Samsung galaxy j5 specifications matrix size. Review of Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016) SM-J510FN, the new version of the mid-range selfie background

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) has become more noble. Of course, it lacks the premium gloss of the new Galaxy A series, which has already completely mimicked Galaxy S. New smartphones look no worse than direct competitors from China.

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) design is not original. In 2016, Samsung brought the Galaxy A line closer to the premium Galaxy S. However, it didn't do that with the Galaxy J. The devices were presented with a metal case. Outwardly, they are close to the mainstream of the last two years: thin, rounded corners and edges. Here you can see the influence of the iPhone 6 and 7, we saw similar approaches from Huawei and Xiaomi.

At the same time, the Galaxy J5 (2017) is not devoid of visual appeal. We got a smartphone in a bluish color scheme. He looked very noble, mainly due to the skillful placement of accents. So the designers really did the job.

The front panel of the smartphone looks little different from other phones. It is covered with protective glass, and accents in the form of a silver company logo or icons of Android touch buttons here are not so bright.

But on the back, they are very noticeable. First of all, it is a glossy, mirror-like Samsung logo. The photo module has the same shiny bezel. They are complemented by light gray stripes at the top and bottom of the case. Probably, they are somehow connected with the antenna economy, but at the same time they revive the body.

In general, in a cafe, it is better to put the Galaxy J5 (2017) face down. It looks much more interesting in this position.

The materials of the smartphone are of high quality, it is very convenient, including due to the reasonable diagonal, which allows you to operate it with one hand. After several successively large smartphones and phablets that have visited our review, this fact is especially pleasant.

In general, the design of a smartphone is on a solid 4, or if you studied on a 10-point system, then on 7-8.

Connectors and controls

As we have already noticed, the device is very ergonomic. Its size allows a man to reach almost any corner and operate the device with one hand.

There is a display on the front panel of the smartphone. Below it is a hardware Home button, combined with a fingerprint scanner, to the right and left of it are Android touch buttons marked with silver icons.

At the top, everything is as usual: the earpiece, the front camera window and sensors. Also here is the backlight LED for the front camera. It does not work like a flash, but a backlight. Some other devices turn on the display at full brightness to illuminate selfies.

On the back there is only the main camera and its flash.

The upper end of the smartphone is made empty.

The bottom one carries microUSB connectors, an audio jack, and a spoken microphone.

On the right side, we find the button for turning on the display, as well as the slot in which the speakerphone is hidden.

The left side has two compartments for SIM-cards and microSD. One compartment contains SIM-1, the second one contains SIM-2 and microSD. Both compartments are opened with a special key, but you can try with a clip or a needle.

Nano-SIM is used. It should be especially noted that in the second compartment, the microSD and SIM slots are not combined, like in many smartphones. That is, you can install two SIM cards and a microSD. If you suddenly have any questions about installing SIM cards in Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017), then our short video will help you resolve them:

In addition, there are two volume buttons on the left side.

Protecting your phone with a fingerprint is the same as for other devices]. In the settings we find the Lock screen and protection, then select the Fingerprint, assign a PIN-code or pattern as a safety unlock method. Next, we scan the fingerprint. The area of \u200b\u200bthe scanner is small, so you have to apply your finger this way and that. Better to place it parallel to the button. It will be faster this way.

All! Your fingerprint has been scanned, you can now choose which notifications will appear on the lock screen. You don't need to put your finger on the scanner to read them. The fingerprint can also be used to access the protected folder. Our short video will tell you more about this:

There is also a Samsung Pass item in the Lock and protection screen section. It allows you to use biometric identification for authorization on sites, in applications, payment systems that support it. Screenshots of settings in this section are prohibited by security settings. In short, Samsung Pass uses your fingerprint (also, probably on more advanced gadgets, facial recognition or iris drawing) instead of a password. It is stored as an encrypted hash on the company's server. You need a company account to use Samsung Pass.

Case for Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017)

The selection of accessories for the Samsung Galay J5 (2017) is extensive. The good news is that the company immediately launched covers for the J-series.

The Samsung Dual Case is thick enough, but should provide better protection against dropping. It is offered for 1190 rubles.

Branded silicone Jelly Cover will cost less, at 890 rubles.

There is also a classic book. It will cost 1390 rubles.

In addition to branded accessories, you can also look for covers from third-party manufacturers. They may be cheaper, but even these prices do not seem extortionate.

Screen Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017)

Samsun Galaxy J5 (2017) received a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels. The display is clearly made narrower, according to the latest fashion, as a result, the 5.2-inch screen did not turn the smartphone into a large one and can be operated with one hand. The pixel density is 282 ppi and is very close to the so-called print quality, which in the past was considered unattainable for mobile phones.

The screen is made using SuperAMOLED technology, which immediately guarantees good and high-quality colors, natural black and high contrast. The subjective feel of the display is good. It's really colorful, really vibrant.

