Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 Intro:
Though mid-range smart devices always proved to bring the most sales, yet all manufacturers had a clear preference for High End Flagship devices. Many companies still ignore the fact and regret in one way or another. Samsung, undoubtedly is one of the most popular smartphone manufacturer that offers a variety of handheld devices loaded with top-notch features. And unlike earlier, it’s now also offering some extra special emphasis on the middle range segment. And that my friends is one of the reason that also made us to review the Samsung Galaxy J7 2016, one of the hot selling mid-range device in Pakistan right now.
Fortunately, Samsung’s devotion and attention to the mid-range segmented has resulted in many interesting devices like Galaxy J7 in the last year and now its 2016 version. Before that, Samsung had many devices in this range but those were not as organized according to the features. The company has made significant strides in this area and now all the Smartphones comes divided into specific device families and are relatively quite different from each other.
Key Specs:
| Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 | |
|---|---|
| Display | 5.5 inch Super AMOLED capacitive display 720 x 1280 , 267ppi |
| Processor | Octa-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53, Exynos 7870 |
| GPU | Mali-T830MP2 |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Storage | 16 GB |
| MicroSD | Yes, up to 256GB |
| Camera | 13MP rear camera, f/1.9, 28mm, face detection autofocus, LED Flash 5MP front camera + Front LED flash |
| Software | Android OS, v6.0.1 (Marshmallow) |
| Battery | 3300mAh, removable |
| Dimensions | 151.7 x 76 x 7.8mm 170g |
| Click here for detailed specs of Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 |
Design of the J7 2016:
The main highlight of the new Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 is its metal RIM surrounded by the plastic on back and front. Samsung is taking the design of smartphones too seriously nowadays and that’s very much visible with just a glance on the 2016 version of J7.
To stand up as the member of the J series it has to be based on the new yet different construction technique. Now Samsung uses of aluminum RIM and that’s why the new Galaxy smartphone looks quite different from its predecessor.
The lid can be easily removed from the back of the device. Rightly or wrongly now a detachable back cover is now getting extinct from most of the company’s expensive devices. Despite the plastic use on the back, fine texture on the lid does not give the feeling of a cheap plastic construction. It fits on Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 in such a good way that there is not a slightest crackle.
Of course the 5.5 inch AMOLED touch screen stands out on the front. It is equipped with a slightly larger display that can be distinguishes immediately when compared to J5 2016. There is a special design on top and bottom, except for the same trademark control buttons as we see on all the Samsung devices.
Home & Function Keys:-
It is necessary to mention that being a relatively expensive mid-ranger, Samsung J7 2016 still misses the lights on home keys which is not reasonable at all as even the cheaper competitors come with buttons that light up.
Samsung knows how to paint the metal correctly so that it matches the rest of the device color. However the band of faux-chrome plastic along the sides gets rubbed away after a longer period of usage and that is our only main concern on the design. The back cover of Galaxy J7 2016 is made of sturdy white poly-carbonate that looks pretty decent.
Sides of the Samsung J7 2016 bring the greatest interest as they are made of metal and in particular aluminum. After finishing the metal touch they put together the headphone jack and USB port at the bottom of device that seems odd and set a new trend for placement of all holes at same side.
A couple of volume keys is located on the left side, looks quite beautiful and it seems like they are going to live there happily ever after.
Function keys are separated well from each other, Power button is stuffed on the right side of the phone that looks lonely on the whole side.
Overall, the Galaxy J7 2016 by Samsung is probably the best evidence of Samsung in a race to design beautiful devices by blending the particular combination of materials.
Display of J7:
The new Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 is carrying a Super AMOLED screen of 5.5 inches, yet the 720 x 1280-pixel screen at 267 dpi is not that super-sharp. The colors feel like a bit off, but the biggest turn-off is that there is no ambient light sensor that controls the automatic brightness adjustment. So as expected it’s harder to read the screen in broad sunlight and you have to cover the screen with your hands to see it properly. Apart from that the viewing angles are good the black color is intense and inky so the videos kind of pop up on the screen.
What really bothers us here is that Samsung could’ve easily used a full HD display on Galaxy J7 2016, Reason behind it seems no other than just not to confront the expensive Samsung Galaxy A7. It deliberately left out the 1080p resolution just to differentiate the J7 2016 from its other higher priced devices.
Display, a closer Look:
Relatively low resolution on the large display size still offers the advantages of SUPER AMOLED screen. The color performance does not meet the flagship devices but still manages to top for this price range with maximum viewing angles possible. The brightness available as the maximum setting is not enough for outdoor usage in direct sunlight. However it is necessary to mention that a device with retail price of 31000 PKR still lacks the ambient sensor, required to automatically adjust the back light depending on the lighting conditions.
