Samsung Galaxy S Advance: Our Predictions on Local Pricing and Availability
A few days back, Samsung made official the existence of yet another Galaxy S variant called the Galaxy S Advance. The device packs:
- 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display with 800×480 pixel resolution
- 5MP rear camera with 720p video recording, 1.3MP front camera – same numbers as the Galaxy Nexus, possibly same hardware as well.
- 1GHz dual-core processor with 768MB RAM
- 8GB/16GB Internal Storage
- MicroSD card slot (Up to 32GB)
- 1,500mAh Lit-Ion Battery
- Android 2.3 Gingerbread
While the higher-end models in the Samsung line-up like the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note supports HSPA+, the Galaxy S Advance only supports HSPA connectivity with download up to 14.4Mbps. In terms of dimensions, the Galaxy S Advance is 9.69mm thick and weighs 120g. As comparison, the roughly similar looking Galaxy Nexus has a thickness of 8.94mm and it weighs 135g.
You can see that the Galaxy S Advance sits just below the Galaxy Nexus in terms of features. Obviously you can expect the pricing to be lower as well. So how much will the Galaxy S Advance cost when it comes to Malaysia? We’re predicting that the device is very likely to retail for around RM1,400 or lower, possibly as low as RM1,200. In terms of availability the Galaxy S Advance could be coming to Malaysia as early as Q1 2012 and no later than Q2 thereabouts.
We will update you with more details when we get them. Till then, stay awesome!
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Maxis offers entry level Androids for bundling
For people that won’t want to spend a lot on phones, Maxis now offers 2 entry level Android smart phones for bundling. The Samsung Galaxy Y and HTC Explorer are both offered from RM0 with 24 months subscription of 3GB data plan.
On the lowest commitment and duration option of 12 months bundle of 1GB, the Galaxy Y and Explorer can be yours for RM349 and RM499 respectively. Since these are entry level device, it is surprising that Maxis isn’t offering lower data options such as 200MB and 500MB for the two.
To recap on the specs, the RM499 Galaxy Y is a 3.0″ QVGA device which runs on 832MHz processor and comes with a 2MP camera. The RM759 HTC Explorer meanwhile has a larger 3.2″ HVGA screen with 600MHz processor and has a 3MP camera.
For more information, head over to Maxis.
Samsung Galaxy Note now on Maxis from RM1549
Maxis is finally kicking back into Android action as it now bundles the Samsung Galaxy Note. This comes right after its recent rebundling of the Samsung Galaxy S II.
On Maxis, the 5.3″ HD Super AMOLED device is offered with either 1GB and 3GB bolt-on data plans on top of any Maxis Value postpaid subscription. You can choose from 3 contract duration options of 12, 18 and 24 months. The Galaxy Note is offered as low as RM1,549 with 24 months subscription of 3GB data plan. For the minimal spender, it goes for RM1,949 with 12 months subscription of 1GB data.
The revised data plan rates have been refreshed as well. With a minimum of Maxis Value First postpaid (RM30), the minimum bundled options would be RM78/month (1GB) and RM98/month (3GB).
As comparison, DiGi offers the Galaxy Note from RM1399 while Celcom offers it from RM1368.
For more information, head over to Maxis.
The World’s Simplest Mobile Phone Will Soon Be Available in Malaysia
Single-core, dual-core, quad-core, AMOLED, Super AMOLED, Retina Display, NFC, blah blah blah…sometimes all these fancy tech make life complicated. For those who yearn for a much simpler time when a phone was a phone and a tablet was a stone, this device could be just what the doctor ordered.
Say hello once again to John’s Phone. We posted about John’s Phone a couple of years back. It’s an interesting concept. John Doe Amsterdam, the dude that created the phone, claims that the device is the world’s simplest mobile phone. If by simple he means bare-bones, then yea, this sits right up there on the list of simple mobile phones.
John’s Phone does only two things. Make and receive calls. Actually, technically, that’s only one thing. With John’s Phone you don’t get a camera, there’s no OS, no fancy touchscreen and no contact organiser, you can’t even text with the device.
With John’s Phone you get a simple LCD which shows incoming and outgoing numbers and battery status. The phone has a special compartment that stores a specially designed pen and phone book for you to jot down phone numbers. There’s also a speed dial function for 10 of your frequently called numbers.
