The top Samsung of the budget series is the new Galaxy J7 2017. Such words somehow don’t sound very impressive, because it doesn’t fit in my head how an “inexpensive” smartphone can cost 20 thousand rubles. But such is this J-series, junior line Samsung phones. Then comes the A-series, then S, and J works to attract attention.

With the older S-series, everything is clear, the flagships get the best. A-series is the middle class, the design is from the older generation, and the filling is simpler. What then is the J-series? The answer to the ubiquitous Chinese smartphones, they are pushing Samsung out of a niche that is not the most profitable, but very popular.

About design

samsung galaxy The J7 2017 looks like a typical Samsung - no jokes or irony, just recognizable features. There are neat contours of the case, and a branded button under the screen with a pair of keys on the sides, and a convenient screen lock button on the right side. Maybe boring, but simple and clear - I have no questions about ergonomics or ease of use. It’s comfortable to hold, you can press the buttons even blindly, you can’t go wrong.

The case is all-metal, non-separable, there is no plastic in the finish at all, except for thin strips of antennas. The Koreans took a chance and carried them through the hull in a peculiar way, it turned out, for my taste, in an original and pretty way.

In general, the J7 looks neat, you can’t find fault with the assembly, everything is in order with convenience. I would boldly attribute it to the representatives of the A-series, not a shameful device. This concludes the ode to Korean design, moving on.

Pro screen

The screen is large - 5.5 inches, glass with a 2.5D effect and thin frames. Super AMOLED impresses with a bright picture, if it starts to ripple in the eyes from a juicy palette, you can “screw” the tones in the settings by selecting a neutral color profile.

In standby mode, the screen shows the date and time, battery level, and notification icons. It immediately becomes clear that it is time to answer the letter or look into the messenger. A simple thing, but convenient, and the battery does not consume at all. A kind of alternative to the light indicator, but only here everything is immediately clear, and the blinking of the sensor does not irritate at night.

If I scolded the budget J3 for the lack of a light sensor, then in J7 this is completely in order - the sensor is in place, the screen brightness is adjusted automatically.

About power

There is an opinion that the main problem of Samsung is unimaginable software on the brakes. Branded firmware, where there is no trace of the native laconic Android, requires more and more powerful hardware. If S-series flagships have at least 4 GB random access memory and the most modern processors, then the J-series has more modest makings. Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 got Exynos 7870, 3/16 GB of memory and shows modest results in a series of benchmarks. Among smartphones that are sold for 20 thousand rubles, you can find more powerful options. Chinese companies have shown what can be done inexpensively and well, but Samsung saves and is in no hurry to invest in the stuffing.

In other words, if you do not plan to play on the phone, everything will be fine, but if you want to play Tanks or something more cheerful, then you will feel how the stuffing hardly optimizes the toys for the Full HD screen. It's a pity.

But the rest - a complete order. I mean support for 2.4 and 5 GHz WiFi networks, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC and Samsung Pay.

A wise decision is that the phone has a separate tray for SIM cards and a memory card, so you don’t have to sacrifice an additional microSD in favor of a second SIM card. Convenient when you need a second number, on vacation, for example.

Soft

Since we are talking about the brakes of the system, I will tell you why a smartphone is still good, it cannot be woven from some shortcomings. For example, multi-window mode works here, you can simultaneously run two programs at once. You can log in to one application from two different accounts. One-hand operation mode is supported when the interface shrinks to a more compact size. Little things, yes, but practical things. If the shell under Android 7.0 had not yet lagped and worked faster, there would have been no price for it. And so, you are like with Xiaomi Mi Max 2 and then you are sad when you see how leisurely Samsung can be.

About the camera

Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 is a representative of an inexpensive series of smartphones, but its camera is very good. It has a 13-megapixel camera with aperture optics – f/1.7. The front camera is also 13 megapixels, the aperture ratio is slightly worse - f / 1.9. The phone takes good pictures during the day: it has a fast autofocus, nice color reproduction. Again, shooting can be quickly launched by double-tapping the button below the screen. Of the shortcomings, the very average quality of shooting in the evenings and at night, there is no longer enough optical stabilization.

