It’s been rumoured about for some time, but it still comes as a surprise to many. Samsung has chosen the busy CES period to introduce the new Galaxy E series of smartphones in India, where the new Galaxy E5 and E7 are the more affordable alternatives to the new Galaxy A series.
At first glance, it doesn’t look like the Galaxy E are much different compared to the new Galaxy A series of smartphones. Both product lines are similarly specced, mid-range devices that are intended as the new, streamlined look of the Korean giants. A closer look at the press renders (as well as the product descriptions) will show one key difference: while the Galaxy A series are equipped with a sleek metal frame, the new Galaxy E smartphones will not have that premium feature – the press images show that the E series may sport brushed metal accents on a plastic frame. Samsung, however, has not confirmed this in its press release.
The Galaxy E5 is the smaller-sized model in the series, packing a 5-inch 720p Super AMOLED display. Internally, the Galaxy E5 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage, support for up to 64GB microSD card slots, 8MP rear and 5MP front camera sensors, and a 2,400mAh battery.
The larger Galaxy E7 features a 5.5-inch 720p Super AMOLED display with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage, support for up to 64GB microSD card slots, and runs on a similar 1.2GHz quad-core processor. In addition to a larger 2,950mAh battery, the E7 also has a larger 13MP rear camera, though the front camera is the same 5MP unit as the E5.
Both smartphones will run on Android 4.4 KitKat with the company’s TouchWiz overlay. The Galaxy E5 and E7 are also only 7.3mm thin, but max out at just 3.5G connectivity – there’s no LTE support. On the other hand, the same software enhancements from Samsung’s flagship products, such as Ultra Power Saving Mode, Private Mode, Multi Screen and even sees the introduction of not one, but three selfie modes: Wide Angle Selfie, Selfie Voice Command, and Selfie with Palm Gesture. Interestingly, both the Galaxy E5 and E7 have something called “hybrid dual SIM” though Samsung did not elaborate more about this.
Currently, the Galaxy E5 and E7 will only be available in India from 20 January onwards, carrying retail prices of INR19,300 (about RM1,080) and INR23,000 (about RM1,290) respectively. There’s no indication about availability in other markets just yet, though it is likely a global rollout will follow.
(Source: Samsung Tomorrow)
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