Samsung announces tiny Galaxy Pocket handset with 2.8-inch display

Samsung has taken the wraps off a petite new Android handset in London, England. The Galaxy Pocket is an entry-level phone with a 2.8-inch screen that will occupy the opposite end Samsung’s product line in terms of features and price.

The aptly named Galaxy Pocket, as one might expect based on its tiny frame, doesn’t exactly have adequate real estate for beefy hardware. An 800MHz processor powers Android 2.3 Gingerbread alongside 3GB of internal memory. Storage capacity can be increased by an additional 32GB via a microSD card, however. There’s a 2MP rear camera, 3.5mm ear phone jack and a 1,200mAh battery all packed inside the device which weighs in at 97g.

Not to be confused with a feature phone, Samsung is hoping that the Pocket will cater to budget-minded consumers or those who don’t necessarily subscribe to the notion that “bigger is better”, referring of course to Samsung’s recently-launched 5.3-inch Galaxy Note.

This isn’t the first wallet-friendly smartphone that we have seen from a well-known manufacturer in recent memory. HTC introduced the 3.2-inch Explorer in September 2011 while HP came to the table a few months earlier with the 2.6-inch Veer 4G running the ill-fated WebOS.

Samsung is expected to release the Galaxy Pocket later this year in the UK. A US launch wasn’t noted in the press release, nor was a price point for UK residents. If nothing else, the Galaxy Pocket reminds us of a time when the key attribute of a mobile phone was its small size.