Android 5.1.1 OTA is seeding for the Samsung Galaxy E7

  If you bought the Galaxy E7 then, like many others, you probably felt a little let down being stuck on Android 4.4 KitKat, while the almost identical E5 gets to enjoy Lollipop. Well, the wait seems to finally be over, or at least in India, where users are already reporting that their E7 handsets are getting an Android 5.1.1 OTA.

  The update carries a E700HXXU1BOJ7 PDA and is intended for the SM-E700H model. To be fair, this is not exactly the first time we spot Lollipop on the phone. The Galaxy E7 (SM-E700F) already got Android 5.1 in Sri Lanka earlier this month. However, the broader rollout is a definite sign of relief, especially after the earlier reports that the E7 won't be getting the update at all.

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iPhone 6s vs. Galaxy S6 vs. Xperia Z5

Introduction

  Some phones just can't be reviewed in a vacuum, the competition between them is so fierce - and their price tags so high - that they have to be compared against each other under a microscope to determine the best one for you. The Apple iPhone 6s and Samsung Galaxy S6 are joined by the Sony Xperia Z5 for this three-way fight.

  The iPhone 6s and Galaxy S6 have the biggest mindshare amongst consumers and will report back the biggest sales. The Xperia Z5 doesn't enjoy the marketing budget of those two, but is well-known by people interested in smartphones.

  We'll put the trio through various tests, covering all major functions. Armed with that info, you can pick the winner based on the categories that are most important to your daily routine.

  Before we delve into the nitty-gritty, let's do quick introductions for each phone.

  The Apple iPhone 6s is almost like the gold standard for smartphones. A phone can have a better camera than the 6s or a worse camera, last longer on a charge or shorter, it's what many people use it as the yardstick. And with good reason - how many of you don't know at least one person with an iPhone? You've seen it, you've played with it, you probably know its strengths and weaknesses.

  Android answered Apple's challenge for specs superiority (issued with the iPhone 4) and indeed Samsung made it its guiding design principle for several years. With the Galaxy S6 it finally admitted that design matters too. Samsung's manufacturing capacity and rich profits allowed it to splurge for the best hardware on the market. But has it nailed the ethereal "x-factor" that makes the iPhone transcend its spec numbers?

  Sony's breakneck "two flagships a year" pace was either going to wear out the company - and the patience of its customers - or it was going to result in the best phone ever. Due to the short schedule, new Xperia Z releases seem to bring only marginal updates. Still, we're comparing against the iPhone and the Galaxy, not against the Z3 or Z4.

Hardware

  We have a mix of metal and glass for the exterior of the three. The Apple iPhone 6s is mostly metal (the sides and the whole back), using glass only for the front. Apple dropped Gorilla Glass (even though the Cupertino company is responsible for popularizing it) and went with Ion-strengthened glass.

  The metal is 7000-series aluminum and has smooth, round sides and corners. The new material is slightly denser though the majority of the added weight seems to come from the 3D Touch display. Its glass has beveled edges, creating one smooth curve that goes from glass to metal.

   

The Apple iPhone 6s is shrouded entirely in aluminum and glass

  The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a metal frame, which is exposed on the sides, and Gorilla Glass 4 on the front and back. The two glass panels have a slight bevel on their side, but the transition isn't as smooth as on the iPhone. The metal sides are squared off too so that the side buttons do not sink into the body of the phone.

  The Galaxy S6 is the thinnest and lightest of the bunch - 6.9mm and 138g. The camera module sticks out the back though. It doesn't affect handling and it's centered, so it doesn't cause the phone to wobble like the iPhone's camera.

   

The Galaxy S6 is more glass than metal

  The Sony Xperia Z5 is all 90°. The metal frame makes up the sides of the handset while scratch-resistant glass covers the front and a unique matte glass covers the back. Both panes of glass sink into the metal frame, so you feel a sharp metal edge as you swipe from the side. This will keep the glass a hair off the surface the phone is lying on though, which will reduce the scratches a bit.

  The Xperia Z5 is the thickest and heaviest of the three - 7.3mm and 154g. It has the biggest battery and features waterproofing, which is more than a fair trade off for the bigger digits. Also, the camera is flush with the back.

   

The Xperia Z5 also has glass on the back, but the frosting effect is unique

  The three phones project a different image. The iPhone 6s is smooth and inviting, the Xperia Z5 has an aggressive, angular look, while the Galaxy S6 sits somewhere in between.

