Notebookcheck Logo

Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) Smartphone Review

A new member of the Galaxy family. The Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) impresses with its combination of solid hardware. The J6 (2018) packs a 5.6-inch super AMOLED HD + resolution display, two SIM slots and an octa-core CPU for 269 Euros RRP (~$313). Find out in this review whether the J6 (2018) is worth the money. Update: update released to improve connectivity.

The Samsung J6 (2018) is another addition to the plentiful Galaxy family. While the J6 (2018) has no direct predecessor, the entry-level device is practically a successor to the Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) in terms of features and performance. The J6 (2018) costs 269 Euros (~$313) at launch.

The highlight of the J6 (2018) is its 5.6-inch Super AMOLED 720p display. It is worth bearing in mind though that many similarly priced devices are equipped with 1080p displays. The J6 (2018) also has a fingerprint sensor and a 13 MP camera on the rear of the device and an 8 MP front-facing camera. Added to that is its octa-core Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa SoC, 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. The J6 (2018) ships with Android Oreo 8.0. The device even has dedicated microSD card and dual nano-SIM card slots too.

We have chosen to compare the J6 (2018) with the Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017), its spiritual predecessor, and with the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL, the Honor 7X, the Motorola Moto G6 Plus, the Nokia 6 (2018) and the Sony Xperia XA2. All our comparison devices cost around 300 Euros (~$350) and are equipped with equivalent hardware to the J6 (2018).

Update 8/6/18: Samsung has released a new update. Details can be found in the software section.

Samsung Galaxy J6 2018 (Galaxy J6 Series)
Processor
Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa 8 x 1.6 GHz, A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
3 GB 
Display
5.60 inch 18.5:9, 1480 x 720 pixel 294 PPI, Capacitive touchscreen, Super AMOLED, Super AMOLED, 16 M colours, glossy: yes
Storage
32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB 
, 23.2 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm jack, Card Reader: Up to 256 GB microSD cards, 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC, Sensors: Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Fingerprint sensor, Wi-Fi Direct, Samsung Smart Switch, USB OTG, VoLTE, VoWiFi
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.2, GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz. UMTS: AWS 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz. LTE Cat. 6: AWS, AWS-3, 700, 800, 850, 900, 1800, 1900, 2100, 2600 MHz. 300 Mb/s uplink, 50 MB/s downlink. Nano-SIM. SAR value: Head – 0.809 W/kg, Body – 1.568 W/kg, Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 8.2 x 149.3 x 70.2 ( = 0.32 x 5.88 x 2.76 in)
Battery
3000 mAh Lithium-Ion, Battery runtime (according to manufacturer): 76 h, Talk time 3G (according to manufacturer): 21 h
Operating System
Android 8.0 Oreo
Camera
Primary Camera: 13 MPix 13 MP, f/1.9, 28 mm, LED flash, Autofocus (AF), Photos in up to 4,128 x 3,096 at 4:3. Videos in up to 1080p at 30 FPS
Secondary Camera: 8 MPix 8 MP, f/1.9, LED flash, Videos in up to 1080p at 30 FPS
Additional features
Speakers: Mono speaker, Keyboard: Virtual keyboard, USB Type-A to Micro USB cable, modular 5V, 1A power supply, headphones, SIM tool, Quick start guide, 24 Months Warranty, fanless
Weight
154 g ( = 5.43 oz / 0.34 pounds), Power Supply: 50 g ( = 1.76 oz / 0.11 pounds)
Price
269 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The J6 (2018) has a plastic case, the workmanship of which is faultless; we could hardly bend our test device with repeated attempts. Plastic feels cheaper than the aluminum that Samsung used for the J5 (2017) though, so the J6 (2018) is a step down in that regard. The J6 (2018) is comfortable in the hand too thanks to its rounded back cover.

The fingerprint sensor is below the rear-facing camera, which is a change from its home button integration on the J5 (2017). The physical home button has been removed in favor of a higher screen-to-body ratio. The J6 (2018) uses the standard set of three onscreen buttons within the navigation bar instead.

The J6 (2018) has thinner top and bottom bezels than the J5 (2017). This means that the J6 (2018) has a 1480x720 resolution display, which is 200 pixels more on its Y axis than the 1280x720 resolution used on the J5 (2017).

The J6 (2018) feels slimmer and more elegant than its predecessor too thanks to it being 1 mm narrower and 3 mm taller.

The J6 (2018) is available black, gold, lavender and silver.

Size Comparison

160 mm / 6.3 inch 75.5 mm / 2.97 inch 8 mm / 0.315 inch 167 g0.3682 lbs156.5 mm / 6.16 inch 75.3 mm / 2.96 inch 7.6 mm / 0.2992 inch 165 g0.3638 lbs154 mm / 6.06 inch 74.8 mm / 2.94 inch 6.9 mm / 0.2717 inch 147 g0.3241 lbs149.3 mm / 5.88 inch 70.2 mm / 2.76 inch 8.2 mm / 0.3228 inch 154 g0.3395 lbs148.8 mm / 5.86 inch 75.8 mm / 2.98 inch 8.2 mm / 0.3228 inch 175 g0.3858 lbs146.2 mm / 5.76 inch 71.3 mm / 2.81 inch 8 mm / 0.315 inch 158 g0.3483 lbs142 mm / 5.59 inch 70 mm / 2.76 inch 9.7 mm / 0.3819 inch 171 g0.377 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

The J6 (2018) scores highly for being a dual-SIM device. Better still, the device has dedicated nano-SIM and microSD card slots. This means that there is no compromise between a second SIM and a microSD card as there is in some other dual-SIM devices. The J6 (2018) supports up to 256 GB microSD cards and can format them as internal storage. Samsung includes 15 GB of its cloud storage service too.

The J6 (2018) comes with 32 GB eMMC flash storage, of which 23.2 GB is usable with the remainder reserved for the OS and its ancillary services.

The first sign that we are dealing with an entry-level device is the Micro USB port. USB Type-C is fast becoming a standard in modern smartphones thanks to its reversibility and theoretically faster transfer speeds. The J6 (2018)’s Micro USB port is USB 2.0 and supports USB On-The-Go (OTG).

