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Samsung Galaxy J5 Smartphone Review

Recycling. You have a déjà-vu experience when you open the box of the Galaxy J5, because Samsung uses the old chassis design. Although the components are fairly standard, the manufacturer has integrated a flash at the front for selfie fans.

For the original German review, see here.

After the Galaxy J1, Samsung has now launched another smartphone within its entry-level series, Galaxy J. The new Galaxy J5 is an inexpensive 5-inch smartphone that retails for an RRP of 219 Euros (~$249). One highlight of the smartphone is the additional LED flash at the front that is supposed to improve the selfie quality in low-light conditions. The other specifications of the device also leave a decent first impression. As well as a Super-AMOLED display with HD resolution, you get a quad-core SoC from Qualcomm with LTE support. According to Samsung, the Samsung Galaxy J5 is suitable for daily tasks. Within this review we aim to verify this statement. 

There are many competitors in this price range. For example, possible comparison devices would be the current Motorola Moto G, the Huawei P8 Lite and the LG G4c. Other possible rivals are the Acer Liquid Jade Z, the ZTE Blade S6 as well as the Kazam Tornado 348. All models use very similar and sometimes even identical components, so we are curious to find out if the Galaxy J5 can stand out from the competition.

Samsung Galaxy J5 (Galaxy Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 4 x 1.2 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
1536 MB 
Display
5.00 inch 16:9, 1280 x 720 pixel, capacitive, 10 touch points, Super AMOLED, glossy: yes
Storage
8 GB eMMC Flash, 8 GB 
, 4.2 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm stereo jack, Card Reader: microSD (up to 128 GB), NFC, Sensors: Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Orientation sensor , NFC, WiFi-Direct, GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, ANT+
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.1, GSM (850, 900, 1800 and 1900), UMTS (850, 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz), LTE FDD (B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20), Head-SAR: 0.612 W/kg, SAR Body: 0.482 W/kg, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 7.9 x 142.1 x 71.8 ( = 0.31 x 5.59 x 2.83 in)
Battery
10 Wh Lithium-Ion, 2,600 mAh, replaceable, Talk time 3G (according to manufacturer): 18 h
Operating System
Android 5.1 Lollipop
Camera
Webcam: 5 MP, Main camera: 13 MP (FHD videos @30fps) with autofocus and LED flash
Primary Camera: 13 MPix
Secondary Camera: 5 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: Mono, Keyboard: virtual, USB-cable, Power adaptor, headset, Quick-start guide, Warranty information, Galaxy Apps, S Planner, Smart Manager, OneNote, OneDrive, my Galaxy, several advertisement apps, 24 Months Warranty, fanless
Weight
147 g ( = 5.19 oz / 0.32 pounds), Power Supply: 44 g ( = 1.55 oz / 0.1 pounds)
Price
219 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

As with the smaller Galaxy J1, Samsung uses the old polycarbonate chassis design for the Galaxy J5 with all its advantages and drawbacks. The advantages of the design are the detachable back cover of the smartphone, the replaceable battery and the microSD-slot to expand the storage capacity. The whole construction, except for the display, is made of plastics, so the overall impression is not very sophisticated.

However, there is no criticism for the stability and the build quality of the review unit. There is no creaking noise, and neither pressure nor twisting attempts are a problem for the smartphone. The buttons are also well integrated, only the volume rocker on the left side is slightly loose. The camera at the back is protruding slightly, but this is not a big deal in practice. Overall, the handling of the Galaxy J5 feels very solid and it is still comfortable to use with one hand. As well as the black color of our review unit, Samsung offers white and gold versions of the smartphone.

The dimensions of the Galaxy J5 are average within the comparison group (also see size comparison below).

142.1 mm / 5.59 inch 72.4 mm / 2.85 inch 11.6 mm / 0.4567 inch 155 g0.3417 lbs144 mm / 5.67 inch 70.7 mm / 2.78 inch 7.7 mm / 0.3031 inch 134 g0.2954 lbs143.5 mm / 5.65 inch 69.8 mm / 2.75 inch 7.9 mm / 0.311 inch 110 g0.2425 lbs143 mm / 5.63 inch 70.6 mm / 2.78 inch 7.7 mm / 0.3031 inch 133 g0.2932 lbs142.1 mm / 5.59 inch 71.8 mm / 2.83 inch 7.9 mm / 0.311 inch 147 g0.3241 lbs139.7 mm / 5.5 inch 69.8 mm / 2.75 inch 10.2 mm / 0.4016 inch 136 g0.2998 lbs140 mm / 5.51 inch 67 mm / 2.64 inch 5.15 mm / 0.2028 inch 95.5 g0.2105 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

Around 4.2 GB of the storage can be used.
Around 4.2 GB of the storage can be used.

