS come preloaded with Google’s suite of apps that are optimised for entry-level smartphones. There are already many Go versions of Google apps like Google Assistant Go, YouTube Go, Files Go, Google Go, Maps Go and more. These apps are optimised for low-end devices and also take up less space compared to their full versions.
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