The Russian market will have first taste of Samsung's new Galaxy phone - the new Galaxy Ace Plus that experts said derives its look from an earlier version of Apple's iPhone.

Samsung announced this week that the improved Galaxy Ace will debut in Russia on January, with the South Korean tech firm not specifying the smartphone's retail price.

However, tech experts have suggested that judging from the new Samsung handset as an entry-level device, likely sticker price should not exceed the range of $500.

The new phone, Samsung said, will be powered by an earlier version of Android, the 2.3 Gingerbread, with a single 1GHZ processor under its hood.

Samsung will deploy the new smartphone with up to 3GB of total capacity, which will be complemented by 512MB of RAM, plus the usual wireless and 3G connectivity.

The Galaxy Ace Plus' front will be graced by a 3.65-inch screen, emitting 320 x 480 of maximum resolution for reasonable viewing pleasure and capturing moments on its 5MP camera.

And seemingly unmindful of its recent legal tiff with Apple, the new Samsung phone, experts noted, carries close similarity to iPhone 3G, mainly on its curved and rounded edges. The back cover though is made of plastic, unlike the old Apple smartphone.

Yet apart from the first-look resemblance with iPhone 3G, the new Galaxy Ace Plus comes to form on its own with its camera locations at the back of the phone while its physical home button was shaped rectangular as compared to Apple's square design.

In a blog review of the phone, BGR wrote that Samsung may have took the risk of deriving the new phone's look from an old Apple handset to get across a veiled statement.

"Samsung just wants to tell Apple that it is not scared or even to prove a point that Apple cannot own rights to the design of an all-touchscreen, rectangular smartphone with curved edges and back," the BGR blog said.

Shortly after its launch in Russia, Samsung plans to roll out next the Galaxy Ace Plus in Europe and the countries comprising the CIS.

Lower Americas will come next, Samsung said, then Asia, the Middle East, Africa and China.

It is unclear if Australia will see the Ace Plus and in the event it is launched in the region, it should coincide with a possible release in the Asia Pacific, experts speculated.