The Samsung Galaxy J3 is a decent budget phone, complete with a 5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, a decent Exynos 3475 chip, and 1.5 GB of RAM. Its slightly better successor, the 2017 edition of the J3, is now up for sale via AT&T, launching quietly without much fanfare.
The Galaxy J3 (2017) now sells for a no-contract price of $179.99, but if you'd rather opt for an installment plan, prepare to pay $6 a month for 30 months.
Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017) Specs
Compared with last year's model, the 2017 edition doesn't differ much, save for a quad-core Exynos 7570 processor clocked at 1.4 GHz under the hood. The display is still locked at a 720p resolution, and the phone still packs 1.5 GB of RAM. You also get 16 GB of onboard storage, expandable up to 256 GB. On the back is a 5-megapixel camera, and on the front is a 2-megapixel camera. These are not the most impressive specs, to be sure, but the low price point makes up for it.
Thankfully, the Galaxy J3 will run Android Nougat out of the box. It's not Android 7.1 sure, but at least it's not Marshmallow. Its 2,600 mAh battery, however, leaves much to be desired.
Before its release, rumors actually suggested the Galaxy J3 (2017) to be named "Galaxy Express Prime 2" when it eventually hit AT&T. It appears that's not the case, and for the better, too, since calling it Galaxy J3 makes things much simpler.
Where To Get The Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)
You can purchase the Galaxy J3 (2017) from AT&T, but if that's not possible, you'll probably be able to find the phone at most brick-and-mortar locations as well. Again, it costs $179.99, or you can pay $6 per month spread over 30 months. Of course, the specs listed above are nowhere near Samsung's top-rank flagships, but both the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus cost an upward of $700. So if you don't have that much cash to shell out and simply need a device able to run Nougat, get the Galaxy J3 (2017).
Looking for a decent mid-range device with an affordable price? Maybe the Galaxy J3 (2017) is the perfect phone for you. You're probably not going to find any device in the market with a Super AMOLED display that costs only $180, which is a pretty sweet price point for a gorgeous display. AMOLED displays are known to feature richer blacks, better contrast, and more accurate colors than their LCD counterparts. But beware: they tend to have burn-in problems, like the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are having now.
But again, the device just features a 720p display, so don't expect the screen to be visually stunning. But 720p isn't that bad even by today's standards. Granted, this means you'll be able to discern individual pixels if you look very close, but that shouldn't be an everyday scenario.
Planning to buy the Galaxy J3 (2017)? What are your thoughts on the device? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
