Samsung Galaxy J5 unboxing and review

Well, that's a bit embarrassing. The Galaxy J5, one of Samsung's brand-new budget handsets for 2016, has just beaten Samsung's flagship Galaxy S7 in our battery life test. Only by two minutes, mind, but it just goes to show that you don't necessarily need to fork out hundreds of pounds to get a smartphone with plenty of stamina.

With the screen brightness set to our standard measurement of 170cd/m2, the J5 lasted an incredible 17h 50m in our continuous video playback test, just edging out the S7 to be the longest-lasting smartphone I've ever tested. That's amazing for a smartphone that only costs £160 SIM-free or £13.50-per-month contract, and it blows other budget smartphones like the 3rd Gen Moto Gright out of the water.

Design

Of course, Galaxy S7 owners needn't be too worried, as the J5 makes compromises in other areas, such as performance and overall build quality, in order to help keep the price as low as possible. Its plastic frame, for example, doesn't protect against water damage, and its glossy finish can't help but look and feel a little tacky after the beautifully sculpted metal frames on Samsung's mid-range A series. Still, when thelatest version of the A5 is almost double the price of the J5, a plastic chassis is fairly forgivable.

The most important thing is that it feels well-made, and the J5 delivers on this in spades. Its matt cover is rather plain compared to the grooved finish on the 3rd Gen Moto G, but both phones feel like they could survive the odd knock. The J5's slim dimensions also make it very easy to hold, and its curved sides don't feel like they're about to fly out of your hand.

Display

Where the J5 leaps ahead of the Moto G is its 5in, 1280x720 Super AMOLED display. This is the cheapest Samsung phone I've ever seen to come with one of its Super AMOLED panels, and it makes other budget LCD-based displays look positively insipid by comparison. The screen on the Moto G, for instance, is pretty good, but it can't match the sheer vibrancy of the J5's display. With its 100% sRGB colour gamut coverage, perfect 0.00cd/m2 blacks and ultra-high contrast ratio, images on the J5 look absolutely stunning, and I've yet to see an LCD-based screen at this kind of price that can best it.

Of course, the one downside of AMOLED screens is that they're nowhere near as bright as LCD. However, the J5's peak brightness of 357.72cd/m2 is still pretty respectable, and should be more than enough for most lighting conditions. Only in bright sunshine will you need to have it on max.

Performance

Admittedly, it's not the fastest handset around, as its quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor and 1.5GB of RAM put its day-to-day performance on par with almost every other budget smartphone. In Geekbench 3, the J5 scored 459 in the single core test and 1,343 in the multicore test, putting it just behind the Moto G on our budget leaderboard.

That said, Samsung's Android 5.1.1-based TouchWiz interface still feels relatively smooth and responsive, and apps don't take an age to open either. The Moto G proved quicker at loading games, but web browsing was more or less a level playing field, as evidenced by the J5's Peacekeeper score of 634, which is only around 100 points short of the Moto G. Scrolling was a little jerky in places, and browsing could be rather stop-start when pages were still loading, but otherwise surfing the web was pretty hassle free.

The J5 isn't really capable of playing the latest games, as it only managed 113 frames (or 1.8fps) in the offscreen Manhattan 3.0 test in GFX Bench GL. This is to be expected on a budget smartphone, so Hearthstone fanatics should probably look elsewhere. However, I was able to play simple games such as Threes! absolutely fine, so you should still be able to get your Candy Crush fix on the J5 without too much trouble.

Camera

Like a lot of budget smartphones these days, the J5 comes equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera. More pixels doesn't necessarily mean better quality photos, though, as I found the J5 could be quite temperamental depending on the lighting conditions.

In bright, late afternoon sunshine, for instance, the J5 struggled to expose the sky correctly, often blowing out its whites to create large halos of light around anything else in the frame. Detail levels were reasonably good, but the resulting photos weren't very satisfactory. Bewilderingly, there's also no HDR mode on hand to try and correct the problem either.

