Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
If you hoped for stock Android on Samsung's Android Go smartphone, think again
- Leaked images allegedly showed off Samsung’s rumored Android Go smartphone.
- Based on the images, the phone will not run stock Android and, instead, feature Samsung’s software skin.
With speculation continuing to grow that Samsung will soon release its first Android Go smartphone, SamMobile obtained alleged images of the phone a little over a week after the phone’s specifications leaked.
Based on the leaked image, Samsung’s Android Go smartphone features the company’s software skin on top of Android 8.1 Oreo. Being an Android Go smartphone does not guarantee stock Android, though Samsung’s software is notorious for bogging its phones down over time.
Elsewhere, the phone features on-screen navigation keys and a few Go-optimized apps. Facebook Lite also shows up, though we do not know if that is pre-installed.
Samsung’s Android Go phone also runs the December 2017 security patch level. We can only hope the device launches with the latest security patch, though Samsung phones are known for their sporadic updates.
Final tidbits include the SM-J260 model number that matches a previous leak, a single rear camera, and no fingerprint sensor.
There is no indication when Samsung plans to launch the phone. That said, it reportedly features a 5-inch Super AMOLED display, 8MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, quad-core Exynos 7570 chipset, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and 2,600mAh battery.
With specifications like that, along with Samsung’s software, performance will be a big question mark. Still, previous reports peg a launch in at least two regions. We have to wait to see if Samsung’s Android Go phone also launches in the U.S.