MANILA - Samsung, still reeling from the death of its overheating Galaxy Note 7 flagship, is launching a mid-range handset ahead of the peak holiday shopping season.
The Galaxy J7 prime, with its all-metal build looks more like Apple's iPhone rather than the mostly glass Note 7, and Samsung's early 2016 flagships, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.
At P13,990, or less than half the price of the Note 7 or even the discounted S7 Edge, the phone scrimps on some features. It has a smaller 5.5-inch screen, runs on 3GB of RAM, with a base storage of 32GB.
It also has a smaller battery at 3300mAh, but Samsung promises it can last a whole day of browsing and Facebook on mobile data.
Samsung touts the J7's "S power planning" feature, which allows the user to manage battery life, ensuring the device has enough juice to take calls, or forward them when power is too low.
The J7's battery, at full charge, lasted for the whole day on mobile data with minimal internet browsing and use of Whatsapp, Viber, Facebook, and Twitter apps.
There were also no issues of heating while the phone was plugged in for wall charging.
The phone comes with last year's Android OS, Marshmallow, out of the box, even as other handsets launching at the same time, though premium ones like LG's V20 and Google's Pixel, ship with Android Nougat.
The J7 Prime's fingerprint sensor can be used to restrict access to images, Wi-Fi networks, and apps aside from locking and unlocking the device.
Samsung claims the J7's 13-megapixel shooter can produce high-quality low-light snaps. Testing the rear camera indoors on low-light, the images produced were crisp, but an outdoor test at night produced a grainy image.
The device also has an 8-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies.
For its mid-level price tag, the Galaxy J7 Prime delivers a smartphone with reliable battery life and a decent camera.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