  Angles aside, the Sony Xperia Z5 has the most extensive tooling. It starts with the stereo speakers on the front (the other two have just one speaker), an easily accessible card slot, then there's a dedicated shutter key and a lanyard eyelet (which most other phones have abandoned).

  It's subtle but you can feel Xperia's adventurous nature. You can secure the phone with a strap, take photos even when the screen is wet, store plenty of photos and videos on the microSD card, even the battery will last a long, long while. And if you're starting a campfire party, you have a couple of good speakers available.

   

The Galaxy S6, Xperia Z5 and iPhone 6s side by side

  The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a jetsetter. Gone is the rugged exterior of the S5, the S6 is all business on the outside. It matches your office building with a metal and glass exterior, the glass requires upkeep (wiping the fingerprints) like your tie requires straightening. The heart rate and blood oxygen sensors give you a read on your health, since diet and exercise is such a hot topic. If only the IR blaster could advance the slides of your PowerPoint presentation.

  The Apple iPhone 6s is more solitary. It has a hardware Mute switch, so you can always make sure you're not disturbed. It's also the only one of the three that doesn't have a dual-SIM version. It lives up to its household name with a masterful build, without being flashy.

  The iPhone and the Galaxy share a number of design decisions like putting both the USB port and the audio jack on the bottom, the loudspeaker too. The Xperia stands apart and puts its speakers up front, the audio jack on top.

  Winner: Sony Xperia Z5. We can't judge aesthetics since those are purely subjective. In objective terms, the Xperia Z5 is the most practical with a waterproof body and expandable storage (we'll look at the screen and battery separately). A camera that doesn't protrude helps too.

  Runner-up: Apple iPhone 6s. The only phone with an all-metal unibody here, indeed one of the few such smartphones in general.

  While it may be one of Samsung's most beautiful devices, the Galaxy S6 has a couple of rough edges - the glass on the back gets smudgy quickly (Xperia's frosted glass handles it better) and the camera sticks out a good deal out the back. The Galaxy S6 edge has a lot more wow factor and would have topped the iPhone.

Screen

  There's been plenty of debate about the ideal screen size and resolution and even Apple changed its mind, despite having the strongest convictions on the matter. The iPhone 6s is below the average size for an Android at 4.7" and the resolution is a result of a fixed pixel density (Retina's 326ppi).

  Samsung and Sony settled on almost the same screen size, 5.1" and 5.2" respectively, but you need to keep in mind that the Xperia uses part of its screen for on-screen buttons. Android is a lot more flexible about resolution than iOS, so each maker has their own considerations about the resolution they picked.

  Samsung uses its in-house Super AMOLED, which was perfected over several generations. It has market-leading color accuracy and perfect black levels for a high-contrast image that pops. These displays use a different matrix arrangement though, which benefits from a higher pixel density. Then there are the bragging rights, of course.

  Both Apple and Sony use IPS LCDs, the standard if you want good viewing angles, though both have additional features to improve the image quality.

  The Samsung Galaxy S6 screen is both the dimmest and brightest of the three here. The difference comes from the setting - manual control gives you a maximum of around 470 nits, but if you leave the phone to manage the brightness it can go as high as 750 nits when needed.

  The Sony Xperia Z5 and Apple iPhone 6s have roughly similar max brightness (the Z5 is mildly brighter on auto, 600nits). The Xperia, however, disappoints with its poor contrast, under 1,000:1, which is common among mid-range phones but not okay for a flagship. Sony's improved Contrast filter that's part of the display assembly is responsible for deeper blacks than before but it didn't improve much about the contrast ratio.

  The Apple iPhone 6 goes up to nearly 1,500:1. You need to be in a dark room to really see the higher contrast (theoretically infinite, but limited by reflections) of the Galaxy S6.

  The Galaxy S6 brightness slider is fairly honest, but the other two do not affect brightness linearly. The Xperia is the worst offender here, giving you just 90nits out of a maximum of close to 600nits at mid position. This may sound like nitpicking, but it means you don't have fine control over brightness - the first half of the slider handles a 90nit range, the second half handles nearly a 500nit range.

  Samsung's Super AMOLED displays are built to keep reflectivity low. Even on a bright sunny day the Galaxy S6 screen remains legible, it's one of the very best we've seen in this category. And that's on manual! The Apple iPhone 6s also is a great performer, but Xperia Z5's poor contrast makes it pretty average.

