| LAUNCH | Announced | 2017, June |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Available. Released 2017, July |
| BODY | Dimensions | 152.5 x 74.8 x 8 mm (6.00 x 2.94 x 0.31 in) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 181 g (6.38 oz) | |
| Build | Front glass, aluminum body | |
| SIM | Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| DISPLAY | Type | Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 5.5 inches, 83.4 cm2 (~73.1% screen-to-body ratio) | |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~401 ppi density) | |
| Multitouch | Yes | |
| – Always-on display |
| PLATFORM | OS | Android 7.0 (Nougat) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Exynos 7870 Octa | |
| CPU | Octa-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 | |
| GPU | Mali-T830 MP1 |
| MEMORY | Card slot | microSD, up to 256 GB (dedicated slot) |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | 32/64 GB, 3 GB RAM |
| CAMERA | Primary | 13 MP, f/1.7, autofocus, LED flash, check quality |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama, HDR | |
| Video | 1080p@30fps, check quality | |
| Secondary | 13 MP, f/1.9, LED flash, 1080p |
| SOUND | Alert types | Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones |
|---|---|---|
| Loudspeaker | Yes | |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| COMMS | WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 4.1, A2DP, LE | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS | |
| NFC | Yes | |
| Radio | FM radio | |
| USB | microUSB 2.0, USB On-The-Go |
| FEATURES | Sensors | Fingerprint (front-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
|---|---|---|
| Messaging | SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM | |
| Browser | HTML5 | |
| – ANT+ support – MP4/WMV/H.264 player – MP3/WAV/WMA/eAAC+/FLAC player – Photo/video editor – Document viewer |
| BATTERY | Non-removable Li-Ion 3600 mAh battery | |
|---|---|---|
| Talk time | Up to 24 h (3G) | |
| Music play | Up to 91 h |
| MISC | Colors | Black, Blue, Gold, Rose Gold |
|---|---|---|
| SAR | 0.71 W/kg (head) | |
| SAR EU | 0.57 W/kg (head) 1.33 W/kg (body) | |
| Price | About 260 EUR |
| TESTS | Performance | Basemark OS II: 1172 / Basemark OS II 2.0: 1038 Basemark X: 5497 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal), 3.998 (sunlight) | |
| Camera | Photo / Video | |
| Loudspeaker | Voice 68dB / Noise 69dB / Ring 82dB | |
| Audio quality | Noise -92.7dB / Crosstalk -92.4dB | |
| Battery life |
Endurance rating 107h
|
Introduction
2017 for some, Pro for others – seemingly identical Galaxies come in a number of different, market-specific flavors this year, and we now have the Galaxy J7 Pro for review. An offshoot of the ever-growing J7 family, the Pro is meant for India, South East Asia and Brazil, each of these getting a (very slightly) further localized version.
We’ll be reviewing the J730GM/DS version, the GM signifying it’s the one for India if you’re to blindly trust Samsung’s websites. As the DS lettering indicates, it’s a dual SIM phone.
The rest of the Galaxy J7 Pro is very much like the J7 (2017), which we’ve already reviewed. You’re getting a Super AMOLED 5.5-inch display with pixels galore – alright, it’s FullHD, but most of last year’s J7s were 720p. Coming straight from last year is the chipset, but then the 14nm Exynos 7870 was ahead of its time back then – for a midrange SoC, that is – so it still makes sense in 2017 and will probably remain relevant in 2018, too.
Our review unit comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, but 64GB versions are also available. You can theoretically save some cash and get this 32GB version, as there’s a microSD slot, fully dedicated one at that so you won’t be sacrificing the second SIM slot.
