When talking about a bunch of different models getting launched every year, Samsung would probably take the gold medal. Korean giant just don’t care, it launches one model after another, and many of the said models have subtle differences, but those differences can have a high importance when you want to pick up the new phone. A perfect proof of the statement is the launch of the new Galaxy J7 Prime; the model was announced last month, just four months after J7 (2016) launched, bringing a few improvements. Are those improvements worth enough to pick J7 Prime over J7 (2016)? Find out here.
Design, Dimensions, Display
Design-wise, both models look almost identical, with a classic Samsung design placing the Home button in the middle, just under the display and a camera placed in the upper middle on the back of the device. That said, the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime looks better, with different colors applied and a bit tighter bezels.
The Galaxy J7 (2016) dimensions (151.7 x 76 x 7.8 mm) are, as expected almost identical to dimensions of the Galaxy J7 Prime (151.5 x 74.9 x 8.1 mm); the only notable difference is that Galaxy J7 Prime is a bit narrower (74.9 mm compared to 76 mm on J7 (2016).
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) features a big, bright, 720p Super AMOLED display. While the display is more than bright enough and has rich colors, the combination of 720p resolution with 5.5-inch display size will make pixels visible (267 ppi pixel density).
On the other hand, J7 Prime’s biggest spec upgrade is its 5.5-inch 1080p, Super AMOLED display. A huge step forward from 720p screen used in J7 (2016) with great, saturated colors and a respectful 401 ppi pixel density.
Hardware
Galaxy J7 (2016) features 2 GB of RAM in combination with Snapdragon 617 (4×1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.0 GHz Cortex-A53 along with Adreno 405), or in combination with Exynos 7870 Octa (Octa-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 with the addition of Mali-T830MP2). Both chipsets used are a solid choice for a mid-range model and will provide plenty of power for almost any task. The J7 (2016) packs 16 GB of expandable (dedicated SD card slot) internal storage.
Galaxy J7 Prime is powered with Exynos 7870 Octa, the same as in one version of J7 (2016), in combination with 3 gigs of RAM. Exynos 7870 Octa should be enough for 1080p resolution since J7 (2016) can score up to 48000 points in Antutu. Add another gigabyte of RAM featured in J7 Prime and you’ve got yourself one pretty powerful mid-tier device. The J7 Prime packs 32GB of expandable (dedicated SD card slot) internal memory.
Camera
Both models feature the same 13MP (f/1.9) main camera capable of recording 1080p@30fps video, pretty solid. The J7 (2016) has a 5MP (f/1.9) selfie camera, while the J7 Prime includes a higher resolution, 8 MP (f/1.9) camera on the front, perfect for selfies. Oh, front-faced cameras on both models have a LED flash.
Battery, Software
Both the Galaxy J7 (2016) and Galaxy J7 Prime feature a solid 3300 mAh battery; since the J7 Prime has a higher resolution display, expect for the battery to last shorter than on the J7 (2016).
Also, both phones come with Android Marshmallow out of the box, coated with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. The Galaxy J7 Prime also packs a fingerprint sensor.
Price and Conclusion
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) is available from Rs. 15590 (around $235) while the expected price of J7 Prime should be around Rs. 19400 (around $290). Higher resolution screen, more RAM, bigger internal storage, fingerprint sensor are worth the extra money, but if you don’t want to pay $50 more, Galaxy J7 2016 could prove a solid choice.