About sound

The media speaker was moved to the right side, the place is strange at first glance, but it is convenient - while playing games or watching a video, you cannot close it with your palm, the sound is not muffled. The sound in the headphones pleasantly surprised me, nominally the smartphone is no different from its competitors, but in practice it plays music perfectly.

After Meizu Pro 6 Plus, where everything is fine with sound, J7 2017 does not give the impression of an ugly duckling. Yes, maybe the bass is not so juicy, but upper frequencies not quite sonorous, but in general, the impression is very good. By tradition, Samsung has an equalizer - you can play with the settings and choose the mode to suit your mood.

About autonomy

MicroUSB for charging is somehow not ice in 2017, I want to finally switch to USB-C, and not carry a pile of wires with me for all occasions. But manufacturers cannot migrate from one standard to another at the same time, so the J-series has become a hostage to the situation.

The battery capacity is 3600 mAh, the smartphone does not support fast charging, the autonomy indicators are normal. The phone can withstand a day of active use, if you do not play, then you can get 2 days without any problems. If you watch the video, the smartphone shows some unrealistic numbers, it spins it without stopping for 16 hours. I launched YouTube in the evening, and fell asleep with the phone working. I wake up in the morning - and the J7 is still playing video, a long-playing phone.

What is good about Samsung Galaxy J7 2017?

• Nice design and materials
• Quality camera
• always on
• Separate slots for memory card and SIM cards
• The fingerprint scanner
• Samsung Pay
• Good autonomy

What is not good Samsung Galaxy J7 2017?

• Weak stuffing
• Non-fast shell
• microUSB port for charging

Alternatives

Honor 9 costs a little more than J7 2017, but this smartphone turns out to be a more interesting option in terms of filling, it is more powerful and better designed for games. In addition, for 22 thousand rubles you already get a glass, not a metal case, and a two-camera system is also an interesting thing.

I would advise OnePlus 3, but it already costs around 25 thousand. But this is already a full-fledged top-end solution, albeit last year.

They sell Meizu MX6 for 20 thousand - it will be much more powerful than Samsung, but it does not have a slot for a memory card, and it does not know how to pay for purchases in our stores.

Do not be afraid of large sizes - take Xiaomi Mi Max 2, it is generally a fire-device both in terms of operating time, and in terms of performance, and in terms of budget, you fit into the same 20 thousand rubles.

Conclusion

I liked the Samsung Galaxy J7 2017. I don’t play games on my phone, but jamming in the menu is a matter of personal relationships. Someone bothers about this, someone doesn’t care at all, if only the phone worked longer, and the camera took good pictures. And with these tasks, the smartphone copes well. Another thing is that you can pick up a peppy "Chinese" for the same 20,000 rubles, so again the eternal dilemma: either sacrifice the filling, or take a more powerful competitor.

For the smartphone provided for testing, I thank the friendliest gadget store

In a row mobile devices, is designed to become a compromise between near-flagships and state employees. So, recently the company introduced several new products of the series, among which the greatest interest is Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017). Yes, smartphones with this index are mid-segment, and although they are not able to surprise with flagship hardware, the devices are among the most affordable from the brand, especially considering the interesting design.

Design features of the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)

It is worth saying that the design in the J-series was not original: ordinary smartphones with rounded edges, such as the user is used to when looking at Samsung products. But in Samsung Galaxy G7 (2017) the situation begins to change dramatically:

• The frames have virtually disappeared;
• The smartphone received a metal case and began to look more modern;
• The strips that carry out the wiring for the antennas are not similar to those of competitors;
• Dust and moisture protection, which the younger models of the new J-series do not have;
• The resolution of the 5.5"" display has now been increased to full-width.

The last point, by the way, is a bit surprising. After all, given the cost of the smartphone, he should have received a full version long ago. Although this is typical for the affordable segment of the company.