Cloudy weather wasn't much better, with colours appearing very dark and drab despite its high level of detail. However, point the camera at a well-lit object when the sun's behind you and pictures look great. Some areas were still a little overexposed in our test shots, but colours were bright and accurate and there's plenty of sharp, crisp detail on show.  

^ This shot was taken in the afternoon, when the sun was spilling in from the side, and the sensor's exposure levels simply couldn't cope

^ Take photos with the sun behind you, though, and pictures look fantastic, showing rich, vibrant colours and lots of detail

Indoor photography was less successful, as even tapping the screen to focus resulted in rather soft, blurry shots in low lighting conditions. The flash does help, but you'll want to make sure your subjects are as well-lit as possible to get the best results.

^ Indoors, the J5 struggled to focus, producing pretty soft images that were lacking in crispness and definition

Conclusion

The camera on the Galaxy J5 is really the phone's only issue, though, as the rest of it is great value. Its excellent screen and amazing battery life far exceed anything else in this price range, and it's certainly got enough speed to get you through most of your daily smartphone tasks.

The only other slight downside is that it's unlikely to receive an upgrade to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which is something new 3rd Gen Moto G owners can download right now without delay. Even the Galaxy S6 has only just got Android 6.0 and Samsung has traditionally always dragged its feet bringing software updates to its lower-end smartphones, so you might want to consider the Moto G if you want all the latest Android features.

Still, if this doesn't bother you, then the Samsung Galaxy J5 is a fine choice. The Moto G is still the phone to beat in my eyes, with Android 6.0, a better camera and more stylish design. However, the J5's amazing screen and battery life will make it the better pick for many, especially if you're switching from another Samsung handset. It wins a Recommended award.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy J5 now from Carphone Warehouse

Samsung Galaxy J1 Mini specs and unboxing and review

Samsung Galaxy J1 Mini/Nxt Unboxing, Hands-on FULL Review

Samsung Galaxy J1 Mini is the downgraded version of the Galaxy J1 2016 edition and Gaalxy J1 Nxt. For a more affordable price and lesser specs and features, is the Galaxy J1 Mini worth for your money? Will you get any value for your money on this ultra-low-cost Android 5.1 Lollipop device? Let’s find out in our full review and video hands-on with unboxing of the Samsung Galaxy J1 Mini.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy J1 Mini borrows a lot of design elements from the big Galaxy J1 Nxt and J1 2016 version. But of course, the mini is easier to hold with curved corners and smaller profile.

Back is removable and made of plastic with access to dual microSIM and micro SD card slot. The front flaunts 4-inch LCD screen, VGA camera and home button with nav keys. The right side houses power button and left with a volume rocker. On top, the 3.5mm audio jack is located and a microUSB at the bottom.

One-handed usage is very convenient on the mini while it snugly fit in any of my hands. Overall it is lightweight and feels great to handle.

Display

The 4-inch WVGA TFT LCD screen is blinding at max brightness, but it lacks an ambient light sensor. Instead of an auto sensor, brightness can be manually set from quick menu. There is an Outdoor toggle, which produces maximum backlight for 15-minutes each toggle.

Sharpness is what would anyone expect from this $80 / P3,690 pesos phone — dull yet satisfying OK. The color is a bit washed out, but who would have mind knowing this is an ultra-budget phone.

Camera

Rocking a 5MP main camera at the back and front-facing 0.3MP VGA selfie camera, one shouldn’t expect modest results. At best, the camera takes fixed focus images with so-so brightness and poor detail preservation and sharpness. Perhaps, the only redeeming feature of the camera is the 720p HD video recording.

Software

The interface in Galaxy J1 Mini is familiar, thanks to the inclusion of TouchWiz while phone runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Despite the poor display experience, the software side is rich and complete with Android support.

