14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung continues to launch entry-level Android smartphones aimed at emerging markets. Unfortunately, the South Korean company faces fierce competition from native handset makers that seem to offer better choices at lower prices.
Since Samsung doesn't want to lose money selling these low-end smartphones, the prices might seem higher than other alternatives available in local markets.
The latest addition to Samsung's entry-level portfolio of smartphones is the Galaxy J2 Ace. The handest has been recently introduced in India and is now available for purchase for $125.
It's worth mentioning that the Galaxy J2 Ace is part of Samsung's “Make for India” project, which means it comes with Ultra Data Saving mode that should provide up to 50% mobile data savings with data compression. In addition, the smartphone comes with an S bike mode with rider optimizations.
Because this is an entry-level smartphone, Samsung included Android 6.0 Marshmallow on board. There's no doubt that this device will never receive any major OS updates, so don't expect Android 7.0 Nougat.
4G and VoLTE support are among its strongest points
Unfortunately, the Galaxy J2 Ace sports a 5-inch display with qHD (540 x 960 pixels) resolution. We didn't think that the South Korean company would still include panels with such a low resolution inside its phones, but apparently it does.
Furthermore, the phone is equipped with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor, coupled with 1.5GB of RAM. Also, Samsung states the phone features its own Turbo Speed Technology that's supposed to optimize the RAM memory to open apps faster than usual.
The back side of the phone features an 8-megapixel camera with f/2.2 aperture and LED flash, while in the front there's a secondary 5-megapixel camera with similar features.
Another selling point of the phone could be the fact that it comes with 4G and VoLTE support. Other highlights include Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi, and a decent 2,600 mAh battery.