Refreshed case design

But the refreshed design pleases, the smartphone began to look more modern. So, the front panel has changed, largely due to framelessness. Now the 2.5-inch curves on the sides give the impression that the display is slightly curved around the edges. Under the display is traditionally located hardware Home button with a fingerprint scanner. The back also looks interesting: the camera and flash received a single frame, which is rarely seen in competitors. But most importantly, the stripes for antennas that allow you to perform the wireless functions of a smartphone look original. These are not straight horizontal stripes and they do not go around the top and bottom, as in the latest iPhones, but, as it were, enclose the overlays from above and below.

Technical component

You can start with the fact that the smartphone has a display made according to the traditional AMOLED technology for the company. The proprietary Exinus 7870 processor, which is made using a 14-nanometer process technology, is also responsible for performance, so the platform’s energy efficiency should be at a high level. It is worth saying that the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) camera received one module, despite the craze of competitors for dual-module solutions. In fairness, it is worth noting that the module has aperture optics with f / 1.7, so the pictures should be at the level, albeit without background blur effects.

The company has a long tradition of reusing components in budget smartphones. It has repeatedly used this practice with success in the past, resulting in several Galaxy J models with outdated hardware specifications. Now comes the third generation Galaxy smartphones J, in which Samsung finally undertook to solve this problem.

The Galaxy J7 Pro is powered by the Samsung Exynos 7870 processor found in last year's Galaxy J7, and other components of the device have been upgraded. Uses 1080p screen, metal body, 64 GB flash memory. The Samsung Experience 8.1 shell is installed on top, it is supported payment system Samsung Pay. The latter is especially important as it is the first mid-range smartphone price category Samsung with this digital payment service.

Is this enough for the Galaxy J7 Pro to be competitive in this segment, when there are high-quality devices like and? Let's find out.

Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro 2017 Hardware

Chinese manufacturers have been offering smartphones in all-metal cases for the past few generations, but Samsung has been slow to do the same with the Galaxy J line. In 2016, there was a metal frame and a plastic back, but now the case is all-aluminum and looks great.

The antenna strips are located at the top and bottom of the case, creating a pattern that gives the Galaxy J7 Pro a distinctive look. These stripes create contrast in the color scheme, especially in the gold color version.

The device has impressive bezels at the top and bottom of the screen, but Samsung has done a good job of reducing the side edges. Under the screen is the Home button with a fingerprint scanner inside. Like , double tapping launches the camera.

The power button is on the right, the volume rocker is on the left, all three have good tactile feedback. The 3.5mm headphone jack is on the bottom, next to the microUSB charging port. More and more manufacturers are switching to a modern interface, but Samsung is saving it for flagships for now. Perhaps next year we will see this connector in cheaper smartphones from the South Korean manufacturer.

The speaker sits next to the power button, which is an interesting design choice. It turned out to be quite loud, its location will not allow you to accidentally close it with your hand. Another plus is the choice of SIM card slot. Unlike most smartphones this price range, this bay is not hybrid, so you can install two SIM cards and one microSD memory card at the same time.

Samsung has provided high build quality and excellent performance, resulting in a device that looks and feels like a device twice as expensive. This is important because Samsung used to release low-cost nondescript smartphones one after another.

As for the word Pro in the title, this smartphone differs from the standard version with 64 GB of flash memory and support for Samsung Pay.

The device has a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1080p and a pixel density of 401 ppi. He looks great, has high level color control and rendering. The brightness is high enough to work in the sun, you can change the color temperature. The novelty of the device was Always On Display, which allows you to quickly look at the clock, calendar and notification when the screen is off. You can set the schedule for this function and choose from four clock styles.

The J7 Pro has a sleek design and a great screen, but it uses last year's Exynos 7880 processor. It's not the fastest chip and the decision to use it is disappointing, as the rest of the smartphone has been noticeably upgraded. Especially frustrating is the choice of processor after the increase in screen resolution.

Even simple tasks like browsing Chrome browser, make the smartphone stutter. Despite the presence of eight Cortex-A53 processing cores, their clock speed reaches only 1.6 GB. For comparison, it has the same number of the same cores, but they operate at a frequency of 2 GHz.