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) has received additional display settings. In addition to the main profile, there are photos and videos. They clearly lower the screen temperature, which is too high by default. Colors become warmer and more natural. Adaptive mode adjusts to the lighting conditions, and its task is to make the data on the display readable, even at the expense of ideal color reproduction.

As in all modern devices, there is a blue filter, when turned on, this part of the spectrum is cut out, and the eyes, in theory, should be less tired.

Note that color balance adjustment is available not only for the filter, but also for all basic presets.

Let's turn to objective tests. The brightness of the white at the screen was 280.32 cd / m 2. Black, as it should be for OLED - 0. The brightness of the Galaxy J5 is a little lacking, although the "absolute" contrast helps in bright sunlight. However, the OLED display of the J-series should differ from the A-series or even more so the S. And not only the resolution.

The adaptive display of the Galaxy J5 (2017) has a standard high color temperature, which is typical for all smartphones. Colors look colder, but visually the screen appears brighter. The main profile corresponds to a natural temperature of 6500K.

The color gamut indicators of the smartphone display are also excellent. They significantly exceed the sRGB range, however, again in the "cold" blue-green part of the spectrum.

The gamma curve deviates from the standard, but only slightly.

The display supports 5 touches. Many gestures available.

Camera Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017)

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) received two cameras. Both have a resolution of 13 megapixels and can record Full HD video. At the same time, we note that the front camera is in no way inferior to the main one and even received a dedicated LED backlight. It will allow you to take high-quality selfies.

Compared to the 2016 version, Samsung has noticeably pumped up the front camera. Last year a 5-megapixel variant was offered. True, at the same time she retained a narrow specialization: additional shooting modes are available only for the main camera.

The camera interface in Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) has not undergone fundamental changes, although the appearance of some elements has changed slightly. There are still two buttons on one side that start shooting video and photos. Such an arrangement is not entirely convenient, since instead of a photo you often find yourself in the view with your finger. Next to them is a preview window that brings up the Gallery. On the other side of the screen, there are three icons: settings, camera change and flash control. Note that in some other smartphones of the same Samsung, a larger selection is available here.

The area next to the main shutter buttons is given for adjusting the skin tone of the face, or other quick settings, depending on the mode.

With the gesture "swipe a speck of dust from the screen to the right or left", you can call up two more screens. One contains a preview of quick filters and effects. On the second, there are shooting modes: from professional to sports. You cannot add new modes. But by clicking on the three dots in the corner, you can transfer any of the modes to the main camera screen to quickly switch between them.

Camera settings are made uniform. You can select the resolution of images, disable image rotation, geotagging, enable the floating button and other additional controls. Shooting parameters can be adjusted only in Pro mode, in other cases they are fixed.

The front camera interface is not much different from the main one. Except that there are more "beauty" settings available by default. In addition to skin tone, you can make your face look thinner and also enlarge your eyes. Simple selfie mode works, when it is enough to close the screen with your palm, remove it, the camera will take a picture.

"We brush away the dust" and we also have a set of filters and modes. At the same time, very few modes are available for the front camera. In addition to self-portrait, this is a wide-angle selfie and sound recording.

The maximum resolution of the main camera is 13 megapixels, while the aspect ratio is only 4: 3.

The main camera can shoot Full HD video. There is a square video preset for Instagram.

The front camera can also take a 13-megapixel photo and it will also be 4: 3.

The front camera allows you to shoot Full HD videos as well as square videos.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017)

The specifications of the Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) are markedly improved over the 2016 smartphone. First of all, the improvements affected the computing power of the device.

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) received a new processor, and it can be considered a class higher than the one that was installed in the 2016 model. We observed similar changes in the Galaxy A line. Most likely, they are associated with tough competition from Chinese manufacturers, who do not skimp on the filling, but set low prices.

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) received an Exynos 7870 processor with eight Cortex-A53 cores at 1.6 GHz. A year ago, the company used the Snapdragon 410 in the device, which has two times less cores and a lower frequency. Significant performance gains can be expected, especially in resource-intensive applications.

The Exynos 7870 comes with Mali-T830 MP2 graphics. The Mali-G71 accelerator would be cooler, but this is a different class of smartphones. The Mali-T830 MP2 performed well in the Galaxy A5 (2017). There is no reason to believe that it will fail here, even though the CPU of the J-series is weaker.

Samsung has installed 2GB of RAM in the Galaxy J5 (2017). Today it has become the standard for the mid-range. For example, some accessories and gadgets, the same Samsung smartwatches, do not work with gigabyte smartphones. At the same time, if you compete with the Chinese, 3 GB of RAM would look better in J5 (2017).

16GB drive is standard. Latin Americans are more fortunate - they can get smartphones with 32 GB of storage. However, in the case of the Galaxy J5 (2017), the lack of storage is easily remedied by the microSD card, which does not compete for space with SIM cards.