  The Samsung Galaxy S6 has several screen modes - one that aims for perfect accuracy and others that create a punchier image to various degrees. They boost saturation and contrast, which can look great for photos and in the general UI, but can annoy purists. Luckily, everyone can pick the mode they like best.

  The Xperia Z5 screen scores above average in color accuracy, however the white balance is off with a purplish tint. Turning on X Reality and other image enhancement options makes the color accuracy a bit worse and reduces the max brightness slightly. You can fine tune the color rendering using the Red, Green and Blue sliders, but it's not an easy thing to do and the UI does little to help.

  The Apple iPhone 6s has more accurate colors than the Z5, average deltaE of 3.6 compared to 6.6. The white has a slight blue tint, also the red channel deviates more notably, but either way, it's one impressively tuned screen out of the gate.

  Winner: Samsung Galaxy S6. It's the sharpest screen with the best contrast and sunlight legibility on the market, it's got perfect color rendering as well. And in Auto mode it can be brighter than the other two when needed.

  Runner-up: Apple iPhone 6s. We wish Apple would offer more screen size variety than just 4.7" and 5.5", but in terms of image quality the iPhone 6s display is more accurate and with better contrast than the Xperia. Outside it's almost as legible as the Galaxy too.

  Sony actually took a step back in contrast, the Z3+ did better than the Xperia Z5. Sure, the 5.2" 1080p screen is bigger and sharper than the iPhone, but it's not on par with it in the other tested areas.

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Samsung Galaxy View fully detailed by online listing

  The market for kitchen tablets is expanding and after the Alcatel OneTouch Xess from a few months ago and the two-year-old Sony Tablet Z Kitchen edition, the Samsung Galaxy View is next in line. The 18.4-inch monster has been a regular at the rumor mill for a while, but has now been listed for pre-order at Adorama.

  The listing reveals key specs of the tablet, not that they were exactly a secret. The large display comes with FullHD resolution for a density of about 120ppi, hinting that it's not to be used at arms length. The Exynos 7580 SoC powers the Galaxy View, its processor clocked at up to 1.6GHz. Interestingly, the retailer calls the chip Carmen2, the first time we've seen that moniker.

  The specsheet goes on with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which can be expanded by popping in a microSD card up to 128GB. You get a 2.1MP front-facing camera with FullHD video recording, and thankfully you are denied the opportunity to use the View as a camera - there's no rear shooter.

  There's a full connectivity suite aboard the View, with quad-band 3G and Cat.6 LTE, and a Wi-Fi-only model may be available too. Either way, the entire WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac range of standards is supported. There's Bluetooth v4.1 and GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS, though we're hard pressed to imagine a case where you'd use the 18.4-inch for in-car navigation.

  The battery inside the tablet has a rather modest 5,700mAh capacity, though Samsung promises 8.5 hours of video playback out of it. Not much detail is revealed on the kickstand, but by now we're expecting it to be a permanent fixture.

  What Samsung is trying to pitch as the missing link between your Galaxy tablet and your Samsung TV is yet to become official, but you can pre-order yours today for $599. Details on actual availability are yet to be revealed, though.

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Samsung Galaxy A9 spotted in AnTuTu, S620 chipset confirmed

  The Samsung Galaxy A9 poked its head above water again, surfacing at the AnTuTu benchmark database. It casts another vote for a 5.5" 1080p screen, even though the naming scheme suggests the A9 should be better than the Galaxy A8 (5.7" 1080p).

  It's definitely better in terms of chipset – the Snapdragon 620 has next-gen CPU cores and a next-gen GPU. The eight Cortex-72 cores should be much faster than the A53s used in current mid-range octa-cores. The Adreno 510 will also bring a much needed performance boost for 1080p gaming. And there's more RAM, 3GB.

  The Samsung Galaxy A9 poked its head above water again, surfacing at the AnTuTu benchmark database. It casts another vote for a 5.5" 1080p screen, even though the naming scheme suggests the A9 should be better than the Galaxy A8 (5.7" 1080p).

  It's definitely better in terms of chipset – the Snapdragon 620 has next-gen CPU cores and a next-gen GPU. The eight Cortex-72 cores should be much faster than the A53s used in current mid-range octa-cores. The Adreno 510 will also bring a much needed performance boost for 1080p gaming. And there's more RAM, 3GB.

