Samsung Galaxy Express
| Industry | Consumer electronics, Telecommunications |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 1, 1938 in Daegu, South Korea |
| Headquarters | Suwon , South Korea |
| Products | Smartphones, Tablets, Consumer electronics |
| Owner | Samsung Group |
| Website | www |
The Samsung Galaxy Express (model GT-I8730) is a smartphone developed by Samsung that debuted in March 2013 in the Indian market. It adopts a design reminiscent of the Galaxy S Duos but enhances it with features like 4G LTE connectivity and NFC capabilities. The device sports a larger 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display and incorporates many functionalities found in the Samsung Galaxy S III.
Software and services
The Galaxy Express operates on the Android platform, an open-source, Linux-based mobile operating system created by Google and commercially launched in 2008.[1][2] This software enables users to customize home screens with shortcuts to apps and widgets that display information dynamically. A dock at the bottom can hold four frequently accessed applications; its central button opens the app drawer presenting all installed software. Notifications from various apps are accessible via a pull-down tray from the top of the screen which also includes toggle switches for common settings. Pre-installed applications provide integration with multiple Google services. Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz graphical interface is featured on this model; the "Nature" edition offers a more natural aesthetic with interactive elements such as a water ripple effect on the lock screen. Additionally, Samsung’s voice assistant, S Voice—developed as a counterpart to Apple's Siri—supports eight languages including English, Korean, and French. Built on Vlingo technology, S Voice allows voice control over approximately twenty functions like music playback, alarm settings, or enabling driving mode, utilizing Wolfram Alpha for online queries.[3]
Initially running Android version 4.1.2 ("Jelly Bean"), the Galaxy Express supports Google Now and various enhancements introduced in this release. Users could later update to Android version 4.2.2 Jelly Bean through Over-The-Air updates or via Samsung Kies.
A wide range of preloaded applications comes standard with the device, including core Android apps such as YouTube, Google+, Voice Search, Google Play Store, Gmail, Maps, and Calendar alongside Samsung-specific offerings like S Voice, ChatON messaging service, Game Hub, Video Hub, Social Hub, and Navigation.[4] Access to Google Play's digital content store allows users to download apps, movies, music tracks, TV shows, games, books, and magazines.[5]
The phone supports playback of common media formats including audio files (MP3, AAC variants), video files (MP4,H.264), audiobooks, and podcasts while organizing media libraries by song title, artist name, album name, playlist category, folder structure or genre classification. Samsung’s proprietary Music Hub application offers music management and download services aimed at competing with Apple’s iTunes ecosystem; its catalog features over nineteen million tracks.[6]
Equipped with a front-facing camera of 1.3 MP resolution for video calls and compatibility with aptX codec technology to enhance Bluetooth headset quality,[3] the Galaxy Express provides standard text messaging capabilities similar to other Samsung Galaxy devices. Speech-to-text functionality is supported by Vlingo technology and Google's voice recognition system; moreover, numerous third-party keyboard apps are available to supplement the default input method.[3]</nowiki>
Hardware and design
The Galaxy Express features a polycarbonate plastic chassis with dimensions of 132.2 mm (5.20 in) in length, 69.1 mm (2.72 in) in width, and 9.3 mm (0.37 in) in thickness, weighing approximately 139.1 grams (4.91 oz). It is offered in two primary color variants: "Marble White" and "Titanium Gray".
Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 400 chipset, which includes a dual-core 1.2 GHz Krait processor alongside an Adreno 305 graphics unit.
Equipped with 1 GB of RAM, the Galaxy Express provides 8 GB of onboard storage, while an international version with 64 GB is also available. Furthermore, storage capacity can be expanded by up to 32 GB via a microSDXC card, allowing for a combined total of up to 40 GB.
The smartphone boasts a 4.5 inches (110 mm) HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 480×800 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 207.1 PPI (pixels per inch). The screen is protected by Corning's durable Gorilla Glass 2, enhancing resistance to scratches and damage.
For photography, the Galaxy Express includes a 5-megapixel rear camera capable of capturing images at a resolution of 2,592×1,944 pixels and recording videos at 720p quality. Samsung enhanced the camera software compared to earlier models by eliminating shutter lag and incorporating features such as Burst Mode and Best Shot, which enable rapid photo capture and selection of the optimal frame. Additionally, users can snap photos while recording video footage. Complementing the main camera is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera that supports 720p video recording. The rear camera is equipped with LED flash and autofocus functionality.
Beyond its 4.5 inches (110 mm) touchscreen interface, the Galaxy Express offers several physical controls: a home button situated beneath the display, volume controls on the left side, and a power/lock button on the right edge. Positioned at the top are a 3.5-millimetre (0.14 in) TRRS headphone jack and one of two built-in microphones; the second microphone is located below the home button.
Powered by a 2,000 mAh li-ion battery, the Galaxy Express delivers up to 581 hours of standby time or approximately 11 hours of talk time on 3G networks. On 2G connectivity, standby time extends to 586 hours with talk time reaching around 19 hours. Integrated within the battery is NFC technology that facilitates quick sharing of map directions and YouTube content through Wi-Fi Direct via Android Beam, as well as enabling contactless payments at compatible retail points equipped with NFC-enabled cash registers. To optimize energy efficiency, Samsung introduced "Smart Stay," which detects when users are not looking at the screen and automatically turns it off to conserve power. Additionally, this battery supports wireless charging through a separate charging pad employing magnetic resonance technology to transfer energy via a magnetic field.