Sammy Bolstering their Mid-Ranged J-Line
While Samsung might be enjoying the successful launch of their new flagship devices, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, they’ve been outing a few of their budget devices on the sly. One of the phones that recently made its way to Unbox HQ is the Samsung Galaxy J5 Prime. As we all know the J series phones from Samsung are meant to service those who are looking for a device and are a little tight on the budget. Before we take it out on a more comprehensive review, let’s give it a quick go around.
Samsung Galaxy J5 Prime Specifications
- 1.4GHz Exynos 7570 quad-core processor
- 2GB of RAM
- Mali-T720 GPU
- 5.0-inch HD PLS display; 1280×720 resolution
- 16GB of expandable storage
- 13-megapixel rear camera, f/1.9 aperture, AF, LED flash
- 5-megapixel front camera, f/2.2 aperture
- 3G, LTE
- Dual SIM
- WiFi, Bluetooth
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
- Fingerprint scanner
- 2400mAh battery
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Initial Impressions: Familiar Build and Design
While you may have expected mid-ranged smartphones to be made out of plastic a few years back, that certainly isn’t the norm today. The Samsung Galaxy J5 Prime has a metal build with plastic bits on the top and bottom of its back side for its antennas. The design of the back actually looks very familiar in a sense that it pretty much looks like most of the phones coming from its Chinese competitors and kind of reminds of the ASUS Zenfone Max or Laser.
Despite looking like other smartphones from the back, the front has the Korean brand’s trademarks all over it. If the Samsung branding on its forehead wasn’t a dead giveaway already, the chin sports Sammy’s familiar home button with its navigation keys flanking it on either side. The home button, of course, doubles up as a fingerprint scanner; so far, it’s on point and hasn’t failed to recognize our bio-metrics.
The front of the phone is, of course, dominated by the 5-inch HD PLS display. While we would have loved to see a Full HD panel, going 720p was definitely a good choice to make sure the device runs smoother and a little longer as well. It also has generous viewing angles and a respectable amount of sunlight legibility.
On top of the display, is the J5 Prime’s 5-megapixel front camera, which has an aperture size of f/2.2 to kind of help along with low-light conditions.
On the flip side, you’ve got the 13-megapixel rear camera at f/1.9 and initial photos come out a little too washed out for our liking, but we’ll see how it does for the phone’s full review.
It’s time to see where all the buttons are! You’ve got the power button on the right side of the device with the J5 Prime’s speaker right above it.
The left side off the phone houses the volume rocker, the SIM trays and microSD expansion bay.
On the bottom, you’ve got the microUSB port and 3.5mm audio jack.
For its internals, the Samsung Galaxy J5 Prime sports the Korean company’s very own Exynos 7870 quad-core processor; paired with 2GB of RAM, a Mali-T720 GPU and 16GB of expandable storage. Initial navigation with the device is smooth, with app launches seeing a very tiny bit of delay. The J5 Prime also scored a 32648 on Antutu, which is respectable for phones at this price point.
Powering the whole shebang is a 2400mAh battery and you’ve got Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Samsung TouchWiz UI on top of it.
That’s pretty much it for this quick review for the Samsung Galaxy J5 Prime, which is priced at Php 9,990. We recently reviewed the Galaxy J2 Prime and, if that more of an entry-level to Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones, the J5 Prime offers a step towards Sammy’s higher-tiered, mid-ranged phones. Check back in a couple of days for its full review to see how it holds up.
Read:
Samsung Galaxy S8 Review: Comeback Kid