  There's 32GB of built-in storage, but AnTuTu failed to detect the camera resolution. The Samsung Galaxy A9 (SM-A9000) ran Android 5.1.1 Lollipop when the test was ran (which was most likely a pre-production version).

  There's 32GB of built-in storage, but AnTuTu failed to detect the camera resolution. The Samsung Galaxy A9 (SM-A9000) ran Android 5.1.1 Lollipop when the test was ran (which was most likely a pre-production version).

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Opinion: Fit and Finish Work Best With a Focus on In-Hand Feel

  Frequent XDA readers might remember my Note5 review, which came out not too long ago. Since that was published, I’ve been testing other devices and have not been able to “daily drive” the Samsung’s shiny phablet for further testing — a particular frustration given the ROM scene is starting to pick up thanks to dedicated developers like TEKHD and dr.ketan among others.

But when I do pick it up, there is one thing above all that stands out:

  The Note5 is one of the best devices I’ve held in my hand, in part because of how I can hold it — Samsung’s Note5’s design is, hands-down, the most comfortable device I’ve held this year. There have been many devices that surprised me in terms of in-hand feel over the last few smartphone generations. For example, the original Moto G felt like a revolution in the hand — when I purchased one, I simply couldn’t believe that a low-price mid-range device could fit in my mitts so perfectly and be so manageable with one hand — it put my old Note 3 to shame!

Fixed

  The Note5 opted to put curves not on the screen, but on the back. This is a functional decision that also benefits the phone aesthetically, because unlike other devices with curved backs, the Note5 still remains flat in its surface and its corners, which gives it an unconventional look. But this article is not about the Note5. It’s about a new-found preference of mine for good-fitting devices. There are many phones with excellent fit nowadays, including enthusiast-favorites like Motorola’s Moto X phones. But what makes a phone good-fitting?

“

Fit and finish go best together when they try to balance each other for a good UX rather than a marketable look.

”

  There are many elements to this, some related to the materials and some to the actual design. There is a difference, however, between a good fit and a good grip. The fit does help with your ability to wrap your hand around a device, but smooth metal or glass surfaces will still play against it. This is where the “finish” part comes in: a phones’ texture is very important for a comfortable and secure hold.  

  Smartphones have tried radically different surfaces in the past few years, including leather, wood, many kinds of metal, carbon fiber and sandpaper textures. Glass and metal are, however, the ones typically considered premium, and the ones that most manufacturers use when trying to earn that word in their reviews.

  I personally applaud Motorola and others for not going with the rest and instead offering sensible and pleasant alternatives to the glass-and-metal theme of many other flagships. Some of their alternatives, like various kinds of wood and genuine leather, add a lot of character, customization, and choice, something other manufacturers seem increasingly keen on as well. While removable batteries and expandable storage are going away, we now see many devices sporting removable back covers anyway, and major releases including the LG G4, the OnePlus 2 and the ZenFone 2 greatly benefit from the ability to switch up their design. All of these devices also make good use of curves to net a good in-hand grip and feel, too, but the materials employed in each phone mean that the overall results are rather different.

  The way I see it, there is no simple end-all formula to making a good-feeling phone. Many factors must be considered, and we’ve seen comfortable phones with different designs, materials, dimensions, and the like. If I had to list some factors, they would be:

• Back curvature: This includes not just the back, but also the edges. The arch needed to make a comfortable phone is not set in stone. For example, the Note5 has a flat back with curved edges on the sides, while the ZenFone 2 is rounder in every Axis. The LG G4 has a vertical curve that’s more pronounced than on other phones, and the Moto X’s curves are very well balanced. Not all of these offer the same level of comfort in the hand, though, and some of them haven’t perfected their execution either.
• Curved corners: These shrink the distance your thumb must travel when palming the phone, they soften the feel of the device in your hand, improve surface area efficiency, and make pocketing easier and safer.
• Bezel width: The bezels can shorten the reach of your thumbs, they can add bulk to the length of the phone, and they can make for a disproportionate and inefficient surface area. Side bezels, however, can be inefficient when shrunk too much due to accidental taps, and top and bottom bezels can make UI navigation more uncomfortable (and risky) as well when they are too small.
• Texture and materials: The texture of the phone adds grip or slipperiness, but this factor is very dependent on the overall geometry of the phone as well. For example, the glass back of my Note5 is nowhere near as slippery as it would be without its excellent corners, curved edges and minimal width. The materials employed on the edges can also help or defer from the experience, and while many manufacturers opt for chamfered metal edges, these can be very uncomfortable when not done right (looking at you, Note 4).
• Weight: Finding a perfect balance is hard, and like all things, both extremes make for unpleasant user experiences. I personally prefer heavier devices for added heft and security, but lighter phones can be easily manageable with one hand as well. Another very important subfactor is the distribution of said weight, which makes handling the device all the more pleasant when nailed just right.

