The United States may be the biggest market for premium smartphones, but there is enough demand for low-cost devices as well for Samsung to launch budget models every year. Samsung launched the Galaxy J3 with support for all US carriers last year under different names and model numbers. Device benchmarks and Wi-Fi certification point to a new Galaxy J3 launch in the US this year as well.
A new Galaxy J3 likely headed to the US
Last year’s Galaxy J3 in the US launched with the model numbers SM-J327A, SM-J327V, SM-J327T, and SM-J327P on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint respectively. Hinting at a successor, devices with model numbers SM-J337A, SM-J337T, and SM-J337P have surfaced online at different places, revealing some of their specifications. Of these devices, the SM-J337T model has already received Wi-Fi certification on February 22, hinting at an imminent launch in the US.
In terms of specifications, these devices will run Android Oreo 8.0 out of the box and sport a 5-inch 720p display, 2GB RAM, and 16GB storage. The Geekbench results point to an Exynos 7570 processor for the SM-J337A model and an Exynos 7885 chipset for the SM-J337P variant. It is not clear if Samsung will indeed use different processors for the same model on different carriers. Also, the Exynos 7885 is a premium mid-range chipset found in the recently launched Galaxy A8 (2018) and A8+. It is doubtful Samsung will use this chipset for a budget device like the Galaxy J3.
Samsung has also filed trademark applications for the names ‘J7 Refine’ and ‘J3 Achieve’ with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on February 23. Nothing else is known about these two devices currently. Earlier this month, Samsung has also filed trademark applications for the ‘J3 Star' and ‘J7 Star' names with the same office. Last year’s Galaxy J3 model was sold as J3 Eclipse on Verizon Wireless and J3 Emerge on Sprint, Boost, and Virgin Mobile. So, it is possible that the new Galaxy J3 models will launch under the new trademark names.
It is worth remembering Samsung’s Galaxy J series models differ in specifications and naming from market to market. Last year’s Galaxy J3 in the US was different from the one available in the rest of the markets. The same may be true for this year’s models as well.
As usual, nothing here is final until Samsung makes the official announcement. So, take all this information with a pinch of salt.
