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Samsung Galaxy J5 review (2016): 2017 model is here, but is it worth the upgrade?

Our Rating :
$347.02 from
£113.99 from
Price when reviewed : £150
inc VAT

2016's Galaxy J5 was Samsung's best budget phone yet, but a much-needed 2017 upgrade is here

Pros

  • Great price
  • Excellent screen
  • Lengthy battery life

Cons

  • Rubbish camera
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Samsung Galaxy J5 review (2016): Camera

Like a lot of budget smartphones these days, the J5 comes equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera. More pixels doesn’t necessarily mean better quality photos, though, as I found the J5 could be quite temperamental depending on the lighting conditions.

In bright, late afternoon sunshine, for instance, the J5 struggled to expose the sky correctly, often blowing out its whites to create large halos of light around anything else in the frame. Detail levels were reasonably good, but the resulting photos weren’t very satisfactory. Bewilderingly, there’s also no HDR mode on hand to try and correct the problem either.

Cloudy weather wasn’t much better, with colours appearing very dark and drab despite its high level of detail. However, point the camera at a well-lit object when the sun’s behind you and pictures look great. Some areas were still a little overexposed in our test shots, but colours were bright and accurate and there’s plenty of sharp, crisp detail on show.  

Samsung Galaxy J5 camera test^ This shot was taken in the afternoon, when the sun was spilling in from the side, and the sensor’s exposure levels simply couldn’t cope

Samsung Galaxy J5 camera test outdoors^ Take photos with the sun behind you, though, and pictures look fantastic, showing rich, vibrant colours and lots of detail

Indoor photography was less successful, as even tapping the screen to focus resulted in rather soft, blurry shots in low lighting conditions. The flash does help, but you’ll want to make sure your subjects are as well-lit as possible to get the best results.

Samsung Galaxy J5 camera test indoors^ Indoors, the J5 struggled to focus, producing pretty soft images that were lacking in crispness and definition

Samsung Galaxy J5 review (2016): Verdict

The camera on the Galaxy J5 is really the phone’s only issue, though, as the rest of it is great value. Its excellent screen and amazing battery life exceed anything else in this price range, and it’s certainly got enough speed to get you through most of your daily smartphone tasks.

The only other slight downside is that it’s unlikely to receive an upgrade to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which is something new 3rd Gen Moto G owners can download right now without delay. Even the Galaxy S6 has only just got Android 6.0 and Samsung has traditionally always dragged its feet bringing software updates to its lower-end smartphones, so you might want to consider the Moto G if you want all the latest Android features.

Then there’s the issue of the Motorola Moto G4, which has appeared since I originally wrote this review. Although still unable to match the Samsung Galaxy J5’s battery life or its superb screen quality, the Moto G4 beats it most other respects. It’s a far more powerful handset. It has a larger, higher-resolution Full HD 5.5in display. One disappointment is that it isn’t water-resistant, so it’s no tougher than the Samsung Galaxy J5.

Despite this, it’s clear that the Motorola Moto G4 is the phone to beat in the budget smartphone space right now. But that’s not to say there are no reasons to choose the Samsung Galaxy J5. It remains a good option if you value screen quality and battery life above all else. You might prefer it if you’re switching across from another Samsung handset and don’t fancy changing to a different manufacturer. And you might prefer a smaller handset; the Samsung Galaxy J5 is more compact, more easily usable in one hand and easier to slip into a pocket. Despite the emergence of the Moto G4, then, it hangs on to its Recommended award.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy J5 now from Carphone Warehouse

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Hardware
ProcessorQuad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410
RAM1.5GB
Screen size5in
Screen resolution1,280×720
Screen typeSuper AMOLED
Front camera5 megapixels
Rear camera13 megapixels
FlashLED
GPSYes
CompassYes
Storage (free)8GB (4.6GB)
Memory card slot (supplied)microSD
Wi-Fi802.11n
BluetoothBluetooth 4.1
NFCYes
Wireless data3G, 4G
Size142x72x7.9mm
Weight146g
Features
Operating systemAndroid 5.1.1
Battery size2,600mAh
Buying information
WarrantyOne year RTB
Price SIM-free (inc VAT)£160
Price on contract (inc VAT)Free on £13.50-per-month contract
Prepay price (inc VAT)N/A
SIM-free supplierwww.carphonewarehouse.com
Contract/prepay supplierwww.carphonewarehouse.com
Detailswww.samsung.com/uk
Part codeSM-J500FN

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