The SoC of the Samsung Galaxy J5 is a familiar chip since Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 410 in combination with the Adreno 306 GPU is used by many inexpensive smartphones. The internal storage has a capacity of only 8 GB. You can use around 4.2 GB after the initial start, but only 3.3 GB after all the preloaded apps have been updated. These apps include the common Google offerings and third-party apps like Microsoft’s OneNote, for example. The storage capacity can be expanded via microSD-card (up to 128 GB) and many apps can be transferred to the additional storage, but there can still be problems, especially when you try to install large apps.

The USB 2.0 port does not support MHL for the media playback on suitable displays or TVs, but at least USB-OTG is supported. We had no problems to attach and use a USB flash drive with  an appropriate adaptor. The Galaxy J5 also supports Wi-Fi-Direct and NFC for the wireless transfer of files.

Bottom: Microphone, Micro-USB 2.0, combo audio
Bottom: Microphone, Micro-USB 2.0, combo audio
Left: Volume rocker
Left: Volume rocker
Right: Power button
Right: Power button
Top: No ports
Top: No ports

Software

Smart Manager
Smart Manager
Stagefright Detector App
Stagefright Detector App

The Samsung Galaxy J5 uses Google’s Android operating system version 5.1.1 (Lollipop), but Samsung also installs its own user interface TouchWiz. In addition to the familiar Google apps, the manufacturer also preloads its own apps like "my Galaxy", the "S Planner" or the "Smart Manager". The latter offers a simple menu for basic battery settings, the memory status (including cleanup) and some security settings. There is also a simple mode that reduces the functionality of the home screen in favor of a simpler handling. 

Other software additions include some Microsoft apps (OneDrive, OneNote) as well as various advertisement apps, but they can be removed. It is possible to use various themes that change the design and the color scheme if you want to customize your device.

Communication & GPS

GPS-Test: Indoors
GPS-Test: Indoors
GPS-Test: Outdoors
GPS-Test: Outdoors

The Samsung Galaxy J5 supports quad-band GSM, quad-band UMTS (up to 42 Mbps downstream) as well as LTE Cat. 4 (up to 150 Mbps downstream). You have to remove the back cover and the battery to access the SIM-card slot (Micro-SIM). We did not have any signal issues in the metropolitan T-Mobile network. The Wi-Fi module of our review unit only supports the standard 802.11 b/g/n in 2.4 GHz networks, but we did not encounter any issues in an apartment building with several wireless networks. Bluetooth 4.1 is also available.

The Samsung Galaxy J5 can locate its position via GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou. The review unit leaves a good impression, since the satellite connection is established within a few seconds, both outdoors and indoors (close to a window).

No magnet sensor
No magnet sensor

We checked the accuracy of the GPS module on a bicycle ride and compared the results with the professional navigation device Garmin Edge 500. Once again, the overall performance is good, because the complete track length is just 200 meters (~656 ft) shorter on the smartphone. The latter is even more precise in some sections (see crossing), but does not locate the position as often, which can result in shortcuts, especially in narrow sections. One factor that could still limit the navigation in the car or on a bicycle is the lack of a magnet sensor, so you cannot use a compass app.

Samsung Galaxy J5: Overview
Samsung Galaxy J5: Overview
Samsung Galaxy J5: Crossing
Samsung Galaxy J5: Crossing
Samsung Galaxy J5: Bridge
Samsung Galaxy J5: Bridge
Garmin Edge 500: Overview
Garmin Edge 500: Overview
Garmin Edge 500: Crossing
Garmin Edge 500: Crossing
Garmin Edge 500: Bridge
Garmin Edge 500: Bridge

Telephone & Voice Quality

The phone app is the familiar standard application that should not cause any problems for the user. In addition to call history, you get direct access to the favorites and contacts.

The voice quality left a mixed impression during our review. On the positive side was the stability of the calls, because we never encountered any dropouts. However, although generally voices were slightly distorted and dull on both sides of the call., the understandability was not affected. 

