Samsung announced four new Android 2.3 Galaxy smartphones, as well as a new naming scheme for the Galaxy product line. The new phones include the Galaxy W (3.7-inch, 1.4GHz), the QWERTY-enabled Galaxy M Pro (2.66-inch, 1GHz), the Galaxy Y (three-inch, 832MHz), and the keyboard-ready Galaxy Y Pro, according to the company.
From now on, Samsung will group all Galaxy smartphones -- but not, apparently, its Galaxy tablets -- into five classes, identified by an alphabetical letter. Additional functionality is indicated by a secondary indicator.
The five Galaxy classes are said to be:
"S" (Super Smart) -- high-end devices like the Galaxy S "R" (Royal / Refined) -- above-average functionality like the Galaxy R "W" (Wonder) -- mid-range "M" (Magical) -- economy range "Y" (Young) -- ultra-cheap devices aimed primarily at a younger audience The secondary class indicators are said to include: "Pro" -- QWERTY keyboard model "Plus" -- an upgrade from an existing phone "LTE" -- LTE 4G support All four new phones described below run Android 2.3, as well as Samsung's TouchWiz UI, and they provide access to at least one of the Samsung Game, Social, and Music Hubs, says the company. Swype text input is also said to be universally available.The following information came from Samsung's press release, as well as Sammy Hub, but more info will be released next week at the IFA show in Berlin, says Samsung.
Galaxy W
Following the new naming scheme, the Galaxy W is a mid-range phone. Only a year ago, however, it would likely been slotted in the uppity Royal class at the very least.
The W features a 1.4GHz processor and a 3.7-inch WVGA (800 × 480) touchscreen, says Samsung. A five-megapixel camera is supplied as well as 14.4Mbps HSDPA, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.1 wireless services, says the company. A 1500mAh battery is also said to be available.
The Galaxy W ships with Samsung's Game, Social and Music Hubs, says Samsung. The phone also offers Samsung's Kies Air wireless sync app, which is said to enable tracking of lost phones.
Galaxy M Pro
As the more alert students in our Galaxy 101 class will note from the name, the Galaxy M Pro is an economy phone with a keyboard. Bonus points are offered to those who guess there's no slider for the keyboard. Indeed, the keys are always available, BlackBerry style, directly under the 2.66-inch HVGA (480 × 320) touchscreen. An optical track pad sits in between.
Galaxy M Pro
Aimed at "young and sociable professionals" -- as opposed to angry old misanthropes -- the M Pro is imbued with Samsung's Social Hub. This is said to integrate the phone's contact list with communication history, instant messaging, and updates from social networking sites. Access to enterprise applications and services, including Exchange Active Sync, Sybase Afaria, Cisco Mobile, and Cisco WebEx, is also available, says the company.
The Galaxy M Pro is equipped with a 1GHz processor, and both a five-megapixel rear-facing and VGA front-facing camera, says Samsung. The phone gets by with the slower, 7.2Mbps HSDPA service level, but offers Bluetooth 3.0 in addition to 802.11b/g/n. Measuring a wee 9.97mm (0.39 inches), the M Pro ships with a 1350mAh battery, says the company.
Galaxy Y
For those who are even younger, and perhaps not quite so professional, the Galaxy Y runs on an 832MHz processor and offers a three-inch QVGA (320 × 240) display. Other Y features include a two-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11b/g/n, and 7.2Mbps HSDPA, says Samsung.
Available in multiple colors, the Galaxy Y supplies a 1200mAh battery. Samsung's Social Hub is said to be available for social networking.
Galaxy Y (left) and Galaxy Y Pro
Galaxy Y Pro
The Galaxy Y Pro is optimized for young professionals, although since this is a Y phone, we suppose they must be younger than the young professionals targeted with the Galaxy M Pro.
Few details are available on the phone, which is said to offer a touchscreen of unknown spec. Due to the front-facing QWERTY keyboard, we imagine the display matches the 2.66-inch HVGA screen of the M Pro. Other features include Bluetooth, as well as Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct support for faster downloads, according to Samsung. On the software side, the Galaxy Y Pro offers Social Hub Premium and the ThinkFree mobile office app.
Availability
More information on the four new Galaxy phones will be available next week at the IFA show in Berlin, Germany. Sammy Hub reports on the phones include stories on the Galaxy W , the Galaxy M Pro , and the Galaxy Y and Galaxy Y Pro .