Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime vs Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 Specs Comparison : Does The Newer Model Have Better Features?

The new Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime will be officially launched in the Philippines on Monday, October 10, 2016.

If you're a big Samsung fan, you might be wondering: "Given its name, is this fresh release actually better than the regular Samsung Galaxy J7 released earlier in 2016?"

(For those who are hearing about this model for the first time, as I've shared in an earlier TP Post, the SGJ7 Prime appears to be the Korean Giant's answer to the metal-clad midrange Android smartphones with more than decent specs by Chinese manufacturers that are now selling well in emerging markets including the Philippines.)

Going straight to the point of this entry, there are at least three departments where Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime can be deemed superior compared to the Samsung Galaxy J7 2016.

Side Note: Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 was launched in the Philippines in June 2016 with official SRP of Php 14,990 and with the release of the Prime version, its price tag has been lowered to Php 12,990. On the other hand, the new Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime has just been introduced to the market with SRP of Php 13,990

Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime and Samsung Galaxy J7 2016, respectively. 

I would to give credit to Mr. Zaryab Khan of ZEE TECH CARE for all photos in this post.

There's an old saying that goes, 'Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder' -- so I'm not sure if you'll agree with me when I say that J7 Prime looks more attractive than J7 2016. However, I've shown these photos to a few friends and they all said that it's true.

Whereas J7 2016 has a polycarbonate back plate and metallic rim, Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime comes with a full metal shell (with plastic ends to improve reception), which I think makes it looks more elegant and luxurious. Not to mention, this newer release is lighter weighing in at only 167 grams vs. the 170 grams heft of the older one. So there; That's one thing.

Another area where J7 Prime is superior to the J7 2016 that's out locally is that the former has more RAM. Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime has 3GB of RAM compared to the 2GB of the SGJ7 2016. (Note, however, that there's a 3GB version of the Samsung Galaxy J7 2016, which was not officially launched in the Philippines.) Having more RAM can help a smartphone deliver a smoother multitasking with less lags and stuttering.

Many midrange smartphones by international manufacturers that hit the Philippine market this year already featured a Fingerprint Scanner. Odd enough, however, Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 lacked this useful sensor for quickly unlocking the device with but a touch of a finger. That said, I'm sure Pinoy mobile consumers would be glad to know that the new Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime already has this.

For all of its highlights, however, Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime has features that appear to be 'upgraded with compromise' when placed vis-a-vis the Samsung Galaxy J7 2016.

Most notable of which is the 5.5-inch Full HD TFT display panel, which saw an increase in resolution along with a downgrade in screen type. Note that SGJ72016 has a 5.5-inch HD SuperAMOLED display, which is known for industry-leading brilliance and energy efficiency.

A similar compromise was made on SGJ7Prime's upgraded 8 MegaPixel f/1.9 front facing camera for selfies, which now lacks a complementary front-facing Soft LED flash that comes in handy low to zero lighting conditions. Again, although SGJ72016 only had a 5 MP f/1.9 front cam, this snapper came with an LED flash for illumination in settings with little ambient light.

Other than those features, the technical specifications of Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime and J7 2016 are largely the same, including the 13 MegaPixel f/1.9 main camera, Full HD video recorder, Dual SIM Dual Standby capability (2 x microSIM), LTE Cat4 support, non-removable 3,300 mAh Li-Ion battery pack, 64-bit Octa-Core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 and Mali-T830MP2 based Exynos 7870 processor, and 16GB of internal storage that's expandable via the dedicated microSD card slot.

Now, to wrap this up, let me answer the question that I posted earlier: Yes, overall, I believe Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime is better than Samsung Galaxy J7 2016. Although, my 'yes' would have been louder and more resounding if the Korean Giant had given the fresh model a SuperAMOLED display and front-facing soft LED flash. But needless to say, it is what it is.