Samsung Galaxy Star 2 handset gets listed on official website for Rs 4580

The Samsung Galaxy Star 2 smartphone which was officially launched in India earlier this month has been listed on the company’s eStore with a price of Rs 4580. No release date has been provided for the phone as yet, but its arrival online suggests that its availability might not be far off.

The Samsung Galaxy Star 2 was unveiled along with the Star Advance and Ace NXT smartphones. The latter two devices have already been put up for grabs at Rs 7299 and Rs 6925, respectively. The handset in question was originally tagged at Rs 5100 and the reduced price is most likely due to the intense competition in the sub-Rs 10000 range.

The handset is as basic as it gets for Android and it comes with version 4.4 KitKat out of the box, accompanied by the TouchWiz Essence UX. The phone looks no different than the other two aforementioned handsets, but is smaller as the display size is just 3.5 inches with HVGA resolution.

A 1GHz processor does the heavy lifting with 512MB of RAM and there’s 4GB of internal storage. You also get a microSD card slot that support up to 32GB. For connectivity, the phone features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and dual SIM slots with 2G compatibility.

Here’s a roundup of the Samsung Galaxy Star 2 specifications:

- Android 4.4 KitKat
- 3.5-inch 320 x 480 pixel display
- 512MB RAM, 4GB storage, 32GB expandable
- 1GHz single core processor
- Dual SIM support
- 2MP rear camera
- 1300mAh battery

Calm after the storm? Xiaomi Mi 3 reportedly discontinued in India as Mi 4 launch looms

Looks like Xiaomi is training all its attention on the upcoming Redmi 1S as reports around the web suggest that the company will stop selling the Mi 3 indefinitely.

A report on tech blog TechPP quotes the company’s India head Manu Jain as saying, “Over next few weeks, we will focus on Redmi 1S, and Mi 3 wont be available. We will take the final call after few weeks, once we have more visibility / data points.”

This could be seen as a surprising turn of events in the light of the weekly flash sales none of which lasted beyond 40 minutes, while a majority of them ended in mere seconds. So what does Xiaomi hope to do by not selling the Mi 3? There could very well be an increased focus on the Redmi devices as well as preparations for the Mi 4 launch, which will launch sometime after Diwali in India. The Redmi 1S goes on sale next week and is looking dead-on to be a sleeper hit, with its unprecedented price to specs ratio. The Redmi Note is to follow soon after, while the company also has plans for the MiPad and Mi Band fitness accessory.

But does it make sense to withdraw the Mi 3 altogether? It’s a gamble for sure, considering that while earlier there would be two Xiaomi handsets, now there’s just one. For those who find the Redmi 1S slightly underpowered, the Mi 3 will no longer be available.

This could also be a calculated move on Xiaomi’s part to bring production of the Mi 3 up to speed to the demand in India. For all we know the Mi 3 might be back in a couple of weeks on Flipkart with a sizeable number of units on sale. Another reason could be that the Mi 3 would have cannibalised the Redmi 1S to a certain extent, though given the price chasm between the two, this seems unlikely. What we do know is that come Tuesday there will no longer be a rush on Flipkart for the Mi 3. However, in all likelihood, the Redmi 1S will draw a lot more people to the site.