Performance

Under-the-hood is a quad-core Spreadtrum processor clocked at 1.2GHz each and paired with 768MB RAM and 8GB internal. Usable memory is 4.5GB with additional 128GB microSD card support.

We run benchmark apps, but we recommend you should not bother checking out the scores. At least, in real-life performance, the Galaxy J1 Mini was able to run Clash Royale and Clash of Clan smoothly.

On the coming days, we will try to test and run more intensively-graphics games such as Asphalt 8 and Modern Combat.

• AnTuTu: 17647
• Geekbench single core: 328
• Geekbench multi cores: 1040

Battery

Our full battery test will be conducted on the coming days. But so far, the 1500mAh battery capacity has been able to hold on while using the Galaxy J1 Mini for a day. We will follow up more results including charging time in the next report.

Speaker

The rear-firing speaker produced convincingly good output for this compact phone. The vocal output is clear while bass level is flat out.

Pricing and Verdict

So is the Galaxy J1 Mini worth it? If you’re on a tight budget, the priced at P3,690 pesos official SRP is the most affordable way to taste Android in Lollipop. The Galaxy J1 Mini is maybe the least capable from Samsung phones, but it has still few advantages on hand. A few of those features is the removable battery and the handy profile–both are quite rare today.

Even in this category, the ultra-low-end Galaxy J1 Mini has a handful competition in the market. One of the closest phones matching its value is the Xiaomi Redmi 3 and Lenovo Lemon 3 for just a thousand more.

UNBOXING

Facbook : Ridha Androboy ;)

Asus Zenbook UX305 review

Awards

WHAT IS THE ASUS ZENBOOK UX305 ?

The Asus UX305 is quite simply one of the most exciting laptops we’ve seen in years. It continues Asus’ long line of Zenbook ultrabooks, but really sets itself apart by bringing the same level of build quality and design we’ve come to expect, at a price many more people can afford.

Starting at £649, the UX305 undercuts the majority of ultrabooks by some £350, while it’s £200 cheaper than the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Air. There are a few areas where compromises have been made, but for the most part this is a phenomenal machine.

ASUS ZENBOOK UX305 – DESIGN

Asus has long been the nearest competitor to Apple when it comes to ultrabook design. Right from when it launched its first model, the UX31E, it absolutely nailed the premium metal look and feel, and it’s steadily refined it since.

The UX305 actually takes a slightly different tack to those earliest efforts, largely eschewing the shinier brushed metal look for a more matte-looking etched finish. All, that is, except for the lid which retains the brand’s signature concentric circle pattern. It’s not quite as angular, either, with the corners rounded off like on the MacBook Air.

Regardless, the overall effect is stunning. In some ways the dark mauve colour takes away

 a little of the immediate ‘premium metal’ vibe when viewed from a distance but up close it’s a marvel, though it does pick up fingerprints easily, so you may want to keep a cleaning cloth to hand.

What’s most striking is its slimness. Thanks to the use of Intel’s latest ultra-low-power Broadwell chips, this laptop is passively cooled, eliminating the need to fit in a fan. This allows the base of this laptop to be just over 7mm thick while the whole thing is only 12.3mm at its thickest.

What’s more it weighs just 1.2kg. This compares to 1.36kg for the 13-inch MacBook Air, while that model is also a fair bit thicker at 17mm.

ASUS ZENBOOK UX305 – FEATURES

What makes this thin and lightness doubly impressive is that Asus hasn’t skimped on connectivity, indeed it’s better than many ultrabooks.

Whereas many ultrabooks have only two USB ports, the UX305 has three, and they’re all USB 3.0. There’s also a full-size SD card reader, a microHDMI and of course a headphone jack. A couple of pin-prick lights on the right edge indicate that the laptop is charging and if it’s on.

You don’t get a wired network connection, but Asus includes a USB Ethernet adapter and there’s inbuilt 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi.

