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Samsung Galaxy Express 4G phone stopping in UK this year

The Samsung Galaxy Express packs 4G and Jelly Bean, and it'll be stopping in the UK in the first half of the year.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
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Richard Trenholm
2 min read

All aboard the Samsung Galaxy Express! The Express is a new Android phone packing 4G and Jelly Bean, and it's even stopping in the UK.

Update: Samsung says the Express goes on sale in the UK in the first half of the year, which is in time for the May launch of the next UK 4G networks. Original story follows.

Its specs are firmly in the middle of the road -- or should that be track? -- which points to an affordable price. It's good to see a mid-range and affordable 4G blower as 4G is still a feature found primarily on posh phones here, like the Galaxy S3 LTE and iPhone 5.

The problem is the only network offering 4G services is the super-pricey EE, so even if you pay for the phone upfront you still have to shell out £26 per month for a SIM-only contract, and that only gives you 1GB of data. Hopefully more networks offering 4G later this year will push down prices.

The Express sports a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, with a resolution of 480x800 pixels. A 1.2GHz engine keeps it chugging along, with 1GB of RAM shovelling coal.

The software is Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, with all the usual Samsung apps. That includes S Beam, as the Express packs NFC to beam files, pictures and data to other phones.

On the front is a 1.3-megapixel camera for video calling, with a 5-megapixel camera and LED flash in the caboose. You get 8GB of storage in the baggage car for your music and movies, snaps and apps, with a microSD card slot for extra luggage.

Samsung trademarked the Express name around a year ago, along with a fistful of other colourful monikers. The arrival of the Express could mean we're soon to see the debut of other trademarked names such as the Galaxy Accelerate, Galaxy Thunder and Galaxy Grand, not to mention the Galaxy Premier and Galaxy Next. And then there's the Samsung Galaxy Metrix, Galaxy Velvet and Galaxy Legend names, all of which have also been earmarked by Samsung for forthcoming phones and tablets.

What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy Express? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.