Samsung's new Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone is barely out of the oven, but the rumor mill is now turning to a budget Samsung Galaxy Core handset.

The purported Samsung Galaxy Core is allegedly a super-budget handset, i.e. a cheap Galaxy S4 knock-off. The low-cost smartphone would reportedly position itself just behind the rumored Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.

According to the latest web leak from Russian publication Hi-Tech, the budget Samsung Galaxy Core will sport a 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480, a dual-core processor of unknown origin, but clocked at 1.2GHz, an odd 768MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable via a micro SD card slot. Other specs and features reportedly include a 5-megapixel rear facing camera, dual-SIM support and an 1,800 mAh battery juicing things up. The low-cost smartphone is expected to ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and a TouchWiz overlay. In terms of connectivity, the upcoming Samsung smartphone will support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS.

As Engadget points out, the purported Samsung Galaxy Core seems very similar to the Galaxy S2 Plus, The Galaxy S3 Mini and the China-bound Galaxy Win smartphones. Such phones seem to borrow design cues from the high-end Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4 handsets, but cutting down on pretty much everything else for a more affordable price tag.

The Samsung Galaxy Core is reportedly headed to Russia next month with a rumored price of 14,000 rubles. That would amount to roughly $430, which doesn't seem like much of a budget price tag, but Russian prices often go overboard.

The Russian publication also mentions that Samsung initially planned to sell the Core in China only, but Russia apparently joined the list to get the handset. The report offers no mention on whether the Samsung Galaxy Core will launch in other markets as well. If, however, the phone does make it to other regions, it should come with a lower price tag if it wants to make it as a viable budget smartphone option.

Hi-Tech nailed some rumors in previous years, including the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S would get a processor bump in 2011. On the other hand, the quoted price tag of 14,000 rubles does raise some big question marks, and this is just a rumor. Take things with a healthy dose of skepticism until Samsung decides to make it official.