Samsung J3 & J5 2017 review AuthorFiachra McGarry. Posted06/10/17. Share. Samsung recently launched two new versions of the popular Galaxy J3 and J5 models. We’ve compared them below to help you better understand the main differences. Body / Display. The J3 is a lightweight plastic build, whereas the J5 has a more premium feel with a metal case. The J5 comes in at 160g with the J3 lighter at 142g. In your pocket or your bag you would not really notice the difference. No big difference between the two on screen size; the J3 2017 has a 5” screen compared to the larger 5.2” of the J5. One noticeable difference however that we like is that there is less ‘phone’ around the screen on the J5, making it somewhat neater and a lot closer to the Infinity Display we’ve seen on the Galaxy S8/S8+. Battery / Memory / Software Both phones run on the latest version of Android, 7.0 Nougat. Both come with 16GB of internal memory, plenty of storage for photos, the latest apps or email attachments, plus external memory can be added to both. When it comes to battery talk time, the J5 has a whopping 21 hours compared to the J3’s 15, and you can play up to 83 hours of music on the J5 - that’s a whole lot of Despacito on repeat! Camera Both phones have the same main camera, with a 13MP primary camera for taking pictures of sunsets and the family reunion. The J5 also has a comparable 13MP front camera (the selfie one) compared to 5MP on the J3. Video quality is the same. Other Features In addition to the regular accelerometer and proximity technology that come as standard with both phones, the J5 has fingerprint for security, a gyroscope (works better with generic VR headsets) and a compass (if you’re ever lost and need to find North). The J5 has a faster chipset (Octa-core 1.6 Ghz vs Quad-core 1.4 GHz) and additional WiFi functionality. Price Both phones are available on Bill Pay and Prepay on iD. On Bill Pay both are from €0 upfront, with the J3 €199 (or €28 pm) and the J5 €288 (or €32 pm). Our Thoughts Both phones have improvements on their 2016 equivalents, and have many similarities. If you’re looking for a strong performing phone with a sub-€200 price then the J3 is for you. If you’re willing to spend above that, with more screen, better cameras and a faster CP, plus a better look and feel, have a look at the J5.