SAMSUNG Galaxy J2 Ace

Samsung Galaxy J2 Ace : An excellent budget 4G VoLTE Samsung smartphone

The South Korean mobile manufacturer, Samsung has carved its niche in the Indian budget smartphone market with its Galaxy J series. The company is expanding its lineup by adding more pocket-friendly devices with dedicated features to benefit the Indian users. Galaxy J2 Ace is the latest addition to its affordable and feature rich Galaxy J series. A week after the launch of Galaxy J1 4G, the company has added this entry-level 4G VoLTE enabled handset to its J series- Samsung galaxy J2 Ace priced at 8,490 INR. J2 Ace is the Samsung's first budget smartphone to be equipped with front camera with flash. If you want to buy a basic Android smartphone of a tier-1 brand, then J2 Ace is a worthy option to consider online as well as offline. It packs a 5-inch qHD display, is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737T processor coupled with 1.5GB of RAM and runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) operating system. It has a 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with both having a single LED flash and additional features like S Bike Mode, Ultra Data Saving and S Power Planning.

Pros :

• Super fast 4G speed ensuring best 4G experience
• Impressive front camera with flash
• supports 4G VoLTE
• Sharp qHD display
• Good battery backup
• Smooth performance with quad-core processor
• Its Touch Wiz UI is very convenient to use

Cons :

• Does not have a screen protection against scratches
• Low display resolution
• Very less internal storage memory
• Price is little high as compared to other brands
• Non removable battery
• 1.5GB RAM is inadequate, very less as compared to its competitors

Build and Design :

Samsung J2 ace is a slim smartphone (8.9mm thick) having dimensions of 144.8 x 72.1 x 8.9 mm. In terms of weight, it is slightly heavy weighing 160gms. It comes with a plastic body and its rear panel has a unique pattern that is scratch resistant and ergonomic. The back cover offers a tight grip as it comes with a rugged finish. It comes with UDS (Ultra Data Saving mode) and S bike mode which enables the users to ride tension free. The device comes in three colour options- Gold, Silver and black.

Camera Quality :

J2 Ace is Samsung's first affordable phone with front flash to ensure awesome selfie experience. In the photography department, the smartphone features an autofocus 8 Megapixel primary camera with single LED flash, CMOS image sensor, f/2.2 aperture, SelfTimer, Touch to Focus and and supports highest resolution of 720p video recording with modes for various shooting conditions. It also features front shooter 5MP camera (with f2.2 aperture) with LED flash to click excellent and bright selfies even in low light conditions and video calling. It delivers good quality images in bright, sunny conditions as well as in low light environment as it has a LED flash. The rear and front facing camera with selfie flash coupled with 4G connectivity ensures great quality pictures in low light and upload them at blazing fast 4G speed for a superior social media experience. This device cannot record slow motion videos.

Display and Storage :

The dual SIM handset comes with 5-inch PLS TFT LCD qHD touchscreen display, offering pixel resolution of 540 x 960 pixels and pixel density of 220 ppi. This qHD display comes with Samsung's proprietary Turbo Speed Technology (TST) that optimises the device's RAM to open apps faster as compared to the devices with double the RAM. It delivers great picture quality that seems closer to reality, great colour reproduction and wider viewing angles, hence offering enhanced visual experience to the users at an affordable Samsung J2 ace price. You can enjoy playing games and watch videos on this big 5-inch screen. In terms of storage, the device supports only 8GB internal memory out of which only 3.2GB of space is available to the user. The inbuilt memory is quite less but can be further increased upto 256GB using microSD card for storing more videos, pictures, music, data and games.

Internals and Processor :

In order to provide great multitasking experience to the users, J2 ace is powered with a 1.4 GHz quad core MediaTek MT6737 chipset paired with 1.5GB RAM and Mali-T720 GPU to ensure that the user can do multitasking with ease without affecting the device's performance and a great graphics. The configuration is complemented with Turbo Speed technology which further optimizes RAM by increasing apps operation by 40% and provide awesome 4G experience to the users. On the software front, the smartphone boots on Android Marshmallow v6.0 operating system out of the box wrapped under TouchWiz UI. The improved UI has lesser bloatware ensuring a smoother and hassle-free user experience.

Battery and Connectivity :

The dual SIM device is fuelled by a 2,600 mAh non-removable Li-Ion battery which makes it run uninterrupted for more than 12 hours of talk time on medium usage. On connectivity front, it supports dual SIM card slots, 4G (with Band 40 support used by some LTE networks in India) with VoLTE voice calling support, 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2, Mobile Hotspot, GPS with A-GPS, Glonass, USB OTG, microUSB v2.0 port and FM Radio functionality. There is no NFC feature. Sensors on the phone include Proximity sensor, compass, gravity, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor and Gyroscope.

Additional Features :

Like other budget smartphones in the Galaxy J series, the Galaxy J2ace come with some pre-installed software features that are a part of its 'Make for India' campaign such as the Ultra Data Saving (UDS) mode, S Bike Mode, S Secure and S Power Planning. The popular S Bike mode enables the consumers to ride tension free by activating the built-in answering machine. When the rider receives a call while driving then the answering machine will float the message asking the caller to call later in case the mode was already activated. Samsung has also included smart battery management system called "S Power Planning" which enables the users to stay connected all the time, "S Secure mode" with options such as app lock, folder security and more to ensure safe and private browsing and protect the personal information, "Turbo Speed technology" to boost the download speed and UDS mode with data compression feature so that you are able to save upto 50 percent of mobile data.

What makes it unique?

1. This is the first affordable smartphone to feature a front camera with flash.
2. It is probably the fastest Samsung 4G VoLTE enabled phone priced around Rs. 8,000.
3. It is the only Samsung device in the price range between 5,000 – 10,000 to flaunt highest front camera resolution (5 MP).

Final Verdict :

Samsung has ventures into the Indian budget smartphone market with its affordable Galaxy J series. J2 ace is the first budget Samsung phone to have 4G VoLTE support and front camera with flash. It comes with decent specifications like high-end connectivity, VoLTE, great camera quality, good battery backup at amazingly low and entry level price. This phone is a good value buy for camera lovers who want high quality images at all times of day, be it day or night. In this price range, the users can get better display in other phones. Before buying, the buyer should compare the prices and go for lowest Samsung Galaxy J2 ace price in India. At Rs. 8499, you can opt for phones with better specifications like Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus which is equipped with features like 5-inch full HD display, Snapdragon 615 octa-core chipset, 3GB RAM, 16GB built-in storage, 13 Megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel selfie shooter and a slightly larger 2,750mAh battery.