While it rules the roost in the upper throngs of the smartphone arena, Samsung hasn’t forgotten the mass-market low end. Today, it unveiled its budget Galaxy J (2016) Series comprising the Galaxy J1, Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7, with prices starting from as low as MYR449.
Can cheap be good, and can good be cheap? Here to prove the latter is Samsung’s affordable Galaxy trio, armed with a trick or two up their sleeves.
Firstly, the Galaxy J Series introduces Ultra Data Saving (UDS) Mode which compresses data efficiently and restricts background apps to help save data. With UDS mode, which can be accessed via Android’s dropdown control panel, you can save up to 62% data on Instagram and 46% on YouTube. On average, UDS on the J Series can save up to 50% data on average, and also increase battery standby time by two-folds.
The Galaxy J Series looks pleasing, especially the upper rank Galaxy J7.
The trio are dual-SIM, 4G LTE devices that support FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE.
Galaxy J1 (2016)
The Galaxy J1 is the most affordable model, equipped with a basic 4.5-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display and is powered by a quad-core 1.3GHz chip, mated to 1GB of RAM. It gets 8GB of onboard storage, with support for microSD expansion of up to 128GB. On the camera front it gets a 5MP f/2.2 rear shooter, with a 2MP selfie camera. Despite its size, it gets a sizeable 2,050mAh battery.
Galaxy J5 (2016)
The middle-rung Galaxy J5 isn’t a bad looker, getting a 5.2-inch HD Super AMOLED display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor clocked at 1.2GHz. It’s mated to 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage. It gets a better 13MP f/1.9 main camera, with a 5MP f/1.9 unit on the front. The battery is a bigger 3,100mAh unit.
Galaxy J7 (2016)
The Galaxy J7 is a budget phablet with a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, and packing a 1.6GHz octa-core processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. Storage capacity is 16GB, with the option of expansion via microSD. It gets an identical 13MP f/1.9 and 5MP f/1.9 camera combo. Battery is a generous 3,300mAh.
Pricing and availability
The Galaxy J1 retails at MYR449, the Galaxy J5 at MYR849, and the range-topping Galaxy J7 is priced at MYR1,049. All prices include GST.
Samsung has partnered with telco Yes 4G which took the opportunity to announce its 4G LTE services. The Galaxy J Series will be available as a bundle, where buyers will get a Yes 4G LTE prepaid SIM card. The Yes 4G LTE SIM is bundled with 30GB of data, valid for two months.
There’s also the Great Galaxy Raya Deals running from 23 May till 17 July, where you can stand a chance to win a Honda City.
At the launch, YTL Communications’ CEO Wing K Lee revealed that Yes will have the largest 4G network (4G LTE + WIMAX) at launch, with 85% population coverage in Malaysia.
Yes 4G is set to officially launch its 4G LTE services on 30 June.
The Galaxy J (2016) Series will be available for purchase starting tomorrow, 17 June. Head over to Yes 4G for bundle deals. www.yes.my
For more information on the Galaxy J (2016) Series, hit the official Samsung website.
