Electronics giant Samsung has unveiled three dual-SIM smartphones for Africa, following a string of low-cost smart device launches on the continent by the likes of Intel, Huawei and Nokia.

The Samsung Galaxy Star, Galaxy Pocket Neo and Galaxy Grand were launched yesterday at the 2013 Samsung Forum in Cape Town, South Africa.

Samsung officials say the devices are low-cost. However, specific price points for the smartphones have not yet been revealed by the company.

The Samsung Galaxy Star sports a three-inch 240×320px touchscreen, a two Megapixel camera, dual-SIM support, and 4GB of built-in storage space. It also uses Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

The Samsung Galaxy Pocket Neo has similar features to the Galaxy Star, as it also has a three-inch 240×320px touchscreen, dual-SIM support two megapixel camera, 4GB storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Reports say both phones feature Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth.

Meanwhile, the electronics firm further showcased its dual-SIM ‘Galaxy Grand’, which is a five-inch screen that is “half the price” of the same-sized Note II, according to head of mobility at Samsung South Africa Paulo Ferreira.

“Featuring all of the innovative smart technology services including AllShare Play, S-Voice, and SmartStay, we are excited to provide consumers with a device capable of meeting all their business and personal requirements without having to swop SIM cards,” said Jason Kim, regional product manager for mobile at Samsung Africa.

Samsung’s move to launch low-cost smartphones for Africa comes at a time when the likes of Intel, Huawei and Nokia have targeted the continent’s market with sub-$300 smart devices.

In January, chipmaker Intel launched the sub-$200 Yolo. In February, Chinese telecommunications equipment company Huawei joined forces with software maker Microsoft to launch the similarly-priced 4Afrika smartphone in markets such as South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.

Also in February, Nokia unveiled what it called the ‘most affordable Windows Phone 8 smartphone’, the Lumia 620, in markets such as South Africa. According to tech blog Engadget, this device, though, costs $230.

Samsung, however, has emphasised the dual-SIM features of its ‘low-cost’ Galaxy range of smartphones.

In a press statement last year by Samsung regarding the launch of its dual-SIM ‘Chief Hero’ feature phone, the company’s officials said that a ‘significant percentage’ of mobile phone users in Africa carry multiple SIM cards to take advantage of different pricing plans from operators.