Galaxy J7 Pro battery life

The processor is made technological process 14 nm and far from the heights of performance, but it consumes little energy. Thanks to this and a battery with a capacity of 3600 mAh, the device will work without problems for a whole day, and if you use the power saving mode, then even more.

The main disadvantage in this component is the lack of fast recharging. From zero to 100% J7 ​​Pro is charged in more than two hours.

Samsung Pay

This is the first Samsung smartphone in the budget category, which received support for the Samsung Pay payment system. It works through the NFC communication standard and the older MST standard, resulting in a proprietary Hardware in the form of a metal coil, which is located under rear panel. This coil does wireless transmission information to payment terminals, which replaces the use of a credit card.

The presence of Samsung Pay on an inexpensive smartphone makes the payment system accessible to a wider range of consumers. Samsung claims that it will be possible to shop at a variety of retail stores. It is also possible to transfer money via UPI and link Paytm wallets to replenish money on your account.

Galaxy J7 Pro Software

Samsung made several changes to its user interface and gradually these changes reached the budgetary devices. The J7 Pro runs Samsung Experience 8.1 on top of Android 7.0, resulting in a smartphone experience that feels like the Galaxy S8.

The list of applications is accessible by swiping up or down anywhere on the home screen, and in the settings you can return the button to open it, which disables gesture support. There is a mode for displaying two applications at a time, as well as a theme engine that allows you to change appearance interface.

Other noteworthy features are one-handed operation, blue light filter, screen zoom, Direct Share for data sharing, secure folder, and Samsung device support hub. There is also a Dual Messenger mode of operation, which makes it possible to simultaneously run two instances of the same application. New icons have appeared, navigation through the settings panel has been simplified. Samsung has done a great job bringing the updated interface to budget smartphones.

Galaxy J7 Pro Camera

The IMX258 sensor is used on the back, as in Redmi Note 4, so the quality of the camera can be called average. Like the rest software, the camera interface is similar to , including the ability to share photos on social networks.

As for the photographs, this is far from finesse. The smartphone focuses on the subject for a long time and tends to underexpose images. Turning on HDR manually solves this problem, but it slows down the shooting process even more. Photos in low light are blurry.

Conclusion

Samsung Pay is a distinctive feature of this smartphone, since September 2016 this payment system is also available in Russia. The rest of the changes also make the Galaxy J7 Pro best smartphone in the Galaxy J line, which does not make it better than smartphones from other manufacturers. The budget segment is the most competitive, so there are many great options, and even cheaper.

The popularity of the Samsung brand means that the company is not going to compete with manufacturers like . The latter sells its smartphones online, while Samsung has a huge distribution network around the world and easily promotes tens of millions of its devices. Despite this, in countries like China and India, the availability of devices like Redmi Note 4 in retail stores reduces Samsung's share and revenue. The more people learn about the existence of Xiaomi or, the less recognized leaders earn.

With this smartphone, Samsung has shown that it can listen to the wishes of users. Alas, the reuse of 2016 components makes the device not as attractive as it could be. If not for the old Exynos 7870 processor, this would be one of the best smartphones in your price range.

The Galaxy J line of smartphones from Samsung is one of the best-selling. Not so long ago, the company updated it and introduced the 2017 Galaxy J3, Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7. What's new and interesting in the midrange from Samsung we tell in detail in our review.

Design and appearance

When you see these smartphones in the picture, it seems that they look a little strange. This impression is also created by the plastic antenna inserts on the back cover, which have a very unusual shape. But live and Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 look good. The weight is especially surprising - even the J5 seems like a monolithic piece of metal, not to mention the J7. They seem to be more expensive than they really are. You feel it especially sharply on black smartphones. They collect more prints, but look more expensive. In addition to black, Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 will be available in pink, blue and gold colors.

