Fun with a decent mid-range phone

The Samsung Galaxy J7+ boasts innovative and handy features including face recognition and dual-camera capabilities. But does it live up to expectations, wonders Balqis Lim

DUAL-camera smartphones are all the rage these days. It has now become a norm for those obsessed with taking multiple selfies in a day to get a dual camera smartphone that can take good portrait shots.

Samsung has jumped on the bandwagon with the Galaxy J7+, which is a more affordable option than its first dual camera, model, Note 8.

DESIGN

The Samsung Galaxy J7+ comes with a 5.5inch Full HD Super AMOLED display and a smooth metal unibody which makes it a delight to see and hold.

The speaker grille is located on the top right side of the phone, above the power button. The phone has a micro-USB port at the bottom alongside the audio jack.

Two nano SIM cards can be inserted on the phone, with one convertible slot that can house a microSD card for added storage up to 256GB. The hybrid SIM tray is located on the left with the volume buttons.

You’ll spot the 16MP front camera with LED flash and call speaker at the top display. Below, there are capacitive buttons for Back and Recents and a physical Home button, which also acts as a fingerprint scanner.

At the back are the 13MP+5MP dual rear cameras with LED flash and the Samsung logo.

FEATURES AND PERFORMANCE

The Galaxy J7+ runs on Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) and is powered by MediaTek Helio P20 Octa-core processor (Quad-core 2.39GHz + Quad-core 1.69GHz). It is paired with 4GB RAM and 32GB internal storage out of the box.

Besides the fingerprint scanner, the phone also features Face Recognition, enriched selfie camera functions, Always-

The phone boasts dual camera lens.

Pictures taken with the Samsung Galaxy J7+.

On display, Secure Folder, Bixby Home and Reminder, and mySamsung app.

Swiping left on the homescreen allows access to Samsung’s virtual assistant, Bixby. With Bixby Home, you can quickly access your favourite apps and other useful information. From recent messages to daily news, Bixby is able to learn from user’s preferences and routines to make your phone more convenient.

Setting up reminders is easy and intuitive with Bixby. If you’re forgetful like me, Bixby can help you get organised and stay on top of things.

If you are worried that your personal data and private files can become compromised, Samsung’s Security Folder lets you create a private and fully encrypted space to store and protect files such as photos, documents and voice recording. The data can only be accessed by the user as it is engineered with a touch-based fingerprint sensor.

Samsung has also introduced the Dual Messenger feature, allowing users to have two separate accounts for the same messaging app on one device. Those with more than one account can definitely benefit from this as there is no need for constant logins and logouts when users can have their personal and professional WhatsApp conversations running simultaneously without needing to own a second device.

In terms of power, I had no issues running

multiple apps and games that aren’t so heavy, and having my dose of entertainment with YouTube daily. A single charge on its 3000mAh battery lasted me a whole day.

PHOTOGRAPHY

As for its dual camera lens, the device features Live Focus, which allows you to take photos with artificially blurred backgrounds. It also lets you adjust the depthof-field before or after the shot is taken.

The camera also has different mode settings — Pro, Panorama, HDR, Night and Food. There are 16 filters to choose from to spice up your photos.

The front camera also features Selfie Focus with Beauty Mode which lets you achieve bokeh effect on your selfies. If you like to have more fun with your selfies, there are stickers and stamps to choose from.

Taking photos using the Galaxy J7+ was a fun experience, as everything looks pretty good, especially in a well-lit environment. Low light photos tend to be blurry with noise, though.

The Food mode has made all my food pictures more tantalising. The photos were adjusted automatically, highlighting the colours and perspective of the subject, making me feel like a pro foodie photographer every time I post on social media.

CONCLUSION

The first of the J series to have dual cameras, Samsung Galaxy J7+ is a decent midrange phone. Starting this year, Samsung has cut down the price to RM1,299 from its previous price of RM1,599 to make it more affordable.

Although there are other mid-range phones that pack similar tech specs, the Food mode for photography is sure to attract those who love taking pictures of their gastronomic delights. The Samsung Galaxy J7+