The novelty also received improved Bluetooth and support for Wi-Fi 802.11ac, which is good news. Also, the smartphone has increased the resolution of cameras, and the display remains the same.

Samsung hasn't increased the battery capacity. It even became lower - 3000 mAh. So, subject to higher processor frequencies, if the Galaxy J5 (2017) shows better autonomy, then the credit can be given to Samsung engineers and Android 7.0 developers.

Performance testing

The Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) should be faster than the 2016 model. There is a higher processor frequency and more cores, and newer graphics. But with autonomy, questions are possible: the battery has become smaller.

In Basemark X, the novelty makes its predecessor stylish and beautiful. Almost a 3-fold advantage shows that the Exynos 7870 and Snapdragon 410 are still processors of different classes.

In 3DMark, it can be seen that the Mali accelerators are not as fast as the Adreno. The advantage remains with the novelty, but the gap is not so critical.

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) in AntuTu

Let's see how the smartphone behaves in the popular Antutu test.

In AnTuTu, which is a comprehensive test, it is noticeable that the limiting factor for the Galaxy J5 (2017) is the graphics. The advantage is obvious, but not overwhelming.

With autonomy, everything is not so simple. Our standard set of actions mimics the daytime activity of a not-so-free user experience. As a result, the Galaxy J5 (2017) has 82% of the charge out of 3000 mAh, while its predecessor has 83% of the 3100 mAh. There were no particular improvements in terms of autonomy, although the performance gain is, of course, noticeable.

In terms of the load on the battery, there is also nothing surprising. Data transmission and 3D graphics consume the most energy. Also, due to the OLED screen, relatively much is spent on reading.

Energy saving management is carried out in the Optimization item of the smartphone settings menu. You can also get there by clicking the Energy Saver icon in the quick settings of the notification panel. The user is offered two energy saving modes, each of which can be configured individually. Basic parameters: limiting the backlight, processor frequency and disabling wireless modules when the display is off.

Games for Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017)

In gaming, we don't expect the Galaxy J5 (2017). Everyone should work well.

Riptide GP2: excellent, everything flies;

Asphalt 7: excellent, everything flies;

Asphalt 8: excellent, everything flies;

Modern combat 5: excellent, everything flies;

Dead trigger: excellent, everything flies;

Dead trigger 2: excellent, everything flies;

Real Racing 3: excellent, everything flies;

Need for speed: No Limits: excellent, everything flies;

Shadowgun: Dead Zone: excellent, everything flies;
Frontline Commando: Normandy: did not start;

Frontline commando 2: excellent, everything flies;
Eternity warriors 2: did not start;

Eternity warriors 4: excellent, everything flies;

Trial Xtreme 3: excellent, everything flies;

Trial Xtreme 4: excellent, everything flies;

Dead effect: excellent, everything flies;

Dead effect 2: excellent, everything flies;

Plants vs Zombies 2: excellent, everything flies;

Dead target: excellent, everything flies;

Injustice: excellent, everything flies.

Injustice 2: excellent, everything flies.

Indeed, in all games, the phone can put fives. Developers should work hard to load up modern phones.

BY

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) received Android 7.0 and Samsung Essentials 8.1 interface. It has some features and settings that will take some getting used to.

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) has only one home screen by default. It contains search and folders with Google and Microsoft applications. The menu button has disappeared. There are only four icons in the bottom row. The menu is called up with a gesture, if you swipe up slightly above the bottom row of icons.

In the settings, you can select the scale of icons, fonts, colors, grid size. There are also two screen layouts: regular and simple.

Simple one assumes larger icons, moving to one of the screens of speed dial buttons.

The appearance of the application menu has not changed much. Google and Microsoft apps are combined in a folder. Samsung Essentials is no longer annoying on the first screen and has moved to the context menu.

Among the Google applications, no new products were noticed. Microsoft provides a set of office and other applications, but besides Skype and OneDrive, you still have to install them, and then, probably, pay for a subscription.

Note that in fact, the Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) has more than one home screen by default, but two, or rather, the second has News Briefing. There are settings for personalizing news.

The notification panel and quick settings have changed a bit, but in general it's easy to master. All branded chips are in place. The number of notifications is off the charts by default, so you will probably have to spend 10-15 minutes disabling this annoying spam.

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) received an NFC module, and with it the Smart Switch application. It allows you to transfer all data from your old phone to a new one, simply by attaching one to the other. To be fair, you will have to make some settings, tinker with pairing devices, etc. Not only Android smartphones are supported, but other operating systems as well.

Samsung's standard apps are all there. Sound recording - company dictaphone. In the settings, you can select the recording quality, as well as block incoming calls. In a standard Android voice recorder, the recording is interrupted for incoming calls and SMS.

The file manager hasn't changed much. Its appearance has become more interesting. Folders can be organized as a list or as a preview.