Both devices look exactly the same, the difference is only in size. At the bottom end Micro-USB for charging and synchronization. In 2017, a smartphone without Type-C looks very strange, but such are the realities of the new Galaxy J. Also at the bottom are a microphone and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The speaker is located on the right side, under the power button. Its unusual location does not cause discomfort, except for one case: if, when watching a video or while playing, take the device with both hands and grab the upper ends with your index fingers, then the speaker closes. Under the speaker, the power button, on the left side of the volume rocker and two trays at once, accommodating two SIM cards and a memory card, you don’t have to sacrifice anything. For the Galaxy J7, protection against dust and splashes according to the IP54 standard is declared, but this joy is not in the J5.

Main differences between Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7

Galaxy J5 is equipped with a 5.2-inch SuperAMOLED screen with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (282 ppi), an eight-core Exynos 7870 processor, a Mali-T830 graphics chip, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory and a 3000 mAh battery.

The Galaxy J7 is larger and has a 5.5-inch screen size and Full HD (401 ppi) resolution. The processor is the same here, but the RAM is 3 GB. Significantly more and the volume of the built-in battery - 3600 mAh.

Display

The display in both Super AMOLED smartphones is of very decent quality, bright and with maximum viewing angles. As standard for AMOLED displays, the picture is too saturated, but in the settings you can adjust the color for yourself. There is automatic adjustment brightness and oleophobic coating. Screens are one of the main advantages of these smartphones over competitors. I wish the Galaxy J5 had a Full HD display too, but for Samsung, this is a budget mid-ranger. Plus, if you want a bigger display with good resolution, there's always the Galaxy J7. This smartphone, unlike the Galaxy J5, among other things, has an Always On Display function, that is, the time and other information is always displayed on the screen. This is due to the fact that the company either did not want to load the Galaxy J5 battery, or wanted to give the Galaxy J7 software advantages in addition to hardware.

autonomy

Both smartphones are capable of providing a full day of work with social networks, YouTube videos, reading, listening to music and other forms of their use. 4-5 hours of screen time for the Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 is not the limit. Moreover, the operating time on both devices is approximately comparable. There is no fast charging here. Samsung has lines more expensive than Galaxy J, where all this is already there and no one wants to compete internally.

Performance

In terms of performance, it can be noted that in most scenarios, smartphones work fine, multitasking, not very heavy games, almost all applications start and work normally. With heavy games a little more difficult. For example, you can play tanks, but only at low settings, Asphalt 8 or Real Racing runs fine at medium settings, although sometimes there are slight freezes. But what do you expect from an average. His destiny is timekillers and there are no questions, of course. On the other hand, J7 feels better in heavy games due to 3 GB of RAM.

The interface works with some delay. This is especially striking when calling up the menu. The rest of the interface is pretty fast. The shell itself is the same as in . A lot of settings, the ability to apply themes. There is no Bixby, but if you swipe to the right on the main screen, a separate page with the Briefing news aggregator based on Flipboard will appear. To be honest, this solution seems even more interesting and practical than the new one. voice assistant Bixby by Samsung. There is always a source of news at hand, no additional programs not required. Another of the software chips worth noting is the ability to use two messenger accounts in one device. This feature is familiar to many Chinese smartphones, and in any dual-sim smartphone it should be the default in our opinion. There's an FM radio, a fairly rare thing these days, a Game Launcher that helps you manage game settings or record your screen while playing without third-party apps.

Camera

Both smartphones are equipped with the same 13 MP modules with f/1.7 aperture. Compared to the previous generation, the camera has definitely taken a step forward. There is a panorama mode, HDR and even manual settings. The quality of photo and video shooting is one of the most important criteria, which buyers present to smartphones, and the Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 may well replace an inexpensive soap dish. The oversharpening in pictures and thoughtful autofocus are a little embarrassing, but we had non-commercial samples on the test. Perhaps in public versions this will be corrected. Video smartphones can record in Full HD at 30 frames per second. Separately, it is worth mentioning the front camera. It is also 13 MP with f / 1.9 aperture and its own flash. There is a flash in the entire J line. It is constant and simply illuminates you while shooting. The screen also works like a flash. There is a possibility of automatic face retouching. Ladies will appreciate this approach.

