Samsung’s known for their budget phones. So, does the J4 Plus deliver? Let’s talk about this below.
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Interested in the J4 Plus? Know that the J series has been discontinued. However, you can still purchase the device island-wide.
If you want to save more cash, the warranty and memory variant you get affects its final price. Companies warranties are more expensive than store ones. The larger its storage capacity is, the more you’ll be spending as well.
As its name suggests, the J4 Plus is big. The phone stretches 161.4 x 76.9 x 7.9 mms across, making it a 6-inch device.
Not only is it big, it’s also a major fingerprint magnet. It looks good, though. The phone’s shiny and comes in unusual colours. You can choose from pink, gold, blue and black. We’re fans of the pink as it’s the most eye-catching.
The J4 Plus’ buttons are easy-to-reach and are pretty tactile. Going around its sides, you’ll notice a headphone jack, a microSD slot but no USB-C port. You’re getting an archaic micro-USB with your purchase.
You don’t see a fingerprint sensor on its back. Before you panic, know that it’s side-mounted.
No surprise, the J4 Plus isn’t the most well-built. It has a plastic body. However, it has some heft to it, which is somewhat of a consolation. It’s a 178-gram device.
As it comes with a large display, a vibrant screen would be great. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a Super AMOLED panel. Instead, you’re met with an IPS LCD screen. Colours are definitely not vivid. IPS LCDs are known to be sharper, though, which is a plus at least.
Speaking of sharpness, let’s talk about its screen resolution. For a phone its price, a 720-p display is not surprising. The J4 Plus’ resolution is 720 x 1480 pixels.
Its screen-to-body ratio is 73.6%. It has some serious bezel action going on. The bezels are on the top and bottom of its display. At least you don’t have to worry about a notch, right?
Brightness wise, the phone isn’t too bad. Brightness levels over 500 nits are the gold standard and the J4 Plus delivers. Its boasts of a 548.9 maximum nit display. Who wouldn’t want that?
Unfortunately, you don’t get Gorilla Glass on its front. Instead, there’s regular strengthened glass. Be careful to not drop your phone.
Its battery life is decent. It’s 3300 mAh and can last over a day. This is due to its screen not being the most powerful, and its processor not being the most taxing.
You’re going to have to wait a very long time for its battery to charge, however. How does over 3 hours sound to you?
Although its back is plastic, you can’t snap its back and remove its battery.
How great do you think its processor is? The J4 Plus has the prehistoric Snapdragon 425 inside of it. Basic tasks are alright, but you can easily tax the device. Unless you’re a fan of pulling your hair out, don’t even think about gaming hard with it. The fact that its UI comes with quite a bit of bloatware doesn’t help as well.
It offers decent memory variants. You can choose from 16 or 32 gigs of space. Along with this, 2 or 3 GBs of RAM is by your side. Remember how we mentioned that it comes with a MicroSD slot? 32 gigs of space might not be enough for you, which is why this is appreciated.
Out of the box, you’re getting Android 8. You’re probably wondering if the phone will get the Android 10 update. The phone’s a budget device from years ago, so don’t hold your breath.
There’s a single 13 MP camera on its rear. Newer Samsung devices come with dual or triple set ups, even their most budget devices. Its camera isn’t too bad. It works adequately in well-lit settings. Shots are relatively colour accurate and detailed.
In dim-lit settings, everything goes down the drain. Not only do shots get noisy, but there’s also an odd blurriness to them as well.
What about its front camera? Its 5 MP selfie sensor is alright.
You’ve probably made your mind on whether you want to buy the phone or not. Let’s compare it with a few alternatives below.
The A10 is not as heavy as the J4 Plus. When it comes to budget devices, weight is important. It makes a phone feel more premium after all.
Like its counterpart, the A10 comes with a plastic body. Unfortunately, it also doesn’t come with Gorilla Glass on its front.
Speaking of its display, an IPS LCD screen is by your side. It’s 6.2 inches, giving you more immersive viewing experience. The phone has less bezel action going on as well. Its screen-to-body ratio is 81.6%. You’re getting the same screen resolution; in case you’re wondering.
Out of the box, the A10 comes with Android 9. It can be upgraded to Android 10, so what do you think?