The integrated hands-free function cannot impress us. The distance between the device and the user must not be too big, otherwise the voice will not be loud enough. The speaker at the back also tends to distort quickly. Depending on the position of the smartphone, you can also easily cover the speaker, which affects the quality even further. The provided headset does its job, but has problems when the ambient noises get too loud.

Cameras & Multimedia

The camera of the Galaxy J5 can be activated quickly with a double click on the home button, which also works when the smartphone is locked. The picture will be automatically stored on the memory card when a microSD-card is inserted. You can use the volume rocker as a trigger, which usually works quite fast, but the autofocus sometimes needs an additional second to focus the scene. Finally, it is possible to trigger pictures with a hand gesture and it worked well during our review.

Samsung uses a 5 MP camera at the front that can take FHD videos (1920x1080 pixels, 30 fps). The quality of the pictures is okay, but the sharpness cannot really impress us, even under good lighting conditions. Nevertheless, the results are sufficient for social networks.

According to Samsung the flash on the front to improve selfies in low-light situations. However, it is not really a traditional flash, but a photo light that illuminates the scene constantly. This works pretty well at short distance and the result is brighter, but the additional light is not powerful enough for longer distances.

Picture with the front camera
Picture with the front camera

At the rear is a 13 MP sensor supported by a flash. Samsung acclaims that the sensor that can capture more light (f/1.9), but the comparison pictures clearly show that the pictures of the Galaxy J5 are much darker compared to the other devices. This means that you lose many details, especially in the outdoor shots. It also affects the quality noticeably, even though the sharpness of the pictures is actually good. Low-light pictures also suffer from picture noise quickly.

The main camera can record videos in FHD (30 fps). Under good lighting conditions, the results are very crisp, and the sensor can handle faster camera movements. Once again, we can quickly see picture noise in low-light scenarios. More video functions are not available; the Galaxy J5 does not support slow motions or time-lapses.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
click to load images

Accessories

The box of the Samsung Galaxy J5 includes only the usual accessories: Battery, power adaptor, USB cable, headset and some brochures. Samsung does not offer dedicated accessories for the Galaxy J5.

Warranty

The standard warranty period is 24 months.

Input Devices & Handling

Samsung’s on-screen keyboard is easy to use and offers an additional row with numbers. Swype inputs are supported, but have to be activated in the settings first. It is also possible to adjust the height of the keyboard to a certain extent (see screenshots), and it is obviously also possible to use other keyboards from the Play Store.

Maximum keyboard height
Maximum keyboard height
Minimum keyboard height
Minimum keyboard height
Keyboard landscape mode
Keyboard landscape mode

The capacitive touchscreen recognizes up to 10 inputs simultaneously and provides decent gliding capabilities. It is precise up into the peripheral areas and executes inputs quickly and reliably. The automatic display orientation also worked reliably. 

The handling of the smartphone is surprisingly smooth and there are just occasional delays when many apps are active and occupy the memory. Samsung's Smart Manager, which we have already described above, can help in this situation. The biggest handling issue is that the Android buttons below the screen are not  illuminated.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy J5 uses a Super-AMOLED display with a native resolution of 1280x720 pixels, which is standard for this price range. The big advantage of the AMOLED technology is the theoretically infinite contrast ratio, because black pixels are not illuminated, which results in a black value of 0 cd/m². The subjective picture impression is decent, even though the colors are looking almost too rich. However, this is a matter of taste.

Combined with the 5-inch screen you get a pixel density of around 294 PPI, so contents are very crisp. You can only recognize individual pixels when you look really closely, but this is not a problem in practice. The average luminance of the panel is decent at 353 cd/m². Other inexpensive devices with AMOLED panels are worse in this respect. One example would be the Kazam Tornado 348 that manages only 240 cd/m². The brightness distribution of the Galaxy J5 is very even at 93%.

368
cd/m²
350
cd/m²
344
cd/m²
367
cd/m²
349
cd/m²
345
cd/m²
361
cd/m²
349
cd/m²
344
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 368 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 353 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 349 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.22 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.96 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.08
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Screen
13%
-9%
-12%
-19%
-18%
-15%
Brightness middle
349
418
20%
365
5%
480
38%
343
-2%
386
11%
240
-31%
Brightness
353
407
15%
353
0%
464
31%
340
-4%
377
7%
240
-32%
Brightness Distribution
93
95
2%
93
0%
92
-1%
93
0%
90
-3%
92
-1%
Black Level *
0.49
0.42
0.49
0.39
0.44
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.22
3.92
25%
5.2
-0%
8.13
-56%
5.59
-7%
7.12
-36%
5.38
-3%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.96
3.81
4%
5.85
-48%
6.73
-70%
7.25
-83%
6.7
-69%
4.31
-9%
Gamma
2.08 106%
2.27 97%
2.17 101%
2.69 82%
2.41 91%
1.98 111%
2.28 96%
CCT
7308 89%
7361 88%
7252 90%
7727 84%
7361 88%
7784 84%
6908 94%
Contrast
853
869
980
879
877
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
70.86
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
91.25
70.038

