Samsung

Samsung has revealed its first Android Go device, the Galaxy J2 Core.

The phone offers lightweight Go apps, but it looks like it could be based on Samsung’s TouchWiz UI.

The J2 Core is available in Malaysia and India from today.

Android Go smartphones had a solid debut at Mobile World Congress back in February, as the likes of Nokia and ZTE showed off low-end devices. Now, it’s Samsung‘s turn to join the party as it announces the Galaxy J2 Core, its first Android Go phone.

The new smartphone is equipped with a 1.4Ghz Exynos 7570 quad-core chipset (Cortex-A53 cores, 14nm), 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of expandable storage. Toss in a 2,600mAh battery and 5-inch 960×540 TFT display, and it certainly fits the bill for a low-end device.

Read: The second-largest mobile OS in India rhymes with iOS, but isn’t iOS

The Galaxy J2 Core also offers an 8MP f/2.2 main camera and 5MP f/2.2 selfie shooter — hopefully, Samsung is able to work its image processing magic to deliver decent shots.

Otherwise, the device comes pre-installed with lightweight apps, as you’d expect from an Android Go phone. These apps include Google Go, Assistant Go, Gmail Go, and YouTube Go.

Editor's Pick Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review: In praise of incrementalism (Update: as cheap as $609 now!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk9BNLd1-_c This review is bought to you by the folks at Moment, who make excellent photo cases and lenses to elevate your smartphone photography to the next level. Get 20% off when you pre-order a Note 9 …

Oddly enough, it looks like Samsung has also incorporated TouchWiz elements into the Galaxy J2 Core (as we’d seen in earlier leaks). We don’t know the extent of these customizations beyond the lock screen (as seen in the main image above), but if it has any sort of performance impact, we’ll be disappointed.

Galaxy J2 Core availability and pricing?

The company confirmed that the J2 Core was available from today in Malaysia and India, with “additional markets” to follow. Unfortunately, Samsung hasn’t revealed pricing, but the handset may cost around 7,000 Indian rupees (~$99).

What do you make of the Galaxy J2 Core? Would you buy one? Let us know in the comments!

NEXT: Stock Android vs Android One vs Android Go — the differences explained