Buzz
The Galaxy J5 Prime is currently available in two color options, black and gold. The device features a metal body design similar to its counterpart J7 Prime but with a smaller screen size and reduced internal configuration.
1. Quick review of Samsung Galaxy J5 Prime: a compact version of Galaxy J7 Prime
This is the new mid-range smartphone from Samsung recently introduced to the Vietnamese market. The device is priced at 4.99 million VND, equivalent to the price of the Oppo A39 which has just hit the shelves.
The Galaxy J5 Prime is currently available in two color options, black and gold. The device features a metal body design similar to its counterpart J7 Prime but with a smaller screen size and reduced internal configuration.
Specifically, the J5 Prime features a 5-inch PLS LCD display with HD resolution, Exynos 7570 quad-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable up to 256GB via the card slot, 13/5MP rear/front cameras, 2,400mAh battery, dual SIM support, LTE 4G, and runs on Android 6. The phone continues to inherit the one-touch fingerprint sensor from its counterpart J7 Prime.
Design Elegance
J5 Prime can be considered as a compact version of J7 Prime. The device boasts a smaller size but retains a similar design: metallic body, plastic caps at both ends for signal reception, softly contoured back, 2.5D curved screen edges, and the fingerprint sensor still positioned at the Home button on the front face. The details on the device's edges are also akin to its predecessor J7 Prime: the speaker is located on the right side, dual SIM slots and independent memory card slot.
Galaxy J5 Prime shares many similarities with J7 Prime on the front side.
On the front side, the screen bezel has a moderate thickness, achieving a screen-to-front ratio of around 70%, and the 2.5D curved screen enhances the product's soft appearance. Notably, the front face features the integration of a fingerprint sensor into the Home button, inheriting from its predecessor J7 Prime. This sensor operates with a one-touch mechanism, functioning even when the screen is off, eliminating the need to press the Home button to activate it, a departure from previous Samsung phones. The recognition speed is swift, requiring just a gentle touch to unlock the screen.
The fingerprint sensor maintains its presence on J5 Prime.
The Home button is generously sized, slightly raised for convenient fingerprint usage.
On the rear side, the metallic surface of the yellow variant is treated with a smooth matte finish, offering a slightly slippery yet fingerprint-resistant grip. The plastic portions at the top and bottom are color-matched to the metallic hue. The contoured back, coupled with the compact size and smooth texture, provides a snug feel in the hand.
The device supports dual Nano SIMs and has a dedicated memory card slot.
The product exhibits a commendable level of craftsmanship. The connections between different materials (plastic, metal, and glass) are seamlessly integrated, with only minimal gaps. The power and volume buttons have good tactile feedback, and the charging port, audio jack, and external speaker slot are neatly carved out.
The device has a thickness of 8.1mm, weighing 143g. The SIM tray and memory card slot are located on the left side alongside the volume buttons.
The power button and external speaker are positioned on the right side.
The power and audio ports are situated at the bottom edge of the device.
Display Brilliance
The J5 Prime features a 5-inch display employing a PLS LCD panel with HD resolution and a pixel density of 294 PPI. The level of detail is impeccable, ensuring excellent visibility for all types of content. The screen boasts wide viewing angles, with minimal variations in color and contrast when observed from different angles. The maximum brightness is quite satisfactory, and the device has an outdoor mode that dynamically boosts brightness for enhanced visibility under direct sunlight. However, the screen tends to exhibit a noticeable greenish tint, creating a cool and less warm ambiance in certain scenarios.
When measured using specialized equipment, the J5 Prime's screen reveals average maximum brightness (the outdoor mode increases brightness even further), good contrast, and commendable ability to display deep blacks. The displayed colors appear slightly intense, deviating considerably from the standard color profile. Hence, despite utilizing an IPS LCD panel, the color calibration is finely tuned, closely resembling Samsung's characteristic Super AMOLED displays.
