Review: Galaxy J5 Prime – A good intermediate in almost everything

Table of Contents

1. Design
2. Fabric
3. Performance and Operating System
4. Cameras
5. Battery
6. Extra Features
7. Worth it?
8. Technical specifications

A Samsung kindly sent to Techlifers a copy of its latest mid-range smartphone launched in Spain, the Galaxy Prime J5. It arrived to replace the Galaxy J5 Metal (launched in 2016) and compete with devices in the range of R $ 1 thousand, such as Motorola's Moto E and Moto G5.

Compared to last year's version, the Galaxy Prime J5 brings interesting additions, such as double the internal storage space and a fingerprint sensor next to the Home button. The design is also very interesting. However, the device fails in some points. I used the Galaxy Prime J5 as my main device for two weeks and in the paragraphs below I describe all the positives and negatives of the new Samsung phone.

Design

O design is, without a doubt, the most attention-grabbing feature on the Galaxy J5 Prime. We cannot deny that the look of the device is very beautiful and pleasing to the eye. The entire back and sides of the cell phone are made with a single piece of brushed aluminum. This is a better material than plastic as it gives a certain tone of elegance and sophistication. Although aluminum is a smooth material, the sides of the device have the necessary friction so that the cell phone does not slip out of your hands. In addition, the cell phone will hardly have fingerprints, which often happens in cell phones with a glass back.

last year there were two versions of the Galaxy J5. One made of plastic and the other made of metal, with the suffix Metal. This version was not made entirely of metal, only its sides. In the 2017 version, however, this changes and the device has its all metal housing. A nice advance for that line. The model that Samsung sent us is pink (rosé), but there are also black and gold colors.

Another point that pleased me a lot in the design of the Galaxy Prime J5 were its dimensions and weight. Because it has a 5-inch screen, the cell phone is not too big and doesn't bulge in the front pocket of the pants. Its dimensions are 142.8 x 69.5 x 8.1 mm. In addition, it is quite light, weighing only 143 grams. It is very comfortable to hold the device in your hands, as the lightness combines with the good grip of the device and the cold and smooth texture of the aluminum.

Now let's talk about the position of the buttons and other inputs. On the right side we find the button Power and, above it, the loudspeaker. This is not a position in which manufacturers usually place the audio output, usually located on the front of the smartphone. I must say that the audio is quite satisfactory and is not “covered up” when we place the device on a surface. However, whenever I held it horizontally, usually when I was going to watch a video, I accidentally covered the audio output.

On the left side we have the two volume buttons and below them the chip drawers carrier and memory card. There are two drawers in total, which can be opened using the ejector that comes in the cell phone box. The first one houses only one SIM chip. And the second drawer, the biggest one, accommodates the second SIM card and the memory card, which can be a maximum of 256 GB.

So, I can say with certainty that the aspect I liked the most in the Galaxy J5 Prime was its beautiful redesign entirely in brushed aluminum. It really is a very nice looking phone. Despite the praise, I think there is room for improvement. For example, the two capacitive buttons could be backlit. They would help when using it at night or in dark rooms.

Fabric

The screen Galaxy Prime J5 it's just Ok, leaving the feeling that it could be better. Don't get me wrong, it's a good canvas overall. But Samsung decided to save on some aspects. She has 5 inches e HD resolution (1280 x 720 pixels). The size pleases many users and the display resolution is good for the type of device that is Galaxy Prime J5. However, I had the impression that the color saturation could be improved, as they appear to have cooler tones.

This may be due to the fact that Samsung used a display LCD TFT and not an IPS, which generally gives more brightness and more saturation. This was probably done to cut costs. But it's strange to think that the Galaxy J5 Metal had a bigger screen (5,2 ″) and Super AMOLED panel, which guarantees deeper blacks and warmer, stronger colors. Also, another point that left me a little disappointed was the absence of the brightness sensor. This item is present in many cheaper devices.

With this, it is up to the user to set the brightness intensity manually. The brightness isn't too intense either. Even with the brightness set to maximum, I sometimes had a little difficulty seeing some details on the screen in the strong sun. For this, Samsung has put an “External” mode in the software, which increases the brightness even more. However, this mode can only be used for 15 minutes.

To improve the screen, Samsung could put an IPS LCD panel or even go straight to a Super AMOLED and also include a screen brightness sensor, so that the system itself changes the brightness intensity according to the ambient light.

Performance and Operating System

The performance of Galaxy J5 Prime does not disappoint those looking for a cell phone to basic use. And by basic use I mean accessing Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, YouTube apps, browsing the internet, among other simple tasks. For this type of activity, the Samsung device is excellent, and can please the most average user.

Even so, some specific apps take a while to open and load information. This is the case with Google Maps and Chrome, which took a few seconds to be fully ready for use. Instagram also had a few glitches in the story submission animation. Switching between open apps is also not so agile, requiring a small dose of patience from the user. Nothing serious, but that didn't go unnoticed by my experience of use.

