Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) vs Galaxy S8 specs comparison

Samsung launched the Galaxy J7 2017 earlier this month and the handset is expected to go on sale later next month. The company surpassed all of our expectations with the smartphone, especially given what we have seen with the predecessors over the past couple of years now. This is no longer just a run-of-the-mill mid-ranged offering, and it can compete with some of the top mid-rangers in the market today. But how does the smartphone fare against industry topping high-end flagships? Well, with a device like the Galaxy S8, for example. Well, we’re going to find out today.

---

At A Glance: Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) vs Galaxy S8 specs comparison

• Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB Phone - 5.8in Unlocked Smartphone
  Our Top Pick
• Samsung Galaxy J7 LTE (2016) J710M/DS 16GB

---

The Galaxy S8 is a stellar flagship and has set the benchmark for what a flagship should be in the mobile industry. With features like the Infinity Display, the groundbreaking design, as well as the myriad of onboard software additions, the Galaxy S8 is truly a complete flagship. Naturally, comparing the Galaxy S8 with the Galaxy J7 2017 will only give us a one-sided result. However, it will help us ascertain how far Samsung has come with regards to mid-rangers. In what was once supposed to be a lineup targeting only the budget audience, the mid-rangers that we see today appeal to a wide range of customers out there. So without wasting any time, let’s have a look at the two handsets.

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) vs Galaxy S8 specs comparison

 

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) vs Galaxy S8 Display and Design

The Galaxy S8 and its display need no introduction. It comes with a 5.8-inch Quad HD (2960 x 1440) Super AMOLED display, also dubbed as Infinity Display, thanks to the dual-curved edges. With a pixel density of 570 pixels per inch, the Galaxy S8 is surely on top of the list in terms of display quality. Of course, there are some phones (like the Sony Xperia XZ Premium), which offer better pixel density, but none that can compare with the Galaxy S8 in terms of overall display quality and performance. The phone also uses the Gorilla Glass 5 panel on the back for added durability, which is very commendable of the company. Despite packing so much power underneath, the smartphone is only 8mm thick, which is a testament to the work done by Samsung in terms of design.

The Galaxy J7 2017 comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display on board. While this is won’t compare with the Galaxy S8 in terms of quality and performance, it’s surely an excellent device to own, especially if you don’t want to invest in a high-end flagship like the Galaxy S8. The front panel of the phone is slightly curved on the front, while the display isn’t. This allows for better handling of the phone and will give users a better grip on the device as well. Not to mention the fact that it looks pretty spectacular overall. The phone is actually thinner than the Galaxy S8 at just 7.9mm, which makes this a pretty amazing mid-ranger overall.

Buy on Amazon

 

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) vs Galaxy S8 Camera

This is where the two handsets are almost on par with each other. The Galaxy J7 2017 is equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera with an aperture size of f/1.7. This is pretty amazing for what is supposed to be a mid-ranged handset, as most handsets in this market segment mostly have a basic 13-megapixel rear camera on board. Samsung is using a 13-megapixel camera on the front as well, but with an aperture size of f/1.9. This means the company is banking heavily on the selfie credentials of the device, and we’re sure the phone won’t disappoint when it reaches the markets next month. Since the phone is yet to reach shelves, it’s hard to ascertain if the device will actually perform as per expectations. Keeping this in mind, we can’t come to a conclusive verdict about the camera performance of the Galaxy J7 2017. However, if the specs sheet is anything to go by, it should be pretty amazing.

The Galaxy S8 uses a trend-setting 12-megapixel rear camera with an aperture size of f/1.7 (pretty much the same as the Galaxy J7). Despite being a slightly smaller sensor compared to the new J7, the sensor used here is vastly superior in every aspect. It comes with optical image stabilization on board, and a bunch of software specific features to ensure your pictures are processed the best way. There’s an 8-megapixel f/1.7 front camera, which makes it an equally capable selfie phone. It’s a groundbreaking smartphone really, and the company has made sure that there are no weaknesses in any area. This is easily one of the best performing camera phones on the market right now.

Buy on Amazon

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) vs Galaxy S8 Speed

The Galaxy S8 comes with the octa-core Snapdragon 835 (North America and China only) chipset on board. This chipset consists of 4 x 2.35 GHz Kryo cores and 4 x 1.9 GHz Kryo cores, assuring users of getting the best performance. It must be noted that the Snapdragon 835 is rated to be the best mobile SoC available in the market today. Samsung was also one of the first manufacturers to use this chipset given that it was closely involved in its development along with Qualcomm. The phone also comes with 4GB of RAM on board. Although there are companies out there that are using 6GB RAM modules with their smartphones already, Samsung wisely decided to stick to 4GB. Bear in mind that having 4GB of RAM on your smartphone is still plenty and the technology has only recently evolved to use this much RAM.

