home > Internet > SAMSUNG WORLD: Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) has received another update. Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) - a smartphone that holds a charge for a long time Updating Samsung j7 to Android 7

SAMSUNG WORLD: Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) has received another update. Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) - a smartphone that holds a charge for a long time Updating Samsung j7 to Android 7

Smartphone market leader Samsung is today rolling out the Oreo update to select Galaxy J smartphones.

The update to Android 8.1 Oreo started today Galaxy smartphone J7 Nxt, also known in some markets under a different name - Galaxy J7 Core. These phones have started receiving the update in Asia, including Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines, notes Yordan on gsmarena.com.

Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt/Galaxy J7 Core receives Android 8.1 Oreo

The update package build number is J701FXXU6BRH9. Since it is provided over the air, not all users will receive it at the same time. However, users have the opportunity to go to settings and check software updates.

The update in question includes a whole bunch of new features. These include picture-in-picture mode, autofill API, and notification points. Software interface Samsung Experience 9.0 also provides the ability to use two accounts in one messenger application. The update also includes the August 2018 security patch.

Owners budget smartphone Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) again received a bonus from the manufacturer in the form of an August firmware update (J730FMXXU3ARF2/J730FMOXY3ARF2/J730FMXXU3ARG1).
The file size is more than 250MB, and the accompanying text states that the update brings bug fixes, improved stability and expanded functionality. In particular, new firmware branded Samsung browser opens direct access to download the game, which at the recent Galaxy Note9 presentation was advertised as exclusive for owners of the new flagship. Apparently, owners of other smartphone models from the South Korean electronics giant are also getting priority access to Fortnite.
It should also be recalled that the Galaxy J7 (2017) and its modifications are expected to be upgraded to next version Android (namely up to Oreo 8.1). It is guaranteed to support work with intelligent voice assistant Bixby, although the likelihood that this software will be opened for budget model, not too big.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that the Galaxy J7 series (2017) is still considered the best in Samsung's budget line, since it provides the owner with almost all the basic functions of the more expensive premium models of the A series. For example, these devices boast a solid metal body, good Super AMOLED display with Full HD resolution, sensitive fingerprint sensor, proprietary KNOX data protection system, full support payment service Samsung Pay(MST+NFC), excellent 13-megapixel cameras with flash (both main and front), Always On Display mode (always on the screen), separate slots for 2 SIM cards and an additional card microSD memory, 3GB of RAM and very good performance.
Besides, Galaxy owners J7 (2017) enjoy the benefits various services Samsung type cloud storage and bonuses such as the aforementioned priority access to new game content. And all this for a very reasonable price, at which you can now buy such a well-balanced and reliable device.

Update: at the end of September 2018 in Russia, Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) received

The main and practically the only external change The design of the updated model is the use of metal in the body.

Fortunately, Samsung took into account our comments made during the review of the old Galaxy J7 model, and removed those wonderful plastic “chrome” edge frames that began to peel off almost in the store. Here, of course, I am exaggerating, but overall the situation was quite sad. It is strictly forbidden for your phone to be in the same pocket as your keys.

The Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) solves the problem by using an aluminum frame with a shiny, polished stripe. I don’t want to use a completely hackneyed phrase, but there’s no escape when it’s true: metal feels pleasantly cool on the hand. It's smooth, but not slippery, so the phone doesn't try to slip out of your hand at the most inopportune moment. Due to the relatively wide, even ends with slightly beveled edges, it is convenient to lift the phone from the table surface from any position.

In general, this update brought only pleasant impressions and appearance, and from practical operation. Besides metal, the only visible innovations include plastic inserts for antennas, which are present in every “metalized” Samsung smartphone this year, starting from .

The back frame is plastic, designed to resemble polished metal. It is thin and can be removed with some effort. However, with some patience, you don't have to worry about it breaking.

The diagonal screen size remains the same – 5.5 inches. Therefore, the overall dimensions also did not undergo significant changes: the width decreased by 2.7 millimeters and the thickness increased by 0.3 millimeters. Weight dropped by a whole gram to 170.

