Samsung’s new 2016 edition Galaxy J1, J5 and J7 phones come with free 30GB Yes 4G LTE data and more

While Samsung is best known for their flagship phones like the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, their recent launch of a trio of sub RM1K phones shows that they haven’t neglected those looking for an affordable workhorse.

From left: Mr. Wing K. Lee, CEO of YTL Communications and Lee Jui Siang, Vice President, Mobile and IT Business Unit, Samsung Malaysia Electronics at the launch of the Samsung Galaxy J Series (2016) phones.

At a gala launch, Samsung unveiled the revamped 2016 edition Galaxy J1, J5 and J7 phones, each incrementally more powerful than the other. What makes them all stand out over the plethora of cheap phones out there is that they’ve worked with Opera to integrate a unique Ultra Data Saving (UDS) Mode into their TouchWiz UI specific to the J-series phones which does what it says on the tin by helping you scrimp and save every single valuable cent of data from your telco bill.

Samsung Malaysia Product Manager, Mobile Division showcasing how much data that the new Samsung Ultra Data Saving mode was capable of saving for users when activated

When activated, the phone shunts data over via VPN towards Opera Max’s own servers which streamline and shave down the data needed with compression by up to 50% effectively giving you half off your data quota while getting the same amount of entertainment in while also restricting data hungry apps running in the background. This even works with video streaming as well with YouTube videos enjoying quite a bit of data savings too at about 46% and a whopping 62% when using Instagram. This also has the side benefit of having better battery life too. According to a source within Samsung, they are exploring options to integrated UDS mode into other Samsung devices as well though there’s no confirmation on that as yet.

All of the Galaxy J-series phones will also integrate dual SIM card support; handy when travelling overseas as well as full support for both LTE and VoLTE networks like Yes’ upcoming launch near the end of this month when they unveil their new 4G LTE network plans  for Malaysia.

They will all be available in one of three colours – black, white or gold. The most interesting bonus of all, especially for those on a budget is that every purchase of any of the Galaxy J-series phones will come with a Yes 4G SIM card pack that offers 15GB data per month that’s valid for two months (that’s 30GB over two months)  absolutely gratis.

Galaxy J1

The Galaxy J1 comes with a 4.5-inch WVGA, 480 x 800 pixel, 245 ppi Super AMOLED display, a 1.3GHz quad-core processor running Android 5.1 Lollipop, 1GB RAM and 8GB of expandable storage via a dedicated SIM card slot.

The rear has a 5-MP f/2.2 camera with autofocus and an LED flash capable of capturing 720p video while the front has a 2-MP camera.

The Galaxy J1 comes in your choice of either black, white or gold

The Galaxy J1 runs Android 5.1.1 unlike the J5 who have Marshmallow 6.0.1

The J1 has a light polycarbonate casing and weighs 131g while packing a 2,050mAh battery that can be swapped in the field and is charged by a USB 2.0 port.

Galaxy J5

A step up is the midrange Galaxy J5 that comes with a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display with 720 x 1280 ppi and 282ppi. Unlike the J1, the J5 runs the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow, this time on a beefed up 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB of onboard memory expandable via a dedicated microSD card slot.

The rear camera is a 13-MP job with an f/1.0 aperture and the ability to snag 1080p video while the front has a 5-MP selfie camera. As mentioned, it has dual SIM card support as well as a removable 3,100mAh battery in a casing that’s 8.1mm thin and weighing 158g.

The trim feels likemetal with pronounced chamfering on the edges where a hand would hold the phone for a better grip that harkens back to the A-series phones while a polycarbonate matte backplate protects the rear.

Galaxy J7

The highest end Galaxy J-series variant, the Galaxy J7 comes with a 5.5-inch HD super Amoled display with 267ppi, a 1.6GHz octa-core processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB of onboard storage expandable via a microSD card, a rear camera akin to the J6 with a 13-MP sensor and F/1.9 aperture cpable of 1080p@30fps video, a front facing 5-MP camera with an f/1.0 aperture and a large 3,300mAh battery. Like the other J-series phones, it has a dedicated microSD slot and dual SIM card slots.

The Galaxy J1, J5 and J7 are all available at all Samsung Experience nationwide and authorised dealerships along with the bundled two-month Yes 30GB prepaid SIM for RM449, RM849 and RM1,049 inclusive of GST.