2016 Samsung Galaxy: Galaxy J3 can be used for AT&T and T-Mobile via unlocked version

Samsung China website

The start of the year saw Samsung refreshing some of its lineups, particularly the Galaxy J-series of mid-range iterations. However, when the 2016 edition of the Galaxy J3 rolled out last January, its global release was just limited to a number of CDMA-supported carriers in the US. Now, a GSM variant can be used by US fans, as the 2016 Galaxy J3 unlocked is now listed in Amazon.

According to TechTimes, online retailer Amazon lists the new edition of a global-unlocked Galaxy J3 at their website. The 2016 Galaxy J3 is listed as available for both its single- and dual-SIM versions, and the list also mentions the three color variations. The mid-range iteration has a $189.99 price tag, which is slightly cheaper than the listed price for the CDMA version in Sprint, listed at $192.

When the 2016 Galaxy J3 was launched globally, it was only available for CDMA-supported carriers like Sprint, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile. An unlocked GSM version means that subscribers can use the Galaxy J3 as a handset for GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile.

However, it should be noted that AT&T is planning for the 2016 Galaxy J3 to be included in its list of subscriber handsets soon. According to Phone Arena, the 2016 Galaxy J3 will be available as a GSM/LTE variant for AT&T starting early next month. However, pending the May 6 release, subscribers who wants to check out and use the device right away can opt for the Amazon unlocked version.

The 2016 Galaxy J3 is part of the refreshed lineups currently released by Samsung. As a base model, the new edition has a 5.0-inch display with 720p resolution, a quad-core Snapdragon 410 chipset, and 1.5 GB of RAM. It has 8 GB of onboard storage, expandable via microSD, as well as an 8- and 5-MP back-and-front camera setup. Although released this year, the new Galaxy J3 still runs on Android Lollipop 5.1.1 version, and Samsung has not yet announced plans to update its mid-range lineups to Android Marshmallow.