The Galaxy J7 2017 is equipped with Samsung’s own Exynos 7870 octa-core chipset. This chip uses eight Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.6 GHz each, which makes it pretty weak in comparison to the chipset we find on the Galaxy S8. But with that being said, the Exynos 7870 is no slouch when it comes to performance. It will still perform significantly better than other mid-rangers out there, so prospective customers have nothing to worry about here. The Galaxy J7 2017 comes with 3GB of RAM by default. This, again, is not on par with the Galaxy S8 but is pretty much a norm for mid-ranged handsets.

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) vs Galaxy S8 Battery performance

The Galaxy J7 2017 comes with a massive 3,600 mAh battery on board. This is pretty decent, although we’ve seen mid-rangers with larger batteries. Big batteries have become a standard among mid-rangers mainly because they’re sold mostly in Asian regions where the emphasis for big battery phones is higher than anywhere else in the world. The battery on the Galaxy J7 2017 should be capable of lasting at least a day or perhaps more if you use the onboard battery saving features frequently.

The Galaxy S8, on the other hand, comes with a slightly smaller 3,000 mAh battery under the hood. Most experts suggest that this move was triggered by the battery issues that were spotted on the Galaxy Note 7 last year. It goes without saying that the battery life on the Galaxy S8 won’t be as decent as on the Galaxy J7. Perhaps Samsung could have used a slightly bigger battery on board given the kind of devices we’re seeing in the industry. Thanks to the battery saving features built into Samsung’s OS, we can expect to see more than decent performance from the handset. The Galaxy S8 also comes with fast battery charging on board, which is something that the Galaxy J7 doesn’t offer.

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) vs Galaxy S8 Everything else

Samsung is pushing features like Samsung Pay with mid-ranged handsets, starting with the Galaxy J7. Naturally, the Galaxy S8 comes with this feature by default, but the presence of this feature on the Galaxy J7 is a welcome sign.

The Galaxy S8 also comes with DeX support on board to transform your phone into a full-fledged desktop when you connect it to a monitor or television. This feature is found on very few smartphones today, giving Samsung an upper hand over the competition. Further, the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy J7 come with fingerprint scanners. While the J7 comes with a standard front facing fingerprint sensor, the Galaxy S8 has moved the scanner to the rear panel of the handset. The company was compelled to take this route as it had to offer narrow front bezels. I must say, the end result is very impressive.

The Galaxy S8 is available in a solitary 64GB storage variant, and there’s a microSD card slot on board to let you further expand the storage. The Galaxy J7 2017 comes with just 16GB of storage on board, which isn’t necessarily a concern given that it also comes with a microSD card slot.

The Galaxy S8 is using the USB-C standard which offers faster data connectivity and charging. The Galaxy J7 is settling for the older micro USB standard. Both phones come with 3.5mm headphone jacks, which is a big relief for audiophiles.

While the Galaxy J7 2017 is packing Android 7.1 Nougat on board, the Galaxy S8 features Android 7.0. This is mostly due to the fact that the Galaxy S8 arrived a bit early on the scene and the company had more time to work with the Galaxy J7. We expect Samsung to send an update to Android 7.1 for the Galaxy S8 anytime now. The Galaxy S8 supports the Bluetooth 5.0 standard, while the Galaxy J7 uses the old Bluetooth 4.2 LE standard.

Our take: Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) vs Galaxy S8 Specs Comparison

Since the two phones are leagues apart in terms of performance and features, it will be unfair to come to a proper conclusion. It’s safe to say that both phones are ahead of the rest in their respective market segments. The Galaxy S8 has set the benchmark for what a flagship handset should be, while the Galaxy J7 2017 is pushing the boundaries of mid-ranged smartphones around the world.

The Galaxy S8 can be nabbed from a variety of retailers and carriers in the U.S. Samsung is yet to confirm the pricing of the Galaxy J7 2017 in global markets made available next month.

Naturally, if you’re eager on getting the J7, you will have to wait a few weeks. The Galaxy S8, however, is readily available from all leading retailers across the globe.