Samsung updates its J-series family of budget smartphones

[Jos]

With the release of the Galaxy S8 now in the rear mirror, Samsung is switching focus to its more affordable J series. The company had already released the Galaxy J3 last month in the US, and now it has officially unveiled the new Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7. The phones sport a metal design, fingerprint sensor, VoLTE support and will ship with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.

The J5 and J7 both come with HD super AMOLED displays (5.2-inch and 5.5-inch, respectively), 16GB of internal storage which can be further expanded up to an extra 256GB via a microSD card slot, Exynos 7870 based eight-core A53 1.6GHz processor with Mali T830 GPU. The 5.2-inch Galaxy J5 comes with 2GB RAM and a 3,000mAh battery, while the 5.5-inch J7 has 3GB RAM and a 3,600mAh battery.

All models are available in dual- or single-SIM options, have an FM radio receiver and feature 13-megapixel cameras on the front and back with f/1.7 and f/1.9 apertures, respectively. Other features include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, Micro USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Galaxy J5 will be available in Europe this month for around €279 ($314, £243) followed by a July launch for the Galaxy J7 at €339 ($381, £295). The Galaxy J3 will be available in August for €219 ($246, £191) — Samsung launched the entry-level J3 with AT&T last month in the US for $179.

All three models in the J-series will be available in black or gold.

Samsung’s affordable J-series may not have the same high-end features as the premium Galaxy S8 or Note series, but they do well in emerging markets and is key to its market share leadership.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/69619-samsung-updates-j-series-family-budget-smartphones.html

 

[mrjgriffin]

The j5 and j7 have existed on prepaid carriers for a while now? wtf?

 

[Godel]

The j5 and j7 have existed on prepaid carriers for a while now? wtf?

From the linked article "The smartphone [of] the same name was launched in May in the US by AT&T, but it was a different variant."

GSM Arena have more specs on these. Here's the J5 version:

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_j5_(2017)-8705.php

 

[pawel04]

Not sure why one wouldnt get the 2017 A series instead, very similar pricing and look to me to be slightly more premium.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Not sure why one wouldnt get the 2017 A series instead, very similar pricing and look to me to be slightly more premium.

The A series is quite a bit more pricier and the J series and lacks a lot of the fundamental sensors found the competitors competing models. That said, the J series is pretty popular here and if it's a reputable, basic smartphone you're after, the J series fits the bill quite nicely.

 

[pawel04]

The A series is quite a bit more pricier.

At the moment you can find an A5 (2017) for €318 on amazon.de, €39 more than the J5 price stated in the article. I mean each to their own but I would pay the premium for better front and rear cameras, 1080p as opposed to 720p, USB-C, more internal storage, more ram, water resitance...

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

At the moment you can find an A5 (2017) for €318 on amazon.de, €39 more than the J5 price stated in the article. I mean each to their own but I would pay the premium for better front and rear cameras, 1080p as opposed to 720p, USB-C, more internal storage, more ram, water resitance...

I can only speak for South African prices. Over here the difference in price between the A5 & the J5 is quite significant, far more than 39 Euros but yeah, the A series is very nice, I use the 2017 A3 as my secondary device. In fact I prefer it to my HTC 10 in many ways. As you say, each to their own.

 

[mrjgriffin]

From the linked article "The smartphone [of] the same name was launched in May in the US by AT&T, but it was a different variant."

GSM Arena have more specs on these. Here's the J5 version:

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_j5_(2017)-8705.php

I see . makes sense