Samsung J4+ & J6+ review: Good battery life, above-average rear camera

Samsung J4++ - 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera
Price: Rs 10,990
Rating: **1/2

Samsung J6++ - 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, 13MP + 5MP dual rear camera, 8MP front camera, side mounted fingerprint scanner

Price: Rs 15,990
Rating: **1/2

Common specifications: Quad core Snapdragon 425 processor, 6-inch 18:9 IPS display (1480 x 720 pixels), dual SIM slots, dedicated microSD slot, 4G with VoLTE, WiFi n, Bluetooth 4.2, Android 8.1 with face unlock, 3,300mAh battery, 178 grams

Pros: Stylish design, large screens, loud speaker volume, fantastic battery life, good rear camera performance in daylight, Widevine L1 support, minimal preloaded bloatware

Cons: Snapdragon 425 is a major bottleneck in performance, priced high compared to competition, slow face unlock, side fingerprint scanner on J6+ is slow and impractical for left hand users, glass back picks up smudges quickly, weak low light camera performance

The J range of devices from Samsung covers the entry to the mid-range segment. At the time of writing, Samsung has more than 20 options available in the J series, ranging in price from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000. The J4+ and J6+ are the latest additions and are aimed at users who want big screens with good battery life.

One of the reasons for the combined review of the two phones is that the devices are very similar. Both have a similar design and features and also share the same processor (a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425). The J4+ has 2GB RAM and 32GB storage while J6+ has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Both are powered by a 3,300mAh battery and have a dedicated microSD slot for storage expansion.

Both the J4+ and J6+ a 6-inch, 18:9 displays with an IPS panel and a resolution of 1480 x 720 pixels. We found the screens to be bright and with wide viewing angles. However, the side bezels are thicker compared to the competition. While the HD resolution on J4+ could be counted as acceptable for the asking price, the same on a Rs 16k phone for the J6+ seems like a joke. Most devices above 10k now come with full HD display be it 18:9 screen or a notch style display.

Design is an area where the phones score better. Both are available in multiple colours and feature a glass-like glossy finish on the back panel. This gives them both a premium look and feel which a lot of consumers would like. They’re also comfortable to hold thanks to the curved edges and have a sturdy feel. Keep in mind that since it’s a glossy finish, it attracts a lot of smudges and fingerprints.

On the left side you have the SIM slots, microSD slot and volume button on both the devices. Right side has a power button but in the case of the Samsung J6+, the power button also integrates a fingerprint scanner. We have previously seen this type of side scanner on Sony phones and always found it impractical especially for left handed users. To top it all, the scanner is not very fast – it sometimes takes up to two seconds to recognize, unlock and wake the display. Both devices also come with face unlock feature and this is not very fast either. It takes between 1-2 seconds to recognize a face and unlock the phone. It won’t work if the ambient light drops. We ended up using the on-screen pattern about half of the time.

Things get worse in the performance department. If having an older entry level processor at Rs 11k and Rs 16k smartphone respectively was not bad enough, both the phones have choppy animations and feel sluggish. The J4+ has 2GB RAM and 32GB storage and straight out of the box (without installing any thirdparty app), the phone uses up 1.2GB memory. You are left with 834MB free RAM which gets consumed up quickly as you install basic social media and multimedia apps.

Apps take time to launch as well as load and the device takes time to load photos from the gallery, switch between multiple browser tabs and even exit running apps. Much to our surprise, the Samsung J6+ with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage also suffered from similar issues. It was slightly better in performance thanks to double the RAM but the entry level processor is a big bottleneck. If there were more than 7-8 apps running in the background, it fared the same as the J4+.

The silver lining here is the battery life – both phones have a 3,300mAh battery. With normal use, we were able to get a full day of battery life (8am to 10pm) with around 20% battery life to spare. However, Samsung has cut corners with the chargers — you get a basic 5V 1A charger which takes between 3-4 hours to charge the phones.

Rear camera on both the devices are above average. While the J4+ has a single 13MP camera (f1.9), the J6+ has a dual camera (13MP + 5MP). Both the phones take images with good details and natural colours when there is adequate lighting. The J6+ comes with a dedicated Live Focus mode for a bokeh effect which works well but the edge detection is not always accurate. In low light, both phones suffer from visible noise and soft details – the photos are good enough to view on the phone’s screen only and that too without zooming in on them. J4+ has a 5MP front camera while the J6+ has an 8MP camera — both offer a selfie focus feature to add background blur. Image quality is also similar despite the difference in megapixels — photos taken in daylight capture good amount of details. Trouble is that indoors, you can see the details get soft and in low light, there is a lot of visible noise in the photos.

There are a few other good things on both the phones. They support Widevine L1 which means you can stream DRM content (from Netflix, Amazon Prime etc) in HD on the devices. The volume output from the earpiece speaker is loud and clear for voice calls. A new emotify feature is integrated to help you create emojis with an avatar that looks like you — this adds a fun touch to messaging.

If you are a Samsung loyalist, you might consider these two phones at their respective prices. Keep in mind that there are a number of better options available at these prices. Consider the Redmi 6 Pro or the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 for Rs 11k instead of the J4+, you’ll get a better processor, full HD displays, dual rear cameras and a bigger battery. In place of the Samsung J6+, you should look at the Realme 2 Pro, Honor 8X, Mi A2 or the Moto One Power — all of these are just unquestionably better.