The S Health fitness harvester has not disappeared anywhere, but has been supplemented with new features. The application developed at first as a branded fitness tracker, and gradually turned into a real combine with elements of games, a social network and even an application store. In S Health, you can now compare your results with other users, add them as friends. The application is ready to offer you articles about health and fitness. In addition to accessories, you can connect other applications to it, for example, trackers. The user can collect data about training using a regular tracker, information from it will go to S Health with its social functions.

Samsung Members is an application at the intersection of support, phone manager and social network. Here you can directly contact the support of the company, go to optimize the parameters of the device, test it, as well as communicate with other owners and receive advice on the content of the smartphone.

Samsung Notes, as before, allows you to take notes, and not only text, but also voice, photographic and drawn. You can draw with a pen or with a brush. These options work best on devices with S Pen support, but as you can see on the budget Galaxy J, they can be used too.

Protected Folder allows you to create an encrypted section where documents and application versions can be placed. Access to them will go through biometric identification.

Samsung also installed a proprietary browser on the Galaxy J5 (2017), which is very similar to the Chrome shell, albeit with the binding of all bookmarks and other user information to the Samsung account. Of the useful things, we note the translucent quick menu button, which is displayed over the page.

Conclusion

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) has significantly pumped up the budget line of smartphones. It has a good design, a fairly fast hardware platform, and a decent camera. Thanks to the metal body, the device no longer looks cheap.

The disadvantages can be attributed only to the overly active concern of Android and the Samsung interface for the benefit of the user, but 15-20 minutes spent disabling annoying notifications will solve this problem.

Someone may not have enough display resolution or megapixels in the camera, but still it is worth remembering that Galaxy J is far from the top line of the manufacturer.

Price Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017)

You can buy Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) for 18,000 rubles. Let's see what competitors will offer.

Xiaomi Mi5S can be bought for 17-20 thousand rubles. The smartphone has a 5.15-inch display with Full HD resolution, but based on IPS technology. It is equipped with 4 and 12 megapixel cameras. Built on the more powerful Snapdragon 821, has 3GB of storage and 64GB of storage. Runs Android 6.0.

It costs about 20 thousand rubles. The smartphone has an AMOLED display with a diagonal of 5.2 inches and full HD resolution, cameras with 5 and 12 megapixels, it is built on the basis of a similar processor, but only with 2 GB of RAM. It also has the old Android 5.1 OS, but has an update to version 7.0.

The Sony Xperia XA1 attracted us because it ships with Android 7.1. The smartphone has a 5-inch 720p display and a 23-megapixel camera. The 8-core MediaTek Helio P20 is selected as a platform, there is 3 GB of RAM. However, the battery is very small - only 2300 mAh. You can buy it for 22,000 rubles.

pros:

good metal body;
decent design;
productive platform;
good cameras;
AMOLED display;
the installation of two separate SIM-cards is supported.

Minuses:

low display resolution.

Research firm Strategy Analitycs named the Galaxy J series of 2016 the most popular gadgets from Samsung in Q1 2017. It would be strange to say the least if the Korean company didn't try to build on this success. And she tried - smartphones of the Galaxy J 2017 line were presented in May-June, almost immediately after the announcement of the A series gadgets. It includes 3 smartphones, of which the Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) attracted the most attention of experts and users.

What is so remarkable about this device, what are its differences from last year's analogue and is it worth buying - we will try to answer all these questions in our honest review.

Galaxy J5 (2017) design: what's new?

In terms of design, the Samsung Galaxy J 5 (2017) has changed significantly from the 2016 smartphone - and certainly for the better. The dimensions of the two devices are almost the same - the 2017 model is only a couple of tenths of a millimeter narrower and a couple of grams lighter. In general, users had no complaints about the size of last year's J5 - therefore, no changes were required in this regard.

Samsung J5 (2017) has an all-aluminum body, which makes it look expensive and gives the user a pleasant tactile feel. The 2016 gadget was equipped with only a metal border, but in general it was made of plastic. The trivial plastic performance, coupled with the DUOS signature on the back, seemed to hint - before you is an average "workhorse", reliable and efficient, but nothing more. You can't say that about this smartphone - this device can easily be mistaken, if not for a flagship, then for a model of Samsung's premium line for sure.

Another feature of the Galaxy J5 (2017) is that its body is non-separable. The 2016 model has a removable battery that sits under a flexible cover. SIM cards and a microSD flash drive in last year's device are also installed under the cover. On the 2017 smartphone, card slots are placed on the left side.

The note. There are only 2 slots: the first contains SIM 1, the second is combined - for SIM 2 and a memory card.

Disputes about which case is better - collapsible or non-collapsible, have been going on for a long time. The collapsible case is good because it allows you to change the battery without contacting a service center. Non-collapsible one allows "hot" replacement of SIM and flash cards - and it looks much more presentable. And since the advantages of a solid body are more, then for such a design innovation, the 2017 Jay 5 deserves a "plus in karma".

