Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016) preview: First look

Introduction

The 2016 Galaxy J2 is Samsung's latest budget Android device. It is the successor to last year's Galaxy J2 and improves upon it in several areas, most predictably in the specification department. However, Samsung has also added some new features, such as the Smart Glow, a unique ring LED notification light around the rear camera that lights up in various colors, and also S Bike mode, and something Samsung calls Turbo Boost Technology.

Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016) at a glance:

• Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
• 5.0-inch 720p Super AMOLED display
• Quad-core 1.5GHz Spreadtrum SC9830 processor
• 1.5GB RAM, 8GB expandable storage
• 8 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, 5 megapixel front camera
• Dual SIM support
• LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps with VoLTE
• Smart Glow, Turbo Boost Technology, S bike mode, Ultra data saving mode courtesy Opera Max
• 2600mAh battery

The phone runs the latest Android with a clean UI, which Samsung doesn't call TouchWiz, but instead refers to The New User Interface. The Ultra data saving mode is more than welcome however and the mobile data saving technology has been integrated on a system level so it can potentially work for all apps - not just for web browsing.

Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016) press photos

Will all this be enough for the phone to survive in the fiercely competitive budget Android phone market? We took a quick look at the device to find out.