Samsung Galaxy Prevail II aims to change definition of "entry level"

With the wide spread of the Samsung device family resulting from the sustained success of the Samsung Galaxy smartphone line comes devices like the Galaxy Prevail II. This device is being offered for under $200 in the United States without a contract with the mobile data carrier Boost Mobile, and it's doing so with specifications that aren't half bad. While the LG-made Google Nexus 4 brought on the sub-$300 off-contract smartphone to the masses with decent hardware, here Samsung does something extremely similar.

Though this machine isn't bringing the same value that the Google Nexus 4 brought as LG made the effort with Qualcomm's first quad-core processor and a fine combination of display and camera power, Samsung's efforts with the Prevail II do bring a scaled-down collection of features that make such an off-contract offering one to watch.

On the other hand, because this machine is being offered with Boost Mobile, it'll have difficulty finding footing in the public space the same way as Google's Nexus 4. Google has one massive amount of advertising power, and Samsung does too, but the big S isn't about to spend a mint on this release the same as they have with their hero line, or even their second or third-tier releases in the Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab lines.

The Samsung Galaxy Prevail II, with its modest display (4-inch WVGA, that is) running with Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean alongside a 5 megapixel camera on its back will be long forgotten unless Boost Mobile does an unforeseen amount of public push for its release. Inside we'll find a host of Samsung's family connections – wireless, cloud-based, and otherwise, and the company would do well to make it clear that this machine – this small release – will be the least expensive way for the average consumer to get in on the fun.

Have a peek at our hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S III mini for a rather similar close-up view of the hardware here, while the software is set to be a lot closer to what we've seen with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini we've seen much more recently.