You also get a 13.3-inch 1080p IPS screen above which sits a 720p webcam. A QHD (3200 x 1800 pixels) option, which we previewed here, was set to arrive too, but it looks like nowhere is going to stock that model any time soon.

The headline feature here, though, is the Intel Core M-5Y10c processor. This is a fully-fledged Broadwell part in terms of its power saving features, so it positively sips power, but performance wise it is a far cry from Core i5 or i7 branded models.

The most obvious limitation is clock speed, which is restricted to just 998MHz. It can boost up to a maximum of 1.9Ghz but this is can only achieved temporarily in some single-threaded applications.

It also only features Intel HD 5300 graphics, which is much slower than the HD 5500 or HD 6000 used in the higher power chips.

The upshot is that performance is down compared to the likes of the MacBook Air 13-inch and other more premium and thicker notebooks.

Conversely, because the chip is so frugal it has a TDP of just 4.5W compared to the 15W of a Core i5/i7 product. Not only does this mean Asus can get massive battery life from a smaller battery, but it also allows the laptop to be passively cooled so its thinner and has no fan noise.

ASUS ZENBOOK UX305 – SCREEN AND SOUND QUALITY

For the most part the Zenbook UX305’s screen is a triumph. To have a 1080p IPS display on such an affordable laptop is quite something and the general advantages you’d expect shine through. The relatively high resolution ensures everything looks sharp, while viewing angles are excellent – something which is helped by the reflection-killing matte finish. However, it isn’t perfect.

The two main problems are that there’s a bit of backlight bleed along the bottom edge. This will vary from unit to unit to a certain extent so you may be lucky and get one where it’s less obvious but on our unit there are streaks of light coming up from the bottom edge. You'll hardly notice them in normal use but when the screen is dark – such as when watching a movie – you can just make them out. There’s also a very slight graininess to the display such that pure blocks of colour – particularly white – look less solid than on the best displays.

One final issue, that’s actually more of an oddity than an actual problem is that the auto brightness setting is all over the place, randomly brightening and dimming the display every now and then. It seems to be reacting to ambient light but it does so in a very on/off, rather than linear, fashion and you don’t seem to be able to override it.

In all instances, though, we’re being particularly picky and this is still a good display that is ample for general work and entertainment purposes. This is something that’s backed up by our dispcal calibration tests which report the display as having brightness of 313 nits and an impressive black level of 0.23, making for a contrast ratio of 1351:1 – only a handful of laptops do better.

Colour temperature is decent too, coming in at 6692. The DeltaE is also excellent, with a measurement of just 1.07. Coverage of the sRGB colour space is not outstanding, at 83%, but it’s well above average and plenty good enough for casual photo and video editing. Only the most discerning would be anything other than very happy with this display.

ASUS ZENBOOK UX305 – PERFORMANCE

As hinted at earlier one of the key limitations of this laptop is its very low-power processor and sure enough this comes through in our benchmarks. A PC Mark 7 score of 4144 may not sound too bad but it is propped up by the fast SSD. Instead the Geekbench 3 score of 4098 really shows how relatively lowly the performance of this machine is.

This also comes across in real world use where we particularly found the machine was that much more prone to freezing up when a rogue advert on a website caused the web browser CPU usage to ramp up. Obviously anything computationally intensive was also noticeably slower so editing video, for instance, is really going to be noticeably slower on this machine compared to your average laptop.

ASUS ZENBOOK UX305 – BATTERY LIFE

The reason for all this compromise in performance is the expectation of getting great battery life from such a slim and light machine, and sure enough Asus has managed this with aplomb.

Using our standard PowerMark battery test where we run a test simulating a loop of 10 minutes web browsing and 5 minutes watching video, the 45Wh battery lasted a whopping 11 hours 50 mins. That’s second only to the 13-inch MacBook Air, which managed 12 hours 50 mins but that’s from a larger 54Wh battery and using a slightly different test.