The Galaxy J5 Prime's hardware configuration consists of a Exynos 7570 processor com 4 53GHz Cortex-A1.4 cores, GPU Mali-T720 e 2 GB of RAM. I believe that the culprit for the delay in opening the aforementioned apps is the amount of RAM memory.

If, on the one hand, the cell phone is quite competent in performing the most basic tasks, the same cannot be said for the execution of heavy games. In my tests I downloaded the game Unkilled, a shooting game with well-elaborated graphics. At maximum graphic quality, the Galaxy J5 Prime suffered a sudden drop in FPS (frames per second), in addition to heating up a lot. To run the game minimally acceptable I had to set the graphics settings to a minimum. Even so, it was not ideal. For more casual games and without complex graphics, the device does well.

Another point that I consider negative for the Galaxy J5 Prime is the version of Android that comes factory installed. It is about Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. In my opinion, being a recent release, the Samsung should already include Android 7.0 Nougat. There is the possibility of updating, but no date has been released by the company. Therefore, there is always a question whether or not the device will be updated to the latest version.

As usual, Samsung uses the interface TouchWiz on your devices. And on the Galaxy J5 Prime it follows the same pattern as other devices. No surprises here. There are positive points, such as: system fluidity and stability and few pre-installed apps. Point for Samsung.

Cameras

A back camera of the Galaxy J5 Prime has a 13 MP sensor, 28mm lens com autofocus e LED flash normal. However, the difference, in my opinion, is the f/1.9 aperture, which allows more light to enter the sensor. Normally mid-range phones use cameras with an aperture of f/2.0. I made comparisons with the camera of a Moto Z Play which, in theory, is superior, but has an aperture of f/2.0. In all the photos I took the Galaxy J5 Prime managed to generate clearer images.

However, don't think that because of this he has a super camera and makes magnificent images. Not. THE Galaxy J5 Prime's rear camera is just enough for most users. In environments with good natural lighting you can take good pictures, with vivid colors and a good level of definition. The focus isn't slow, which doesn't detract from the experience. However, in dark environments or at night, you will need a little more concentration to take good pictures. Even so, the granulations already appear with more force. And with a slight movement of the hand, the image is already blurred or blurred.

A Front camera, in turn, has a 5 MP sensor, f/2.2 aperture lens and LED flash. In relation to other mid-range phones, it is an inferior camera in theory, but in practice it surprised me. It manages to generate selfies with good colors, a good level of definition and little noise. Even at night, but with artificial lighting, I managed to take interesting selfies. Again, I emphasize that it is not a sensational camera, but it will be enough for most users. Below, you can see a series of photos taken with the device that did not undergo any type of editing or filtering:

Battery

One of the main problems of this smartphone is its battery. she has only 2.400 mAh capacity, which is pretty low for a mid-range smartphone and costs R$999. In my tests, I managed to make the battery last 1 day and 15 hours with very moderate use even. When I started to use it more often, the battery would reach below 20% at night.

Overall, I got a little more than 5h40m of screen on, varying the brightness between medium and maximum. In my opinion, it is a low value and it could have a greater autonomy. Even because it is not possible to change the battery, since the cover is not removable. I also did the following test: I left the device on while streaming House of Cards on Netflix until the battery drained 100%. she lasted 5h9m. That's why I give it a 6/10 rating.

Extra Features

An extra feature that I would like to mention in this review is the fingerprint sensor attached to the Home button. This is a very welcome novelty, previously seen only in more expensive cell phones but now showing up on cheaper models as well. Such a sensor undoubtedly facilitates the unlocking of the cell phone, preventing the user from typing his password dozens (or hundreds) of times a day. Another positive point is that the biometric reader is located on the front and not on the back, as in other smartphone models.

However, it is noticeably slower than the sensor of other devices, such as the Moto G5 and the Moto Z Play, which are the cell phones I have direct contact with. You need to let your finger rest on the sensor for a few seconds to unlock it. And it's not always that he recognizes your fingerprints. Another negative point is that the sensor also cannot be used to lock the cell phone.

Worth it?

It depends. The suggested price of Galaxy Prime J5 is de R$ 999. This is a value that I consider high for everything the smartphone offers. Even more considering that in the same price range we have the Moto G5, which is superior in several aspects, such as screen, camera, extra features and operating system. I consider that a fair price for the Galaxy J5 Prime revolves around the R $ 700 to R $ 800. Therefore, the tip is to wait for the price to drop in retail stores. In fact, in my latest research I found this cell phone at around R$ 850 in some online stores.

Another thing that must be taken into account, in addition to the price, is who will use the smartphone. As explained in the article, the Galaxy J5 Prime is great for basic tasks, such as access to social networks, messaging apps and audio and video playback, as well as internet browsing. So, if you are a user who demands high performance, wonderful photos, long battery life and exceptional features, then you should not consider purchasing this device. However, if you want a cell phone just for the basics, the Galaxy Prime J5 it is an excellent choice, as long as the caveat about the price, in the previous paragraph, is observed.

Technical specifications