“The Galaxy J2 Core runs a customised version of Android 8.1 Oreo-based Experience UI from Samsung”

Samsung has just announced the launch of its first Android Oreo (Go Edition) smartphone, in the form of the J2 Core in India. Interestingly, the affordable pricing and the Go edition tag has garnered a lot of attention for the smartphone already. Considering that there is plenty of excitement around the smartphone, we managed to get our hands on the retail box for the Galaxy J2 Core. Read on for the unboxing and our first impressions of Samsung’s new offering.

Unboxing

The Galaxy J2 Core comes in a dark blue rectangular cardboard box, and you are greeted by the smartphone as soon as you open the container. Underneath the handset, you will find the quick start guide with some other documentation. As you dig in deeper, you will also find the wall charger and the micro-USB cable.

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If you are wondering about the whereabouts of the SIM ejector tool, the Galaxy J2 Core comes with a removable plastic back, so there is no need for an ejection tool at all. As you can see, the unboxing experience is as simplistic as it can possibly be. No earphones are provided.

First impressions

Coming on to the handset itself, the Galaxy J2 Core comes with a removable plastic back cover, with the camera module placed right in the middle above the brand name. The camera sensor at the back is assisted by an LED module. The loudspeaker is present to the right side of this camera module. The phone’s frame is made out of metal and lends it a sturdy feel. Thanks to the rounded corners, holding the Galaxy J2 Core is comfortable and easy.

samsung_galaxy_j2_core4At the front, the handset comes with an old school design that offers thick bezels and 16:9 screen aspect ratio. The power button and the volume buttons are placed on the right and left sides, respectively. These buttons are tactile and easy to reach while using the phone with one hand. The audio jack and micro-USB charging port are both located on the bottom side of the handset. Here’s a closer look at the design:

The Galaxy J2 Core sports a 5-inch TFT display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. In our usage, we found the peak brightness levels and viewing angles to be decent. However, there might be issues when you use the phone under direct sunlight in outdoor conditions. The handset is powered by an Exynos 7570 processor, coupled with 1GB of RAM and 8GB built-in storage, which is expandable by 256GB through microSD card. We did not face any performance issues and the handset’s UI felt simplistic and smooth to navigate.

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As we are talking about a Go edition smartphone, the Galaxy J2 Core runs a customised version of Android 8.1 Oreo-based Experience UI from Samsung. There are some pre-installed apps including Google Go, Youtube Go, Maps Go, and Facebook Lite. These apps help the handset in performing basic functions without much load on the hardware. There are some Samsung apps like Samsung Max and Samsung Members pre-installed too. With a simple swipe up from the Home screen, you can access the app drawer and as you might have seen on the other Samsung handsets, there are toggles for various settings in the notification shade. For security, as there is no fingerprint sensor, you will have to rely on either PIN code or password. There is also a smart unlock feature that keeps the handset unlocked in certain locations like your office, home, etc. 

samsung_galaxy_j2_core3Optics are not known to be a strong point for any handset in this price range but the Galaxy J2 Core comes with a respectable 8MP sensor at the back and a 5MP sensor up front, both with f/2.2 aperture. In our usage, we found the rear camera sensor to be decent but the front camera is average, to say the least.

In terms of connectivity, the Galaxy J2 Core offers 4G LTE, dual-SIM card slots, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, and GPS. There is a 2,600mAh removable battery, which keeps the lights on for the smartphone and has been said to deliver up to 11 hours of non-stop video streaming on YouTube Go.

Concluding thoughts

The Galaxy J2 Core has been priced at Rs 6,190 in India and is already available for purchase via retail stores across the country. The phone comes in three colour options, i.e. Gold, Blue, and Black. In this price range, the phone will be competing against the likes of the Xiaomi Redmi 5A (review), 10.or D2 (unboxing and first impressions), and Infinix Smart 2 (unboxing and first impressions).