We weren’t exactly thrilled about the camera when we reviewed the J7 (2017), but it got the job done, and the Pro receives the same 13MP f/1.7 setup. For selfies, you’re also getting 13MP resolution and a flash.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro key features:
- Body: Aluminum unibody
- Screen: 5.5″ 1080p Super AMOLED screen (401ppi); Always On Display
- OS: Android 7.0 Nougat; Samsung Experience 8.1
- Chipset: 14nm octa-core Exynos 7870 (8 x 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 cores)
- Memory: 3GB of RAM; 32/64GB storage, dedicated microSD slot for expansion
- Camera: Primary 13MP, f/1.7, LED flash; Secondary 13MP, f/1.9, LED flash
- Video: 1080p at 30fps
- Connectivity: nano SIM (dual SIM version available); LTE (Cat. 6); dual-band Wi-Fi ac; Bluetooth 4.2; FM Radio; microUSB; 3.5mm jack
- Battery: 3,600mAh
- Misc: Fingerprint reader, Samsung Pay
Main shortcomings
- Same GPU as the J7 (2016), yet twice as many pixels on the screen
- microUSB port isn’t the least bit Pro
- No quick charging
With all the good stuff the Galaxy J7 Pro shares with the J7 (2017), there’s no escaping the cons. For one, the sizeable 3,600mAh battery will take ages to fill up without any fast charging. And the power-efficient chipset isn’t all too powerful, particularly in the graphics department – the Galaxy J7 (2016) could get away with it since it’s got a lower-res display, but the FullHD displays of this year’s J7s would be happier with a bit more oomph.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro 360-degree spin
The Galaxy J7 Pro measures 152.5 x 74.8 x 8 mm – identical to the J7 (2017) and close to the Galaxy J7 (2016) footprint but slightly narrower thanks to the impressively slim bezels. The J7 Pro has gained 11g of extra weight compared to last year’s uber-popular model, a change attributed to the solid aluminum unibody.
Hardware overview
Samsung has been trying out the premium metal build across different segments of its portfolio. The J series finally gets a taste, and hopefully, we’ll see it in even more of Samsung’s midrange devices.
Device overview
Above the 5.5″ AMOLED screen is the earpiece flanked by the 13MP selfie camera and the front LED flash. A couple of sensors are also placed nearby. The good ol’ clickable Home key is here on the Galaxy J7 Pro even if it’s headed for extinction at the higher end Samsung models.
The other two keys under the screen, however – the Task Switcher and the Back key – are touch only.
The always-on fingerprint scanner is incorporated into the Home key surface and works quite well. You don’t even have to press the Home button for it to activate – you only need to tap it – even if the phone’s screen is off.
5.5-inch AMOLED display can be punchy or super accurate
The Galaxy J7 Pro is equipped with a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display – Samsung’s favored display tech is firmly stepping into the midrange. The panel has a FullHD resolution and a Diamond Pentile subpixel arrangement, nothing out of the ordinary.
Connectivity
Our research points that the Galaxy J7 Pro is only available in dual-SIM variants (ours certainly is), so you can get some flexibility regarding carriers and plans. The LTE is rated Cat.6 for up to 300Mbps downlink.
As part of this year’s connectivity package improvement, the J7 Pro gets Wi-Fi ac support, which also means it will readily work on both the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands. There’s GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, and Beidou; Bluetooth is v.4.1, and there’s also an FM radio receiver. NFC is on board too with a dedicated options menu in the Settings.
Wired options include a microUSB port and a 3.5mm jack. The microUSB port can be used to attach an external accessory as it supports USB On-The-Go. We wish Samsung started using USB-C ports on all of its new products – not just for the higher-end ones – as this would help establish the new standard more quickly.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro battery life
There’s a 3,600mAh battery inside the Galaxy J7 Pro, a generous amount for a 5.5-inch AMOLED display/14nm chipset combo.
The flipside of this relatively large capacity is that it takes a while to fill up – with no fast charging, the 1.55A charger gets the battery from flat to 24% in 30 minutes.
We have no complaints about endurance, though. In our testing, the J7 Pro clocked in over 18 hours looping videos and around twelve and a half hours when browsing the web over Wi-Fi. In voice calls, it lasted well over a full day too. Frugal standby consumption helped achieve an overall Endurance rating of 107 hours.
Android 7.0 with Samsung UX
We have to hand it to Samsung for extending its fresh new UI design all the way down to the budget/mid-range J-series. Just like the Galaxy S8 and S8+ pair, the J7 Pro runs on Android Nougat and offers the same heavily-customized Samsung Experience – it’s the same version 8.1 too.
To be fair, however, Samsung has significantly dialed back on its customizations. The new version looks more simplified even from first glance, having been thoroughly revised with new iconography and other goodies. Before you get to those, however, there’s an Always On Display to greet you, and a few unlock options.
Telephony and loudspeaker
The Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro is available as a dual-SIM device only. We are more than happy to note once more that it has a dedicated microSD expansion slot accompanying the two SIM slots. No hybrid compromises here.
You get the familiar Samsung UX Phonebook app with a dialer, which can be summoned from any tab by tapping on the green button in the bottom right corner.
Text input
The Galaxy J7 Pro uses the Samsung Keyboard, which long-time Samsung users swear by. It’s quite feature-packed, with a dedicated numbers row, a row above that for word suggestions and additional characters on each key (accessible via long-press).
Gallery
The Samsung Gallery has been focused on Stories for a while now. Stories are shared, collaborative albums – that means your friends can add their photos from the party or just a Story on a shared theme (e.g., sunsets).