Left-hand side: volume rocker, SIM slot, SIM & microSD card slot
Left-hand side: volume rocker, SIM slot, SIM & microSD card slot
Right-hand side: power button, speaker
Right-hand side: power button, speaker
Top-side: no connections
Top-side: no connections
Underside: Micro USB 2.0 port, 3.5 mm jack
Underside: Micro USB 2.0 port, 3.5 mm jack

Software

The J6 (2018) ships with Android Oreo 8.0, on top of which Samsung adds its Experience 9.0 UI. Samsung makes no fundamental changes from stock Android, so most users will get accustomed to the device quickly.

Our test device came with Android security patch level May 1, 2018, which was around 10 weeks old at the time of testing.

Update 8/6/18: Samsung has released a 333 MB large OTA update which is supposed to improve GDPR compliance. In addition, the email client’s and Bluetooth connectivity stability have been improved. Google’s security patches have been updated and are now as of July 1st, 2018.

Communication & GPS

Broadly speaking, the J6 (2018) improved on the J5 (2017)’s mobile Internet capabilities, but it has taken a step backwards in terms of Wi-Fi performance.

Both devices use LTE Cat. 6, which supports a theoretical 300 Mb/s uplink along with features like VoLTE and VoWiFi. The J6 (2018) excels in its LTE support though, with its 11 LTE bands trumping the J5 (2017)’s seven. This degree of LTE support makes the J6 (2018) suitable for using outside of Europe, but the device cannot be considered a true globetrotter.

As mentioned above, the J6 (2018) has worse Wi-Fi capabilities and performance than its predecessor. Whereas the J5 (2017) supports IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, the J6 (2018) only supports b/g/n. In practical terms, this means that the J6 (2018) can only connect to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks, while the J5 (2017) can connect to both 2.4 and 5 GHz networks.

To make matters worse, the J6 (2018) finished last in our iperf3 Client Wi-Fi tests and is significantly slower than its predecessor. Our test device achieved a paltry 44.3 Mb/s in the iperf3 transmit test and 43.8 Mb/s in the iperf3 receive test, which is about a sixth of the speed that the J5 (2017) achieved.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Nokia 6 2018
Adreno 508, SD 630, 32 GB eMMC Flash
345 MBit/s +679%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
Adreno 508, SD 630, 64 GB eMMC Flash
311 MBit/s +602%
Sony Xperia XA2
Adreno 508, SD 630, 32 GB eMMC Flash
289 MBit/s +552%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
Mali-T830 MP1, 7870 Octa, 16 GB eMMC Flash
281 MBit/s +534%
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
Adreno 506, 625, 64 GB eMMC Flash
55.7 MBit/s +26%
Huawei Honor 7X
Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 659, 32 GB eMMC Flash
47 MBit/s +6%
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
Mali-T830 MP1, 7870 Octa, 32 GB eMMC Flash
44.3 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
376 MBit/s +758%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
Adreno 508, SD 630, 64 GB eMMC Flash
310 MBit/s +608%
Sony Xperia XA2
Adreno 508, SD 630, 32 GB eMMC Flash
309 MBit/s +605%
Nokia 6 2018
Adreno 508, SD 630, 32 GB eMMC Flash
289 MBit/s +560%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
Mali-T830 MP1, 7870 Octa, 16 GB eMMC Flash
278 MBit/s +535%
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
Adreno 506, 625, 64 GB eMMC Flash
53.7 MBit/s +23%
Huawei Honor 7X
Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 659, 32 GB eMMC Flash
46.4 MBit/s +6%
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
Mali-T830 MP1, 7870 Octa, 32 GB eMMC Flash
43.8 MBit/s
GPS test: outdoors
GPS test: outdoors
GPS test: inside
GPS test: inside

The J6 (2018) uses GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou for location services. Our test device took a few moments to fix a location irrespective of being inside or outside. GPS accuracy is marginally better outside than inside as you would expect, with our test device achieving a GPS accuracy of up to six meters outside and eight meters inside.

We took the J6 (2018) on a bike ride to test its location accuracy against a professional navigation device, the Garmin Edge 500. Our test device performed well, recording the course accurately and only deviating by 30 meters over a 9.25 km ride. Our test device even plotted our route more precisely in some instances than the Garmin, a feat that is particularly impressive given the former’s price. Overall, the J6 (2018) should be suitable for all general navigation tasks and even those where higher precision is required.

GPS test: Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) - Overview
GPS test: Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) - Overview
GPS test: Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) – Lake
GPS test: Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) – Lake
GPS test: Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) – Loop
GPS test: Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) – Loop
GPS test: Garmin Edge 500 – Overview
GPS test: Garmin Edge 500 – Overview
GPS test: Garmin Edge 500 – Lake
GPS test: Garmin Edge 500 – Lake
GPS test: Garmin Edge 500 – Loop
GPS test: Garmin Edge 500 – Loop

Telephone Function & Call Quality

The J6 (2018) is a dual-SIM device and supports assigning calls, data services and messages to specific SIM cards if necessary. The phone app is arranged by tabs for the keypad, recent calls and contacts.

Call quality is good for a device at this price with no dropouts or other such disturbances. There is no noise cancellation though, so we would recommend looking for a quiet place from which to make calls. This applies when making calls with the included headphones too, as these do not support noise cancellation either. The headphones included with our test device are EHS61ASFWE.

Cameras

Photo taken with the rear-facing camera
Photo taken with the rear-facing camera

The J6 (2018) has a 13 MP rear-facing camera and an 8 MP front-facing one. Notably, the J6 (2018) has a lower resolution front-facing camera than the J5 (2017), which has a 13 MP front-facing camera.

The 8 MP front-facing camera has an f/1.9 aperture and takes photos in up to 3264x2448 in 4:3 and 2560x1440 in 16:9. The stock camera app includes numerous effects like selfie-focus, which blurs the background of a shot to give a bokeh effect, a group selfie mode and sticker mode, which overlays stickers onto shots. The front-facing camera takes good photos in good light and is supported by a triple LED flash for when taking shots in low-light.

