Samsung has expanded its Galaxy series with the launch of Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) smartphone. Highlight of the device is its ‘S Bike Mode’ feature to help avoid distraction of bikers by incoming calls while riding on the road.
If you are not able to decide whether you should buy this phone or not, then we are here to help you. We spent some time with the Galaxy J3 (2016) and in this post, we go hands on with the phone. Read on to find details on specifications and features of the Galaxy J3 (2016) along with hands on video.
Display
It features a 5-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a 1280×720 pixels resolution. Just like other Galaxy J series phones, this phone does not fail to impress us. The color reproduction, color quality and viewing angles of the display are good. It comes with an ‘Outdoor Mode’ which makes the display very bright but one downside is that it lacks auto brightness feature and requires the users to adjust brightness manually. Above the display, there is earpiece along with sensors and a 5 mega pixel front camera.
Design
Below the display, there is a physical home button along with two touch capacitive buttons for navigation. The touch capacitive buttons are not backlit.
On the right side, there is power/wake-up key.
Volume rockers are located on the left edge.
The top edge houses 3.5mm audio port.
On the bottom edge, there is USB charging port along with microphone hole.
The edges of the phone are silver in color and are made up of high quality plastic.
The rear of the phone has faux leather finish with slight gloss. On the rear, there is an 8 mega pixel primary camera with LED flash, speaker grille along with Samsung and 4G branding. The audio and video playback quality is decent. The audio of the phone, however could have been better.
On removing the rear panel, you will get access to two SIM card slots and a microSD card slot.
Camera
Coming to the imaging department, it sports an 8 mega pixel rear camera with LED flash. The primary camera takes stunning shots in outdoor lighting and comes with several modes- manual mode, auto mode, HDR mode etc. There is also a 5 mega pixel front shooter which takes good quality selfies.
Performance
Under the hood, it is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1.5GB RAM. It is moderately loaded and plays low to moderate level games with ease. But it may not handle heavy games with ease. This is not a gaming phone and scores around 26000 points on AnTuTu benchmarks.
Storage
For storage purpose, it comes with 8GB of internal memory (4.6GB user available) which is expandable via microSD card.
Software
On software front, the phone runs Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system wrapped under latest TouchWiz UI.
It supports USB OTG pen-drives allowing you to watch movies and videos on phone using pen drives without transferring them.
It comes with several interesting features such as S Bike Mode and Samsung Smart Manager, to name a few. The Samsung Smart Manager lets users control phone properly while S Bike Mode ensures safety of bike riders while riding on road.
S Bike Mode
The ‘S Bike Mode’ turns the phone into a bikers phone to avoid distraction. The phone comes with an NFC Tag enabled activation in the box and a pre-recorded message (in 14 Indian languages) for all callers. There is also a Motion Lock feature to ensure rider comes to a halt before answering the call.
On receiving a call, it will automatically go on interactive voice response and tell the caller to leave a message as you are riding the bike. In case of emergency, the caller can press number ‘1’ on dial pad which will make the phone ring with maximum volume and vibration. The biker, thus, will be notified about the urgent incoming call so that he can park the bike and take call. It avoids distraction of the bikers due to incoming calls and helps them to concentrate on the road.
Battery & Connectivity
Backed up by a 2600mAh battery, it is good enough to survive for up to one day. The dual SIM handset offers 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as connectivity options.
Specifications & Features Of Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
- Processor: 1.5GHz quad-core
- GPU: Mali 400MP
- Operating System: Android 5.1 Lollipop
- Display: 5-inch HD Super AMOLED (1280×720 pixels resolution)
- RAM: 1.5GB
- Storage: 8GB (expandable via microSD card)
- Rear Camera: 8 mega pixel Auto Focus with LED Flash
- Front Camera: 5 mega pixel
- Battery: 2600mAh
- Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Dual SIM
Price & Availability
The Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) is priced at Rs. 8,990 and is available to buy exclusively from online retailer Snapdeal. It comes with Freecharge benefits worth Rs. 1,500 and Vodafone double data on 4G for 6 months.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) is meant for bikers who ride a lot and are looking for a phone that ensures safety as well as offers good multimedia experience. You may find it disappointing if you are looking for a phone for gaming. It is a good buy for those looking for a device that offers decent features and ensures their safety while riding on road.
Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) Hands On Video
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) Review
