Samsung Galaxy J7 Star Review

Is Samsung Galaxy J7 Star the best budget-friendly smartphone in 2020?

Samsung has released various Galaxy J7 models in 2018, including the J7 Star (SM-J737T), which is a smaller upgrade over the Crown version, in terms of internal storage and a better CPU. But is this still a relevant smartphone, two years after plenty of other mid-range smartphones were released? Let’s see more details about the specifications and features it offers.

Samsung Galaxy J7 Star – Pros and Cons

+ Pros: It has Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, has a 13 MP front camera, has a good battery life

– Cons: It only has 2 GB RAM, no fingerprint scanner

Although the Galaxy J7 Star has only 2 GB RAM, its 1.6Ghz Octa-Core processor allows users to play games and run some demanding apps with no issue of freezing. The only downside would be overheating of the back.

But will its specifications and features be worth the $150 price range?

Samsung Galaxy J7 Star (SM-J737T) Technical Specifications

Just like its cousin, the J7 Crown, we can see the same Samsung features, such as a Super AMOLED screen, good cameras, and other great features.

Body

• Size: 6.03” x 3.00” x 0.34” in (6.4 oz)
• Screen: 5.5″ HD screen (720×1280 resolution at 267 dpi), TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
• Build: Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic back, plastic frame

Although the design of the J7 Star is sleek, it’s obvious that the chunky bezels at the top and bottom are outdated. The screen is what makes this phone a reasonable buy, as it boasts a Super AMOLED 5.5 inches display that has a 720×1280 resolution at 267 dpi. Thanks to this neat feature, you get a crisp display and good viewing angles.

Platform & Memory

• Processor: Octa-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 (Exynos 7885)
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Storage: 32 GB, expandable via MicroSD Card
• OS: Android 8.0 Oreo, upgradable to Android 9.0 (Pie)

Compared to the J7 Crown, the Galaxy J7 Star is an improvement since it has a newer processor and double the internal storage. The Exynos 7885 allows you to run some heavy task unless you open too many apps at once. Otherwise, it’s great on this phone, as it is very power efficient and this means a longer battery life.

As for the memory, it could have done better if it was 4 or 6 GB.

The OS is Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, but can be upgradable.

Cameras

• Main Camera: 13 MP, AF, LED flash, HDR, panorama
• Video: 1080p@30fps
• Selfie Camera: 13 MP

The Galaxy J7 Star comes with only one rear camera, but we like that the front camera has the same MP. The budget smartphone comes with all the features you need to take photos – LED flash, autofocus, and man features and filters in its app.

Other Features

• Battery: Li-Ion 3,300 mAh battery (non-removable)
• Network and communications: GSM / HSPA / LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1
• Other features: Standard 3.5mm Headphone Jack, microUSB 2.0, USB On-The-Go, FM radio, Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass

We mentioned how much power efficient the Exynos is on the J7 Star, so when talking about the 3,300 mAh battery, we can only say that it will last a full day through moderate use, 24 hours of talk time, and 27 days on standby.

In terms of connectivity, we see the Galaxy J7 Star is 3G and 4G capable. Among other features, there’s an FM radio receiver, a 3.5mm Headphone Jack.

Should You Buy the Galaxy J7 Star?

Back in its days, buying the Galaxy J7 Star was a no-brainer. Now, if you compare it with the likes of a Moto G6 or even a newer budget phone from Samsung, like the Samsung Galaxy A50, you’ll see that the Galaxy J7 Star is far more outdated.

Take for instance its Galaxy A50 cousin that was released nearly a year later (2019). Comparing the specs, we get a bigger-sized smartphone, a newer OS, more power (Exynos 9610 -10nm), more storage and double the RAM. The list could go on, but we’ll stop at the price difference. The Galaxy A50 is indeed about $50 more expensive (in the $250 range). Nonetheless, it surely is worth the extra cash over the outdated J7 Star.

The bottom line is: that if you cannot spend an extra $50 on a newer version from Samsung, then the Galaxy J7 Star (launched at $200 but now at a lower price) is still a reasonable smartphone. Get the Galaxy J7 Star at an offer from different carriers and you’ll see its price can go under $100.