  After handling various 2015 phones, I feel like many OEMs are paying increasing attention to this aspect. Whereas the “thinness race” of past years had manufacturers trying to shave off every last millimeter and making devices flatter, curved backs on devices today are increasingly common. There are still some manufacturers that stick to rather inefficient combos such as flat glass backs, but even Samsung moved away from that with the Note5, and the result is nothing short of spectacular.

Yuck!

  My OnePlus 2 review is almost done and I have a lot of good things to say about its hardware design. The Note5 still surprises me every time I pick it up, especially now that I have a skin on it, which makes it much grippier than before. The device was not particularly slippery to me, mind you — I think much of the criticism against that is just a knee-jerk reaction to the fact that it’s a glass back. But boy, does it make it cleaner! The fingerprint magnet of the Note5 make the pretty aspects of the phone take a backseat most of the time until cleaning cloth comes along.

If you want to go for extremes, you will find a Chinese OEM that suits your liking

  I personally love that phones are becoming more comfortable while not necessarily focusing on extreme thinness, minimal bezels or ethereal weight. If you want to go for extremes, I can guarantee you’ll find a Chinese OEM that suits your liking. If you want a well-rounded phone that you won’t be afraid of dropping often and just generally feels good, you have many options now, and they only seem to be increasing. With hardware customizability becoming such a huge trend, we might even see new materials employed and have OEMs experiment more and more to land the perfect grip. Fit and finish go best together when they try to balance each other for a good UX rather than a marketable look. I, for one, love that OEMs took a curve in their designs.

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Samsung undisputed smartphone leader in Q2, report says

  Engulfed by all the mobile tech innovations, amidst a hectic and ever-so-dynamic realm, we often tend to overlook the business side of things. Operating on an international scale is no mundane task and quarterly market reports tend to reveal trends and processes on a bigger scale that can make or break an OEM.

  The latest Counterpoint research numbers are now in and from the looks of things Samsung is still king of the smartphone world. It seems that the Korean giant has managed to skillfully counter declining sales of its current Galaxy S6 flagship, thanks to a wide variety of other offers, both in the premium and mid-range segments. Samsung managed a 19 % global share, compared to 10% for Apple, which is a distant second and 7% for Huawei in the third spot.

  There are, however, a few clarifications to be made. The aforementioned numbers are for mobile phones as a whole, when we narrow things down to smartphones only, which currently have about 75% market share, Samsung shines with an even more respectable 21% globally, followed by Apple with 14% and Huawei with 9%.

  Breaking things down by continent reveals an identical picture, except for North America, where Apple leads with a 31% share and Samsung is second with 24%. Also, bear in mind that the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have just hit user markets today and their sales in the following weeks are sure to change the picture in Q3.

  But, apart from Apple and Samsung, this batch of sales report does offer insight on a few other trends. Most notably, the impressive growth from various Chinese OEM's on international markets.

  Huawei has really been doing great for itself, while Xiaomi is another major success story as it already has a 5% share in the global smartphone market. In fact, in Asia alone, Xiaomi managed to surpass Apple with 11% of the market, compared to Cupertino's 10%.

  This trend will likely continue in the following months. Asian brands are on the rise - Asus, for instance, has been the fastest growing brand with 500% raise in shipments, followed closely by vivo with a growth of 400%. This, combined with major market expansions in India and Africa, where growth rates can exceed global values by as much as seven times, means that Chinese manufacturers are quickly becoming a strong force in the mobile realm.

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Samsung Galaxy Note5 and S6 variants on Verizon getting security update

  The Verizon models of some of the Samsung's newest flagship smartphones - including the Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6, S6 edge, as well as S6 edge+ - are receiving a new update.

  While there isn't much detail on what exactly the update brings (the change-list for all the devices just mentions Android security patches), it does come shortly after Samsungpromised regular (about once per month) security updates for its devices in the wake ofStagefright.

  The update is currently rolling out, and should hit your device soon (if it hasn't already). Meanwhile, you can also manually check for it by heading to Settings > About device > Software update on your phone.

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Samsung reportedly planning to launch Apple-like phone leasing program

  Nearly a couple of weeks after Apple announced the iPhone Upgrade Program at an event where the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPad pro were also unveiled, there are reports that Samsung is also planning to launch a similar phone leasing program for its Galaxy smartphones.

  As per reports, the South Korean company's leasing program could be launched in the next several months, although there are chances that the launch time-frame may accelerate. There is, however, no word on the pricing at the moment.

  For the uninitiated, Apple's leasing program allows you to get a new, unlocked iPhone every year directly from the company - you need to sign a two-year financing agreement and pay a little over $32 a month for the program, which also includes Apple Care+. Of course, you'll still need a separate service plan from a carrier of your choice.

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Analysts expect Samsung's Q3 profits to remain weak, blame company's mobile division

  Samsung's Q3 2015 profits are expected to remain below market expectations, according to analysts from South Korea, who are putting the blame on the unimpressive performance of the company's mobile unit.

  While the unit reported a Q1 and Q2 profit of 2.74 trillion won ($2.34 billion) and 2.76 trillion won ($2.36 billion), respectively, the Q3 profit is expected to remain below 2 trillion won.

  Although the South Korean company's mobile shipments have increased in Q3, the drop in profit is being attributed to the slowing demand of Samsung's high-end smartphones, where, of course, the margins are comparatively higher.

  Overall, the company's Q3 operating profit is expected to be around 6.61 trillion won, down 6.4% from the 7.06 trillion won figure estimated back in July this year.

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Samsung Galaxy J7 review

Introduction

  The smartphone jungle can be confusing, but the Samsung Galaxy J7 is surprisingly easy to decipher: J for "affordable price" and 7 for "big screen". This is the lite version of the Galaxy A7, offering semi-premium features but confined to the midrange. Another way to look at it is as an E7 Plus.

  The attention-grabbing features start at the 5.5" Super AMOLED screen (Samsung's latest units have all had accurate colors and great sunlight legibility). There's also a 64-bit octa-core processor, a selfie camera with a dedicated LED flash and a main camera with a wide f/1.9 aperture and Pro mode.

  The Galaxy J7 is one of those phones that care more about the size of the screen than its resolution and so it settles for 720p. The difference to Galaxy A7's 1080p screen is for the most part cosmetic but the practical difference is quite big - you get 20% more space for apps and web pages on the A7.

Key features

• Dual-SIM phone with LTE connectivity
• 5.5" Super AMOLED of 720 x 1,280px resolution, ~267ppi
• Snapdragon 615 version: 64-bit chipset, octa-core Cortex-A53 processor (four cores at 1.5GHz and four at 1GHz); Adreno 405 GPU; 1.5GB of RAM
• Exynos 7580 version: 64-bit chipset, octa-core Cortex-A53 processor (eight cores at 1.5GHz); Mali-T720MP2 GPU; 1.5GB of RAM
• Android 5.1 Lollipop with TouchWiz, theme support
• 13MP camera capable of 1080p video recording, 5MP front-facing camera, 1080p video
• 16GB of built-in storage
• Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS/GLONASS, Bluetooth 4.1, ANT+, NFC (Exynos version only)
• 3,000mAh battery

Main disadvantages

• The design was tire1stretched a bit thin on the 5.5" screen
• No fingerprint, no NFC on some models and certainly no Samsung Pay
• No MHL (but USB OTG is supported)

  The main camera is a 13MP unit - a pretty standard choice for the midrange - but the f/1.9 aperture elevates it above average and will make a difference at low-light scenes. The J7 is well-equipped for low-light selfies too, with a dedicated LED flash to help the 5MP front-facer.

  The Galaxy J7 is a dual-SIM phone, Samsung didn't bother with a single-SIM version. No huge loss if you ask us, unlike the A-series this one has separate slots for two SIMs and a microSD. Fast LTE data can be used on either card, making the J7 practical for travel or getting the most out of two data plans.

