Last year Samsung launched its Galaxy J2 and we made a video review of that as well. This year, the company has updated the model and launched the successor Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016) in Nepal. There are many upgrades, advancements, and addition of features in the new model. The Samsung Galaxy J2 2016 comes in the same price range as the last one but it has a slightly upper asking MRP. However slight price increase is a normal trend in the mobile phone market.
Actually, all the newer models of the Galaxy J and Galaxy A series are costlier than their predecessors. For example, Samsung launched Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) and Galaxy A5 (2016) in Nepal and they were priced higher than their predecessors. Similarly, the company also launched Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016), Galaxy J5 (2016), and Galaxy J3 (2016) a few months back at a higher price than their predecessors. So we can see the trend of rising prices. However, the company justifies the price increase with features increases.
The Samsung Galaxy J2 2016 price in Nepal is Rs 15,900 and it sits in the budget range. Compared to the last year’s model, J2 (2016) is about Rs 4000 much pricier but it is getting a good market response from people. The increased price should be justified by the hardware, specs, features, and upgrades. Customers need a reason to get the new expensive handset in the market. So let’s see what the new smartphone actually offers.
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Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016) Specifications
- Dimension: 142.4 x 71.1 x 8 mm
- Weight: 138g
- Display: 5.0 Inches Super AMOLED Screen
- Resolution: 720×1280
- SoC: Spreadtrum SC8830 (Quad-Core)
- CPU Details: 1.5 GHz Cortex-A7
- GPU: Mali-400MP2
- Memory: 1.5 GB RAM
- Storage: 8 GB Internal, 128 GB memory card support
- Battery: 2600 mAh Lithium-Ion
- Back Camera: 8 Megapixels with f/2.2 Aperture
- Video: 1080p at 30 fps
- Front Camera: 5 Megapixels with f/2.2 Aperture
- Video: 720p at 30 fps
- OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow (TouchWiz)
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Proximity
Internal Hardware: Processor, RAM, Storage, Battery
Samsung has upgraded the processor this year and the new Samsung Galaxy J2 2016 comes with a Spreadtrum chipset that has a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, Mali-400MP2and 1.5 GB RAM. Last year Galaxy J2 (2015) was using an Exynos chipset. The old Exynos was good just has a Snapdragon processor at this price range. However, it seems like Samsung might be testing new hardware with the mid-range and budget range phones.
Galaxy J2 (2016) comes with 8 GB of internal storage and it also has external memory card support of up to 128 GB. At this price range, people expect to see 16 GB of onboard storage. The storage and RAM demand is high because of the demands of new mobile or software applications. Also, it would fit the phone if we consider the price of J2. For operation, the Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016) has a 2600 mAh battery and Android 6 Marshmallow OS.
Display and Camera
Galaxy J2 (2016) packs a 5” SAMOLED screen with 720p HD resolution and 294 PPI pixel density. It is a standard size screen but it has a benefit over other budget smartphones in the market due to being an AMOLED. On the top portion of the front side, there is a 5 MP front camera that is capable of taking 1280x720p videos. Similarly, on the back side of the device, there is an 8 MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture. The back camera can shoot medium quality 1920x1080p videos and take decent photos. The 8 MP sensor is a good improvement over the older 5 MP sensor.
Smart Glow, Smart Features, and Design
Samsung is trying new designs and new features on the J series. The original Galaxy J5 and J7 2016 were normal but the J2 (2016) is a bit different. There is a new fascinating feature known as “Smart Glow” which is meant to compensate for the LED notification. LED notification is usually found in Samsung’s flagship smartphone but this new feature is a bit different. In ‘Smart Glow’, there are LED lights placed around the camera lens at the back which have the basic RGB colors. The combination of those colors can provide multiple choices. Users can choose different notification lights for various apps, contacts and many other functions. So this is useful if you keep your phone in a face-down position.
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For other features, there is 4G network support as well. As usual in the Nepali and Indian markets, the phone supports dual SIM and 4G LTE with VoLTE. The design of the J2 (2016) has been slightly changed in the context of the back cover and form factor. The back has a new texture, Smart Glow ring cutout, and look. For features, there are new features that were introduced in Galaxy J3 2016 such as S Bike mode, Turbo Speed Technology (TST), and Ultra Data Saving (UDS) mode.
Comparison and Conclusion
Consumers who want to upgrade their phone want justified reasons over the new ones. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy J2 2016, the processor is still quad-core but of a different company. The processor clock is also low and Spreadtrum doesn’t have that much appeal compared to Snapdragon as of now. For memory, J2 (2016) has 50% more RAM and a 30% increase in battery power compared to Galaxy J2 from 2015. There is also a new OS that helps to increase performance, save battery and provide good security.
The camera power has also been significantly increased from 5 MP to 8 MP at back and 2 MP to 5 MP at the front. The Galaxy J2 (2016) has a 720p screen whereas the old J2 (2015) had a screen resolution of 540×960. Moreover, there are many significant improvements so we can say these are reasons for the increase in price. In an overall view, Samsung Galaxy J2 2016 does justification with price for the upgrades it has.
