Aman
Samsung is known for its constant attempts in the mid-range smartphone market. The company has launched a bunch of smartphones, and this time, they are focusing on attracting budget buyers with the latest member of J series, the Galaxy J2.
Launched few days back, Samsung Galaxy J2 packs an incredible set of specs, and goes straight against the likes of devices like, Redmi 2 and Lenovo A7000. The phone has been made keeping in mind the practical needs of the masses, especially the large number of Indian consumers who are devoted to Samsung.
The Samsung Galaxy J2 follows through with the ‘Make in India, Make for India’ commitment. The Research and Development phase was carried out in India and the user interface is very Indian. However, the phone does not shy away from incorporating global technologies like the Ultra Data Saving Mode integrated with Samsung’s own TouchWiz interface. The R&D team from India has played a major part in development of this phone, but things does not end here.
Another player, Galaxy Grand Prime also packs the same set of specs. It looks extremely impressive, but looks like Galaxy J2 deliver same performance at a much cheaper price. So, in case you’re puzzle is selecting any of the two entry-level smartphones, have a look on detailed on comparison for taking the best decision.
Design and Display
The new Galaxy J2 has a 4.7 inch Super AMOLED display with a decent pixel resolution of 540×960. Although Microsoft offers better display options in the same price range, the display of this handset looks good enough to cater standard requirements comfortably. The Grand Prime has the same resolution but a lower pixel density owing to its larger 5.0 inch display. It barely features 220 pixels per inch while J2 goes one step ahead with 234 pixels per inch.
Even in terms of dimensions, the new Galaxy J2 takes the game away. The new phone is sleeker than the Grand Prime and is available in 3 color variants, white, black and gold. The Grand Prime, on the other side, comes in white, gray and gold variants.
Hardware
The new Galaxy J2 powers up by an Exynos 3475 chipset with four cortex A7 cores clocked at a frequency of 1.3GHz coupled with 1GB of memory. It packs decent performance, and goes head to head with Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset of the Grand Prime with a 1.2GHz Cortex A53 CPU paired with 1GB. The graphic performance of both phones is also pretty mediocre.
However, as far as storage is concerned, both phones pack 8GB of inbuilt storage capacity. Grand Prime is expandable up to 64 gigs while the new J2 is bit upgraded with expandability up to a whopping 128GB.
Software
The Galaxy J2 comes with the latest Android version 5.1 Lollipop that features the TouchWiz user interface. The Grand Prime is originally Android KitKat, but it can upgrade to the latest version i.e. Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Both the phones support features like Push Mail, Document Reader and Instant Messaging.
However, the Ultra Data Saving (UDS) mode available on the J2 is an essential advantage of Galaxy J2. It assures maximum internet access in minimum data loss. The technology not only saves on working data, but also helps reduce about 11% load on the RAM. It also features a Download Booster which optimizes 4G and Wi-Fi speeds ideally. Grand Prime is also quite impressive, but these new features make the J2 stand out in its own category.
Connectivity
The Galaxy J series started off with LTE enabled 4G support but both phones also incorporate 3G and 2G options to keep things flexible according to the need of the hour. The Galaxy J2 has a primary SIM slot that is 4G compatible while the secondary slot is for the basic connections. Grand Prime also follows the same rule with 4G support on its primary SIM slot. Both have 2 micro-SIM card slots.
In addition to this, they also offer support for 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi standards and GPS navigation. Galaxy Grand Prime sports Bluetooth version 4.0 while J2, being the newest release, sports Bluetooth version 4.1. They both go head to head, but J2 has no NFC, which is a plus point of Grand Prime.
Battery
Despite being launched in the latter quarters of the year, the Galaxy J2 sports a smaller, less powerful battery than the Galaxy Grand Prime. This is primarily due to the difference in the size of the display.
The Grand Prime boasts a 2600mAh Li-Ion battery, which offers up to 17 hours talk-time in 3G mode and 75 hours of music play, while Galaxy J2 on the other hand, features a 2000mAh Li-Ion battery which is apparently not satisfying the customers as far as initial user reviews are concerned. Though, theoretically Samsung claims battery of J2 will last over 24 hours a day, but still, if you’re a heavy user, we’ll suggest you to pick Grand Prime with a bigger and more powerful battery.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime has been satisfying customers for a few months with its decent, if not overwhelming performance. The Galaxy J2 has some promising software features but without supportive hardware, the phone might not be able to do justice to the new software options and features. However, being priced at INR 8,490, the new Galaxy J2 is a decent entry-level smartphone for people who do not need intensive phone use and are just looking for a durable performance smartphone.
The Galaxy Grand Prime on the other hand has better hardware but the INR 11,100 price tag could seem way too much for the value it offers. Overall, the J2 is a decent performer with good value for money, and can be safely assumed as an ideal pick for budget buyers. With its latest offering, Samsung can pose some real threats to some of the renowned players like, Xiaomi Redmi Note, Lenovo A7000 and Yu Yuphoria and others as well.
Mckay Jonson