It's hard to say whether the phone is any more attractive, because beauty is subjective. However, the new metal edging definitely helped the new model “freshen up” and not look as boring as before. In addition, the absence of plastic will no longer cause the phone to lose its presentable appearance after a month of use.

Connectors and controls

The set of connectors and elements, as well as their arrangement, completely repeats the sets in previous J-series smartphones of 2016. Neither a fingerprint scanner nor an indicator of missed events appeared here.

Above the screen from left to right are the front camera, earpiece, proximity sensor and flash. There is no light sensor here, so the brightness is changed manually.

Below the screen: mechanical Home and touch Menu and Back. The buttons are not backlit.

The metal power button is located on the right side.

The volume rocker, consisting of two separate and again metal buttons, is on the left.

At the bottom end there is a microphone, a microUSB connector and a 3.5 mm mini-jack for connecting a headset or headphones.

The rear panel is no different from that in: a loud external speaker, a camera eye that protrudes slightly beyond the body, and an LED flash.

Under the cover there is a good old set of slots for two SIM cards in microSIM format and a microSD memory card with a capacity of up to 128 GB.

Personally, I like this option better than the combination tray, which allows you to place either two SIM cards, or one SIM card and a memory card. However, there are a lot of instructions floating around the Internet on how you can combine a SIM card and a memory card, which will allow you to cram three elements into a double tray. However, this method does not guarantee their 100% performance, not to mention the risk of damaging one of the elements. And so, if you can’t cope with installing a SIM card or memory card, then our short video will help you solve the problem:

In principle, the ergonomics of the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) are not satisfactory. All buttons and connectors are in their usual places, and the audio port moved to the bottom end deserves a special mention - this makes it much more convenient to use.

Case for Galaxy J7 (2016)

Buying a case or cover for the Galaxy J7 (2016) is quite simple - there are quite a lot of them released.

For such a case for the Galaxy J7 (2016) they are asking 1,500 rubles. It looks good, and the case can serve as a stand.

This cover for the Galaxy J7 (2016) is made of leather and costs significantly more – 2,900 rubles.

The silicone case for the Galaxy J7 (2016) also costs quite a bit – about 1,400 rubles.

There are also many other similar accessories on sale - after all, we are talking about a popular mass-produced smartphone.

Galaxy J7 (2016) screen

The screen, or rather the resolution, of the updated Galaxy J7 (2016) model is one of the most controversial issues. The diagonal size of the screen, we recall, is 5.5 inches, and the resolution is 1280x720 pixels, which means a low density of pixels per unit area.

In this case, the PPI value is 267. Frankly, it’s not the highest value; after all, HD for a 5.5-inch screen has long been considered too modest a parameter. However, thanks to Samsung's tricks of slightly larger fonts here, slightly larger icons here, and so on, everything looks quite smooth, without a "ladder" of individual pixels.

In addition, I would like to note that most people who are passionate about things pay attention to little things in the form of pixels. For many users, this parameter is of much less importance than, for example, the number of megapixels of the camera, if you know what I mean. Finally, we should pay tribute to Samsung: the company’s product range includes the Galaxy J7 (2016) model with a Full HD screen and three gigabytes random access memory, but it is intended for East Asian markets only.

The Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016), like other J-series smartphones, including the old “seven” of 2015, uses a matrix made using Super AMOLED technology. What does this mean? About rich color reproduction with the ability to adjust, a high level of brightness, good readability in the sun and the “correct” display of black. The maximum white brightness is 398.89 cd/m2, which deserves a good rating.

In the screen settings you can select four color profiles. I settled on the rich Adaptive, which offers more “flashy” colors, and the Basic one with more “calm” colors. The image clearly shows how the color gamut in Adaptive mode exceeds the sRGB space, while when using the Basic profile, the colors go only slightly beyond its limits.

When using the Adaptive Profile, the color temperature differs from the reference 6500K by approximately 1300-1500K. As a result, the colors turn out at least “colder” - a little, but noticeably. The Main Profile colors look “softer” due to the fact that the color temperature is much closer to 6500K and differs by 200-300K.

