Samsung Galaxy J2 review: Little things

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy J2

The Samsung Galaxy J2 comes in a standard packaging with the usual accessories. Customers get a charger with an undetachable microUSB port, a separate microUSB cable for data transfers and a pair of headhpones.

The Galaxy J2 retail box

Samsung Galaxy J2 360° spin

The Galaxy J2 measures 136.5 x 69 x 8.4 mm - a perfectly reasonable footprint for a device of this class. It's thinner than the majority of its competitors and at a weight of 129g - lighter, too. Apart from its physical dimensions, the 3D spin of the phone will hardly surprise anyone in terms of looks.

You would need an Adobe Flash-capable web browser to visualize the interactive 360-degree view above.

Hardware

One of our major gripes with the Samsung Galaxy J2 is that it looks overly familiar to many previous company smartphones circa the Galaxy S III era. In terms of looks it's nothing bold. On the contrary, Samsung is moving forward with its J-series strategy and bets on a safe, proven design we first saw in 2013. The design wasn't particularly striking back then when it was introduced with the S III and is decidedly long in the tooth now.

You will neither love it, nor really hate it. We would've loved for Samsung to try something different for its 2015 J-series of devices, but alas. Where some manufacturers try to captivate customers in the budget-oriented market with flamboyant, bold and cool design, Samsung bets on the safe move. We can't really blame them, but we just wished we saw something different this time around

As a result, what we have with the Galaxy J2 is Samsung betting on a safe horse. The phone has taken a lot of design cues from previous generation flagship devices.

The Galaxy J2 in the hand

Unmistakably Samsung, the Galaxy J2 relies on an entirely plastic body with soft edges. The faux leather back is a nice throwback to the Galaxy S IV, but isn't as nice to feel. It's up to you decide if it all feels a bit tacky, but we quite like the look of the phone.

The controls configuration is going to feel familiar with anyone who's even owned a Samsung phone. The volume rocker is on the right, while the Power/Lock key is on the right. Below the display is a big physical home button surrounded by capacitive Task switcher and Back buttons on the left and right sides.

The keys offer great tactile feedback and are comfortable to use.

The Galaxy J2 features intuitive controls

On the front, there's a 4.7" qHD display with fairly large bezels. Just like the Galaxy J5, Samsung has skimped on the ambient light sensor or a notification light.

Above the display, the Galaxy J2 sports a proximity sensor, an earpiece and a 2MP camera. Unlike the Galaxy J5, there's no LED flash to join it here.

The qHD display of the Galaxy J2 • No LED flash at the front

Turn the phone around and you would see the 5MP main camera placed in the center with the single LED flash on its left and a mono-speaker on the right side.

The back of the phone • You can remove the battery

The bottom of the Galaxy J2 houses the microUSB port and a single microphone pinhole. The 3.5mm audio jack is at the top.

The 3.5mm jack and microUSB port

Popping the back cover open is an easy task and reveals the removable 2000mAh Li-Ion battery as well as the two SIM card slots (both microSIM) and a slot for a microSD card.

The Samsung Galaxy J2 isn't what you'd call a looker. What has passed as a nice design is now quite the cliché. That's not really a problem for many, we're sure. The important bit is that this hardware, albeit dull, is well put together and will hold the test of time.