You’re probably wondering what its processor is. You’re not met with a Snapdragon chipset. Instead, you’re getting an Exynos 7884 processor. It’s much faster than the J4 Plus’ Snapdragon chip.
In terms of its memory variants, you only get 32 gigs of space. Along with this, you can choose from 2 or 4 gigs of RAM. The 4 gigs of RAM help the A10 be snappier than the J4 Plus. That’s great, but can its storage be expanded? Yes, it can.
Let’s talk about its battery. It’s larger by 100 mAhs. The phone will last around the same time. Unfortunately, you’re not met with fast charging. The A10 takes around 3 hours to fully charge. We’re not impressed.
Although the phone’s newer, it comes with the same camera set-up as the J4 Plus. Its front camera is similar too, except that it comes with less aperture.
The A3s is not as heavy as its Samsung counterpart. The device is only 168 grams. Like the other alternatives, it comes with a plastic body too. You’re getting Gorilla Glass 3 on the front, unlike the regular glass on the J4 Plus.
Speaking of its screen, the phone comes with an IPS LCD display. We’ve established that such displays are not the most vivid already. Compared to the phones discussed so far, the A3s has the sharpest display. You’re getting a 720 x 1520-pixel screen resolution.
You’re probably wondering how big the phone is. Let me put you out of your misery, it’s 6.2 inches. If you have smaller hands, this might not be what you want to hear, though.
Let’s talk about is insides. You’re getting Android 8.1 out of the box. But is it getting the Android 10 update? Don’t hold your breath.
Its processor is better than the J4 Plus’. You’re getting a Snapdragon chip again, this time it’s the 450.
Now onto its memory variants. There are quite a few options for you to choose from. These include 16, 32 and 64 GB of space along with 2, 3, and 4 GB of RAM. We’re fond of the amount of RAM it offers.
Its battery is huge, we weren’t expecting such a thing from a phone its price. You’re getting a 4230 mAh unit that can easily last 2 days. As the phone is cheap and comes with a plastic back, you may be wondering if its battery is removable. Similar to its counterparts, the answer is no.
So, what about its camera? There’s a dual set-up on its rear. There’s a primary 13 MP sensor along with a secondary 2 MP depth sensor. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a phone its price. Front camera wise you’re met with an 8 MP sensor.
The C1 is a pretty big phone. It stretches 6.2 inches, making it larger than the J4 Plus. Although larger, it’s not that heavy. The phone’s only 168 grams. Once again, we’re met with a plastic body. Unlike its Samsung counterpart, you’re getting Gorilla Glass 3 on the front instead of regular strengthened glass.
What kind of display does it rock? Unsurprisingly, an IPS LCD. By this point, LCDs need no introduction. What’s good about its display is that the C1 has less bezel than the J4 Plus. You’re getting a device with an 81.2% screen to body ratio.
Once again, you’re met with a 720 P display. Like the A3s, the C1 has a sharper screen than the J4 Plus. Its screen resolution is 720 x 1520 pixels.
How does its battery fair? Well, it’s pretty big. You’re getting a 4230 mAh unit that will last you around 2 days. Unfortunately, we’re not met with fast charging. The device takes around 3 hours to fully charge, so get a good book ready. If you’re wondering if its battery is removable, the answer’s no.
Out of the box, you’re getting Android 8. This was seen in most of the phones discussed so far. Whether the C1 is getting Android 10 or not is kind of iffy. Don’t hold your breath. If Android 10 does come around, it will be powering a Snapdragon 450 chip. We met the processor in our A3s review and know that it’s better than the J4 Plus’.
Memory wise, things don’t look that good. You only get 16 GBs of space and 2 gigs of RAM. This makes the C1 a not-so-snappy device. Thankfully, its storage can be expanded. If it couldn’t be, using the phone would be very hard.
With your purchase, you’re getting a dual-camera setup. There is a 13 MP primary sensor and a 2 MP depth one. Meanwhile, a 5 MP front camera is by your side.
What’s the verdict? Well, the J4 Plus is one of the most budget-friendly devices on the market. It doesn’t try to outdo itself, though. Its specs are exactly what you’d expect from a phone its price.
Compared to alternatives, it does alright. However, should you buy it? We see no harm. It’s pretty decent, just remember that its processor isn’t the best.
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