Screen

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) is not capable of boasting "killer" characteristics. The device has a 5.2-inch display with HD resolution (1280 × 720). At the same time, from the point of view of contrast and saturation of colors, the screen will easily give odds to many "Chinese" with their FullHD displays.

The fact that the screen resolution is not so high allows the processor of the device to process information faster. The gadget copes without any problems with medium-performance games, movies and videos in HD quality.

The note. One of the useful innovations of the Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) is the Blue Color Filter. It is the blue color that negatively affects human vision. Through the settings, the user is able to completely exclude blue and all its shades from the color palette - then the screen will "turn yellow", but the user will be able to be calm for his eyes.

Galaxy J 5 2017 is certainly not Edge. But its screen is covered with protective glass with the now popular 2.5D effect - this was not the case on the 2016 model. An even more significant difference between the display of the new smartphone lies in the fact that it received a SuperAMOLED matrix, and not the antediluvian PLS, which was installed on the J5 Prime. It is for the screen matrix that Prime was criticized most mercilessly in the past year.

Performance: what's under the hood?

Samsung J5 (2017) is powered by its own Exynos 7 Octa 7870 chipset. It is an 8-core 64-bit processor with a Mali T830 video accelerator. There are also versions with the Qualcomm chipset, however these are less common. There is no need to look for them: the processor from the manufacturer, along with 2 GB of RAM, do an excellent job with most of the tasks that are set before them. Do you want to use office applications - please (by the way, they are on the new J5 by default)! Do you want to drive to the arcades - also for a sweet soul! Samsung J5 (2017) will “digest” even heavy games with elements of 3D graphics - if you set medium settings.

The folders on the smartphone open instantly, programs start without delay, and there are no lags when switching between applications. All in all, the 2017 J5 is the phone you can go on exploration with without a doubt!

The note. The operating system Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) - Android 7.0 Nougat - is not the most modern, but close to that (as of the date of the review, the latest version is 7.1.2). J5 2016, recall, equipped with the 5th generation OS.

J5 - a smartphone for selfies!

Samsung Galaxy J5 sample of 2017 can be safely called a selfie smartphone, because the front camera of this device takes pictures with a resolution of 12 megapixels and shoots videos in FullHD. The 2016 model had a front-facing camera with a resolution of only 5 megapixels - in this regard, Samsung took a huge step towards perfection over the year. The Galaxy J5 (2017) selfie camera is equipped with an LED flash and a huge variety of tools for instant image editing - in particular. You can give the person in the photo "big eyes" or adjust their skin tone. There is a widescreen selfie mode that will surely delight those who like to take pictures with friends. A curious and extremely useful innovation is the floating shutter button - it can be placed in any area of \u200b\u200bthe screen so as not to reach for it with your finger.

The rear of the smartphone also did not disappoint, although it has almost the same resolution as the front one - 13 megapixels. Photos taken with the rear camera boast excellent sharpness and contrast, true color reproduction. The detailing of the pictures leaves much to be desired, but let's not forget that we are talking about the model of the budget line. Shooting a moving object turns out to be blurry - this task of the Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) is clearly beyond its power.

A few words about autonomy

The 2017 Samsung Galaxy J5 comes with a 3,000mAh battery. The battery power is perhaps the only thing in which the new gadget is inferior to last year's - on the 2016 version, a 3,100 mAh battery is installed. The downgrade, however, is not as significant as in the case of the J5 Prime, which received a battery of only 2,400 mAh.

The capacity of 3,000 mAh is far from a record; there are “Chinese” on the market with 10,000 mAh batteries. However, with a fully charged battery, the J5 2017 can easily withstand 1.5 - 2 days of active use with Wi-Fi, 4G, listening to music and occasional photography. A very decent result.

Other "chips" Galaxy J5

Here's what else the 2017 Galaxy J5 can boast of:

Fingerprint sensor. There was no fingerprint scanner on the Samsung J5 2016, but it appeared on the Prime and 2017 models. The sensor is built into the Home button.
Samsung Pay support. Galaxy J5 users can pay for purchases in stores using a contactless method - using NFC technology, which, of course, is also on the smartphone. Due to the fact that the gadget is equipped with a fingerprint sensor, its owner is able to make purchases on the Internet through Samsung Pay, without bothering himself every time entering the details of a plastic card.
Adaptive display. This feature (which appeared on the S8 and S8 Plus) makes it convenient to use your smartphone outdoors during the day. The contrast and brightness of the image on the display are automatically adjusted to the external conditions - the user does not need to bring the gadget to his face to make out the contents of the screen.

conclusions

The main advantages of the 2017 Galaxy J5 smartphone are the following:

The body is entirely made of metal - aluminum.
The display is equipped with a SuperAMOLED active matrix developed by Samsung, which makes the colors on the screen very bright and rich.
The front camera boasts a resolution of 13 megapixels and a lot of "chips" for photo editing.
The smartphone was equipped with a powerful efficient 8-core Exynos 7870 processor, although it was initially expected that the gadget will receive the Exynos 7570 - a 4-core budget-level processor.
The J5 has a fingerprint scanner and supports Samsung Pay.