Based on measurement results, the display of J5 Prime falls slightly behind its counterpart, J7 Prime. The contrast, ability to display black, and maximum brightness are lower. The greenish tint is more pronounced, and the colors appear darker and more skewed.
Measurement results for the display of J5 Prime and several products in the same price range
Basic colors are intensified by Samsung, resulting in a significant deviation from the standard color profile (circles represent the device's displayed colors, squares indicate standard colors).
Software and Performance
The software on J7 Prime comes pre-installed with Android 6, featuring Samsung's TouchWiz interface, consistent with the J7 Prime as well as other J series devices like J7 and J5 (2016). Noteworthy software features in this year's J series include the Safe Driving mode S Bike and the Ultra Data Saving mode.
In addition to the mentioned features, familiar applications and functionalities found in Samsung's mid-range smartphones are present on J5 Prime. These include a theme store for interface customization, Microsoft's app suite along with 100GB storage on OneDrive, and Samsung's own applications such as Galaxy Gifts, Galaxy Apps software store, Samsung Note for note-taking, S Health for health tracking, and S Planner for scheduling.
In terms of performance, J5 Prime is scaled down compared to its sibling J7 Prime. The device is equipped with the Exynos 7570 processor, designed for Samsung's low-tier smartphones. This chip features a quad-core CPU running at 1.4GHz, a Mali T720 GPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage (with approximately 10.5GB available for users), and an independent memory card slot supporting expansion up to 256GB. The configuration of J5 Prime is relatively modest when compared to other smartphones in the current 5 million VND price range. This is evident in performance benchmarks, especially the graphics processing capabilities when comparing J5 Prime with other devices in the same price bracket.
Antutu evaluates the overall performance of the device.
Geekbench assesses the CPU processing capabilities.
GFX Bench assesses GPU graphics processing capabilities using the Manhattan benchmark at the device's native resolution (HD - onscreen) and standard resolution (Full-HD - offscreen).
In real-world usage, the device handles basic phone functionalities smoothly, such as web browsing, using pre-installed applications, and navigating between home screens. The performance limitations of J5 Prime become apparent when running graphics-intensive applications, like games Asphalt 8 or Dead Trigger 2. This is a challenge also observed in its sibling, J7 Prime. Playing Asphalt 8, the device surprisingly auto-detects a High graphics setting, but gameplay experiences noticeable frame lag. Adjusting graphics to Low or Very Low results in smoother gameplay.
Overall, J5 Prime's performance meets standard usage needs. It may not be the best choice for gaming. In the 5 million VND price range, users have better performance alternatives such as Huawei GR5 Mini, Sony Xperia XA, or Xiaomi products (Redmi Note 3 Pro, Redmi Note 4, Mi 4). Regarding battery life, we'll provide detailed information in the comprehensive review in the next few days. J5 Prime features a 2,400mAh battery, not overly large but promising efficient power usage with its HD resolution screen and Exynos 7570 processor built on a 14nm process.
Camera
J5 Prime boasts a 13MP rear camera with f/1.9 aperture, a single LED flash, and a 5MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture. Looking at the specs, both rear and front cameras resemble the J5 2016 model and are akin to the rear camera of J7 Prime.
The camera application interface remains familiar, offering various shooting modes including auto, professional (for adjusting multiple settings), panorama, continuous shot, HDR, night mode, portrait smoothing, sports, and sound photo. The device captures photos swiftly, with only a slight delay when HDR mode is activated.
Regarding the camera, initial experiences indicate that the rear camera of J5 Prime provides a similar experience to J7 Prime but with improved white balance. However, the image colors appear slightly darker than reality, and the white balance still tends to have a greenish tint, resulting in photos with a cool, typical greenish hue, especially in foliage. The details and dynamic range of captured images are quite satisfactory. In low-light environments, the device handles noise relatively well, resulting in crisp yet potentially blurry photos with moving subjects.
Above are our initial impressions of the Samsung Galaxy J5 Prime. More detailed reviews, along with information on battery life, the front camera, and comparisons with other devices in the same price range, will be shared with readers in the coming days.
