SpecEagle
SpecEagle review · Samsung

Galaxy J3 (2016) review: An entry AMOLED phone that became a global carrier and prepaid staple.

SpecEagle Editorial·Jan 2016·$150
Overall
40/100
Class rank
#1 of 1
Tier
Budget
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

The prepaid-carrier volume phone.

Galaxy J3 (2016) was everywhere on prepaid shelves — an AMOLED, a Samsung badge and a removable battery at an entry price. It was never fast, but as a first smartphone or a backup it shipped in huge numbers.

01Display

62/100

62/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2016.

TypeSuper AMOLED, 60 Hz
Size5.0 inches
Resolution1,280 × 720 px (HD)

02Camera

46/100

46/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2016.

Main8 MP, f/2.2, LED flash
Selfie5 MP

03Performance

38/100

38/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2016.

ChipsetSpreadtrum SC9830 / Snapdragon 410
RAM1.5 GB
Storage8 / 16 GB · microSD

04Battery

58/100

58/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2016.

Capacity2,600 mAh (removable)
Wired5 W

05Build

50/100

50/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2016.

06Value

52/100

52/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2016.

What works
  • AMOLED at a true entry price.
  • Removable battery.
  • Widely sold on prepaid carriers.
  • microSD + jack.
What doesn't
  • Very slow chipset.
  • 8 MP camera.
  • No software updates.
  • 1.5 GB RAM.

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 1-phone cohort of budget devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .