Description

Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017) Android smartphone review

Accompanying the excellent Samsung Galaxy J5 midrange android handset is the J3, which is around £50 cheaper and looks almost identical. It has a similar 13 megapixel camera on the rear although it’s not quite up to the standard of the one on the J5, while the front facing camera also has an LED flash to help you to take those selfies in low light. This time you only get a 5 megapixel camera, which is perfectly fine if you’re taking selfies to post on Facebook or Instagram.

The HD screen is also a similar size at 5 inches, but you don’t get the bright and vivid Super AMOLED screen that helps to make the J5 one of our favourite mid range phones.

Like the J5, you get 16GB of memory and the memory card slot accepts cards right up to 256GB, double the capacity of the last model.

The Galaxy J3 also has the slight advantage of a removable battery, but you only get 2400mAh instead of 3000. Like most things on the J3 it’s adequate, but for the extra fifty quid or so we would opt for the higher spec J5 every time

The problem with the Galaxy J3 is it’s not quick, not by any stretch of the imagination. There is a slight but noticeable pause, known as lag, whenever you open an app or even switch between the various home screens, and for a phone that costs around £200 at the time of release, we don’t think it’s good enough.

OUR SUMMARY

The Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017) is the J5’s poorer cousin, and it shows. If you change your phone every year spend the equivalent of a pound a week more on the J5 – you won’t regret it.

It’s not a bad phone but it’s not a brilliant one either. If you’re a light user and can’t justify spending the extra £50 there are better options available, including two Motorolas, the Moto E4 and Moto G5.

Brand new and boxed with UK charger and USB cable.

Includes free O2 Pay As You Go sim card
(but feel free to use your own sim. This phone is factory unlocked and works with any UK or European network sim, contract or prepay)

FREE UK postage or upgrade to 1st Class Tracked for just £3.