We will not be silent about the disadvantages of the device either:

The screen resolution is not as high as Samsung fans anticipated - “only” 1280 × 720 pixels.
The rear camera is not capable of high quality photographs of moving objects.
The battery capacity of the Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) is lower than that of the 2016 model - albeit only 100 mAh.

Samsung J5 (2017) left a very good impression. Unlike the J5 of last year, this is a device that is made according to all the canons of modern smartphone construction. The new model has an extremely attractive design and does not even come close to looking like a budget-level gadget.

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True, fans of Samsung products indignantly declare that it is not: at the time of the review (June 2017) this device in all domestic retail chains has an equal cost - 17,990 rubles; too much for a "budget". There is an assumption that such a cost will not last long, then it will fall to the 14 thousand rubles promised by the manufacturer, however, it is hardly lower.

Xiaomi, Meizu, ZTE, Honor - Chinese brands have captured the hearts of buyers. When it comes to buying an inexpensive device, fierce disputes immediately begin and the solution to the question - which phone is better to choose? Top brands are losing ground, they don't even remember HTC, sometimes they think of Sony or LG. Stop, what about Samsung? In 2017, Samsung showed an updated J-series. There are reviews on the site and, let there be also J5 for beauty.

Design: beautiful and even expensive

Samsung hasn't been too smart with the design and made the Galaxy J5 and J7 exactly the same. The only difference is in the size of the cases. If you need a bigger phone, then buy the J7, and if you want a smaller device, then choose the J5.

Previously, the J-series was criticized for its simple design compared to flagship devices. Now critics can be silent in a rag - everything is in order with the appearance. Yes, this is not a masterpiece or a style icon, but look around, do you remember a lot of beautiful middle-class smartphones? They all look the same, but Samsung has added family traits, you can immediately see what field this berry is.

A large inscription "SAMSUNG" is visible above the screen, why, for whom is it? At the bottom is a large button with a built-in fingerprint scanner. The protection works well, there are almost no mistakes, the sensor is sensitive, and you can pay for purchases through Samsung Pay. The younger brother of the Galaxy J3 (2017) cannot boast of this. But in the J5 there is no backlight for the auxiliary buttons, a strange economy on trifles. Also, in comparison with classmates, the J5 turned out to be heavy and weighty, this is not an amateur, I liked its weight.

It has a well-assembled aluminum body with nice rounded contours, comfortable handling and good weight distribution. In addition, the case is available in different colors: silver, gold, dark gray and blue. Unlike Chinese smartphones, where the front panel is either black or white, Samsung has painted this part in the body color. It seems like a trifle, but nice, the phone looks prettier.

One or two: two clicks on the button under the screen - quick launch of the camera. I am always happy about this feature when I see it on my phone. Apart from Samsung and Meizu, I don't remember any other manufacturers with such an option. If you know who else can do this, write in the comments.

Screen: resolution is not great, but pixels are not visible

The diagonal, by modern standards, is average, here it is 5.2 inches, and the resolution is 720x1280 pixels. Pixel and grain catchers will say "fuuu", and everyone else will be happy to use. Bright SuperAMOLED initially scares you with an overly juicy picture: you shoot grass in a Moscow courtyard, and the shades are the same as if you took this shot in the tropics. But you can "tweak" the settings using the built-in color profiles.

If in the older Galaxy J7 the Always On mode works, when useful information is visible on the screen in standby mode, then in the J5 there is no such thing anymore. It's a pity, because there is no notification indicator here either, so you can't find out about new events, you have to unlock the phone.

Power

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) is simple in terms of features. It has an Exynos 7870 processor, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory, a slot for microSD - you don't have to sacrifice a second SIM card. The phone works under the proprietary shell, but Android 7.0 sometimes slows down, games run on low graphics settings, otherwise lags are inevitable. The test results are eloquent: this is an ordinary device without gaming makings. Samsung is hinting at the price of more expensive devices if you want a smooth and fast system. This is why people are buying smarter Chinese alternatives. Because it's sad to see how the gallery lags or the Facebook application slows down.

I had no questions about the working time. It seems that the battery capacity is not so hot, only 3000 mAh, but the phone can withstand 1.5 working days. Until the evening without recharging, he calmly survives, for me this is the most important thing, I do not like to recharge during the day. A full charge takes 2 hours, although there is no fast charging function, and the old microUSB should finally be replaced with a more modern USB Type-C. But the smartphone has NFC, Wi-Fi Direct works, Wi-Fi 2.4 and 5 GHz are supported. And even the FM radio is in place - suddenly we miss the old functions.

