Samsung Galaxy J6 Review

The constant in the Indian handset segment over the years has been Samsung. The last five years saw local manufacturers like Micromax, Intex, and Lava fade into obscurity as they failed to meet the challenge put forth by their Chinese rivals, but Samsung has weathered the storm unscathed.

Sure, the South Korean manufacturer is no longer India's top smartphone brand, but its market share is still holding steady at 31% — Xiaomi had to steal market share away from other players to get to 34%. Things haven't changed much for Samsung either; whereas everyone else is pushing the barrier for value in the budget segment, Samsung is content rolling out underwhelming devices in the Galaxy J series year in, year out.

Take for instance the latest entrant in the series, the Galaxy J6. The device shares a similar design aesthetic as its predecessors, and while there's a new 18.5:9 panel up front, the rest of the hardware seems derivative. That would automatically make any other device a flop in this highly competitive segment, but it looks like Samsung is the one manufacturer that can get away with launching lackluster devices and still manage to rake in millions of sales.

On the subject of sales, the Galaxy On6 is identical to the Galaxy J6, with the only difference being that the former is sold online while the latter is primarily targeted at the offline segment. It's baffling that Samsung felt the need to create a new name for an existing product just to list it online, but this isn't the first time the company has done so. As we'll see later on, it's not just the name that's being recycled here.

Samsung Galaxy J6 price and availability

Samsung's new budget smartphone comes in two variants. The 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM option costs Rs 16,400 while it's cheaper counterpart with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage is priced at Rs 13,990. 

Online, the phone will be available exclusively through Flipkart once it goes on sale on May 23. Offline, the Samsung Galaxy J6 will available at all Samsung stores as well as their partner stores.

What we like so far

If you want a phone that fits comfortably in the palm of your hand without you having to strain your thumb, then this device is what you might’ve had in mind. The Samsung Galaxy J6 isn’t a phone that screams of a big screen or of a dual camera or even an iPhone X-type notch. 

The neat, understated little device has a classy and compact build. And, despite its 5.6-inch size, doesn’t feel all that flimsy. You’d be tempted to call it durable if it wasn’t so obvious that the back is made from plastic. 

All in all, it’s practical. Not too big, not too small while weighing just the right amount to seamlessly drop into your pocket .

Now, let’s talk about the phone’s ‘Infinity Display’. The Samsung Galaxy J6 boasts of a Super-AMOLED (S-AMOLED) display with a 720 x 1480 resolution. In the short time that we’ve had the phone, the colors are vivid and the contrast is on-point. It’s a flagship feature that you don’t normally see on a budget phone.

Also, audiophiles can breathe a sigh of relief. The 3.5mm jack made it on to the new handset. Your favorite pair of headphones can still be plugged in without investing in an adapter or a new wireless headset altogether.

Moving onto what’s on the phone, Samsung’s own user interface (UI) is layered on top of Android Oreo 8.0 and so far, the phone’s performance has been decent. It hasn’t shown any signs of lag or exhibited any frame drops. 

You can get rid of all the clutter off the homescreen, with the handy app drawer feature in Samsung Experience 9.0. It’s actually quite similar to the app drawer you find on Stock Android phones, expect instead of a Google Search tab on top, there’s an app search bar instead. 

Features that are yet to prove themselves

Under normal circumstances, the lack of USB Type-C port may have proven to be disappointing but considering that the GALAXY A6 PLUS doesn’t feature the port either while being priced at Rs 25,990, it’s not altogether surprising.

Also, the budget smartphone houses an Exynos 7870 under the hood which is a, more or less, entry-level chipset. Though we hadn’t had the chance to test it extensively, it’s doubtful that the phone will be able to handle power intensive tasks too well. There might even be issues when playing graphic heavy games. 

But at least the camera is awesome, right? Well… How much can you really expect from a 13MP lens? It performs decently enough under well-lit conditions but we really doubt how the phone would perform in low-light situations. There doesn’t seem to be any image stabilisation either, in-built or otherwise, which creates issues when trying to capture a moving target. 

On the other hand, the 8MP front camera seems more capable. It’s color reproduction is accurate while allowing you to choose the level of beautification you want to apply. The latter option is vital to keep pictures from looking over processed. 

Lastly, the phone has 3000mAh battery which should ideally provide enough juice for the phone to last a day. Under light usage, the phone’s actually managed to last 48 whole hours, but it was hardly used for anything more than making calls and sending messages. A intensive usage test will speak true of the battery’s real might. 

Early verdict

Overall, the phone's build and it's screen are the only redeeming qualities. An S-AMOLED display is definitely a boon, but if it so happens that the Exynos 7870 can't handle heavy tasks, then there's a lot less to enjoy on that display. 

Bells and whistles only make sense when the foundation of the phone is strong. And so far, the Galaxy J6 is all bells and whistles. 

Thanks