Entry-level Samsung Galaxy Ring ain't no thing (pictures)

Virgin Mobile's $150 Android has the right price and specs, but falls short of expectations.

Jessica Dolcourt

Oct. 11, 2013 8:27 a.m. PT

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Samsung's Galaxy 'No Bling' Ring

It isn't fancy, but for $150 off-contract, the Samsung Galaxy Ring is a fairly attractive and compact Android 4.1 Jelly Bean smartphone.

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Guess the phone

At first glance, the Ring looks alarmingly like a slew of other Samsung phones of this size, down to the compact size, round shape, and shiny surfaces.

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A little on the thick side

Nearing half an inch thick, the Ring can feel a little snug in pockets.

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Bottom view

You can really see the Ring's solidness from this vantage point.

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Camera bummer

Samsung's 5-megapixel camera is typically quite good. That isn't the case with the Ring, which consistently churned out dull-looking shots.

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Shutter lag

Slower shot-to-shot times aren't a surprise on dual-core phones like this, but it did take longer to open the native camera app with the dedicated convenience key than it was to use the onscreen icon.

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