The camera also records video in up to 1080p at 30 FPS.

Photo taken with the front-facing camera
Photo taken with the front-facing camera

The 13 MP rear-facing camera also has an f/1.9 aperture, which is smaller than the f/1.7 aperture sensor used in the J5 (2017). In practical terms, this means that the sensor in the J6 (2018) lets in less light than its predecessor.

According to AIDA64, a camera diagnostic tool, the rear-facing camera sensor is the SLSI_25K3L2, which Samsung used in the Galaxy J5 (2016). In effect, Samsung is reusing old camera technology in the J6 (2018) and is not opting for the newer sensors that are used in the J5 (2017).

The rear-facing camera takes good photos in daylight conditions, as represented by scenes 1 and 2, but videos look washed out because of the camera’s limited dynamic range. Low-light conditions highlight the deficiencies of the relatively small aperture though, an example of which we have included as scene 3. The J6 (2018) can still capture some fine details, but the example image is poorly exposed and dominated by noise.

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

We then subjected the J6 (2018) to camera tests under controlled lighting conditions. During these tests, we photograph a test chart that simulates difficult details for cameras to accurately capture like fine lines or text against a colored background. We then use X-Rite ColorChecker Passport to check color image accuracy.

The J6 (2018) generally oversaturates colors like many other smartphones but still manages to be in line with the target color space. The J6 (2018) did a good job of reproducing our test chart, but the result is not uniformly sharp.


ColorChecker: The reference color is displayed in the lower half of each patch.
ColorChecker: The reference color is displayed in the lower half of each patch.
Test chart in detail
Test chart in detail
Photograph of our test chart
Photograph of our test chart

Accessories & Warranty

The J6 (2018) comes with a USB Type-A to Micro USB cable, a 5V/1A modular charger, a set of headphones, a SIM and a quick-start guide. Samsung does not currently offer any J6 (2018) specific accessories.

The J6 (2018) comes with a 24-month manufacturer warranty. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices & Operation

Our test device’s Super AMOLED display has a five-point multitouch touchscreen that responds accurately and precisely to inputs. The volume rocker and power button wiggle in their housings though, which feels cheap.

The fingerprint sensor and facial recognition unlock the device quickly and reliably. Your fingerprint can be used to authorize both Samsung Pass and the Secure Folder app, the latter of which can hide apps and content from third parties. Samsung Pass is much like other password managers and allows you to log in to websites and apps without inputting your credentials.

Samsung includes some other additional functionality too. Among these features are a one-handed mode, a camera quick-start button combination, a split-screen mode and the option to not only customize dual-SIM functionality but also to separate your professional and private life into two separate user accounts. The latter of these allows you to be logged into your personal Facebook account on one user account and your professional Facebook account on the other, for instance.

The preinstalled Samsung keyboard has text suggestions, text-to-speech and text shortcuts among other features too.

Using the keyboard in landscape mode
Using the keyboard in landscape mode
Using the keyboard in portrait mode
Using the keyboard in portrait mode

Display

Sub-pixel array
Sub-pixel array

The J6 (2018) has a 5.6-inch Super AMOLED display that has a 1480x720 native resolution and a pixel density of 294 PPI. Samsung markets the device as being equipped with an HD+ display. However, this just denotes the extra 200 pixels that the display has on its y-axis compared to traditional 720p displays with 16:9 aspect ratios that have a 1280x720 resolution. In short, this is just marketing. The J6 (2018) still has a 720p HD display.

This resolution is adequate for daily use but there are many devices that have sharper displays at a similar price. The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro, the Sony Xperia XA2 and the Nokia 6 (2018) all have 1920x1080 displays, while the Moto G6 Plus and the Honor 7X have even sharper 2160x1080 displays. Content will look crisper on these displays than on the J6 (2018), but potentially at the cost of battery life.

Our test device achieved an average maximum brightness of 294.1 cd/m² as recorded by X-Rite i1Pro2, with some areas of the display achieving 307 cd/m². Interestingly, when we repeated the test with APL50, which measures average maximum luminosity by uniformly distributing dark and light areas across the display, our test device achieved 535 cd/m². Our test device scored 445 cd/m² with the outdoor mode activated too.

The Galaxy J5 (2016), the Galaxy J6 (2018) and the Galaxy J5 (2017 from left to right.
The Galaxy J5 (2016), the Galaxy J6 (2018) and the Galaxy J5 (2017 from left to right.

There are two problems with the display though, the seriousness of which may vary from user to user. Firstly, the J6 (2018) uses pulse-width modulation (PWM) to regulate display brightness. We measure PWM at 245.1 Hz, which is a relatively low frequency. This frequency should be low enough so that even those who are PWM-sensitive do not feel any ill effects. We cannot guarantee this though, so some users could still potentially suffer from eye-strain and headaches when using the device.

Worse still in our opinion is the lack of a brightness sensor, which is practically standard for current smartphones. This means the J6 (2018) has no auto-brightness, so you only have the option to manually adjust brightness. This is an absurd decision for a device released in 2018 that costs almost 300 Euros (~$350).

284
cd/m²
290
cd/m²
299
cd/m²
285
cd/m²
296
cd/m²
307
cd/m²
285
cd/m²
294
cd/m²
307
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 307 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 294.1 cd/m² Minimum: 4.1 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 296 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.8 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 1.9 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
96.3% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.09
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
Super AMOLED, 1480x720, 5.60
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
AMOLED, 1920x1080, 5.50
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
IPS, 2160x1080, 5.90
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
Super AMOLED, 1280x720, 5.20
Sony Xperia XA2
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.20
Huawei Honor 7X
IPS, 2160x1080, 5.93
Nokia 6 2018
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.50
Screen
-46%
61%
20%
-44%
14%
-55%
Brightness middle
296
456
54%
761
157%
448
51%
513
73%
533.2
80%
417
41%
Brightness
294
455
55%
723
146%
451
53%
506
72%
511
74%
421
43%
Brightness Distribution
93
85
-9%
90
-3%
91
-2%
93
0%
88
-5%
88
-5%
Black Level *
0.69
0.42
0.35
0.61
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
2.8
5.6
-100%
2.4
14%
2.7
4%
5
-79%
2.83
-1%
6.1
-118%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
9.8
11.1
-13%
5.2
47%
9.8
-0%
11.4
-16%
6.72
31%
11.2
-14%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
1.9
6.9
-263%
1.8
5%
1.6
16%
7.8
-311%
3.7
-95%
7.1
-274%
Gamma
2.09 105%
2.3 96%
2.21 100%
2.06 107%
2.2 100%
1.9 116%
2.16 102%
CCT
6398 102%
7883 82%
6312 103%
6557 99%
7964 82%
6918 94%
8362 78%
Contrast
1103
1221
1523
684

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 245.1 Hz

The display backlight flickers at 245.1 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) .

