Samsung took its phone line in an atypically upscale direction Tuesday by showing the Galaxy R. The design is a relative of the Galaxy Z and has the same 4.2-inch Super LCD but an almost HTC-like focus on build quality. Rather than the thin plastic of the Galaxy S II, it uses a brushed-metal back that makes it slightly thicker (9.6mm versus 8.8mm) in return for a more solid feel.
The phone is still using a dual-core processor, although it’s not known if it’s using the Tegra 2 from the Z or the faster Exynos chip from the S II. Some conspicuous cost over the S II come in the form of lower-resolution cameras at five megapixels on the back and 1.3 megapixels on the front. Built-in storage has also been cut to 8GB, though a microSDHC slot still exists to take more.
Like its siblings, the Galaxy R will ship with Android 2.3 and the newest version of TouchWiz layered on top. Samsung’s Kies Air gives the option of accessing the phone over local Wi-Fi to edit its stored photos, send SMS messages, or track and wipe the phone in the event it’s lost.
UK residents will get the Galaxy R quickly, by the end of July. It’s not clear if or when the phone will make its way to other countries.