This summer, the Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 smartphone was introduced, which replenished the budget Galaxy J series. The feature of the device is a metal case. Samsung is extremely reluctant to use metal in its devices, preferring plastic to it for budget models and glass for flagships. Thanks to the use of metal in the body, the Samsung Galaxy J7 looks solid. The version with a black front panel is similar even to the top Galaxy S7 brother.

What pleases Samsung in the middle price segment of smartphones

By the way, what do we know about inexpensive ones? Apple's main competitor has released several fancy flagships this year, which everyone who is interested in the latest in the mobile market knows about. The South Korean manufacturer produces models of the J and A series without much noise. This year, for example, a line of devices entry level J replenished with three models at once. One of them, Galaxy J7 2017, received unexpectedly (for a budget series) powerful hardware.

In the price segment of devices for 18,000 - 20,000 thousand, the buyer is quite picky and picky. He has a lot to choose from, so he wants to get a smartphone with the best possible performance from the many options available. J7 is inferior to A7 in many ways. The latter is very similar in appearance to the company's flagship devices, it has protection against dust and moisture. The J7 smartphone is much simpler, it can be considered as a reliable workhorse that will last for more than one year.

Let's figure out what the Galaxy J7 2017 is good for, whether it is inferior and find out what disadvantages it has.

Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 Specs: Processor, Memory and Battery Details

The model is based on last year's device with the difference that it received more premium characteristics.

The hardware base of the phone is an eight-core Exynos 7870 processor. The same chipset was used in last year's model. Exynos 7870 belongs to the budget segment, but its performance for everyday tasks and stable operation applications are enough for the eyes. A fly in the ointment - due to the shell and clumsy hands of firmware developers, the smartphone works slowly, sometimes thinking even when scrolling through the application menu. These are not “lags”, but the slowness of the device.

The device handles small undemanding games without problems, something more serious is given to it with difficulty.

Compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy J7 2017 received more RAM - 3 GB. For the budget segment of devices, this is the best option. Built-in storage is designed for 16 GB, of which only 10 GB is available to the user. This volume, of course, is not enough. The problem of lack of memory is solved, as usual, using memory cards. Samsung has installed a separate slot for memory cards in the smartphone, and now the user does not need to choose what he needs - a second SIM card or an increased amount of device memory.

The undoubted plus of the smartphone is a capacity of 3600 mAh. It provides the device excellent autonomy. In normal mode, which implies up to an hour of talks, automatic screen brightness, data transfer to 4G and about 5 hours of display operation, the smartphone can work for about two days. The device plays video at maximum brightness for 19 hours. This is an impressive result. However, the device did not bypass its predecessor in terms of battery life - the Galaxy J7 2016 shows about the same battery life.

Wireless charging is not supported, but this is not critical, but fast charging would not hurt, because the phone charges for a long time - about three hours.

The smartphone has power-saving modes that allow, if necessary, to significantly extend the operating time. For example, when the maximum power saving mode is enabled, the machine reduces the brightness of the display, limits the CPU speed and limits the running of applications in the background, which can extend the battery life by 49 hours. It is gratifying that modern technologies, previously implemented in flagship models, are now available to owners of budget phones.

Model design

The smartphone received a typical appearance for Samsung mobile devices: a body with rounded corners and a screen covering the entire front panel.

J7 2017 received four body color options: black, blue, pink and gold. The most advantageous is the blue color, it is more interesting. A smartphone in a black case also looks good - it resembles the top-end Galaxy S7. The last two options (gold and pink) are traditionally positioned as women's.

The case is monolithic, metal. This is quite unexpected for the South Korean manufacturer, who usually does not favor metal in the body materials of their devices. Separately, I note the good quality of the surface color: even after a long time of intensive use, there are no scuffs on the metal, the paint is not erased. Only the antenna inserts are made of plastic. They are built into the case rather unusually, but in the end it turned out nice and extraordinary.

Consider the appearance of the device in more detail:

The screen occupies approximately 73.1% of the front surface, the lower and upper indents are average, the side frames are narrow. Above the display are proximity and light sensors, a speaker and a front camera with a flash. A little lower there was a place for the company logo. There is no notification indicator in this model, for me this is a minus, but this is a subjective opinion. It may well be replaced by the Always On Display function. I repeat: I am glad that Samsung has begun to apply advanced technologies in budget devices.