The frequency of 245.1 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

AMOLED and OLED displays can individually turn off pixels, which gives the J6 (2018) a perfect black value and a theoretically infinite contrast ratio. Devices with IPS LCD displays cannot compete in this regard.

The J6 (2018) does a great job in other areas of color accuracy and fidelity too. Our test device has 93% brightness uniformity, which equals the best of our comparison devices. Likewise, DeltaE deviations are better than the ideal value of three when using either the AMOLED Photo or AMOLED Cinema screen modes. Moreover, the color temperature is practically ideal at 6,400 K.

The Simple screen mode is closest to optimal values, while the standard Adaptive mode has slightly larger deviations from the target colour space. These deviations are hardly perceptible to the naked eye though.

CalMAN: Color Fidelity – Screen mode: Adaptive, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Fidelity – Screen mode: Adaptive, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Space – Screen mode: Adaptive, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Space – Screen mode: Adaptive, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Grayscale – Screen mode: Adaptive, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Grayscale – Screen mode: Adaptive, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Saturation – Screen mode: Adaptive, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Saturation – Screen mode: Adaptive, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Fidelity – Screen mode: Simple, sRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Fidelity – Screen mode: Simple, sRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Space – Screen mode: Simple, sRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Space – Screen mode: Simple, sRGB target color space
CalMAN: Grayscale – Screen mode: Simple, sRGB target color space
CalMAN: Grayscale – Screen mode: Simple, sRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Saturation – Screen mode: Simple, sRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Saturation – Screen mode: Simple, sRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Fidelity – Screen mode: AMOLED photo, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Fidelity – Screen mode: AMOLED photo, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Space – Screen mode: AMOLED photo, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Space – Screen mode: AMOLED photo, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Grayscale – Screen mode: AMOLED photo, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Grayscale – Screen mode: AMOLED photo, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Saturation – Screen mode: AMOLED photo, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Saturation – Screen mode: AMOLED photo, AdobeRGB target color space
CalMAN: Color Fidelity – Screen mode: AMOLED cinema, P3 target color space
CalMAN: Color Fidelity – Screen mode: AMOLED cinema, P3 target color space
CalMAN: Color Space – Screen mode: AMOLED cinema, P3 target color space
CalMAN: Color Space – Screen mode: AMOLED cinema, P3 target color space
CalMAN: Grayscale – Screen mode: AMOLED cinema, P3 target color space
CalMAN: Grayscale – Screen mode: AMOLED cinema, P3 target color space
CalMAN: Color Saturation – Screen mode: AMOLED cinema, P3 target color space
CalMAN: Color Saturation – Screen mode: AMOLED cinema, P3 target color space

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 2 ms rise
↘ 2 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 10 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
4.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 2.4 ms rise
↘ 2.4 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 11 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

The J6 (2018) is well suited for outdoor use thanks to its Super AMOLED and bright display. You will still struggle with reflections in bright sunlight though because of the display’s glossy finish.

Our test device has strong viewing angles too, with only minimal losses in brightness and color fidelity at acute angles. This is typical of OLED displays though.

Using the Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) outside
Using the Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) outside
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

The J6 (2018) and the J5 (2017) share the same Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa SoC. The Exynos 7870 integrates an octa-core ARM Cortex-A53 that is manufactured using 14 nm FinFET technology. There is an ARM Mali-T830 MP1 GPU too. The J6 (2018) has 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage, which is 1 GB more RAM and 16 GB more internal storage than its predecessor.

The J6 (2018) is powerful enough for daily use, but we did notice some small delays immediately after booting or when switching between apps. Our test device cannot compete with many of our comparison devices in benchmarks, but it always edges out the J5 (2017).

AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
47274 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
66045 Points +40%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
71635 Points +52%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
45613 Points -4%
Sony Xperia XA2
71552 Points +51%
Huawei Honor 7X
62810 Points +33%
Nokia 6 2018
72580 Points +54%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (44191 - 47339, n=8)
45944 Points -3%
AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
62758 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
81789 Points +30%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
90347 Points +44%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
61825 Points -1%
Sony Xperia XA2
89228 Points +42%
Huawei Honor 7X
81992 Points +31%
Nokia 6 2018
90435 Points +44%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (61794 - 62758, n=4)
62047 Points -1%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
4731 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
7846 Points +66%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
5712 Points +21%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
5006 Points +6%
Sony Xperia XA2
5844 Points +24%
Huawei Honor 7X
6213 Points +31%
Nokia 6 2018
5484 Points +16%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (3691 - 5006, n=8)
4746 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (10884 - 19297, n=2, last 2 years)
15091 Points +219%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
3833 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
5558 Points +45%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
4875 Points +27%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
3889 Points +1%
Sony Xperia XA2
5006 Points +31%
Huawei Honor 7X
4859 Points +27%
Nokia 6 2018
4719 Points +23%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (3722 - 3889, n=6)
3800 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (9101 - 12871, n=4, last 2 years)
10872 Points +184%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
1004 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
1323 Points +32%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
1535 Points +53%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
1022 Points +2%
Sony Xperia XA2
1563 Points +56%
Huawei Honor 7X
1334 Points +33%
Nokia 6 2018
1504 Points +50%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (353 - 1022, n=8)
920 Points -8%
Average of class Smartphone (411 - 11438, n=158, last 2 years)
5704 Points +468%
System (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
2208 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
3261 Points +48%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
3249 Points +47%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
2218 Points 0%
Sony Xperia XA2
3256 Points +47%
Huawei Honor 7X
2899 Points +31%
Nokia 6 2018
3237 Points +47%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (2127 - 2368, n=8)
2236 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (2376 - 16475, n=158, last 2 years)
9621 Points +336%
Memory (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
1086 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
1108 Points +2%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
1213 Points +12%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
1249 Points +15%
Sony Xperia XA2
1328 Points +22%
Huawei Honor 7X
1788 Points +65%
Nokia 6 2018
1161 Points +7%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (1086 - 1362, n=8)
1231 Points +13%
Average of class Smartphone (670 - 12306, n=158, last 2 years)
6230 Points +474%
Graphics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
534 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
1026 Points +92%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
1523 Points +185%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
534 Points 0%
Sony Xperia XA2
1500 Points +181%
Huawei Honor 7X
845 Points +58%
Nokia 6 2018
1520 Points +185%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (511 - 534, n=8)
527 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (697 - 58651, n=158, last 2 years)
13900 Points +2503%
Web (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
795 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
828 Points +4%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
925 Points +16%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
737 Points -7%
Sony Xperia XA2
921 Points +16%
Huawei Honor 7X
724 Points -9%
Nokia 6 2018
895 Points +13%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (10 - 795, n=8)
618 Points -22%
Average of class Smartphone (10 - 2145, n=158, last 2 years)
1487 Points +87%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
732 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
875 Points +20%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
822 Points +12%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
732 Points 0%
Sony Xperia XA2
865 Points +18%
Huawei Honor 7X
869 Points +19%
Nokia 6 2018
883 Points +21%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (726 - 736, n=5)
732 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (800 - 9574, n=90, last 2 years)
5063 Points +592%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
3709 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
4320 Points +16%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
4011 Points +8%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
3704 Points 0%
Sony Xperia XA2
4170 Points +12%
Huawei Honor 7X
3342 Points -10%
Nokia 6 2018
4210 Points +14%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (3704 - 3777, n=5)
3728 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (2630 - 26990, n=90, last 2 years)
13549 Points +265%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
3186 Points
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
3763 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
2332 Points
Huawei Honor 7X
2772 Points
Nokia 6 2018
3690 Points
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (2332 - 2371, n=3)
2357 Points
Average of class Smartphone (2053 - 18432, n=70, last 2 years)
10590 Points
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
7771 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
14003 Points +80%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
16818 Points +116%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
8227 Points +6%
Sony Xperia XA2
16974 Points +118%
Huawei Honor 7X
10882 Points +40%
Nokia 6 2018
17030 Points +119%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (5537 - 8550, n=8)
7787 Points 0%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
7007 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
13491 Points +93%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
18449 Points +163%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
7484 Points +7%
Sony Xperia XA2
18534 Points +165%
Huawei Honor 7X
10332 Points +47%
Nokia 6 2018
18572 Points +165%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (5376 - 7793, n=8)
7092 Points +1%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
12566 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
16146 Points +28%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
12845 Points +2%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
12605 Points 0%
Sony Xperia XA2
13112 Points +4%
Huawei Honor 7X
13372 Points +6%
Nokia 6 2018
13196 Points +5%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (6184 - 12955, n=8)
11907 Points -5%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
301 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
870 Points +189%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
1348 Points +348%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
340 Points +13%
Sony Xperia XA2
1334 Points +343%
Huawei Honor 7X
622 Points +107%
Nokia 6 2018
1332 Points +343%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (301 - 490, n=8)
402 Points +34%
Average of class Smartphone (712 - 7285, n=52, last 2 years)
3495 Points +1061%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
244 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
743 Points +205%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
1258 Points +416%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
277 Points +14%
Sony Xperia XA2
1251 Points +413%
Huawei Honor 7X
528 Points +116%
Nokia 6 2018
1249 Points +412%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (244 - 407, n=8)
331 Points +36%
Average of class Smartphone (618 - 9451, n=52, last 2 years)
3845 Points +1476%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
1694 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
2157 Points +27%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
1802 Points +6%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
1685 Points -1%
Sony Xperia XA2
1737 Points +3%
Huawei Honor 7X
1656 Points -2%
Nokia 6 2018
1733 Points +2%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (1522 - 1705, n=8)
1648 Points -3%
Average of class Smartphone (1093 - 4525, n=52, last 2 years)
2989 Points +76%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
251 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
467 Points +86%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
833 Points +232%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
231 Points -8%
Sony Xperia XA2
811 Points +223%
Huawei Honor 7X
409 Points +63%
Nokia 6 2018
814 Points +224%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (231 - 312, n=8)
274 Points +9%
Average of class Smartphone (286 - 7890, n=102, last 2 years)
2665 Points +962%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
202 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
381 Points +89%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
721 Points +257%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
185 Points -8%
Sony Xperia XA2
709 Points +251%
Huawei Honor 7X
338 Points +67%
Nokia 6 2018
707 Points +250%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (185 - 253, n=8)
221 Points +9%
Average of class Smartphone (240 - 9814, n=102, last 2 years)
2655 Points +1214%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
1735 Points
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
2177 Points +25%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
1822 Points +5%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
1727 Points 0%
Sony Xperia XA2
1631 Points -6%
Huawei Honor 7X
1553 Points -10%
Nokia 6 2018
1738 Points 0%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (1522 - 1735, n=8)
1676 Points -3%
Average of class Smartphone (858 - 4679, n=102, last 2 years)
3119 Points +80%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
19 fps
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
22 fps +16%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
28 fps +47%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
20 fps +5%
Sony Xperia XA2
31 fps +63%
Huawei Honor 7X
18 fps -5%
Nokia 6 2018
31 fps +63%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (11 - 20, n=8)
17.3 fps -9%
Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=178, last 2 years)
83 fps +337%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
12 fps
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
23 fps +92%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
30 fps +150%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
12 fps 0%
Sony Xperia XA2
30 fps +150%
Huawei Honor 7X
19 fps +58%
Nokia 6 2018
30 fps +150%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (12 - 12, n=8)
12 fps 0%
Average of class Smartphone (19 - 791, n=178, last 2 years)
244 fps +1933%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
10 fps
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
9.5 fps -5%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
13 fps +30%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
10 fps 0%
Sony Xperia XA2
15 fps +50%
Huawei Honor 7X
7.9 fps -21%
Nokia 6 2018
15 fps +50%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (4.5 - 10, n=8)
8.5 fps -15%
Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 165, n=179, last 2 years)
71 fps +610%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
5.4 fps
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
9.9 fps +83%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
14 fps +159%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
5.1 fps -6%
Sony Xperia XA2
14 fps +159%
Huawei Honor 7X
8 fps +48%
Nokia 6 2018
14 fps +159%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (4.9 - 5.4, n=8)
5.11 fps -5%
Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 363, n=179, last 2 years)
138 fps +2456%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
6.9 fps
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
6.5 fps -6%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
9.4 fps +36%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
7.4 fps +7%
Sony Xperia XA2
10 fps +45%
Huawei Honor 7X
4.5 fps -35%
Nokia 6 2018
10 fps +45%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (2.8 - 7.4, n=8)
6.05 fps -12%
Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 158, n=179, last 2 years)
59.9 fps +768%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
3.2 fps
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
6.4 fps +100%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
9.8 fps +206%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
3.2 fps 0%
Sony Xperia XA2
9.7 fps +203%
Huawei Honor 7X
4.7 fps +47%
Nokia 6 2018
9.8 fps +206%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (1.7 - 3.3, n=8)
3.03 fps -5%
Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 279, n=179, last 2 years)
96.7 fps +2922%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
4 fps
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
3.5 fps -12%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
5.3 fps +33%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
3.7 fps -7%
Sony Xperia XA2
6 fps +50%
Huawei Honor 7X
2.9 fps -27%
Nokia 6 2018
5.9 fps +48%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (1.7 - 4, n=8)
3.31 fps -17%
Average of class Smartphone (5 - 117, n=179, last 2 years)
42.9 fps +973%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
2 fps
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
3.5 fps +75%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
5.6 fps +180%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
1.9 fps -5%
Sony Xperia XA2
5.5 fps +175%
Huawei Honor 7X
2.9 fps +45%
Nokia 6 2018
5.6 fps +180%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (1.8 - 2, n=8)
1.913 fps -4%
Average of class Smartphone (2.9 - 166, n=179, last 2 years)
58.6 fps +2830%

