14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung didn’t have a whole lot to show us at CES 2015, although we were hoping the Korean tech giant might debut the Galaxy Note 8.4 tablet.
Anyhow, the company decided the Las Vegas event wasn’t the right place to launch a duo of mid-range handsets which are to be marketed with semi-affordable price tags.
Samsung launches the E series
The Galaxy E5 and Galaxy E7 appeared in the wild a while ago, but now Samsung has decided to show us what it has been sitting on for the past months or so.
The two devices are designed to be cheaper alternatives to the all-metal clad A5 and A7 handsets. They retain the metal frame and boast the same 7.3 mm / 0.28 inches frame as the two smartphones we just mentioned above.
As for overall design, the Galaxy E models bring Galaxy Alpha vibes, although the edges are a bit more rounded.
Let’s move on to the hardware department and see what the two Galaxy E models bring into the picture for mid-range consumers.
The E7 is the better one out of the duo, arriving with a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 720p and a quad-core SoC clocked at 1.2GHz (of unknown origins).
Samsung also throws in 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (unlike the Galaxy Alpha, this has a microSD), 13MP camera on the back / 5MP snapper up in front and a capable 2,950 mAh battery.
Since the phone has been launched in India, you’ll also find dual SIM capacity onboard. The handset will be sold for about $363 / €305.
With the E5, specs get a little bit lower, as we have a 5-inch Super AMOLED display with 720p, a quad-core chipset clocked at 1.2GHz but only 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card).
The main camera is now an 8MP shooter, while the rear one retains the same capacity as with the E7. The handset is kept alive by a 2,400 mAh battery.
The device will be sold for around $305 / €256.
Will we see the phones outside India?
Both mid-rangers come with Samsung’s own TouchWiz interface based on Android 4.4.4 KitKat, but Sammy says the Lollipop update is due out in a few months.
International availability, outside the borders of India, remains a mystery at this point.