Finally, the last screen test is to measure the gamma curve for two profiles. In this case, the curves for both Adaptive and Basic are the same and generally show a slight deviation, so that the picture will be displayed with the desired brightness.

The screen sensor recognizes 10 simultaneous touches.

There is no light sensor here or it is not used in this version of the OS. In any case, while looking through the specifications of the smartphone on various resources, including the official one, I did not find any mention of it.

Overall, if you don't pay attention to the resolution, I liked the screen. Sensitive, with good and adjustable color reproduction, bright - the screen is definitely good. What it lacks, in my opinion, are the additional settings that Samsung usually leaves for the flagship S-series of devices. Although it was still worth keeping the automatic brightness adjustment - it’s much more convenient with it.

Galaxy J7 (2016) camera

If we jump straight to the conclusion, the same conclusion can be made about both phone cameras: good, but without frills. I do not have the opportunity, like iFixit, to disassemble smartphones and compare components, so my conclusion is based on my own observations.

According to them, the old and updated Galaxy J7 models are equipped with the same photo modules. However, there is nothing wrong with this, since the 2015 J7 has very good cameras. This is probably why Samsung decided: if it works, don’t touch it.

The main camera takes pictures with a maximum resolution of 13 MP (4128x3096), but only for the 4:3 aspect ratio. For the 16:9 aspect ratio, which is what most displays in TVs, monitors and mobile devices, the resolution is reduced to 9.6 MP.

The settings also “migrated” from old Galaxy J7. In normal mode, you can select a filter, turn the flash on/off, and set a timer.

Pro mode adds white balance, ISO and exposure compensation settings.

Among other settings, you can select HDR shooting, panoramic and continuous shooting, and others.

The pictures come out quite decent, especially on the street with good conditions illumination I also suggest taking a look at the review of the camera from last year's model to increase the number of photos for evaluation.

The video is shot with Full HD resolution. Obviously, 2K resolution is left for flagship smartphones to maintain suspense.

The quality of the video, as well as the photo, is excellent, so you can safely take out your tripod and shoot time-lapse videos of your city.

The resolution of the front camera images again depends on the selected aspect ratio. The maximum is only available for 4:3. The settings correspond to those in the Galaxy J5 (2016) and the old Galaxy J7 model - the choice of self-portrait, group photo, and so on.

The quality of the images, taking into account the fact that it is still front-camera– excellent. Color rendition, white balance, sharpness – nothing is satisfactory. In addition, the front camera is equipped with a flash. Personally, I have never used it, but perhaps someone will find a use for it.

The maximum resolution available for video is Full HD.

I suggest you evaluate the quality of the picture yourself. My opinion is still the same – excellent. What else can I say if this is true?

Overall, as mentioned at the beginning, both cameras take excellent pictures. The only drawback is the simplified menu and modest settings. Samsung leaves the more advanced features to the flagships, although I believe that these cameras are also quite capable of handling them.

Specifications Galaxy J7 (2016)

As a rival, I chose last year's Galaxy J7 model. The new product has a different processor and more RAM, so I'm curious how significant the difference in performance between the two models a year apart is. I received a Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) labeled SM-J710FN.

In addition to the metal in the case, changes also affected the filling of the smartphone. The display is probably the same, but the Galaxy J7 (2016) model received a new processor, increased RAM, an NFC chip and more capacious battery. And also a more recent version of the operating system.

The Exynos 7870 processor is an improvement on the 7580 found in the old Galaxy J7. It is made using a 14nm process technology and includes eight Cortex-A53 cores with clock frequency up to 1.6 GHz and, as Samsung promises, more energy efficient. Unfortunately, the first and so far only device equipped with the Exynos 7870 is the Galaxy J7 (2016), so the processor has not yet appeared on popular resources and there is little information about it.

As for the graphics accelerator, the Mali-T830 MP2 is a mid-range solution in the T800 line of accelerators and is intended for mid-price solutions. In general, even the old Galaxy J7 model did not suffer from a lack of performance with a weaker Mali-T720 MP2 video card, including in games, so the more advanced Galaxy J7 (2016) should not let you down.