Legend

 
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018 Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa, ARM Mali-T830 MP1, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, Qualcomm Adreno 506, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
Motorola Moto G6 Plus Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, Qualcomm Adreno 508, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa, ARM Mali-T830 MP1, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Sony Xperia XA2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, Qualcomm Adreno 508, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Huawei Honor 7X HiSilicon Kirin 659, ARM Mali-T830 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Nokia 6 2018 Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, Qualcomm Adreno 508, 32 GB eMMC Flash

Web-browsing feels snappy on our test device, which is something that browser benchmarks confirm. The J6 (2018) finishes near the bottom of our comparison devices in these benchmarks and is even beaten by the J5 (2017) in WebXPRT.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (66.1 - 414, n=3, last 2 years)
194.9 Points +839%
Huawei Honor 7X (Chrome 63.0.3239.111)
31.3 Points +51%
Nokia 6 2018 (Browser: Chrome 65)
28.17 Points +36%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus (Chrome 66)
27.97 Points +35%
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL (Chrome 64)
27.56 Points +33%
Sony Xperia XA2 (Chrome 65.0.3325.109)
27.37 Points +32%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos (Samsung Browser 5.4)
26.37 Points +27%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (20.8 - 26.4, n=8)
23.9 Points +15%
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018 (Chrome 67.0.3396.87)
20.75 Points
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=202, last 2 years)
33525 Points +801%
Huawei Honor 7X (Chrome 63.0.3239.111)
5302 Points +42%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus (Chrome 66)
5011 Points +35%
Nokia 6 2018 (Browser: Chrome 65)
4993 Points +34%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos (Samsung Browser 5.4)
4968 Points +34%
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL (Chrome 64)
4786 Points +29%
Sony Xperia XA2 (Chrome 65.0.3325.109)
4771 Points +28%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (3721 - 4968, n=8)
4164 Points +12%
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018 (Chrome 67.0.3396.87)
3721 Points
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018 (Chrome 67.0.3396.87)
11916 ms *
Sony Xperia XA2 (Chrome 65.0.3325.109)
10236 ms * +14%
Nokia 6 2018 (Browser: Chrome 65)
9923 ms * +17%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus (Chrome 66)
9797 ms * +18%
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL (Chrome 64)
9564 ms * +20%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (6784 - 11916, n=8)
9156 ms * +23%
Huawei Honor 7X (Chrome 63.0.3239.111)
8684 ms * +27%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos (Samsung Browser 5.4)
6784 ms * +43%
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=165, last 2 years)
1653 ms * +86%
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall
Nokia 6 2018
117 Points +29%
Huawei Honor 7X (Chrome 63.0.3239.111)
111 Points +22%
Motorola Moto G6 Plus (Chrome 66)
108 Points +19%
Sony Xperia XA2 (Chrome 65.0.3325.109)
106 Points +16%
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018 (Chrome 67.0.3396.87)
91 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos (Samsung Browser 5.4)
80 Points -12%
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa (64 - 91, n=8)
74.6 Points -18%

* ... smaller is better

The J6 (2018) has 32 GB of eMMC flash storage, which is typical for a device at this price. Our test device struggles here too and is at the bottom of the pile with the J5 (2017) for company. The Moto G6 Plus is particularly fast in this regard.

Our test device holds its own in the microSD portion of AndroBench 3-5 though. We test all our devices with a Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSD card where possible, the theoretical read and writes speeds of which are 270 MB/s and 150 MB/s respectively. The J6 (2018) scored an average of 81.8 MB/s sequential read and 65.9 MB/s sequential write speeds. These are nowhere near the card’s theoretical speeds, but they do put the J6 (2018) ahead of many of our comparison devices.