It really is a phenomenal score and goes a long way to justifying any other compromises. Of course real world usage will be slightly lower than this but you can still realistically expect to get upward of 10 hours of use from a single charge. You’ll also get back up to 30% charge from 30 mins of charging, giving you well over 3 hours of use.

LG G5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

The dust hasn’t quite settled and two of the best smartphones of the year are still going face to face in this harsh mobile race. We are talking about the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Today we are giving you a thorough comparison of these two, so keep reading if you are still wondering which phone to buy next.

This year LG decided to go in a completely different direction with its new flagship. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge takes a familiar design approach we saw introduced with last year’s Galaxy S6, refining it to fit the needs of 2016.

Design & hardware

Let’s start with the G5, which was redesigned completely from the ground up. For starters, the device is wrapped with an aluminum body and features a chamfered edge that runs all around the back of the phone. It may not feel like metal, though. LG has coated the phone in a primer and paint through a process they call microdizing, which is supposed to make the phone look more seamless, but as a consequence it feels less premium.

We can talk about the body all day long, but what really matters here is what you will find once you pull on the bottom part of the phone. The bottom chin is completely removable, and it’s an essential design factor in this case, because it makes the phone modular. You can swap in different modules like the camera grip or the HiFi DAC from Bang & Olufsen.

This is something completely different, not only for LG, but for the whole industry. It’s nice to see a company take bold moves like this one, but the feature certainly needs some refinement.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is made of the same glass and metal materials we saw last year. This makes for a mighty gorgeous smartphone, but also for a fingerprint magnet and a slippery body. It’s also bigger and a bit thicker than what we are used to, but the curved back and frame have been rounded off to make for a more comfortable grip.

As far as one-handed usability goes, LG definitely has the upper hand. It’s a much smaller phone. But it is also true that the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge feels a lot nicer, despite being bigger. And if size is really what matters, you could always go for the smaller Galaxy S7.

Specs-wise, the LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge are nearly identical. Both are powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor, Adreno 530 GPU and 4 GB of RAM. These phones are both super fast and powerful; we are sure you won’t notice much of a difference in real world use.

Also similar is the addition of a fingerprint reader in both handsets. The only difference is placement. The LG G5 has it on the back, while Samsung has decided to integrate it to the home button, on the front of the device. Which one you prefer is  matter of preference, as both are fast and accurate.

I will say I like LG’s more, though, as their fingerprint reader can be set up faster and doesn’t require you to actually press a button to turn on the screen.

Where the Galaxy S7 Edge does have a leg up is with construction. This phone is both water and dust-resistant. It may not seem like it at first glance, as there are no protective flaps. This is because all the sealing is done from the inside of the phone. Regardless, if what you want is more peace of mind, the Galaxy S7 Edge is the obvious winner.

Battery

Both phones support Quick Charge 3.0, thanks to that Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, but only the Galaxy S7 Edge users will be able to enjoy wireless charging. The LG G5 does keep the removable battery, though, which is an important factor in keeping your phone alive: once you run out of juice it’s possible to swap batteries in a second.

And while we are on the battery subject, let’s talk about the actual units running the show here. The LG G5 carries a 2800 mAh battery, while the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge’s is a little bigger at 3600 mAh. The Galaxy S7 does have a smaller 3000mAh unit and while the Samsung units are larger than the Galaxy S6 family, the LG G5 is actually slightly smaller than the 3000mAh unit inside the LG G4.

Both will last you all day, as far as my experience goes. I have enjoyed both devices and neither has failed me to stay alive until I go to sleep. But if you value screen-on times, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge will win by a significant margin. On average, the LG G5 achieves between 3 and 4 hours screen on time, while the Galaxy S7 Edge is much higher, ranging anywhere from 7 to 10 hours.