* ... smaller is better

We use the software CalMAN for the objective evaluation of the panel. We can already determine good DeltaE-2000 deviations ex-works with 5.22 for the colors and 3.96 for the grayscale. However, the measurements also confirm our impression that the colors are oversaturated, which contributes the vivid picture impression. Nevertheless, you should not rely on the colors when you edit pictures, for example. We cannot determine a blue cast. Samsung smartphones with Super-AMOLED screens usually offer several presets to adjust the colors, but this is not the case for the Galaxy J5.

Overall, the display leaves a good impression within the comparison group. Many rivals exceed the maximum luminance, but the Samsung Galaxy J5 can easily compensate this with its high contrast.

ColorChecker
ColorChecker
Colorspace
Colorspace
Grayscale
Grayscale
Saturation Sweeps
Saturation Sweeps

Thanks to the great contrast, the outdoor capabilities of the Galaxy J5 are very good. The display content is still visible in bright environments and even under direct sunlight, at least when you can avoid reflections. It is also possible to activate an "Outdoor" mode for up to 15 minutes, which increases the brightness to 404 cd/m². The corresponding setting sits directly next to the normal brightness setting in the quick settings. Sadly, the Galaxy J5 does not have a light sensor, so you always have to adjust the luminance manually.

In the sun (without direct reflections)
In the sun (without direct reflections)
In the sun (with direct reflections)
In the sun (with direct reflections)
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

The viewing angles of the Super-AMOLED display are excellent. You can see a slight brightness decrease from very flat viewing angles, but the pictures enhance this behavior a bit, the subjective differences are much smaller.

Performance

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy J5 with a Snapdragon 410 MSM8916, which is slightly lower clocked than the reference design (1.4 GHz). The four Cortex-A53 cores run at up to 1.2 GHz. The SoC is used for smartphones since 2014 and it is a lower mainstream chip. The two rivals Motorola Moto G and the LG G4c use this SoC.

Graphics are handled by the GPU Qualcomm Adreno 306. Furthermore, you get 1.5 GB of RAM as well as 8 GB internal storage. The specifications are average for this price range.

The benchmark results of our review unit are on par with the similarly equipped LG G4c (also 1.2 GHz), while the Motorola Moto G with the 200 MHz faster SoC can manage a small lead (+ 7%) in Geekbench 3. The graphics performance of the three smartphones with the Adreno 306 is comparable, but all the other rivals are sometimes much more powerful.

