Samsung Galaxy J5 Prime Unboxing And First Impressions

A little more than a month ago, Samsung has silently launched the Galaxy J5 Prime in PH, a handset that aims to provide "Prime" performance under PHP 10K.

The box

The Samsung Galaxy J5 Prime is an entry-midrange offering sits in-between the entry-level Galaxy J2 Prime and midrange Galaxy J7 Prime.

For a sub PHP 10K device, Samsung highlights that the Galaxy J5 Prime has premium metal build, Gorilla Glass 4 protected 5 inch HD display, capable Exynos chip, and an interesting 13 MP f/1.9 lowlight ready main camera.

Let's check it out!

Samsung Galaxy J5 Prime Specs

Display: 5 Inch HD TFT 1280 x 720 resolution w/ 2.5D curved glass and Gorilla Glass 4 protection at 294 ppi

CPU: 1.4 GHz 64 Bit Exynos 7570 quad core processor

GPU: Mali T720

RAM: 2 GB

ROM: 16 GB expandable via micro SD card slot up to 256 GB

Back Camera: 13 MP f/1.9 w/ AF and LED flash

Selfie Camera: 5 MP f/2.2

Battery: 2,400 mAh

OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow w/ TouchWiz UI

Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth 4.2, LTE, FM Radio, OTG, GPS, A GPS, GLONASS, dual SIM

Others: Fingerprint sensor, Colors: black, gold

Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, sound

Dimensions: 142.8 x 69.5 x 8.1 mm

Weight: 143 g

Price: PHP 9,990

Disclaimer: This unit was just borrowed from Samsung Philippines for our honest review. This is not a sponsored review.

Unboxing / Accessories

Accessories inside the box

Like most Samsung devices, this handset arrived in a small white box with Galaxy J5 Prime print.

But this time, Samsung came with a slightly more generous package. It includes a 1A wall charger, USB to micro USB data / charging cable, earbuds with microphone, SIM ejector tool, and quick start guide.

Build Quality / Design

Decent build, nice design

Basically, this device is a smaller Galaxy J7 Prime. Construction is the same, build is the same, and feel is the same.

It's made out of a close to premium metal clad unibody material with nice curves all over. In front, the 5 inch HD TFT display of the device is protected with a layer of Gorilla Glass 4. Pretty impressive.

Top view

Microphone, micro USB port, and 3.5 mm jack slot below

Volume rocker at upper left

Dual SIM and dedicated micro SD card slot at lower left

Power button and speaker at right

Like what we mentioned earlier, the design is technically the same. Having said that, the Galaxy J5 Prime is gorgeous for an affordable device. It is generally slim, the screen bezels are far from thick, and the rounded corner curves looks NICE.

Decent build, premium design for the price!

Ports and button placements are fine. The volume rocker is located a left together with the dual SIM slots and dedicated micro SD card slot placements. There's nothing on top, but you'll find a microphone, micro USB port, and 3.5 mm headphone slot below. At right, you'll weirdly find the speaker hole on top of the power button.

Ergonomically, holding this device is sweet. It's just a little slippery, but its small body sits very well in my hand. One handed operation is possible with this handset if your hands are small.

Initial findings

1. Design is basically a smaller version of the Galaxy J7 Prime. It is nice to hold and well machined for a sub PHP 10K device. Screen looks decent despite being just a lower-end TFT display.

2. Samsung boasts the 1.4 GHz 64 Bit Exynos 7570 quad core processor with Mali T720 GPU and 2 GB of RAM. On paper, that's far from the best internals we saw in this price 

3. It boots with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow w/ TouchWiz UI. Like the J7 Prime, it is now cleaner and better than the older TouchWiz versions. Bloats are minimal.

4. The main highlight of this handset is its 13 MP f/1.9 main camera. If we are correct, it is the highest aperture size found on a camera phone in the sub PHP 10K range. It means that the rear camera of this device could perform better than competition in lowlight. We'll verify that.

5. This handset also has USB OTG support and LED indicator on top. However, there's no light and gyroscope sensors.

Related: Samsung Galaxy J5 Prime: Camera Samples

As of the moment

The main feature of the Galaxy J5 Prime that caught our interest is its 13 MP f/1.9 main camera. We also like that it has great build and premium style for the price. However, the rest of the specs lags a little against the competition.

But, let us take this device to a spin first before jumping into conclusion.

For our review: Samsung Galaxy J5 Prime Review - Prime Enough?