Jun 16, 2011 07:15 GMT  ·  By

As expected, T-Mobile USA debuted the Samsung Dart entry-level Android smartphone and is now offering it for free.

Although the carrier didn't advertise it ahead of the official launch and its features are a bit dated, Samsung Dart is definitely worth a try.

However, for those who never heard of the Samsung Dart, the smartphone is a branded version of the popular Galaxy Mini budget handset.

Rumors about the Dart emerged a week ago, when we learned that the device will be released by T-Mobile on June 15th, but information about its price was still unclear at that time.

Fortunately, Android fans will not be disappointed by the phone's price tag, as the carrier is offering the Dart for free after a $179.99 Instant discount and $70 Web-only discount and a new two-year agreement.

Those who are aware of the Galaxy Mini specifications will probably notice that Samsung Dart is delivered with a 2-megapixel camera, while the former features a 3.2-megapixel photo snapper.

Samsung Dart is equipped with a slow ARM 600MHz processor and runs Android 2.2 Froyo platform.

It has a 3.14-inch QVGA capacitive touchscreen with 262K colors support, 240 x 320 pixels resolution, accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate, TouchWiz v3.0 UI, Swype text input method and proximity sensor for auto turn-off.

Even though it's a budget smartphone, Samsung Dart features HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity, along with 160 MB of internal memory and microSD card for memory expansion (up to 32GB, 2GB card included).

Other key features of the smartphone include 3.5 mm audio jack, DNSe sound enhancement, Stereo FM radio with RDS, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP support, microUSB 2.0, GPS with A-GPS support, as well as Digital compass.

The phone is powered by a standard Li-Ion 1200 mAh battery that should provide up to 288 hours of standby time or up to 4 hours of talk time.

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