Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro Hands-On, Quick Review: Sammy’s Mid-Ranged Contender

Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro Hands-On, Quick Review: Sammy’s Mid-Ranged Contender

The Competition Better Watch Out

Last week, Samsung officially launched its newest mid-ranged smartphone in the Philippines — the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro; a phone they’re positioning to take on all comers in the Php 15,000 to Php 20,000 price segment. The device finally arrived at Unbox HQ, so it’s time to give you a quick look and our first impressions for J7 Pro. First, a look at its specs.

Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro Specifications

  • 1.6GHz Exynos 7870 octa-core processor
  • 3GB of RAM
  • Mali-T830 GPU
  • 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display; 1920×1080 resolution
  • 32GB of expandable storage (up to 256GB)
  • 13-megapixel rear camera, f/1.7 aperture, Autofocus, LED flash
  • 13-megapixel front camera, f/1.9 aperture, LED flash
  • 4G, LTE
  • Dual SIM
  • WiFi, Bluetooth
  • GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
  • Fingerprint scanner
  • Android 7.0 Nougat
  • 3,600mAh battery

Initial Impressions: A Solid Entry from Samsung

In terms of looks and build quality, the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro definitely fits in with most of its mid-ranged competition. It has a unibody metal build with rounded corners, making it easier to clap single-handed. The review unit we got came in black and is a bit of a fingerprint magnet. If you don’t plan on slapping on a case on the J7 Pro, it would probably be best to have a cleaning cloth handy to keep it looking pristine. There are also curved antenna bands on the top and bottom of the rear of the device; giving it a nice distinction between other phones in its price category.

It’s time to take the mandatory tour around the device to see where its buttons and ports are.

On the right side of the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro are the power button and its lone speaker. The placement of the speaker is something we’ve seen in other J series models before and you do kind of have to be mindful when you hold the device in landscape orientation, so you don’t muffle the sound coming out of the speaker.

On the left side are the volume rocker plus its two SIM trays, so there’s no need to choose between having a backup number or having more storage. You can expand upon the J7 Pro’s storage by up to 256GB.

On the bottom of the J7 Pro are its 3.5mm audio jack and the micro USB port.

On the chin of the device is the usual navigation setup that we’re used to seeing from the Korean brand, which consists of two capacitive keys on either side of the home button that doubles up as a fingerprint scanner. No surprises here, the fingerprint scanner unlocks the phone quite fast but you will want to keep it as clean as possible so it can read your bio-metrics properly.

The Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro has a 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display; giving it a pixel density of 400 pixels per inch and a screen to body ratio of 73.3%. We’re going to call it early and say that this device probably has the best screen at this price point, so if you are a bit of a video junkie or consume a ton of content while in traffic (hopefully, you aren’t driving) you should definitely check out the device for its display alone. It has nice, punchy colors with deep blacks; not to mention great viewing angles and adequate sunlight legibility.

Under the hood of the Galaxy J7 Pro is an Exynos 7870 octa-core processor, which clocks in at 1.6GHz. This is paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. You may be familiar with this processing package since it is the same as the one found on the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime. We’ll have to take it out a little longer to see how it does in its full review, but so far we’re seeing the same performance in this device.

We’ve even been able to play a quick game of Asphalt 8 on it and it handled the game rather well, with very few frame rate drops here and there at high settings. The Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro runs on Android 7.0 Nougat and is powered by a 3,600mAh battery.

The biggest difference of the J7 Pro from last year’s J7 Prime are its cameras. While they may share the same megapixel count, 13-megapixels, you’re getting an f-stop of f/1.7 on the Pro, compared to the f/1.9 of the Prime. You also have the same camera to take selfies with on this device, sans the autofocus.

“Capture the Night” was the big battle cry of Samsung at their launch last Tuesday, and the wider aperture on the J7 Pro should definitely help out with low-light photography. We still have to take it out for a spin to see what the cameras can really do, but things are definitely looking up seeing the test shot from its rear camera.

And that’s pretty much for this hands-on and quick review for the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro. It’s priced competitively at Php 15,990 and, while pre-orders for the device are already closed, it will be available in stores by July 15.

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