The J7 (2016) has 2 GB of RAM, more than the 2015 Galaxy J7, which only had 1.5 GB. Today this is already the standard. Also, the battery capacity has been increased from 3000 to 3300 mAh, and NFC chip and Android 6.0.1 installed. What it doesn't have is a gyroscope, so for glasses virtual reality A smartphone will not work. The built-in memory is 16 GB, of which 11 GB is available.

In general, the changes are quite significant - a new chip, more RAM, a fresh operating system. However, it is not yet clear how this will affect practice, so we move on to testing performance and battery life.

Performance testing

Last year’s J7 model acted as a competitor, as I already said. Let's see what changes Samsung has managed to achieve in the mid-price range.

The results of the system-wide Quadrant test again showed who is the weak link today and who will not be able to handle World of Tanks Blitz. However, the lag is not that big, although the test is already a bit old. What will more modern tests show?

The SunSpider browser test (the lower the score, the better) showed the same thing: the Galaxy J7 (2016) takes the lead, but not as much as one would expect after the launch of Antutu.

Finally, graphics performance tests. A modern smartphone copes with this task better, but in general, the obtained numbers demonstrate that both devices can be safely classified as strong “mid-rangers” and you can try playing any games on them.

Galaxy J7 (2016) in Antutu

And let's see how the smartphone performed in the popular Antutu test.

As you can see, the overall test showed significant superiority of the new model. The difference was almost 12,000 points - quite impressive.

Autonomy Galaxy J7 (2016)

In terms of autonomy, I expect at least good results from the Galaxy J7 (2016). The fact is that Samsung not only increased the battery capacity, but also used the battery itself, which, coupled with the new 14 nm processor, will discharge extremely slowly.

According to the results of device autonomy testing, the Galaxy J7 (2016) was able to outperform the Galaxy J7 by 5%. Considering that the old model at one time showed very good results, significantly ahead with a 4000 mAh battery, then Samsung’s words about the improved energy efficiency of the new processor can be considered true. The Galaxy J7 (2016) model was very reluctant to part with battery percentage, and overall the smartphone turned out to be very durable, showing excellent results. Even a brick smartphone with a 5000 mAh battery is unlikely to reach this figure.

Traditionally, the maximum expenditure was on games. What can you do? For heavy applications to work correctly, your smartphone needs all its resources. But when listening to music, reading and at rest, the battery practically did not discharge.

If somewhere on the road you find that the battery is about to run out, Samsung suggests using the power saving mode, which changes the color scheme to black and white and turns off most modules. With its help, even a couple of percent of charge can be extended for a significant time. To this you can add a customized list of applications that will be disabled if not used for a long time.

In general, testing proved that the J7 (2016) indeed received more productive hardware than the old model. Although for the most part the superiority was insignificant, I still consider the result excellent, since last year's Galaxy J7 was also not a bad thing. Although I was especially pleased with the improved autonomy of the Galaxy J7 (2016).

Games on Galaxy J7 (2016)

It's time for the real test - the game. In short, the Galaxy J7 (2016) coped with everything with a bang.

Riptide GP2: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Asphalt 7: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Asphalt 8: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Modern Combat 5: excellent, the game does not slow down;

N.O.V.A. 3: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Dead Trigger: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Dead Trigger 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Real Racing 3: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Need For Speed: No Limits: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Shadowgun: Dead Zone: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Frontline Commando: Normandy: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Frontline Commando 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Eternity Warriors 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Eternity Warriors 4: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Trial Xtreme 3: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Trial Xtreme 4: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Dead Effect: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Dead Effect 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Plants vs Zombies 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Dead Target: excellent, the game does not slow down.

Some games, for example, Iron Man 3, were not available at the time of testing. Google Play, so they were removed from the list. But even without that it’s clear: on the Galaxy J7 (2016) you can play everything, and without any problems.