Samsung Galaxy J6 2018Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KLMotorola Moto G6 PlusSamsung Galaxy J5 (2017) DuosSony Xperia XA2Huawei Honor 7XNokia 6 2018Average 32 GB eMMC FlashAverage of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5
19%
112%
-21%
22%
38%
19%
21%
1104%
Sequential Read 256KB
206.5
269.3
30%
286.6
39%
204.4
-1%
271.5
31%
265.3
28%
272.6
32%
242 ?(25.8 - 452, n=247)
17%
1467 ?(215 - 4512, n=210, last 2 years)
610%
Sequential Write 256KB
100.5
139.5
39%
216.1
115%
52
-48%
127.4
27%
127.9
27%
118.3
18%
100.5 ?(14.8 - 196, n=247)
0%
1077 ?(57.5 - 3678, n=210, last 2 years)
972%
Random Read 4KB
27.05
36.8
36%
58.4
116%
24.07
-11%
43.07
59%
81.4
201%
38.78
43%
43.2 ?(3.59 - 117.2, n=247)
60%
241 ?(22.2 - 543, n=210, last 2 years)
791%
Random Write 4KB
12.37
12
-3%
62.8
408%
9.9
-20%
13.82
12%
20.24
64%
15.3
24%
22.4 ?(0.75 - 91, n=247)
81%
265 ?(13 - 709, n=210, last 2 years)
2042%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
81.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
83.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
3%
83.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
2%
72.2 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
-12%
86 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
5%
52.7
-36%
83.4 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
2%
71.8 ?(8.2 - 96.5, n=178)
-12%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
65.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
72.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
10%
62.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-6%
44.21 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
-33%
64.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-2%
30.55
-54%
61.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-7%
52.9 ?(3.4 - 87.1, n=178)
-20%

Games

Graphics are handled by an ARM Mali-T830 MP1 GPU. Less graphically demanding games like Dead Trigger 2 play smoothly at maximum graphics. However, more complex titles like PUGB Mobile show the J6 (2018)'s graphical limitations. Our test device averaged 26 FPS on the “Liquid” preset, but it only managed 10 FPS on the “Balanced” preset; this is unplayable.

Dead Trigger 2
Dead Trigger 2
PUBG Mobile
PUBG Mobile
PUBG Mobile
 SettingsValue
 Balanced10 fps
  Your browser does not support the canvas element!
Dead Trigger 2
 SettingsValue
 high60 fps

Emissions

Temperature

GFXBench Battery Test: T-Rex
GFXBench Battery Test: T-Rex

The J6 (2018) is a relatively cool device, even under load. After one hour of stress testing, surface temperatures reach 34.8 °C on the back of the device and a maximum of 32.9 °C on the front. Our test device averages around 26 °C at idle too.

What’s more, the J6 (2018) manages heat well internally too. Our test device experienced no thermal throttling during our stress tests and maintained a consistent frame rate during the GFXBench battery test in which the T-Rex and Manhattan benchmarks are rendered 30 times on a loop.

Max. Load
 31.7 °C
89 F
31.5 °C
89 F
30.2 °C
86 F
 
 32.6 °C
91 F
32.9 °C
91 F
31.6 °C
89 F
 
 32.9 °C
91 F
31.8 °C
89 F
31.5 °C
89 F
 
Maximum: 32.9 °C = 91 F
Average: 31.9 °C = 89 F
30.2 °C
86 F
31.1 °C
88 F
30.9 °C
88 F
29.8 °C
86 F
30.8 °C
87 F
33.6 °C
92 F
29.2 °C
85 F
32.7 °C
91 F
34.8 °C
95 F
Maximum: 34.8 °C = 95 F
Average: 31.5 °C = 89 F
Power Supply (max.)  27.6 °C = 82 F | Room Temperature 21.5 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.9 °C / 89 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 32.9 °C / 91 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 34.8 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.9 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Heat-map of the front of the device under load
Heat-map of the front of the device under load
Heat-map of the rear of the device under load
Heat-map of the rear of the device under load

Speakers

Speaker characteristics
Speaker characteristics

The speaker is on the right-hand side of the device, the positioning of which makes it hard to obscure the speaker when holding the device in landscape mode.

The speaker in our test device reaches a maximum of 83.9 dB(A), which is marginally quieter than the J5 (2017). Sound quality is good for a device at this price, with voices sounding particularly clear and no noticeable distortion at maximum volume. Bass tones are lacking, but this is to be expected from most smartphone speakers.

Audio playback sounds much better when listening with the included headphones, but the sound quality occasionally sounds dull compared to other headphones.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2033.933.72528.433.63136.129.34030.933.75030.6336322.226.78024.923.510024.430.612523.542.316020.341.820019.840.725018.244.531517.449.940016.656.650017.15963015.962.980015.966.2100015.966.9125016.765.416001670.7200015.973.1250016.272.2315016.478.640001772.1500016.567630016.468.7800016.670.4100001773.21250016.566.91600016.953.7SPL28.683.9N1.154median 16.6median 66.2Delta0.99.731.63225.438.425.33432.93033.629.631.628.528.429.32731.820.834.92243.421.349.120.855.521.260.719.463.719.567.417.770.217.971.417.868.917.37017.472.616.775.117.277.418.278.117.981.417.676.717.775.417.874.517.970.518.161.818.258.43086.81.370median 17.9median 701.48.535.239.232.937.437.23831.739.839.639.928.335.727.32926.931.726.732.42441.620.948.920.95419.554.718.563.317.564.717.567.315.768.315.873.616.675.215.873.815.472.415.570.21671.715.8771677.516.378.316.372.816.276.216.471.116.460.528.686.31.167median 16.4median 70.22.28.8hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseSamsung Galaxy J6 2018Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) DuosMotorola Moto G6 Plus
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.1% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.6% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 33% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 59% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 53% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 39% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.2% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 16% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 75% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 38% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 55% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Motorola Moto G6 Plus audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 26.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.6% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 15% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 76% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 37% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 55% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Battery Life

Power Consumption

The J6 (2018) is a power-efficient device, with our test device consuming an average of 1.51 W at idle and 4.21 W under load. However, it cannot compete with the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro or the J5 (2017), which are 30 and 39% more power-efficient than the J6 (2018), respectively. Only the Honor 7X consumes more power than the J6 (2018) out of our comparison devices.

