Samsung Galaxy J1 Nxt – Is it worth your money?
Although all eyes are on the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, Samsung also announced and released the Galaxy J1 Nxt (also known as Galaxy J1 mini) last February 2016, an addition to their lineup of more affordable phones.
I personally like Samsung as a brand because they were able to release the best smartphone in 2015. Their latest flagship releases also proved that they are capable of bringing more innovation on the table.
The Galaxy J1 Nxt is up to $50 cheaper compared to the Galaxy J1 (2016) released last January 2016, so it is expected to come with lower specs.
But despite being cheap, is it worth the price?
Product: Samsung Galaxy J1 Nxt (2016)
Device Type: Smartphone
Display: 4.0 inches (480 x 800 pixels)
Camera: 5MP (720p)
Hardware: Spreadtrum SC8830, Quad-core 1.2 GHz, 1GB RAM
Battery: 1500 mAh
Price: US$ 79.99
Display Quality and the Use of TFT Display Technology
The Galaxy J1 Nxt comes with a 4-inch display. The resolution is what you would expect from its display size. The pixel density is at 233 ppi. This level of display sharpness is just right for its price.
However, this phone has TFT display technology which means it has less visibility under bright light and the viewing angles are narrower.
The other smartphones within the same price range already use IPS LCD, which is a more advanced display technology. IPS LCD allows viewing from a wider angle and consumes less power. Even Nokia and Microsoft used IPS LCD for some of their low budget phones.
In terms of display quality within this phone’s price range, you may also try an LG L90 (8 GB) or Motorola Moto E (2nd gen), which may have larger screens, but they use IPS LCD technology and they have higher pixel densities for sharper graphics.
Battery Life, Only Up to 8 hours of talk time
This phone is very portable so this is the kind of phone you would carry around and would easily fit into your pocket. However, the battery life of the Galaxy J1 Nxt is only up to 8 hours of talk time (3G). This is shorter compared to its close competitors that can last up to 12 hours.
If I would buy a cheaper phone, one of the things I will really look into is the battery life. This is normally where the cheaper phones excel compared to the more expensive phones.
For longer battery life within the same price range, you may try Lenovo A606 which can last up to 24 hours of talk time (3G) or LG L90 (8 GB) which can last up to 21.5 hours of talk time (3G).
Can access 3G networks, but how about LTE?
It can access 3G networks, but it is not LTE-enabled, which is another disadvantage of this smartphone compared to some of its close competitors.
So if you need a phone mostly for calling, texting, reading facebook newsfeeds, and sending e-mails, this smartphone will serve its purpose.
But if you like to stream videos and download large files from the internet even without Wi-Fi, you will need a phone with LTE capability. The best smartphones within this price range with LTE capability include the Motorola DROID Mini, Lenovo A606, and Motorola Moto E (2nd gen).
Decent Processing Speed and Awesome Storage Capacity
The processing power and RAM of the Galaxy J1 Nxt is better than most of the Huawei, Microsoft, and Nokia phones within the same price range. It is also decent and close enough to its best competitors. Android phones within this price range would normally have a Quad-core 1200 MHz to 1300 MHz processor and 1GB of RAM.
It may not be enough to multitask smoothly, but it is fast enough to run your apps and games individually.
Another advantage of this phone over the other phones within the same price range is that it can use a microSD up to 128GB. That is a huge storage space for files.
Most of the phones in the same price range can only use a microSD up to 32GB. So it is cool for this phone to have 4x more storage.
Camera, Video Recorders, and Other Features
The Galaxy J1 Nxt has a 5MP camera that can also record HD videos (720p). However, some phones within the same price range can do more than that. Some have camera resolutions that range from 8MP to 10MP and can even record Full HD (1080p) videos.
If you like taking pictures and recording videos, you should take a look at the specs of the LG L90 (8 GB) or Motorola DROID Mini.
The Galaxy J1 Nxt also comes with a GPS technology with A-GPS and GLONASS. It can connect to Wi-Fi and can also function as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Other features include a VGA front camera, an FM radio, and a removable battery.
Conclusion
The Galaxy J1 Nxt is an average smartphone that is not heavy on the budget. However, there are other smartphones within the same price range that have better specs than the Galaxy J1 Nxt.
You just need to explore these other phones that can give the most value for your money.