For those who still believe that the SUPER AMOLED display is all about vivid colors. They would like the J7 2016 because it continues to offer setting the presets depending on user preferences. With latest UI, now you can change the background, icons and font type according to your will.
The key feature of the Galaxy screen J7 2016 is its display at 5.5 inches. The device practically belongs to economical series that’s why the offered screen size is best for those who want relatively inexpensive device with a large screen.
Operating System of Galaxy J7 2016:
The Galaxy J7 2016 and Galaxy J5 2016 are the first company devices that come with the pre-installed Android OS 6.0.1 version.
![Screenshot_20161008-105217[1]](https://www.whatmobile.com.pk/reviews/wp-content/gallery/samsung-galaxy-j7-2016-android-detail/Screenshot_20161008-1052171.png "Screenshot_20161008-105217[1]")
The latest version of Google’s operating system brings much improvements with stylish appearance and it also improves the of GUI capabilities of the device.
One of the main enhancement is that Samsung has now made the app drawer to scroll horizontally and apps can be arranged as per the wish of the user. The quick notifications screen on Galaxy J7 2016 has approximately 18 user customizable icons.
The Smart Manager continues to offer its service in proper way while it also shows information about the device activities perfectly.
The new look of the Touch Wiz UI in Galaxy J7 2016 is most apparent to users as compared to the company’s previous devices. Samsung has worked really hard to optimize Touch Wiz, and so it shows. Due to the enhancements and changes in recent years, the phone’s menu is both practical and beautiful in appearance.
Camera of Samsung J7 2016:
13 Megapixels resolution sensor is fixed on the back of the Samsung Galaxy J7 2016. Logically, considering the user segment and the device popularity, the camera is missing some necessary features like Optical Image Stabilization and the ability shoot 4K videos. Nevertheless, the performance is definitely better than one could expect. The camera is surprisingly quick to focus and shows no lag while processing the images.
The color range of photos contains the maximum details possible for the given resolution and the quality of lens is also above it. In low light, camera did not perform that well due to the lack of Optical Image Stabilization. Usually it chooses to sacrifice the image brightness to reduce the digital noise. Camera of Galaxy’s J7 2016 can take pictures with less light and still manages to retain all details.
Front Camera:
The selfie trend also gets imposed on this device so not only the front cam is enough to handle your social media needs but it also features a LED Flash. Camera is carrying 5 Megapixel analytical sensor that manages to shoot pretty acceptable photos. Just like Galaxy J5, the J7 2016 also features LED flash, which sets them apart from the competition. Video recording is limited to 1080p, seems like an illogical limitation for the caliber of Samsung Galaxy J7 2016. The quality of the images is quite acceptable, while the front camera can make a video at the same resolution but with reduced image quality.
Hardware:
New Exynos 7870 processor is installed Inside the J7’s 2016, which is manufactured by Samsung itself. Clocked at 1.6 GHz it gets along with a Mali T830 GPU quite well. 2 GB of RAM is provided with 16 GB built-in storage. The improved Exynos 7870 design offers specific advantages over its predecessors like lower power consumption and correspondingly low heat generation.
The Exynos 7870 is an Octa-Core processor based on 8 cores. A-53 installed inside produces the maximum speed of 1.6 GHz. Divided into two groups of four that are treated separately by the operating system. First four are permanently active and Exynos 7870 may change the operating frequency of first four according to requirement. With increase in requirement chipset automatically activates the second group of quad core processor.
2 GB of RAM is available for Samsung’s Galaxy J7 2016, which is quite reasonable and allows the execution of several apps simultaneously. The overall performance of Mali T830 is slightly improved as compared to the earlier Mali T72, significant improvements in the architecture have been made. Out of 16GB of storage 11.5 GB is available to the user. Of course, the device accepts micro SD memory cards up to 128GB for users who need more space.
Battery:
Taking advantage of its large size, Samsung J7 2016 is equipped with a correspondingly larger battery. The 3,300 mAh battery is impressive and unusual for the class, particularly useful in everyday usage. Technologically, the advance hardware inside reduces the energy consumption. Relatively low resolution of the screen along with large battery can keep Galaxy J7 2016 active for more than two days of pretty heavy use.
Conclusion:
Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 is quite a mixed bag from Samsung. The company continues to improve by offering new features in the mid-range segment. In this case, at a price tag of 31,000 PKR, the smartphone offers good quality cameras, large screen fitted inside metallic RIM, a reasonable day to day performance, quite decent battery life and advance features like S Bike mode. But having said that, it’s still pretty hard to recommend Galaxy J7 2016, considering the price tag of above 30K and still lacking the fingerprint sensor.
Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 is now available in the local market. For more details regarding the Specs & Price please visit Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 Price in Pakistan