Samsung Galaxy J7 in review (2023)

Boost Mobile has many affordablesmart phonesto choose from, but the $229.99 Samsung Galaxy J7 is one of the better phablets in the range. Think of it as a bigger, more powerful version of the basic model.galaxy j3, which comes with the latest Android software, a good processor and an attractive screen. It also has some relatively rare features for a mid-range phone, like dual-band Wi-Fi and NFC for mobile payments. It's a solid choice if you're looking for a capable phablet that won't break the bank.

Design, features and screen.
At 6.0 x 3.1 x 0.3 inches (HWD) and 6.0 ounces, the J7 is basically a larger version of the J3 (5.6 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches, 4.9 ounces ), which is again similar to thatGalaxy s4. The phone features Samsung's standard design language, including two capacitive controls and a physical home button on the front, a chrome plastic band on the sides, and a tough white polycarbonate back.

The J7 is roughly the same size as the stylus-equipped one.lg style 2(6.1 x 3.1 x 0.3 inches, 5.1 ounces), though it weighs almost an ounce. It's a bit tedious to use one-handed, but the relatively slim build makes it easy to grip and slip into your pocket.

There is a power button on the right side and a volume rocker on the left side. At the bottom there is a 3.5mm audio jack and a micro USB port. The back is detachable; Pulling it over gives you access to the removable battery and a SIM card slot. There is also a microSD card slot which worked with one200GB SanDiskMap. Samsung disables moving apps to internal storage for Marshmallow devices, but you can store music, pictures, and videos on a card.

Samsung has long excelled at making quality displays, and the J7 is no exception. It has a brilliant 5.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with 1280 x 720 pixels. That 720p resolution is lower than I normally prefer on a phone this size, but its pixel density is still pretty strong: 267 pixels per inch (ppi), sharper than the 5.7-inch Stylo 2 (258ppi). ). Icons and graphics look sharp, viewing angles are excellent, and the screen is easily usable outdoors thanks to Outdoor mode, which increases maximum brightness.

Network performance and connectivity
Boost Mobile is one of Sprint's low-cost branches, so you'll find network performance to be the same between the two providers. The J7 supports LTE bands 2/4/5/12/25/26/41. Sprint didn't have the best data speeds, but our latest didThe fastest mobile networksTests show that the provider is coming back in a big way, with faster upload and download speeds than ever before. Unfortunately, I did not experience these improved speeds when testing in Midtown Manhattan. Downloads and uploads stayed in single digits for the most part, but that's consistent with other Sprint phones we've tested in the same space.

Voice calls are clear but have a hard robotic edge that makes conversations a bit awkward. On the plus side, the earpiece volume is loud and the noise cancellation is good at canceling out background noise.

Rare for a mid-range phone, the J7 has dual-band Wi-Fi and NFC. The former ensures improved Wi-Fi performance, while the latter enables the use of Android Pay and other payment services.

See how we test cell phones

Processor, battery and camera.
The J7 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor clocked at 1.4 GHz. It scored a solid 33,107 on the AnTuTu benchmark, which tests overall system performance. That's much better than the Stylo 2 with the Snapdragon 410 (26,822) and the Galaxy J3 with the Exynos 3475 (17,284). Performance is smooth when it comes to launching apps and multitasking. I didn't notice any slowdowns even with multiple apps running in the background; With 2 GB of RAM, you probably won't hit the RAM usage limit. High-end games like Asphalt 8 and GTA San Andreas play smoothly with minimal control latency.

Battery life is also good. The J7 clocked in at 6 hours and 21 minutes in our summary test, where we set the screen brightness to maximum and streamed full-screen video over LTE. That's about the same as the Stylo 2 (6 hours, 6 minutes), though the smaller Galaxy J3 beats both with an impressive 9 hours, 27 minutes. In any case, all-day use is not a problem and the replaceable battery can be replaced at any time.

Camera performance is not that strong. The 13-megapixel rear sensor is capable of taking sharp photos, especially outdoors, but often misses out on fine details like individual branches and tree leaves. Shooting multiple complicated objects, like a row of bushes, made the next bush appear finely detailed, but the ones in the middle of the shot or to the side seemed noisy. Color reproduction also tends to vary dramatically. Outdoors, colors like red and green tend to dominate, while indoors, colors are more accurately represented. On the plus side, 1080p videos are recorded at a steady 30fps. And the 5-megapixel front-facing camera takes good, sharp photos in all but low-light settings.

software and applications
The J7 joins the growing lineup of new phones shipping with the latest Android 6.0.1malvaviscoSoftware. You'll notice Samsung's TouchWiz UI extensions running on top, bringing a number of visual changes including custom app icons, a modified notification shade, and a different settings menu.

There are also some custom features like the aforementioned outdoor mode, a theme chooser (self-explanatory), and a smart manager that cleans up used disk space and background processes. Two especially useful features are Power Saving Mode, which reduces performance and disables the network connection to the SIP battery, and Ultra Power Saving Mode, which sets the phone to black and white.

As with all carrier offerings, there's also some bloatware on the J7. Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Music, Amazon Photos, Amazon Video, Boost Fun & Games, Boost Zone, Facebook, Gadget Guardian, Galaxy Apps, Instagram and Samsung Milk Music Apps are all pre-installed. It's not a heavy load, but combined with the OS tweaks and UI, it takes up almost half of the 16GB of internal storage, leaving you with 8.41GB.

conclusions
For $230, the Samsung Galaxy J7 is a very capable phablet, limited only by mixed camera performance and lackluster call quality. If you're not looking for a stylus, the J7 is a better buy than the $180 Stylo 2 thanks to its more powerful processor, dual-band Wi-Fi, and NFC support.ZTE BoostMax+(Opens in a new window)($199.99) with outdated hardware and software. Short of an expensive, high-end phone like thatapple iphone 6s plusYou won't find a better phablet in Boost Mobile.