Galaxy Ace 2, Galaxy Mini 2 : launch On March

Samsung reveals Galaxy Ace 2, Galaxy Mini 2 smartphones

While everyone's going to be looking towards Samsung for what high-end goodies it has in store at this year's MWC the company has shown it hasn't forsaken its more affordable handsets, announcing the Galaxy Ace 2 and Galaxy mini 2 ahead of the event. They may be sat in a colder part of the Samsung Galaxy compared to better spec'd handsets in the same range but their predecessors, which were first released in 2011, have already offered a good balance between performance and price.

The new version of the Galaxy Ace 2 is going to include a 3.8" display, 800MHz processor and 768MB of RAM. As well as this it's also set to feature 4GB of internal storage, a rear-facing 5mp snapper and front-facing VGA camera for video calling. Powering it all is a 1500mAh battery and will find itself with Android 2.3 pre-installed.

Lower down the line the Galaxy mini 2 is set to show up with a 3.27" display, 800MHz processor and 512MB of RAM. Like the Ace 2 there's 4GB of internal storage but no front-facing camera to join the 3mp one on the back. Battery-wise it has a 1300mAh pack and not surprisingly comes with Android 2.3 installed as well.

Each device features some significant improvements over their predecessors and though they still might be far from being dubbed high-end there's a lot to recommend them.

The first of the pair to go on sale will be the Galaxy mini 2, which is going to be available in France starting in March followed by a global rollout. After that in April the Galaxy Ace 2 is due to be hitting the UK. In the case of both there's no word yet on how much either will cost although there's no doubt they're not going to break the bank.