The best alternatives to the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)

With the 2017 edition of the Galaxy J7 Samsung has done a good job on the case: The chassis is made of aluminium and is cut from one piece. The battery is now permanently installed though. In the previous version it could still be replaced. The 5.5-inch display is still in the classic 16:9 format, with wide margins at the top and bottom. In the reference field 
only the Huawei Mate 10 Lite offers the modern 2:1 format with narrow margins on all sides.

With a height of 8 millimeters (~0.3 in), the Galaxy J7 is in the mid-range when it comes to construction height. The remaining dimensions are relatively compact, but the difference in size compared to similar models is marginal. The Samsung Galaxy J7 is a fairly heavy duty smartphone. Even the massive Lenovo P2 with its huge battery is a few grams lighter.

In terms of housing quality, all comparable devices are at a high level, but the Lenovo P2 has two plastic covers on the back, which can break in the event of a fall and differ slightly in color. This is a light deduction; otherwise the metal casing is of high quality here as well. We like the slightly retracted camera of the Galaxy J7, which is protected against scratches due to its positioning.

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) Duos is the only device that offers dual SIM functionality that also allows the simultaneous use of a microSD card. For all comparison devices, you have to choose between the second SIM and microSD card for memory expansion, as they share a slot. They all come with a fingerprint reader. In the Samsung Galaxy J7 it also serves as a home button. With the devices from Motorola and Lenovo as well as the Huawei Mate 10 Lite the fingerprint reader can also be used for navigation via gestures.

It is great that the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) has an AMOLED display: bright colors and theoretically endless high contrasts create a vibrant image impression. In the reference field, only the Lenovo P2 offers an AMOLED display which brings with it a problem similar to the display of the Galaxy J7: Since there is no backlight, it is not possible to reduce the brightness of the display by reducing the illumination. This is why OLED displays use pulse width modification, i.e. they switch the display off and on again at high frequency to reduce the amount of light that penetrates the eye. That is not a problem in itself if it happens fast enough. The screen of the Galaxy J7 is activated and deactivated approximately 258 times per second, which could cause irritation for very sensitive users.

The resolution of 1920x1080 pixels is the standard that all devices in the comparison meet. The Huawei Mate 10 Lite has slightly more pixels on the long side to compensate for the different aspect ratio. The display of the Asus ZenFone 3 lights up the brightest, while all other displays have an average brightness of between 450 and 500 cd/m² . On the Galaxy J7, however, you have to activate the brightness sensor; otherwise the maximum brightness is noticeably lower. 

With only 16 GB of internal memory, the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) is almost stingy, while the competing devices from Huawei and Asus offer 64 GB of storage for a similar price. In terms of RAM, 3 GB is at least competitive, but even here there are many comparable devices that offer one GB more. The Galaxy J7 is equipped with an NFC chip, but there is still an older micro-USB port that at least supports USB-OTG. Only the Asus ZenFone 3 offers a USB-C connection in the reference field.

Apart from the Galaxy J7, you can also get a fast 802.11-ac-WLAN with the Lenovo P2 and Asus ZenFone 3, but otherwise you will not find it. The Huawei Mate 10 Lite cannot even handle the less busy 5 GHz network for Wi-Fi networks. Samsung's mid-range smartphones also excel in transmission speeds. LTE Cat. 6 is also not yet standard on all devices. The Nokia 6, for example, offers a lower LTE speed.  

In terms of performance, the Galaxy J7 is no longer fully competitive in its range: The Exynos 7870 is the same SoC used in the Galaxy J5 (2017) and is clearly inferior to a Snapdragon 625, as used in the Lenovo P2 or the Motorola Moto G5s Plus, for example. The Samsung Galaxy J7 often enough finishes last in graphics calculations. However, this is especially noticeable when you use elaborate apps or games. In everyday use the smartphone is very fast. The Galaxy J7 accesses an inserted microSD faster than the comparators, whereas the internal memory is much slower.

Now that the rechargeable battery is permanently installed, the capacity has improved: 3600 mAh is a statement that can only be surpassed by the Lenovo P2 with its huge 5100 mAh battery. Nevertheless, the device also has to surrender to the Motorola Moto G5s Plus, whose engineers have drawn a considerable amount of WLAN runtime from the smaller battery. Here the Huawei Mate 10 Lite is clearly falling behind. At 15:04 hours of battery life in the WLAN test, the Samsung Galaxy J7 certainly does not need to fear comparison. If you are rather economical, the Samsung Galaxy J7 should easily endure two working days.