The John’s Phone is a quirk in today’s world of high-tech smartphones but it’s a quirk that has charm because sometimes all you need is just a phone. School kids (the really young ones) and some adults (the really old ones) might find John’s Phone to be exactly what they’re looking for.
In any case, if you’re keen, John’s Phone is on pre-order now at this local online store called GeekZen. The device retails for RM350 (excluding delivery charges) with three colours to choose from. Head over here to pre-order.
Update: Commenter Ajay says that you can get a decent feature phone for much less, about RM250 less and he has a point. In fact, if you add RM200 or so more and you’re in entry-level Android territory. John’s Phone might be the simplest phone in the world but it’s certainly not the cheapest out there. It’s a quirk and definitely not for everyone.
Don’t get your hopes up people, the purportedly leaked press photo from Eldar Murtazin showing off an apparently new Ice Cream Sandwich Samsung smartphone is a fake and a phoney. A couple of Android sites have called out the picture as nothing more than a poorly falsified image that started life as an actual press image of a white Galaxy S II. What gave the image from Murtazin away as a fake?
Michael Crider from androidcommunity.com writes:
First of all, the Ice Cream Sandwich updates for the Galaxy S II that have been leaked so far look nothing like the screenshot on the device in question. The early builds keep the look and feel of Samsung’s proprietary TouchWiz skin intact, including the four-button bottom icon row on the homescreen. The photo above looks like a more even blend of AOSP Android 4.0 and TouchWiz, including the dividing bar and centered app drawer from unmodified Android 4.0. Even so, Samsung’s proprietary widgets and icons are seen hanging out next to the basic Android 4.0 folders.
There’s plenty of other things to suggest that this isn’t the real McCoy. International versions of Samsung’s phones almost always use a center button flanked by two capacitive buttons – the four-button Android standard is only adopted on Samsung’s US phones, which probably wouldn’t be revealed at a Spanish conference. Even the buttons themselves seem wrong, if only because Samsung rarely keeps the same design for the icons as Google’s Android spec recommends. Look closely and you can see errors in the photo itself: bad stitching on the left and right bezels and artifacts below the screen, probably where some modification has taken place to adjust the capacitive buttons.
So what will Samsung revealed at MWC? Well, you can still expect a new range of smartphones and tablets but this will definitely not be one of them.
Shame on you Eldar Murtazin. We’re definitely scrubbing a faker of our source list.
Leaked Photo Reveals a Possible New Galaxy S II Variant Set to Make Debut at MWC
The device you see here was leaked by industry insider Eldar Murtazin with a reputation for being very in the know of what’s going on in the mobile industry. Murtazin leaked the picture via Twitter with the words “Barcelona. Samsung. Press Photo Leaked.” What we see here is definitely not the Galaxy S III as Samsung has confirmed that the replacement for the Galaxy S II will have its very own event after Mobile World Congress.
So what are we looking at here? This could very well be a new variant of the Galaxy S II that speculators are calling the Galaxy S II Plus. The Galaxy S II Plus is rumoured to be an enhanced version of the S II with a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor, a 1280×720 pixels HD display (but of the same size as the S II) and Ice Cream Sandwich with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI skin.
What else can we expect from Samsung at MWC? Aside from two unconfirmed tablets, there’s speculation that the Galaxy Nexus may get a performance upgrade with a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor and an 8MP camera as well. This is very possible considering that the LTE version of the Galaxy Nexus in the US is already equipped with a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor.
All this are of course speculation at the moment but looking at the Korean company’s tenacious paste at the of late, nothing is impossible for Samsung.
Sony Possibly Launching a Trio of New Devices Ahead of Mobile World Congress
Sony has started sending out invitations for a press conference where the company is expected to reveal a new range of devices. The press conference is scheduled for one day ahead of the Mobile World Congress that’s happening later this month.
Not much information is revealed in the invitation but the visual with the three personalities does suggest that we can expect three new phones to be revealed. This is in line with the three Sony devices – the LT22i Nypon (Xperia P), the MT27i Pepper and the ST25i Kumquat (Xperia U) – you’ve probably already seen in numerous leaked pictures all over the web. We’re expecting more info to be revealed as we move closer to the date, stay tuned.
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