In addition to an entirely new upper mid-range Galaxy A family, Samsung is widely expected to continue expanding the humbler J smartphone roster over the coming months, including stateside, where at least one major carrier will reportedly pick up the entry-level Galaxy J3 Emerge in just a few weeks.

Sprint has been both a postpaid and prepaid supporter of the J3 (2016) this year, and so it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that the modest 5-incher’s sequel is headed to the Now Network, as well as daughter operators Boost and Virgin Mobile.

No words on pricing yet, but we can definitely hope for a sub-$200 tag on Sprint, and around $150 as far as its prepaid subsidiaries are concerned. A few bucks more, and not a lot of budget-minded mobile device consumers will be happy getting just a 5-inch 720p screen, octa-core Snapdragon 430 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 5MP main camera, 2MP selfie shooter, 2600mAh battery, and Marshmallow software goodies.

Granted, that’s a vastly improved spec sheet than the one attached to the 2016 edition. But that’s mostly because times are changing, low-end Android competition heating up, and industry veterans having to adapt to new standards imposed by ambitious rookies and rising Chinese stars. Design-wise, by the way, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Emerge doesn’t look great. So, yeah, let’s hear $200 tops on January 6.

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