After launching its mid-range Galaxy A (2017) and flagship S8 series, it’s certainly time for Samsung to refresh its Galaxy J lineup. The Galaxy J is Samsung’s most popular smartphone series and it dominates two spots among the top 5 smartphone models according to IDC’s Q1 2017 shipment report.
With intense competition coming from its Chinese rivals, Samsung appears to be stepping up its game for its new release.
Unlike the Galaxy J series in the past, the new J5 (2017) is now going upmarket with the use of premium design and materials. Instead of a removable plastic back, the Galaxy J5 (2017) as shown above features a full metal unibody design with integrated antenna bands. The camera bump has also been redesigned for a newer look.
In terms of hardware, the Galaxy J5 (2017) is said to come with a 5.2″ HD 720p Super AMOLED display and it runs on a 1.6GHz Octa-Core processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It will feature dual-SIMs, NFC, a fingerprint sensor and a 2,600mAh battery.
According to the source, the Galaxy J5 (2017) is expected to launch this month with a retail price tag of 279 Euros (about RM1,341). That’s quite expensive for an entry-level smartphone but it would definitely be cheaper in our region compared to Europe. On top of that, the entry-level segment is quite price sensitive so we doubt their new entry-level models (J1, J3, J5) would be priced above RM1,000. As a comparison, their current Galaxy J5 Prime (2016) with a metal back is going for RM899 in Malaysia.