    

Samsung Galaxy J7 official images

  The Galaxy J7 comes with one of two distinct chipset models - Snapdragon 615 in some regions, Exynos 7580 in others. Both versions run Android 5.1 Lollipop on 1.5GB RAM (a bit of a tight fit), but the Exynos has a CPU clock advantage. We'll also find out how the different GPUs perform, both are OpenGL ES 3.1-enabled though so they'll be ready for new games to come.

  The Samsung Galaxy J7 will lose to the Galaxy A7 in a beauty pageant but, after the novelty wears off, the A7 will have a fight on its hand. Well, time to kick the Galaxy J7 out of the nest and see how well it flies.

  Note that the Samsung Galaxy J7 comes with either an Exynos 7580 or a Snapdragon 615 chipset. We're reviewing the Exynos version.

Display

  The Samsung Galaxy J7 comes with a large Super AMOLED display. In recent years, these have become known for their accurate colors, great sunlight legibility and excellent quality though this particular 5.5" screen has only 720p resolution.

  The 267ppi is enough from a practical standpoint, text remains legible even with small, thin type. It helps that this is an RGB type matrix rather than PenTile. Most of the time you may not notice the slight jaggies on diagonal and curved lines though you will spot the difference.

  The colors are very accurate and again you have a choice of Basic, AMOLED photo and AMOLED video modes. We found that Basic gives the most accurate results, though many will prefer the other two modes - they combine a boost in saturation with enhanced contrast, which makes any image pop.

  Viewing angles are very good, though the typical blue/green tint at extreme angles can be seen.

  In general use, the display is dimmer than the best Super AMOLEDs but matched the pricier Galaxy A8. The Galaxy J7 screen managed around 360nits in normal mode though outside you can boost that to a more impressive 500nits for a short period (it automatically turns off after a while to preserve the screen and the battery).

  In broad daylight, the screen remains perfectly legible. It's as good as say a Galaxy Alpha or a Galaxy S4. You can boost that even higher with the Outdoors mode, which lifts the Galaxy J7 screen to one of the best we've tested in this category.

Sunlight contrast ratio

• Nokia 808 PureView
  4.698
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  4.124
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4
  4.033
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
  3.997
• Apple iPhone 5
  3.997
• Samsung Galaxy A5
  3.895
• Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
  3.879
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  3.859
• Apple iPhone 6
  3.838
• Motorola Moto X (2014)
  3.816
• Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
  3.799
• Vivo X5Pro
  3.706
• Samsung Galaxy J7
  3.422
• Samsung Galaxy mini 2
  1.114

Connectivity

  The Samsung Galaxy J7 only comes in a dual-SIM flavor and has 4G LTE. Both cards are the larger, microSIM standard. It's a dual-standby device.

  Locally you get Wi-Fi b/g/n (on 2.4GHz only) and Bluetooth 4.1. You can also count on support for ANT+ sports trackers. NFC is region-dependent. However, even with NFC and KNOX on board you shouldn't expect Samsung Pay on the J7.

  Interestingly, there's FM radio, which we don't see on many Galaxy phones these days.

  Standard microUSB 2.0 handles the wired connectivity and charging. It does not have MHL or SlimPort TV out but you can attach USB accessories with USB On The Go.

  Positioning is handled by GPS and GLONASS, Chinese Beidou is present on some versions as well (that system doesn't have worldwide coverage yet).

Battery life

  The Samsung Galaxy J7 comes with a solid 3,000mAh battery, that's the same capacity as the Galaxy Note5. Of course, there's no high-resolution screen to worry about and the Cortex-A53 processor cores are quite efficient.

  Note that we're testing the Exynos 7580 version of the Galaxy J7 rather than the Snapdragon 615. Also, this is a dual-SIM phone.

  With just one SIM card active, the J7 lasted an impressive 91 hours, essentially matching the Galaxy Note 4 and Note5. It also improves the Galaxy E7 time by quite a bit. With a second SIM active the standby power draw increases, but you still get just over three days of standby.

  The 18 and a half hours of talk time were not very impressive - with this battery it could have easily been 25+. Web browsing is pretty solid at 9 hours, a couple of hours behind the last two generation of Note flagships but excellent for a midrange phone.

  Finally, the video playback is highly impressive, one of the best we've tested. The screen was set at 150nits (darker than usual).

  As a reminder, we test standby power draw, which is taken into account for the Endurance calculation.

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