Google Play Music for music playing
Google Play Music is the default player for your tunes on the Galaxy J7 Pro. It can play your local files, as well as stream music from the cloud and it’s backed by Samsung’s extensive sound enhancements.
Video player
There is no video player app pre-installed, so the Gallery handles the videos by default. Like with the music player, you can grab the traditional Samsung one from the Galaxy Essentials collection in Galaxy Apps (the Video Editor is there too). Even if you don’t, the Gallery app is up to the task. It has full subtitle support with advanced features to modify their appearance.
udio output is solid
The audio output of the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro is virtually identical to that of the Galaxy J7 (2017). With an active external amplifier its clarity is top notch, while volume is nicely high.
Plugging in a pair of headphones introduces a little extra intermodulation distortion and a minor hike stereo crosstalk. It’s very accurate audio reproduction overall, and even if volume drops to just barely above average, it’s a great showing.
13MP snapper
The similarities between the Galaxy J7 Pro, the J7 (2017), and last year’s Galaxy J7 Prime run pretty deep, all three devices use the Sony IMX258 sensor for their 13 MP main cameras. For this year’s models, however, it’s positioned behind a much brighter f/1.7 lens. These models aside, the particular sensor is rather uncommon within Samsung’s own lineup, but it is fairly popular overall. It powers a few pretty strong camera experiences, like the LG G6, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and Sony Xperia XA.
Selfie shooter
The Galaxy J7 Pro has a pretty impressive 13MP selfie shooter up on offer, on paper at least. It is a f/1.9 unit, which does, overall, look deceptively similar to the rear one in numbers alone. However, as you can imagine this is not the case. For one, the front-facer lacks autofocus. This is quite normal and typically a non-issue on most devices since they are intended to focus at roughly an arm’s length.
Video camera
The Galaxy J7 Pro can capture videos at up to 1080p and 30fps. The lack of 4K is currently the norm at this price point, so we can’t realistically ask for more. On top of that, the J7 Pro makes pretty good use of the hardware it has.
Clips get saved in a standard MP4 format, with overall bitrate holding steady at around 17 Mbps, an AVC video stream and an accompanying AAC audio one. The latter is captured in stereo at 256Kbps – many flagships don’t go that high.
Wrapping it up
A midranger with a pro vibe, the Galaxy J7 Pro is easy to recommend, though it does come with caveats. Its chipset proves underpowered if you’re serious about 3D gaming on your phone, the battery takes too long to charge, and the camera tends to underexpose.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro key test findings
- Build quality and materials are flagship-grade. The antenna strips may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
- The high-quality Super AMOLED display has very good maximum brightness and infinite contrast and can put out punchy or spot-on colors depending on your preference. Sunlight legibility is great.
- Battery life is superb – the phone’s endurance rating is 107h, and it posted excellent numbers in all our tests.
- The phone runs the same feature-rich Samsung Experience software as found on the Galaxy S8.
- The Exynos 7870’s processor is powerful enough to handle daily tasks. The GPU, on the other hand, puts out really modest fps numbers, and is not ideally suited for gaming. Oddly, the Game Launcher now lacks the option to change the game resolution, which would have improved the performance.
- Very good audio output through both amplifier and headphones. The loudspeaker is surprisingly loud and earned itself another “Very Good” mark in our tests.
- Image quality from the main camera is good, although not spectacular in any way. Detail is plenty and noise is kept pretty low, but the dynamic range is rather poor, colors are a little toned down for our taste.
- 1080p video quality is very good, so is the audio that accompanies it.
- The 13MP selfie camera is a solid performer, albeit one that’s focused much too close, thus leading to a blurry shot at arm’s length. The front-facing flash works well and could provide some added value to the right user.
Noteworthy alternatives
The Xiaomi Mi A1 is the first alternative to look at when considering the Galaxy J7 Pro. It’s got a dual camera that can do 2x zoom, portraits, and 4K video, and it’s got more RAM and twice the storage of the Galaxy. On top of that, it’s on the fast track for software updates, being an Android One device. The Galaxy has the better display and the longer battery life going for it, plus a higher-res selfie camera with a flash.
Verdict
This might not be a Pro device through and through – it’s more like an advanced amateur – but the Galaxy J7 Pro should be on your shortlist if you’re looking for a reasonably priced midranger that delivers where it matters the most. It’s a bit of a letdown in graphics performance but makes up for it with a superb display, outstanding battery life and reasonably good camera. Seems like another winner in the J7 lineage then.
