With the high-end smartphone niche covered by the Galaxy S4, probably the best Android-powered handheld around, Samsung is now focusing all the company’s efforts on securing the top spot in the mid-range and entry-level markets.

Only it’s starting to seem like Sammy is trying too hard. We know very well a Galaxy S4 Mini is in the making and yet several other mid-range S3 or S4 lookalikes have been spread around the world in the past couple of months.

And it’s not over yet, as Samsung has today announced a new phone – the Galaxy Core. What’s special about this guy? Erm, I’m sorry to say, but not much. In fact, it looks a lot like the Galaxy S2 Plus on the inside and like a downsized GS4 on the outside, save for the thin bezels.

Confused much? Well, maybe you can make heads or tails of Samsung’s strategy if you look at Core’s spec sheet some more:

• 4.3-inch 800 x 480 pixels resolution TFT LCD screen
• 1.2 GHz dual-core processor
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• Smart Stay, Smart Alert, Motion UI, S Voice, Voice Unlock
• 5 MP rear camera with LED flash
• VGA front webcam
• 1,800 mAh battery
• 8 GB of on-board storage
• MicroSD support for expanding the memory with an additional 64 GB
• 1 GB of RAM
• Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, microUSB, A-GPS
• Accelerometer, Proximity, Digital Compass
• 129.3 x 67.6 x 8.95 mm dimensions
• 124 grams weight
• Optional dual SIM

You got nothing, do you? Like I said, it’s a Galaxy S2 Plus with a facelift. And not even a great facelift, as the Core is a little thicker than the GS2 Plus and has bigger bezels. It also sacrifices in the imagery department, downsizing S2 Plus’ 8 and 2 MP cams to a 5 MP/VGA duo.

On the flipside, the new guy does come with a slightly larger battery (1,800 vs 1,650 mAh), optional dual SIM, and, we’re guessing, a lower price point. That’s, in good Samsung fashion, being kept under wraps, but we’ll know soon enough, given the Galaxy Core Duos will be made available starting later this month, whereas the single-SIM version will hit the ground running come July.

Another question that’s still up in the air is what CPU the Core is packing. Chances are it’s something light on battery consumption, like a MediaTek or Broadcom chip, but let’s wait and see, shall we?

Via [Samsung]

The Droid Guy