BY

The main difference in the pre-installed software is the operating system Android version 6.0.1. It is distinguished from Android 5 by a lot of innovations: permissions for applications, simplified volume control, an updated list of applications with the most frequently used programs, and so on. Learn more about the innovations in . However, the TouchWiz shell somewhat neutralizes these differences, so at first glance the number of changes may seem quite modest.

Otherwise, all the software was moved here from last year’s Galaxy J7 and is no different from the Galaxy J5 (2016). For example, branded Google apps and Microsoft.

And this is already a set of applications from Samsung.

Additionally, while scrolling through your desktops, you may come across Briefing, a customizable global news aggregator. For those who do not need it, you should then perform the “pinch” gesture with two fingers, go to the table with this application and move the switch to the appropriate position.

Personally, ease of use is always important to me, so the first thing I do is set up quick access to the switches. Let me remind you that if you pull the “curtain” not with one, but with two fingers, it opens full list switches.

Then I meet additional settings. Unfortunately, Samsung saves most of the best stuff for more expensive devices, so the list of such settings in the Galaxy J7 (2016) is quite modest. But, of course, there are some things. For example, since we're aiming for a 5.5-inch screen, it makes sense to experiment with the settings for one-handed operation.

For me personally, the reduced window and small keyboard were not very convenient. Perhaps it's a matter of habit. Window reduction mode is activated after pressing the Home button three times.

It's worth using these extra features for a while to see if they're useful to you. Since there is no missed events indicator in the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016), smart notifications can come in handy.

In the display settings, you can specify whether a background will be used for icons.

Smart Manager is a convenient and effective application that has become part of the settings. It displays general statistics on the state of the smartphone with the ability to view more detailed information.

And this is viewing running applications with a convenient “Close all” button.

Finally a set standard applications– dialer, contact editing, settings with the ability to select shortcuts for quick access, voice recorder and others.

While testing the settings and pre-installed software, one word kept on the tip of my tongue: modest. On the one hand, everything you need and a little more is here. But compared to flagship devices, mid-price range models seem like simple “balalaikas”.

Conclusion

If we compare the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) with its predecessor, the new product is superior old model on several points: body, performance, software And autonomous operation. If we consider them separately, then each innovation does not represent any fundamental changes. But overall, Samsung turned out to be a very interesting model, which was able to become better than an already decent smartphone.

Separately, I would like to note the excellent autonomy of the smartphone, which surpassed the performance of the Galaxy J7 2015, which is, without any modesty, excellent. In second place - metal case, which avoided unnecessary boredom in the outline of a smartphone. Third place on my improvised list of achievements is shared by two good cameras And high level performance, allowing you to run any games on a mid-range smartphone.

The main and, perhaps, the only disadvantage is the screen resolution. However, as I already said, thanks to Samsung's tricks, an undemanding user will not pay any attention to this drawback.

Galaxy J7 (2016) price

You can buy a Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) for 19 thousand rubles. For comparison, the 2015 model can be purchased for 15.5 – 16 thousand rubles. How will competitors respond?

Meizu M3 Note can be purchased from the official distributor at an average price of 16.5 - 17 thousand rubles. The smartphone is equipped with a 5.5-inch IPS screen with Full HD resolution, an eight-core MediaTek Helio P10 (MT6755) with a Mali-T860 MP2 accelerator, 2 gigabytes of RAM, 16 gigabytes of internal memory, a 4100 mAh battery and a combined SIM tray. cards and memory cards, GPS navigation/GLONASS and LTE support. Among the disadvantages compared to the Galaxy J7 (2016) is an older OS Android versions 5.1 and worse autonomy.

This model is not so common, but for 18 – 18.5 thousand rubles the set of characteristics deserves attention. In the first place is a battery with a capacity of 5000 mAh, alas - non-removable, as well as a fingerprint scanner. The smartphone is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (MSM8939) processor with eight cores and a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz, an Adreno 405 accelerator, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal memory and support for memory cards up to 128 GB. Supports 4G standard and Wi-Fi 802.11ac interface.

Pros: