Samsung Galaxy J8 review: Premium feel at a premium price

Samsung’s most loved feature from 2017’s flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8, is finally trickling down to the budget segment. Both the A and J-series smartphones have gotten the truly worthy Infinity Display.

The Galaxy J8 sports a 6-inch Infinity Display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. That is its headlining feature. Apart from that, one can look at the dual rear-camera setup with bokeh mode, or as Samsung calls it, Live Focus mode.

The Galaxy J8 has an all-plastic design and no ambient light sensor, which in turns means no auto brightness setting.

Samsung usually shines in the flagship segment and it shows in the IDC and Counterpoint reports that come out. Where Samsung makes a misstep is in the mid-range and budget segments. The Galaxy J8 is another one of those Samsung mid-range smartphones with a lot of compromises and many shortcomings.

When you feel the smartphone in your hand, you think all is well. It’s not lightweight and the extra heft, in this case, makes it a good fit in one’s hand. The matte finish on the Galaxy J8 gives the smartphone a premium feel.

The high asking price gets you a premium feel

Then you look at the asking price of Rs 18,990 and you just wonder as to just how much you’d be getting. With Xiaomi’s Android One smartphone, Mi A2, you get a Snapdragon 660 processor and a 3,010 mAh battery for just Rs Rs 16,999. As a bonus, there is a USB Type-C port for charging.

With the Galaxy J8, you get an entry-level Snapdragon 450 processor, an HD+ (1,480x720 pixels) Super AMOLED display for Rs 18,990. Simply put, the Galaxy J8 is an overpriced proposition. There is no ambient light sensor and no magnetometer and gyro sensor. Last but not the least, Samsung has stuck with the micro-USB port for charging, while the rest of the industries moves into the future.

Unlike other Samsung smartphones, the speaker is placed above the power button, on the side of the smartphone. Samsung, unlike Xiaomi and many other competitors, hasn’t given up on the 3.5mm audio jack in any of its smartphones and that doesn’t change with the Galaxy J8. Sound output is pretty good.

The Galaxy J8 has many positives

Putting all the shortcomings aside, Samsung still has the edge when it comes to its displays. The colour reproduction is fantastic and the viewing angles, while not perfect, are pretty good. One can easily use the smartphone whether indoors or outdoors in direct sunlight.

The other aspect Samsung gets right is the battery life. The 3,500 mAh battery under the hood makes sure that the Galaxy J8 lasts throughout the day and well into the next. Despite the Galaxy J8 having a Snapdragon 450 processor, I was pleasantly surprised by the performance. Some lag was there, which is expected, but in day-to-day usage, the lag didn’t pertub me. It didn’t bother me.

Then comes the camera

In good lighting conditions, the Galaxy J8 produce some good pictures with a great amount of detail. Even the bokeh shots came out with above average edge detection. Where the Galaxy J8 falters and falters bad, is in low-light shots. The low-light shots came out with a lot of grain and way too much noise.

Barring the recently launched Mi A2 from Xiaomi, Asus’ ZenFone Max Pro M1 and Motorola G6, the Galaxy J8’s camera holds a candle to the rest of the competition. Blowing it up on the big screen and most of the shots won’t look great, but for all your social media needs, the Galaxy J8’s camera will satisfy your cravings well.

Verdict

With some missing sensors, and a slow face unlock and fingerprint sensor, the Galaxy J8 should have been priced somewhat lower. Looking at the competition, the Galaxy J8 isn’t a smartphone that offers lots of bang for your buck.

Nonetheless, the Galaxy J8 has a great 6-inch Infinity Display, good cameras, impressive battery life and performs without much lag. One cannot outright recommend the Galaxy J8 at Rs 18,990. Wait for a discount, because at Rs 14,990 (it will get there pretty soon), it is a much easier sell.