AnTuTu v5 - Total Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
21641 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
23242 Points +7%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
34247 Points +58%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
21129 Points -2%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
31395 Points +45%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
30329 Points +40%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
24448 Points +13%
BaseMark OS II - Overall (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
534 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
515 Points -4%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
687 Points +29%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
517 Points -3%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
696 Points +30%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
782 Points +46%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
588 Points +10%
3DMark
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
53 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
49 Points -8%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
53 Points 0%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
734 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
758 Points +3%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
42 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
39 Points -7%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
5227 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
5298 Points +1%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6010 Points +15%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
5294 Points +1%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
9709 Points +86%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7042 Points +35%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4692 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4712 Points 0%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5732 Points +22%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4767 Points +2%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
10819 Points +131%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6520 Points +39%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Physics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
8697 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
9385 Points +8%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7238 Points -17%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
8632 Points -1%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7143 Points -18%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
9781 Points +12%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2631 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2580 Points -2%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4138 Points +57%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2621 Points 0%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4944 Points +88%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5625 Points +114%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5046 Points +92%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2193 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2135 Points -3%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3676 Points +68%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2188 Points 0%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4310 Points +97%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5272 Points +140%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4424 Points +102%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
8732 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
9544 Points +9%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7399 Points -15%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
8507 Points -3%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
10199 Points +17%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7346 Points -16%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
9936 Points +14%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4345 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4402 Points +1%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5629 Points +30%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4397 Points +1%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7954 Points +83%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8577 Points +97%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7137 Points +64%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3782 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3789 Points 0%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5167 Points +37%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3827 Points +1%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7352 Points +94%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8933 Points +136%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6471 Points +71%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
9079 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
10148 Points +12%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8206 Points -10%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
9195 Points +1%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
11143 Points +23%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7526 Points -17%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
11158 Points +23%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3.8 fps
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3.7 fps -3%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4 fps +5%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8.4 fps +121%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
11 fps +189%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1.8 fps
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1.7 fps -6%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1.7 fps -6%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1 fps -44%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5.9 fps +228%
PCMark for Android - Work performance score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3966 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3701 Points -7%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3717 Points -6%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3199 Points -19%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3268 Points -18%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3045 Points -23%
Linpack Android / IOS
Single Thread (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
87.7 MFLOPS
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
117.1 MFLOPS +34%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
104.3 MFLOPS +19%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
114 MFLOPS +30%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
0 MFLOPS -100%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
140 MFLOPS +60%
Multi Thread (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
202 MFLOPS
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
207.7 MFLOPS +3%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
229.8 MFLOPS +14%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
295 MFLOPS +46%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
0 MFLOPS -100%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
285 MFLOPS +41%
Smartbench 2012
Productivity Index (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4944 points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4962 points 0%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2941 points -41%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4678 points -5%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6690 points +35%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
404 points -92%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2709 points -45%
Gaming Index (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3197 points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3234 points +1%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3753 points +17%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3180 points -1%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4217 points +32%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3723 points +16%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3405 points +7%

We performed the browser benchmarks with the preloaded Samsung browser, which is based on Chrome 38. Only the new JetStream test crashed repeatedly, so we had to use Chrome 45 instead. Subjectively, web browsing is very smooth; stutters are usually limited to very complex websites. Our review unit is usually at the bottom of the benchmark rankings, and the performance is only really convincing in SunSpider.

Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
1022 ms *
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
1573 ms * -54%
Huawei P8 lite
1986 ms * -94%
LG G4c
1036 ms * -1%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
979 ms * +4%
ZTE Blade S6
1213 ms * -19%
Kazam Tornado 348
2016 ms * -97%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
3038 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
3296 Points +8%
Huawei P8 lite
2483 Points -18%
LG G4c
3085 Points +2%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
3579 Points +18%
ZTE Blade S6
3655 Points +20%
Kazam Tornado 348
2695 Points -11%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
14074 ms *
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
11843 ms * +16%
Huawei P8 lite
15866 ms * -13%
LG G4c
14664 ms * -4%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
11448 ms * +19%
ZTE Blade S6
11668 ms * +17%
Kazam Tornado 348
14559 ms * -3%
Google V8 Ver. 7 - Google V8 Ver. 7 Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
2760 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
3125 Points +13%
Huawei P8 lite
2352 Points -15%
LG G4c
2795 Points +1%
ZTE Blade S6
3635 Points +32%
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
52 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
52 Points 0%
Huawei P8 lite
47 Points -10%
LG G4c
49 Points -6%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
18.42 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
20.83 Points +13%

Legend

 
Samsung Galaxy J5 Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916, Qualcomm Adreno 306, 8 GB eMMC Flash
 
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916, Qualcomm Adreno 306, 8 GB eMMC Flash
 
Huawei P8 lite HiSilicon Kirin 620, ARM Mali-450 MP4, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
LG G4c Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916, Qualcomm Adreno 306, 8 GB eMMC Flash
 
Acer Liquid Jade Z Mediatek MT6732, ARM Mali-T760 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
ZTE Blade S6 Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939, Qualcomm Adreno 405, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Kazam Tornado 348 Mediatek MT6592, ARM Mali-450 MP4, 16 GB eMMC Flash

* ... smaller is better

Transfer rates microSD-card
Transfer rates microSD-card

The benchmark results for the integrated eMMC storage are average within the comparison group. However, it is not the performance that is the problem here, but the low storage capacity. At least it can be expanded via microSD-cards and apps can be transferred to the memory card, so we also took a closer look at the performance of the SD-slot.

We use a Toshiba Exceria SD-CX32UHS1 and can determine decent 86 MB/s for sequential reading operations and 33 MB/s for sequential writing operations. The reading performance is also good with small files (4K) at 16 MB/s, only the writing result is very low at 0.11 MB/s. We had already noticed this behavior in the reviews of the current Tab S2 tablets from Samsung.

