Samsung needs no introduction. In the smartphone market with the Android operating system, Samsung has long been confidently holding the palm. Not to mention the constant battle for the client with Apple's equally well-known competitor.
The article will focus on the company's budget representative - the Samsung Galaxy J2 Prime smartphone, whose characteristics can hardly be called outstanding. Is it worth the money that the eminent manufacturer asks for it, or is the end user overpaying for the brand? Let's try to figure it out.
General information and technical stuffing
What are the characteristics of J2 Prime? This smartphone is an entry-level budget device, announced to the general public at the end of 2016. Of the features, only the number of processor cores (it has 4), support for 4G (LTE) networks, the presence of an LED flash on the front camera and some software solutions can be noted.
Let's consider the main technical characteristics of Samsung J2 Prime. The smartphone uses a 4-core processor Mediatek MT6737T. Mali-T720 acts as a graphics accelerator. 1.5 GB RAM is not impressive, but for performanceits basic tasks will suffice. Built-in memory has a capacity of 8 GB (the user has about 4 GB, the rest is occupied by the system and applications).
MicroSD cards are supported. The display has a diagonal of 5 inches and a dull resolution of 960 x 540 pixels. The front camera of the device has a resolution of 5 megapixels and its own flash. The main optical module is a standard camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels. The J2 Prime operating system is Android 6. The system works in symbiosis with the proprietary Samsung TouchWiz II interface.
You can insert two micro SIM cards into the device, the device can work in 4G networks. There is a standard set of wireless modules (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS), there is an FM receiver. The battery capacity is 2600 mAh. As you can see, the Samsung Galaxy J2 Prime smartphone is no better than most budget devices from other manufacturers in terms of characteristics.
Unpacking, design - we've seen it somewhere before… And more than once…
The gadget comes in a traditional Samsung white cardboard box. At the same time, the proposed set is very modest. The following was found in the box:
- The smartphone itself.
- Charger.
- microUSB cable.
- User manual and warranty card.
Headphones, even the cheapest ones, were not found in the box.
And here is the smartphone in hand! And … absolutely no emotions evokes. The case is plastic. The design is almost one to one licked from the latest Samsung smartphonesyears. Nothing remarkable. If you put the more expensive J5 Prime next to our experimental specimen, then you may not immediately notice the difference. The same "soapy" edges, an oval "Home" button in the center and two buttons on the sides (by the way, they cannot boast of backlighting in J2 Prime).
Above the screen are light and proximity sensors, earpiece and front camera with LED flash. Behind you can see the protruding eye of the main camera, flash and speaker. If you do not buy a cover for the phone, then the rim of the main optical module will quickly be scratched. The power button and volume rocker are attached to the side faces.
At the bottom there is a microUSB connector and a microphone, at the top there is a jack for connecting a headset or headphones. The dimensions of the smartphone are as follows: width - 72 mm, length - 145 mm, thickness - about 9 mm. The device weighs 160 g. The smartphone, in principle, lies well in the hand, it is comfortable to use, although it may immediately seem heavy.
Performance: what's up with Samsung hardware?
As mentioned above, the smartphone has a 4-core Mediatek MT6737T processor on board. The chipset is made using 28 nm technology. And what does it mean? Let's try to figure it out. The older brother of the J2 Prime, the J5 smartphone, was built on the basis of the Shapdragon 410 processor. When comparing the two smartphones in the tests, an interesting picture emerges. In terms of performance, the J2 processor is almost as good as the J5. That's it!
What else is good performanceGalaxy? J2 Prime can run almost all "heavy" games on the device, however, at medium settings. But this does not detract from the merits of the processor from Mediatek.
Communication and wireless modules
The phone supports the use of two micro SIM cards. Communication works flawlessly, voice quality is excellent. It is worth noting that much still depends on the operator and the location of the caller. A nice feature of the smartphone is the ability to connect to 4G networks. For a budget smartphone, this is very good.
The device also has Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11n, GPS and GLONASS modules. There are no complaints about their work. Everything functions at an excellent level.
Cameras are slightly better than "nothing special"
Many people are interested in the smartphone "Samsung Galaxy". J2 Prime characteristics are mostly good. And yet, its optical modules do not really stand out from those of competitors.
The pluses include the resolution of the front camera of 5 megapixels and the presence of a flash. Selfies are of very good quality, the properties of the picture of the video when talking via Skype also do not cause any complaints.
The main camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels allows you to take pictures of good quality. Photos taken in the dark with a flash, of course, cannot be called ideal, but, in fairness, it is worth noting that their quality factor is at a very decent level, given the budget class of the smartphone and the characteristics of the camera. Both cameras can shootvideos of decent quality in FullHD resolution.
Screen - sad but understandable
And now about the fly in the ointment. The screen has a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels, which, with the rest of the characteristics of the smartphone, looks, to put it mildly, strange. Despite the low resolution, the image quality is quite acceptable. The display has an oleophobic coating, but this does not prevent it from collecting fingerprints. Gadgets of some competitors can be found with higher resolution screens for the same money.
Here the company decided to use the magical power of its brand, believing that the cherished name Samsung on the box will make the buyer turn a blind eye to the low screen resolution. Of course, only large companies can afford to play such games with users, thanks to the reputation earned over the years.
In fact, this is what happens: a person, despite the worst characteristics of J2 Prime, buys it because of a well-known brand, and not a fancy gadget of a less popular company.
Battery: like everyone else
The battery capacity of the smartphone is 2600 mAh. With an average load, the device may well live for a day. If you play a serious game, you can seat the device in 4-5 hours. These are quite normal indicators for the batteries of most modern devices. The pluses include the fact that the battery of the Samsung Galaxy Prime is removable. Many modern smartphones have a built-in battery for the sake of a thin body, and cannot be replaced, in which case.
Interestingsoftware chips from Samsung
After the relatively fresh Android 6 operating system, Samsung's proprietary firmware is installed, containing some interesting software solutions from flagship devices.
App icons have an interesting shape with rounded edges. The smartphone received a branded "adult" application for working with notes - Samsung Notes. The program allows you to work with text and graphic notes. It is possible to work with audio notes. You can lock your favorite entries for public viewing, access to which will be carried out only with a password.
The so-called "protected folder" is of particular interest. A special application in the smartphone firmware makes it possible to create a folder and store various personal information there under a password - photos, music, videos. Another useful feature of this application is the ability to install another copy, say Skype, in a special folder, and have two different accounts (regular and secure) of this program on one device. Not every smartphone has such features out of the box.
Result of acquaintance
What else is this Samsung famous for? The J2 Prime's specs are a little confusing. On the one hand, a powerful processor, good cameras, wonderful branded software, on the other hand, a screen with an archaic resolution and a small amount of internal memory. Another Samsung experiment.
However,despite the controversial characteristics, J2 Prime in any case will find its buyer. Many will turn a blind eye to screen resolution for the sake of gaming performance and the feeling of owning a branded gadget.