The media speaker is located on the side, it is difficult to block it accidentally, so when you watch a video holding the phone in your hands, the sound is clearly audible. The speaker does not differ in quality and volume, it is quite ordinary. I can say the same about the spoken language, it is not of the best quality, some kind of booming.

Camera: just good

The front camera is 13 megapixels, it is supplemented by a flash, but there is no autofocus here. The main camera is also 13 megapixels, it already has autofocus and shoots tolerably in low light. By the way, the camera characteristics are the same as in the older Galaxy J7. The phone is good for the quality of shooting, look at examples of shooting during the day, you will like it. However, if you add a little money, you can already buy the iPhone SE with a much more advanced camera. And iPhone shoots video much better.

Why is it better than its Chinese counterparts?

I thought it would be convenient to collect all the merits in one paragraph if you read the text diagonally.

I'll start with the design, you won't find the front panel in the case color among the "Chinese". Here the fingerprint scanner is located under the screen, and not on the back, which is convenient. The smartphone works with NFC, it supports payments through the Samsung Pay system. If you like bright, colorful, like a gypsy dress, screens, then you will love this Super AMOLED.

A separate slot for a memory card is a practical thing. A very good camera, and also with a quick launch function. You can clone applications and use two accounts at the same time: for example, personal and work accounts in social networks. You can create a secret folder where photos and applications will be stored - no one except you will see them.

Alternatives: full

Samsung Galaxy J5 2017 is sold in official retail at a price of 17,990 rubles. "Gray" options are sold for 2-3 thousand rubles cheaper. What are our options? You can buy a more interesting Honor 6X for the same 17 990 or ASUS ZenFone 3. There is also an inexpensive Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, it will cost 15 thousand in official retail. The truth is, do not forget that for 19,990 rubles they sell a fast iPhone SE with an excellent camera.

Conclusion

The difference in price between J5 and J7 2017 is not that big, it is more interesting to add money and buy an older model, or even look for a more attractive Galaxy A5 2017 in terms of characteristics, having at least received protection from water and an even more attractive design.

I love how Samsung has worked on its budget smartphone lineup. Another thing is that if it were not for the aggressive policy of Chinese brands, this would not have happened, and the J-series would have remained an outsider.

Now, at least, the design is nice, the cameras are good, and the useful little additions are pleasing. But Samsung stubbornly refuses to tighten up the junior models, it is unpleasant to see a slowdown phone, which means that Chinese brands still have a more interesting price-performance ratio.

For the smartphone provided for testing, thank the friendliest gadget store

Samsung's flagships have long been considered one of the best - the latest generations of the Galaxy S are distinguished not only by their successful design and advanced features, but also by unique software features. At the same time, the company does not forget about more affordable lines - there are strong Galaxy A 2016 and 2017, but the most dramatic changes seem to be taking place with the J series. Today we will consider them using the example of Galaxy J5 2017.

Design

Making a beautiful smartphone is already half the battle. Probably, Samsung designers think in a similar way, because if the model differed simply by the presence of a metal frame, the J5 2017 received much more noticeable changes in design.

On the front side, the smartphone looks like the current Galaxy A and last year's S7, and on the back, the company decided to play up the plastic inserts for the operation of the antennas, the non-protruding camera unit, and collected all this in a metal case.

The smartphone turned out to be very pleasant in terms of ergonomics and tactile sensations, but its color plays an important role in the perception of the device. In particular, we got one of the most interesting options, blue. Depending on the lighting, sometimes you want to call it the color of the "rainy sky", sometimes just blue, and in cold artificial lighting conditions it can appear gray.

There is also a dark gray, almost black version, and a gold one. In all cases, the front panel is painted in the color of the main body.

The arrangement of the elements resembles last year - the call speaker is on the right edge above the power key. This arrangement still seems unusual, but does not cause inconvenience, rather the opposite - the speaker rarely overlaps and drowns out during use. The rest of the smartphone is similar to other Samsung.

As before, the J series features some intentional simplifications. Touch keys on the sides of the central mechanical are devoid of backlighting. A double tap on Home can quickly launch the camera, and now the button also includes a fingerprint scanner, which was absent in last year's models. In this case, only three prints can be stored in memory.

On the one hand, this is sufficient, on the other hand, it is convenient to use your thumbs to unlock when holding, and index fingers when the device is on the table. You won't be able to save data for everyone.

Screen

SuperAMOLED displays are found in many current Samsung smartphones, and given that the previous model was already equipped with such a screen, we did not expect to see something different in the J5 2017. The diagonal and resolution have not changed - 5.2 inches and 1280 by 720 pixels, respectively.

The backlight level varies from 6 to 350 cd / m², and a high brightness mode is provided for better readability in the sun. The settings allow you to choose one of four familiar color rendering modes, as well as independently adjust the white balance. There is a blue filter.