The J6 (2018) has no quick-charge functionality. Unfortunately, this means that the included 5V/1A power supply takes almost three hours to fully recharge the device’s 3,000 mAh battery.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.01 / 0.16 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.85 / 1.51 / 1.57 Watt
Load midlight 4.21 / 5.88 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
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 J6 2018
3000 mAh
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
3000 mAh
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
3200 mAh
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
3000 mAh
Sony Xperia XA2
3300 mAh
Huawei Honor 7X
3340 mAh
Nokia 6 2018
3000 mAh
Average Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa
 
Average of class Smartphone
 
Power Consumption
30%
9%
39%
17%
-28%
9%
3%
-16%
Idle Minimum *
0.85
0.58
32%
0.5
41%
0.52
39%
0.39
54%
1.02
-20%
0.67
21%
0.71 ?(0.37 - 1.18, n=8)
16%
0.891 ?(0.42 - 2.37, n=157, last 2 years)
-5%
Idle Average *
1.51
1.31
13%
1.78
-18%
1.17
23%
1.61
-7%
2.46
-63%
1.76
-17%
1.909 ?(0.78 - 4.65, n=8)
-26%
1.448 ?(0.69 - 4.26, n=157, last 2 years)
4%
Idle Maximum *
1.57
1.33
15%
1.81
-15%
1.24
21%
1.62
-3%
2.51
-60%
1.78
-13%
1.995 ?(0.84 - 4.74, n=8)
-27%
1.63 ?(0.79 - 4.45, n=157, last 2 years)
-4%
Load Average *
4.21
1.88
55%
3.3
22%
1.66
61%
3.12
26%
4.16
1%
2.82
33%
3.02 ?(1.52 - 5.75, n=8)
28%
5.57 ?(2.4 - 16.5, n=157, last 2 years)
-32%
Load Maximum *
5.88
3.8
35%
5.14
13%
2.94
50%
4.92
16%
5.87
-0%
4.56
22%
4.42 ?(2.75 - 6.97, n=8)
25%
8.27 ?(4.32 - 20.8, n=157, last 2 years)
-41%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The J6 (2018) has impressively good battery life, but many of our comparison devices have longer runtimes. Our test device lasted nearly five hours under load but lasted almost 12 hours in our Wi-Fi battery life test in which we run a script that simulates the load required to render websites. Our test device lasted over 14 hours when playing an H.264 video. Overall, the J6 (2018) lasted longer than the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro and the Honor 7X, but it could not match our other comparison devices, including its predecessor.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
24h 55min
WiFi Websurfing
11h 48min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
14h 29min
Load (maximum brightness)
4h 57min
Samsung Galaxy J6 2018
3000 mAh
Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro ZD552KL
3000 mAh
Motorola Moto G6 Plus
3200 mAh
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
3000 mAh
Sony Xperia XA2
3300 mAh
Huawei Honor 7X
3340 mAh
Nokia 6 2018
3000 mAh
Battery Runtime
-8%
5%
17%
20%
-22%
14%
Reader / Idle
1495
1846
23%
1564
5%
2503
67%
1111
-26%
1833
23%
H.264
869
542
-38%
917
6%
766
-12%
675
-22%
WiFi v1.3
708
654
-8%
702
-1%
738
4%
886
25%
664
-6%
942
33%
Load
297
404
36%
449
51%
298
0%
199
-33%
362
22%

Pros

+ high-quality workmanship
+ dual-SIM
+ microSD card support
+ Android Oreo 8.0
+ LTE Cat. 6
+ support for many frequency bands
+ precise GPS module
+ good fingerprint sensor
+ bright display
+ accurate color reproduction
+ impressive battery life

Cons

- plastic case
- no Full HD resolution
- Micro USB instead of USB Type-C
- no brightness sensor
- PWM display flicker
- slow Wi-Fi
- not all games run smoothly
- no quick charging

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) in review.
The Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) in review.

The Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) is a good entry-level smartphone that is lacking in some crucial areas. Samsung relies too heavily on the weight of its Galaxy J series, to the extent that we recommend last year’s Galaxy J5 (2017) over the J6 (2018).

The Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) is a good entry-level smartphone, but do not rush out to buy it; last year’s Galaxy J5 (2017) offers more features at half the cost.

There are many areas in which the J6 (2018) is more deficient than in its effective predecessor. While the case is well-crafted, it is made of plastic rather than the aluminum that Samsung used in the J5 (2017). Moreover, Samsung has removed 5 GHz Wi-Fi connectivity between generations, ditched auto brightness and used camera sensors from the J5 (2016). All these missteps hamper the J6 (2018) in daily use compared to its predecessor.

These issues make other decisions like the choice of SoC, the lack of USB Type-C, no fast charging and a 720p display more frustrating when considering what the competition now offers.

The J6 (2018) does some things well though. The device has dedicated microSD and dual nano-SIM card slots and a wealth of LTE coverage; significantly more so than the J5 (2017). Likewise, the J6 (2018) ships with Android Oreo 8.0 and has a precise GPS module. Finally, the device has good battery life, and its Super AMOLED display is both bright and color accurate.

Samsung Galaxy J6 2018 - 07/20/2018 v6(old)
Manuel Masiero

Chassis
84%
Keyboard
67 / 75 → 89%
Pointing Device
86%
Connectivity
34 / 60 → 57%
Weight
92%
Battery
95%
Display
85%
Games Performance
14 / 63 → 22%
Application Performance
45 / 70 → 64%
Temperature
94%
Noise
100%
Audio
69 / 91 → 76%
Camera
65%
Average
72%
82%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

Read all 2 comments / answer
static version load dynamic
Loading Comments
Comment on this article
Please share our article, every link counts!
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) Smartphone Review
Manuel Masiero, 2018-07-24 (Update: 2019-03- 9)