Samsung Galaxy S3 Banned As The Samsung Galaxy Core Prime VE Comes To India


Samsung is still in a bitter fight with Apple over its Galaxy phones. The tech giant has won the patent war against the South Korean manufacturer. According to the top patent court, the Samsung Galaxy S3 and older models will be banned from the U.S. market after Apple wins its appeal.

That means you will no longer be able to buy the older Samsung Galaxy models from U.S. mobile carriers. That’s because the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that Samsung is blocked from selling the older models of its popular Galaxy smartphones as its legal battle with Apple over copyright infringement continues.

A jury in May of 2014 found that Samsung was copying three patents found on Apple’s iPhones, including quick links, side-to-unlock, and the spellcheck. Apple wants to place a ban on the Samsung Galaxy S3 and other models that use these patents. But according to U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh, Apple should feel satisfied with the monetary damages owed to them.

Samsung shouldn’t feel too affected by the ban. The Galaxy S3 was released three years ago. Since then, the manufacturer has released several new flagship devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, which has not been affected by the copyright infringement ruling. Samsung is also quietly working on its new Samsung Galaxy S7, which is rumored for release next year. There’s no doubt that the Galaxy S3 will still be sold on the black market and on bootleg websites.

While the Samsung Galaxy S3 is banned in the U.S., the manufacturer is rolling out a similar version of the phone in India. Those who are looking for an affordable smartphone will be pleased with the Galaxy Core Prime Value Edition. Consumers in the U.S. can get the best of both worlds with the Galaxy Core Prime budget phone from Metro PCS, Straight Talk, and other non-contract carriers.

Although the new smartphone hasn’t been officially introduced to the country, the Galaxy Core Prime VE has already been listed on Samsung India’s online store, according to a new report. The smartphone that runs on 4G will officially go on sale in India on Monday, September 21.

Only customers in India will be able to purchase the Galaxy Core Prime VE for RS 8,600, which is around $130 U.S. dollars. The smartphone looks similar to the Galaxy S3 and comes in three color options: black, white, and grey.

The smartphone will feature the old Android 4.4 KitKat OS, a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal memory, which can be expanded with a 64GB microSD card slot. The Samsung Galaxy Core Prime VE also has a 4.5-inch PLS LCD touchscreen display at 800 x 480 pixels resolution. It also features a 5-megapixel camera on the back and a 2-megapixel camera for both selfies and video calls.

Other features include LED flash, video recording, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity options, and microUSB 2.0 and GPS with AGPS support.

The Samsung Galaxy Core Prime VE also has a 2,000 mAh battery with Ultra Power Saving Mode, which offers up to 1.2 days of standby time with a 10 percent battery.

This is the second phone that Samsung released in India this year. The Samsung Galaxy J1 was launched earlier this year. The company announced that the Galaxy J2 is being developed at its India R&D facility.

Check out a side-by-side comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Core Prime phones at the Phone Arena website for curiosity’s sake.

[Image: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Samsung]

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