One of the likely drawbacks of the display, namely not the highest resolution, is practically invisible in practice. If you look specifically, you can see individual pixels, but bright saturated color rendition, contrast and good readability in the sun can distract you from looking at the points.

Therefore, in general, the screen is perceived as good, it will look at least as good as compared to competitors with Full HD matrices. But there were some restrictions - despite the use of AMOLED, the smartphone does not have an Always on Display mode.

Hardware platform and performance

If J5 2016 ran on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 platform, then the 2017 model received a SoC made by Samsung - Exynos Octa 7870, and the J7 2016 was built on it. The volumes of RAM and permanent memory have not changed - 2 and 16 GB, by modern standards they can be called minimally sufficient. It's good that the smartphone has separate slots for two NanoSIMs and a memory card.

In benchmarks, the device shows average results and in life it does not seem too fast either. With leisurely use, the speed is sufficient, but some performance reserve is not felt. In games, the device shows itself rather average - solutions with complex graphics require setting the minimum quality settings to obtain a comfortable fps level.

Part of the problem can be attributed to the fact that we tested a sample, not the final device, but from our own experience you know that improvements can be expected, but not expected. In particular, we were confused by the relatively low results in the memory speed benchmark:

The device cannot be called terribly slow, but you expect better responsiveness from a device for 8000 hryvnia. At the same time, sometimes our sample worked smartly, and sometimes it slowed down when opening the application menu and searching for programs.

From the side of minor improvements, the device offers a lot of new: the J5 2017 has a dual-band Wi-Fi module, not only a fingerprint scanner appeared, but also an NFC module, as well as MST. Thus, the company is trying to show that in terms of capabilities, the device does not differ much from the more expensive Galaxy A / S, the smartphone can be used as a means of payment, and so on.

Working hours

The built-in battery capacity is 3000 mAh, which is 100 mAh less than the 2016 model. But it should be borne in mind that the Exynos platform is made according to the 14nm process technology, so it consumes less energy and, as a result, the device works longer than its predecessor.

In my smartphone, the device worked from daylight to one and a half days in a fairly intensive mode of use - the active use of 3G Internet, a lot of benchmarks, games and a camera were added to the usual correspondence, music and video. The total operating time of the screen was 6 hours, which allows us to say that an ordinary user can count on two days of work.

Of course, I would like to see also the function of fast battery charging, but we are talking about the J-series, and for obvious reasons it is not here.

Software platform

The smartphone runs Android 7.0, covered by the proprietary Samsung Experience 8.1 shell - its design resembles the company's flagship, but the number of built-in functions is less. There are no "panels" for using the curved screen, the Bixby assistant.

The built-in Samsung and Microsoft applications remained in place, you can install additional ones from the branded application store. There are also icon themes, wallpapers.

Cameras

Samsung Galaxy J5 2017 received two cameras. The main and front resolutions are the same - 13 Mp. Both have a flash, and only the main autofocus. The aperture of the used optics also differs: f / 1.7 for the main one, f / 1.9 for the front one. Unlike the previous model, HDR mode appeared.

Both cameras are pleased with the speed of work, the smartphone shoots quickly and that's good. The main camera focuses not as fast as on older devices, but not slowly. Most shots have natural colors and correct white balance. Photos look good on a smartphone or without magnification on a PC, but upon closer inspection, there is a noticeable average elaboration of details, the disadvantages of the optics used.

Site evaluation

Pros: metal body, body colors, screen, front camera, battery life, NFC and MST, dual-band Wi-Fi, fingerprint scanner, separate slots for memory card and SIM

Minuses: Galaxy J series software limitations, performance versus price

Conclusion: In 2017, the Galaxy J5 has undergone a dramatic change. The device has remained largely budgetary and is inferior to counterparts from the older lines of the company, but at the same time it is not perceived as cheap at all, there is a place for it in the market and those who bought a smartphone will probably be satisfied with it. This was achieved through a great design and the addition of small, but useful features that were missing before. Within the Samsung lineup, its price looks reasonable, but the J-series traditionally has a lot of competitors. In no way we are talking about Xiaomi or Meizu devices, the model should be compared with the same Moto G5 Plus and Huawei GR-series - first of all, these smartphones will be able to offer the best operating speed, and the buyer will evaluate the design and attitude to the brand on his own. We believe that the J5 2017 has every chance to interest users who are less interested in the smart functions of a smartphone, but when choosing they pay great attention to the brand, design, materials of the device body, because otherwise they just use a couple of instant messengers, mail, are calling.

As in all modern devices, there is a blue filter, when turned on, this part of the spectrum is cut out, and the eyes, in theory, should be less tired.

Note that color balance adjustment is available not only for the filter, but also for all basic presets.

The color gamut indicators of the smartphone display are also excellent. They significantly exceed the sRGB range, however, again in the "cold" blue-green part of the spectrum.