Samsung Galaxy J3
The J3 is one of the entry-level models in Samsung’s Galaxy line-up, and you can buy it in the UK for £150 through distributors such as Mobile Fun. At this price, you shouldn’t expect an outstanding specification, and the Samsung Galaxy J3 is indeed a jack of all trades and master of none. A good all-rounder, it will suit non-demanding users who want a large-screen, no-frills phone for basic tasks such as browsing social media or the web.
Design
The J3 features the familiar Samsung Galaxy candy bar design, with rounded corners, chamfered edges, the Samsung logo above the screen and a physical home button nestled in between back and recent keys. Unlike flagship Samsungs of recent years, the J3 has an entirely plastic build, with a removable rear cover that has an also-removable lithium-ion battery, SIM and microSD slots below.
This is a smooth plastic case, not at all like the dimpled covers Samsung favoured a couple of years back, and our gold review sample has a shimmery finish that looks better than some plastic phones but still gives away its low price tag. Removable back panels can often be flimsy, but while it is thin it holds on tight to the chassis and the J3 feels reasonably sturdy.
If you go for a Chinese phone such as the Xiaomi Redmi 3 it’s possible to get a more premiumlooking metal chassis at this price, but most UK phones at this price point will be plastic. Even the waterproof Sony Xperia M4 Aqua with its nicely designed glass front and rear has a plastic body.
Screen bezels are slim, but a black border outlines the 5in full-HD screen. This is a SuperAMOLED panel, which Samsung is famed for, producing vivid – if a little oversaturated – colours and sharp text and images at 294ppi. The screen is bright enough in standard light, although in direct sunlight may be more difficult to see. Pleasingly, although fingerprints are attracted to the screen, they aren’t overly visible.
The 138g J3 is reasonably slim for a cheap phone, just 7.9mm. It’s not thick enough for the headphone jack and rear camera sensor to lie flush with the case, and in fact Samsung has purposely raised the