Display

Taking a look at the displays, the LG G5 is the smallest of the two with a 5.3-inch IPS LCD panel, sporting a 2560×1440 resolution. It truly has everything you would want in a high-end smartphone display. IPS LCD screens are known for their accurate colors and great viewing angles. And QHD resolution makes it super sharp, at 554 pixels per inch, compared to 534 ppi for the Galaxy S7 Edge.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has the same 2560×1440 resolution, but on a larger 5.5-inch screen. The panel technology is also different. In usual Samsung fashion, this phone sports a Super AMOLED display. This means blacks will be amazingly deep and colors much more vibrant. Let me tell you this phone has one of the best screens in the market, if not the best.

The S7 Edge also features that curved glass that spills over the sides (hence the “Edge” moniker), so when you’re looking at videos or playing games, it creates an awesome looking waterfall effect that you don’t get with any other smartphone currently on the market.

Really, these screens couldn’t be any more different, but they do have a similar always-on feature you will likely enjoy. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has a much more fleshed out version that can be customized to show the time, calendar, notifications and more. It is brighter and “out there”, so to speak. The LG G5’s always-on display is much more subtle and quiet. Regardless, this isn’t exactly a make or break deal for either phone.

Camera

What people really want to learn about is the cameras in these handsets. LG and Samsung (and Apple) are always fighting over who has the best smartphone camera out there. Which one is the winner here?

Assimilating the V10, the LG G5 is rocking a dual-camera setup. The main camera features a 16 MP sensor, OIS, laser auto-focus and an f/1.8 aperture. The secondary camera clocks in with an 8 MP sensor, but it’s a wide-angle lens that will allow for taking awesome photos the Galaxy S7 Edge is simply incapable of achieving.

This time around Samsung decided to lower the MP count in exchange for better low-light performance (similar to what Google did with the Nexus phones). The pixel size in the sensor has been increased to 1.4 microns, which is why the sensor size has to be reduced to 12 MP. The aperture is also larger at f/1.7, and the main camera is aided by optical image stabilization. The S7 Edge is also utilizing a new dual pixel autofocus system that’s extremely fast – noticeably must faster than the G5’s laser auto-focusing, especially in low light.

                                                      LG G5

Even though the Galaxy S7 is supposed to do amazing in low light, somehow the LG G5 manages to beat it. The photos are sharper, more detailed, and there’s significantly less noise reduction in comparison to the S7. The S7 does however handle highlights a lot better than the G5. They’re a lot more blown out on the G5, whereas the S7 is able to keep them in check. Overall, the low light and night time shots generally look much better on the G5.

Software

The LG G5 comes with Android Marshmallow out of the box. The latest version of LG’s UI skin does offer plenty of improvements. It is generally a much cleaner interface and feels more fluid. LG has also dialed back on software features… or at least they managed to hide them more and keep them discrete.

The biggest change you will see in the LG G5 software is obviously the lack of an app drawer. You will either love it or hate it, but this is Android, so it’s super simple to install another launcher or even go to LG’s own Home 4.0 Launcher.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge also comes with Android Marshmallow. I am basically going to be repeating myself, as Samsung also decided to clean up its software. This is probably the best TouchWiz version you have ever seen. It is clean and fluid. Animations are much nicer and the UI no longer feels slow.

With the S7 Edge you’re also getting those Edge specific features, like the apps edge, people edge, tasks edge and the edge panels that let you see a variety of information such as sport scores, stocks and weather.

Conclusion

The biggest question of them all is: which one should you buy? Obviously, you can’t really go wrong with either one because they both do the typical things that we expect out of a smartphone extremely well. They’re both fast, have great cameras, sport great displays and enjoy from good battery life.

For me, I prefer the S7 Edge because it’s a much more refined smartphone experience, whereas the G5 feels like a first-generation product… and in a lot of ways it is. Surely, LG will have it all figured out in the next version, but if you feel really compelled by the G5’s modularity, then give the phone a shot. If you’d rather play it safe, the S7 or S7 Edge are the safest bet money can buy.