AndroBench 3-5
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
145.5 MB/s
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
131.4 MB/s -10%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
139.5 MB/s -4%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
112.9 MB/s -22%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
269 MB/s +85%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
128 MB/s -12%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
141 MB/s -3%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
39.4 MB/s
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
22.33 MB/s -43%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
52.8 MB/s +34%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
7.49 MB/s -81%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
39 MB/s -1%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
51 MB/s +29%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
46 MB/s +17%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
19.25 MB/s
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
22.79 MB/s +18%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
18.46 MB/s -4%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
10.49 MB/s -46%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
31 MB/s +61%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7.85 MB/s -59%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
17 MB/s -12%
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
7.2 MB/s
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
5.11 MB/s -29%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8.32 MB/s +16%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1.3 MB/s -82%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6.7 MB/s -7%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2.85 MB/s -60%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4.9 MB/s -32%
BaseMark OS II - Memory (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
399 Points
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
394 Points -1%
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
816 Points +105%
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
373 Points -7%
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
536 Points +34%
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
608 Points +52%
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
418 Points +5%

Games

The Samsung Galaxy J5 can run all games smoothly, but it might be necessary to reduce the settings in very complex games. For example, we had to reduce the details to the medium setting in “Asphalt 8” otherwise the game would stutter. Simpler games like “Fieldrunners 2” or “Angry Birds”, however, are no problem for the smartphone.

Both the sensors as well as the touchscreen were inconspicuous during the review. The speaker is located at the rear next to the camera, so you should ensure that the home button is on the left side when you play games (in landscape mode) to avoid a covered speaker.

Asphalt 8 stutters at the highest settings.
Asphalt 8 stutters at the highest settings.
There are no problems with Angry Birds.
There are no problems with Angry Birds.

Emissions

Temperature

The temperature development of the Samsung Galaxy J5 is never an issue. The average values are 31.2 and 30 °C (~88 and 86 °F) at the front and rear while idling. The upper part of the smartphone in particular gets warmer under load, but once again, the average result of ~35 °C (~95 °F) is not critical by any means.

As expected, throttling is not an issue for the Galaxy J5. The GFXBench Battery Test repeats the T-Rex Test thirty times and logs the temperatures as well as the performance. The fluctuation of the fps number is very low and we cannot determine a performance drop at the end of the test.

GFXBench: Battery Test
GFXBench: Battery Test
Max. Load
 38.3 °C
101 F
36.6 °C
98 F
32.7 °C
91 F
 
 38.2 °C
101 F
36.2 °C
97 F
32.9 °C
91 F
 
 37.1 °C
99 F
35.4 °C
96 F
32.6 °C
91 F
 
Maximum: 38.3 °C = 101 F
Average: 35.6 °C = 96 F
32.8 °C
91 F
37.4 °C
99 F
37.7 °C
100 F
33 °C
91 F
36.3 °C
97 F
35.8 °C
96 F
32.4 °C
90 F
32.1 °C
90 F
34.2 °C
94 F
Maximum: 37.7 °C = 100 F
Average: 34.6 °C = 94 F
Power Supply (max.)  38.4 °C = 101 F | Room Temperature 23.3 °C = 74 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.6 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 38.3 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 37.7 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 31.2 °C / 88 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speaker

We can find the mono speaker of the smartphone at the rear next to the camera. The position is not perfect, because the module is automatically covered when the smartphone is lying on its back. The maximum volume, however, is also low and hardly sufficient for a small room under perfect conditions. The sound is also heavily distorted when you crank it up. In general, it is focused on the high tones  and bass is completely missing. The result is sufficient for the occasional YouTube video, but you should use headphones or external speakers for a better sound experience. The provided headset is not really suitable for music playback.

The connection with our Bluetooth speaker (Denon Envaya Mini) was easy and there were no dropouts during the playback.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Our measurements show average results for power consumption, but our review unit usually consumes more power than the rivals while idling. The situation changes under load, where you can also notice the slightly lower clock of the SoC. The 5-watt power adaptor is just sufficient to cover the maximum consumption.

