Skip to main content

Freetel announces the new Rei, a stylish Android up-and-comer

freetel rei android mobile world congress
Image used with permission by copyright holder
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, Freetel has announced a new Android device that will more than likely make its way to the United States, along with a handful of other smartphones from its Samurai lineup.

If you haven’t heard of Freetel before, the company is a relatively new mobile manufacturer based in Japan that offers affordable handsets, and it announced that it would be bringing its devices to the U.S. and Europe at CES 2016 in January.

Now the company has announced the Rei, a 5.2-inch Full HD device, powered with an octa-core CPU (likely Mediatek), with 2GB of RAM, and a 2,800mAh battery. The device will come with a MicroSD card slot, so you can increase the amount you have from the initial 32GB that’s offered. Powered by Android 6.0, the device actually looks virtually exactly like the iPhone 6S, though it’s a little less rounded around the edges. It also has a physical home button that’s reminiscent of the one you’ll find on Samsung’s Galaxy phones.

The Rei has an aluminum back cover with a 13-megapixel rear camera on it. Across the front is an 8-megapixel selfie cam. The aluminum back cover will come in four colors, which will vary by market. Going by the photos from the initial announcement it will be available in black, silver, gold, and one that looks like rose gold.

Freetel doesn’t have an exact ship date on the Rei, but it’s expected to come to the USA, along with a few other devices, in the second quarter of 2016. The company hasn’t mentioned the price either, except that it’s “affordable.”

We’ll find out more and update you when we take a better look at the device, and the company’s lineup as Mobile World Congress begins in full Barcelona.

Editors' Recommendations

Julian Chokkattu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…
Google just announced 8 big Android updates. Here’s what’s new
A photo of many Android figurines on a white wall.

At Moblie World Congress (MWC ) 2024, Google is bringing a healthy bunch of new features to Android. In line with the AI push all across the industry, some notable AI-driven enhancements are on the table. There are also a handful of core Android features that sound practically amazing.
The first in line is Gemini. The generative AI chatbot recently got a standalone app for Android, and now it’s headed for the Google Messages app. Users can chat with Gemini directly in the messaging app and use its generative capabilities for a host of things, like drafting replies, refining a message, and more.

Another feature that was showcased a while ago is finally ready for prime time. Android Auto is gaining support for message summarization for standalone texts and group chats, and it can also suggest replies. With a single tap, users will also be able to drop a message, start a call, and share an estimated arrival time. The idea is to deploy AI for crucial tasks so that it can minimize distractions while driving.
Lookout, an accessibility-centric feature for users with vision challenges, is also getting meaningful AI love. On Android phones, Lookout will now read AI-generated captions and descriptions for media content. For now, the AI boost to Lookout and Messages is limited to the English language.

Read more
TCL’s new Android phones are coming soon, and they look promising
Someone holding the TCL 50 LE smartphone at CES 2024.

TCL 50 LE Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

TCL announced a slate of new phones at CES 2024 last month, but there wasn’t a lot of information about them. Thankfully, that's just changed.

Read more
Google just announced Android 15. Here’s everything that’s new
The Android 15 logo on a smartphone.

Android fans, it's time to start your hype engines. Google just released the first developer preview for Android 15 — kicking off the release of the next big Android update.

This is just the first step in a months-long process of Android 15's rollout, which will see numerous developer previews and betas before the final release later this year. So, what's new, when is Android 15 officially releasing, and should you download it? Here's everything you need to know.
What's new in Android 15

Read more