Under the screen you can see two touch and one mechanical control buttons. The keys do not have backlighting, and for some this may be a minus of the model.

The fingerprint scanner is located in the physical button. It works quickly, without errors. The classic location of the scanner can be attributed to the advantages of the model, since the company's experience shows that placing it on the rear panel is not the best solution. The user can store no more than three fingerprints, but this can hardly be called a drawback of the device - how many of us give the right to access our smartphone?

The speaker hole for playing music is unusually located - on the right side of the phone. Such an extraordinary location does not cause inconvenience.

With the ergonomics of the phone, everything is fine - it fits comfortably in both male and female hands. The Galaxy J7 2017 stays in the palm of your hand and fits comfortably almost anywhere: in a woman's purse, trouser or shirt pocket.

On the metal back panel there is a vertical main camera module and an LED flash. Below them is the manufacturer's logo. The camera, unlike last year's model, does not protrude above the panel, but is slightly recessed into it.

Thanks to high-quality materials, good design and excellent assembly, the phone visually looks much more expensive than it is. In appearance, you can’t say that this is one of the representatives of Samsung’s entry-level devices.

Display

Galaxy J7 2017 is equipped with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 and SuperAMOLED matrix. Compared to last year's smartphone, the company has carefully worked on the screen, improving it in almost all respects. Display brightness and color reproduction have been greatly improved. The screen reads great in the sun. The user has access to four screen modes. The automatic brightness adjustment works great. This is one of those useful features which can be recommended to everyone. The screen itself adjusts to the level of ambient light, preserving the health of the user's eyes and at the same time saving battery power.

As mentioned above, J7 2017 implements such a very useful thing as AlwaysOn Display technology. When the screen is locked, the user can see notifications, a clock, and necessary applications. Battery charge while AlwaysOn Display consumes sparingly.

There is a high-quality oleophobic coating.

Cameras and shooting quality

Despite the fact that the Galaxy J7 2017 is a representative of an affordable line, it is equipped with good ones. The main camera received a resolution of 13 megapixels and f / 1.7 aperture. The front camera has the same resolution of the photomodule, but the aperture optics are worse here - f / 1.9. Like all inexpensive devices, the main camera shoots well in good light. In the evening and at night, it does not work so well: the picture starts to blur, noise appears. To get a decent picture in low light conditions, you have to try. At the same time, the J7 2017 camera will be better than analogues in Chinese devices in this price segment.

At front camera there is a flash and, in addition, many modes for all kinds of selfie decoration. This feature will appeal, perhaps, only to young smartphone users.

Software: operating system version and proprietary shell

The software basis of the device is with a shell. There are several options for displaying the desktop: with a separate program menu or uploading applications to desktops. The shell itself is comfortable to use, with a pleasant interface, but in the case of the Galaxy J7, it does not work as fast as we would like.

The pluses include the latest version of Android and frequent device updates. Minus: the impossibility of removing many regular programs, in particular, office suite Microsoft. Lots of junk apps. Particularly annoying is the content aggregator, which intrusively clogs the notification shade with news.

Smartphone cost and competitors

In official stores at the time of this writing, they ask for 19,990 rubles for a phone. Compared to competitors, the price is too high, which is not surprising for the manufacturer's device, which is one of the A-brands.

The device would have fewer competitors if it were not for the inflated price for it. In this price category, there are many devices that are more attractive in terms of cost. One of the obvious competitors is Honor 9. It costs a little more, but it offers top-end hardware, a dual camera and a beautiful glass case.

The same as the Galaxy J7 costs. His stuffing is much more powerful.

OnePlus 3 costs 4-5 thousand rubles more and is a full-fledged flagship, albeit released last year.

If you are not afraid of huge screens - take a closer look at. For 20 thousand rubles, you will get the most powerful device in terms of performance and autonomy with an excellent display.