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​Samsung's Galaxy J3, J5, J7 refresh: Battery boost plus more RAM in 2017 phones

Samsung has launched the 2017 editions of its mid-range Galaxy J-series.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer
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The 2017 Samsung Galaxy J7 in gold, center, flanked by the new J5 in black, left, and, the new J3, right.

Image: Samsung

Following up its Galaxy S flagship refresh, Samsung has now announced updates to its mid-range Galaxy J-series, the J3, J5, and J7 smartphones.

Samsung launched the 2017 J-series in the Netherlands on Tuesday, offering a first look at its metal-body phones for people who want a modern Galaxy without all the trimmings of the Galaxy S8/S8+.

The J-series phones, which are cheaper than the recently refreshed Galaxy A3, A5, and A7, have historically been key to buoying Samsung's dominant global marketshare.

Samsung launched the entry-level Galaxy J3 with AT&T last month in the US for $179, but has now revealed the rest of the lineup for European consumers.

The new Galaxy J5 and J7 gain a fingerprint scanner, and both feature 13-megapixel cameras on the front and back. The J7 gets a memory boost on last year's 2GB RAM.

This year's Galaxy J7 has a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, 3GB RAM, and a 3,600mAh battery, while the 5.2-inch Galaxy J5 comes with 2GB RAM and a 3,000mAh battery.

Both handsets feature an Exynos 7870 based eight-core A53 1.6GHz processor, 16GB storage, with a microSD slot expandable to 256GB. They ship with Android Nougat 7.0 and come with a microUSB port, USB 2.0, and 3.5mm headphone jack.

The five-inch J3 meanwhile has an HD display and Exynos 7570 four-core 1.4GHz chipset, with 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, and 2,400mAh battery. It has a 13-megapixel main camera and five-megapixel front camera.

All models are available in dual- or single-SIM options and have an FM radio receiver.

The Galaxy J5 will be available in June for around €279 ($314, £243) followed by a July launch for the Galaxy J7 at €339 ($381, £295). The Galaxy J3 will be available in August for €219 ($246, £191). The J-series will be available in black or gold.

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