Samsung's new Galaxy J3 debuts at Boost, Virgin Mobile for $180
The first in a new line of entry-level Samsung smartphones arrives in the US.
The Samsung Galaxy J3 looks like more phone than it truly is.
New year, new phone line. At least that's what it feels like as Samsung brings its latest smartphones, the Galaxy J series, to the US, starting with Sprint's two prepaid carriers, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile.
The entry-level J3 phone sells for $180 all in. You can buy it today from Virgin Mobile or starting January 18 from Boost.
Samsung spends most of its energy focusing on fancy flagship models; the J series is a reminder that the phonemaker must also attract customers seeking simpler phones for lower prices if it wants to compete across the board.
As such, the Galaxy J3 packs hand-me-down hardware in a shiny design:
- 5-inch display with 1,280x720-pixel resolution
- 5-megapixel rear camera
- 2-megapixel front-facing camera
- 1.2GHz quad-core processor
- 16GB internal storage
Still, Samsung is going to have to do better than this to sway truly savvy buyers, who turn to manufacturers directly to buy phones such as the higher-end, but similarly priced Huawei Honor 5X that we saw at CES in Vegas last week.