Our review unit consumes 0.1 watts during standby and no power at all when it is turned off.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.1 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.5 / 2.2 / 2.4 Watt
Load midlight 3.5 / 4.8 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 870
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Power Consumption
38%
-8%
34%
-25%
3%
Idle Minimum *
1.5
0.4
73%
1.4
7%
0.8
47%
1.6
-7%
1.4
7%
Idle Average *
2.2
1
55%
2.3
-5%
1.2
45%
2.5
-14%
1.8
18%
Idle Maximum *
2.4
1.2
50%
2.5
-4%
1.5
37%
2.8
-17%
2.2
8%
Load Average *
3.5
2.9
17%
3.9
-11%
3
14%
5.5
-57%
3.4
3%
Load Maximum *
4.8
5
-4%
6
-25%
3.6
25%
6.3
-31%
5.8
-21%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy J5 with a replaceable battery that has a generous capacity of 9.88 Wh. The results in our runtime tests are therefore good, despite the average consumption values.

The Galaxy J5 manages around 8 and 11 hours in our two realistic Wi-Fi and video scenarios with an adjusted brightness of 150 cd/m². These are very good results within our comparison group and only the Motorola Moto G is slightly better in both cases. You can notice the comparatively low maximum consumption under load, where we can determine almost 6 hours. The rivals cannot keep up with this result and fall behind by 25 up to 61%.

Once again, Samsung has energy-saving modes. They deactivate unnecessary functions to increase the runtime and the ultra-energy-saving mode even replaces the colors with a grayscale view.

The smartphone comes with a 5-Watt power adaptor, so it takes quite a while before the battery is charged. You will have to wait for more than 3.5 hours before the battery is fully charged (remaining capacity 0%) when the device is turned on.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
21h 32min
WiFi Websurfing
8h 15min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
10h 57min
Load (maximum brightness)
5h 50min
Samsung Galaxy J5
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
Huawei P8 lite
Mali-450 MP4, Kirin 620, 16 GB eMMC Flash
LG G4c
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
Acer Liquid Jade Z
Mali-T760 MP2, MT6732, 16 GB eMMC Flash
ZTE Blade S6
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Kazam Tornado 348
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Battery Runtime
-3%
-41%
-14%
-22%
-31%
-50%
Reader / Idle
1292
1364
6%
715
-45%
955
-26%
922
-29%
H.264
657
677
3%
369
-44%
709
8%
497
-24%
WiFi v1.3
495
526
6%
351
-29%
457
-8%
523
6%
432
-13%
302
-39%
Load
350
264
-25%
194
-45%
252
-28%
176
-50%
149
-57%
138
-61%

Pros

+ sturdy chassis
+ long battery runtimes
+ good Super-AMOLED screen
+ replaceable battery
+ microSD-slot
+ good GPS module
+ LTE

Cons

- very long charging time
- chassis completely made of plastic
- small internal storage
- bad speaker
- only 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
- no light sensor

Verdict

In Review: Samsung Galaxy J5. Test model courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.
In Review: Samsung Galaxy J5. Test model courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.

The second device from Samsung's Galaxy J series, the Galaxy J5, is a decent 5-inch smartphone. The highlight is the Super-AMOLED display. It only features the HD resolution, but can impress with rich colors, a great contrast and very good viewing angles. That Samsung uses the old chassis design does not necessarily have to be a disadvantage. Yes, it is completely made of polycarbonate, but the build quality is good and the manufacturer can return to old virtues like the replaceable battery as well as the storage expansion via microSD-card.

This leads us to the drawbacks of the review unit, because the limited storage capacity is certainly the biggest restriction. After the update of all preloaded apps, you can only use around 3.3 GB of the storage. Some apps can be transferred to the memory card, but you still have to keep an eye on the capacity. The camera leaves mixed impressions, because the actually decent sharpness is compromised by dark pictures. The additional photo light at the front, however, gets the job done. The performance of our review unit is usually at the bottom of the ranking, because some of the rivals are already equipped with faster components.

The Samsung Galaxy J5 is a decent mainstream smartphone, but it cannot stand out from the crowd. Some of the rivals are also more powerful.

Samsung Galaxy J5 - 01/26/2016 v4.1(old)
Andreas Osthoff

Chassis
80%
Keyboard
67 / 75 → 89%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
46 / 60 → 77%
Weight
93%
Battery
94%
Display
83%
Games Performance
54 / 63 → 86%
Application Performance
30 / 70 → 43%
Temperature
89%
Noise
100%
Audio
46 / 91 → 51%
Camera
58%
Average
71%
81%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Andreas Osthoff, 2015-10- 8 (Update: 2018-05-15)