Samsung has launched its Galaxy J3 2017 smartphone, the most compact cut-price mobile phone that the company offers. Here’s the full skinny on this updated version of the Galaxy J3.
Last year’s Galaxy J3 2016 was one of Samsung’s most affordable phones of recent times, offering a sharp and vibrant 5-inch screen and 5-megapixel camera for under £150 here in the UK. Unfortunately, the Galaxy J3 2016 also came lumbered with quite a few flaws, including stuttery performance and a rather uninspired design.
Hopefully Samsung can iron out these issues for the new Galaxy J3 2017, an updated version of the Galaxy J3 phone that sports a similar low price tag. Samsung quietly launched the new Galaxy J3 earlier this year and here’s the full specs list and how it compares to the rest of the Galaxy J 2017 family.
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Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 specs
| Phone | Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 5-inches |
| Screen resolution | 1280×720 |
| Water resistant? | No |
| Fingerprint sensor? | No |
| Processor | Exynos 7570 |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Storage | 16GB |
| microSD? | Yes |
| Battery | 2400mAh |
| Rear camera | 13MP |
| Front camera | 5MP |
How does the Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 compare with the J5 and J7 2017?
Like last year’s Galaxy J3, the 2017 model sports a 5-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 720p resolution. That’s more than fine for enjoying a bit of Netflix or YouTube on the move, especially on a budget.
Design hasn’t changed much from last year’s Galaxy J3 handset. You don’t get splash-proofing, as you do on the bigger J7 2017. Nor do you get a fingerprint sensor – a feature found on the other two Galaxy J models updated this year.
Despite rumours that the Galaxy J3 2017 will pack a Snapdragon 430 processor, Samsung has actually stuffed its own Exynos 7570 chipset inside the budget blower. This budget chipset will hopefully cope with Android Nougat just fine, although we’d have thought more demanding games and apps would prove its undoing. That’s why the J3 2017 will be better suited to web browsing, messaging and other everyday tasks. If you want more demanding tasks to run smoothly, check out the larger J5 or J7 2017 instead.
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Don’t worry that the Galaxy J3 2017 ships with just 16GB of storage space. This is expandable via a microSD memory card slot, up to a further 256GB of space. Plenty for a decent media collection, and a match for the other Galaxy J Series phones.
Samsung updated last year’s 5-megapixel camera to a fresh new 13-megapixel snapper for the 2017 model. You’ll also get a 5-megapixel selfie camera, although there’s no flash to capture your mug at night – unlike the bigger J7 2017. You should be able to capture decent-looking Full HD video footage, however.
Check out our full Galaxy J3 vs J5 vs J7 2017 comparison to see how the J3 2017 compares with its fellow J Series handsets!
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 UK price and release date
You can once again expect the Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 to rock a low asking price. Here in the UK we’re expecting something close to the £150 mark, as it’s $180 in the US.
As for the Galaxy J3 2017 UK release date, we’re expecting to see the phone hit these shores sometime in August.