Samsung is evidently intending to shape up its product range with the release of the Galaxy J3, and details are already emerging about this smartphone. According to reports this week, the Galaxy J3 has already passed a series of benchmark tests. Intended to be an affordable alternative to more premier Galaxy devices, the Galaxy J3 will offer significant upgrades over the previous device in the series, the Galaxy J2.
Galaxy J3 benchmarking
Having been benchmarked over at GFXBench and Geekbench, the Galaxy J3 appears to be a pretty nifty performer considering its affordable status. Its 720p HD screen will be 5-inches in size according to tests, although it is also worth mentioning that software measurements of the diagonal aspect of the screen could conceivably be inaccurate. Experts have suggested that the screen size may range between 4.7 and 5-inches.
Nonetheless, the resolution included in the Galaxy J3 is a significant improvement from the previous handset in the series, which was set at just 540 x 960 pixels. Delivering an HD resolution for this affordable handset will unquestionably be welcomed by consumers, and it is indicative of the fact that Samsung is attempting to produce a quality device this time round with the Galaxy J3.
Additionally, Samsung has seemingly packed the Galaxy J3 with an improved chipset. Benchmarking indicates that the device will feature a Snapdragon 410 with a faster 64-bit Cortex-A53 processor. It is notable, though, that neither memory nor storage will be increased, with Samsung apparently freezing these at 1GB and 8 GB respectively.
Vastly improved camera
However, as camera provisions become increasingly important in smartphones, even those essentially considered to be bargain basement devices, Samsung has wisely decided to upgrade the camera in the Galaxy J3. Indeed, this is probably the area in which there is the largest update over the original device.
According to benchmark testing, the Galaxy J3 will feature an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p video capture, with an extremely impressive 5-megapixel selfie-capturing camera included as well. When one considers that not all that long ago these were the precise megapixel ratings for the iPhone series, the two cameras included in the Galaxy J3 certainly represent pretty credible photograph taking devices.
In its relatively young life, the Galaxy J series has previously featured an entry-level device and a high-end device – with the Galaxy J7 – but nothing that could be described as a mid-range smartphone. The Galaxy J3 could be exactly what the lineup requires, and has also been pitched at an affordable price point.
It will be interesting to see how this release catches on in the West, and indeed how Samsung chooses to market the smartphone. The Galaxy J3 seems ideal to play a major role in the Samsung strategy in East Asia, and indeed this is a particularly important element of Samsung going forward.
Samsung challenges
When Samsung was in rude health, the corporation had established itself as a major player in the East Asian marketplace, effectively selling affordable devices to large numbers of consumers. But the prominent position of Samsung in its native marketplace isn’t being challenged by other manufacturers of Android devices, who are delivering affordable smartphones that are beginning to eat into the market share of Samsung.
The commercial position of Samsung is further complicated by the fact that Apple is absolutely cleaning up in China. It has recently been reported that Apple is now selling more iPhone units in China that even the United States, but early figures related to the iPhone 6s suggest that this process is accelerating. Not only is growth in the sales of the iPhone 6s attributable to the Chinese marketplace, but Apple is also demonstrating a dominance in China that it will be extremely difficult for Samsung to seriously challenge.
So the Galaxy J3 could be one of the most important releases for Samsung in the coming months and years, even if it is undoubtedly far from being its most high profile device. The good news for the Korean electronics giant is that the Galaxy J3 is clearly a major step forward for the series over its predecessors.
