Android Go, the build of our favourite mobile operating system that is optimized for use in devices with meagre resources, has slowly encroached the budget smartphone market and, it appears, there is no looking back.
While the big names took their sweet time before embracing it, now that they have, they are going all in. Or so it appears.
Last year, after hesitating, Huawei, one of Android’s top brands, released and made available in the Kenyan market two smartphones powered by version 8, Oreo, of Android Go.
Not to be left behind, Samsung, finally brought to the local market its first Android Go-powered smartphone, the Galaxy J2 Core, in a year where there was zero indication that its Tizen smartphone project, previously commanding a significant presence locally with the Z2, was still a priority.
New year, new things
Fast forward to 2019 and the year opener is, surprisingly, a Kshs 13,000 smartphone: the Samsung Galaxy J4 Core.
The device was announced in November last year.
Like the J2 Core before it, the J4 Core – and why we are primarily interested in it in the first place – is an Android Go device.
That, obviously, already gives you a picture of what to expect as far as specifications go… Keeping the same cameras that can be found on the J2 Core while doubling the onboard storage, bumping up the battery a bit, increasing the display size and bringing the 18.5:9 aspect ratio and increasing the price by a few thousand shillings to match.
- Display: 6-inch HD+ (720 x 1480 pixels) TFT
- Camera: Main 8 MP; Secondary 5 MP
- Processor: unnamed, clocked at 1.4 GHz
- Memory: 1GB RAM; 16GB internal storage (expandable up to 512GB)
- Operating System: Android 8.1, Oreo (Go Edition)
- Battery: 3,300mAh
- Network: 3G, 4G
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, microUSB
Not that it matters anyway but in case you are thinking of picking up the Galaxy J4 Core, do note that it is not lined up to get a slice of Android Pie. Unless Samsung is lining up a surprise and we’re being awful party poopers (apologies in advance).
Even then, the J4 Core’s makers will have to worry more about the options from rivals available to their prospective customers since it’s hard to see this managing to ward off any chatter of similarly-priced devices from the likes of Xiaomi, Huawei, HMD Global (Nokia), Tecno and Infinix being much better propositions.
