The midrange marvel
> An attractive set of features and an affordable price make the Samsung Galaxy J7+ an appealing choice
SAMSUNG manages to make the Galaxy J7+ stand apart from its peers with an attractive set of features and a retail price that would turn heads for all the right reasons. But, despite all that, the J7+ still faces some tough competition.
The most touted feature of the J7+ is its camera. It is the first in the series to have dual rear cameras – a 13MP main sensor with an f1.7 lens and a secondary 5.0MP f1.9 blackand-white sensor. The front-facing camera is a single 16MP sensor with an f1.9 lens.
With these cameras, Samsung says the phone can take ‘professional grade’ photos in addition to doing a few tricks.
In practice, the Galaxy J7+ does take highquality photos, but everything must be just right for it to work all its magic.
For example, the Live Focus feature, which is also available on the Note8, needs the proper distance and lighting for it to work correctly. I use this feature as a test because it handles all of the phone’s photography capabilities.
In general, photos taken in optimum conditions, which is to say, the outdoors with ample natural lighting, blue skies, and colourful scenery, tend to have high contrast. Colours pop and shadows darken while retaining details.
Its low-light performance I find to be higher than average for a phone in its range, but not impressive.
If you tend to take photos of food or scenery that are popular on social networks, you will be just fine with the J7+.
That 16MP front-facing camera also means that the J7+ can handle some selfies well enough, but not up to the level of other cameras that are focused explicitly on selfies.
An octa-core processor, 32GB of expandable storage, and 4GB of memory make the J7+ a mid-level multitasker. It could handle approximately eight apps running at a time just fine.
However, this is mainly for those who do not religiously close the apps after used.
When it comes to performance, the J7+ has no issues. It works hard and plays well too, considering its specifications.
But if you are planning to play videos or listen to music, I would recommend using a pair of earphones or headphones as the speaker on the J7+ is unremarkable.
Its design betrays its affordable price tag of RM1,599. The looks of the J7+ are nothing extraordinary.
In fact, the navigation button does not even light up, which can be annoying. Thankfully, the thumb print reader is snappy and more accurate than the one on the S8 series and the Note8.
The 5.5in Super Amoled display is in glorious full high definition and is compatible with Samsung’s Always On Display feature.
The screen is a feather in J7+’s cap and goes very well with its very capable camera.
There are two other features of the J7+ that I rarely use. These are the Secure Folder feature, and Bixby.
Secure Folder is undoubtedly a useful tool in some instances. As the name suggests, the feature lets users put files and applications under an additional level of security to prevent unauthorised access.
Bixby still feels like a novelty, but, one that has a potential to become more than what it is today.
For less than half the price of Samsung’s top flagships, the Galaxy J7+ is a competent enough option for those who are looking for an android phone that gives them a taste of high-end features and has more than enough bells and whistles for the average smartphone user.