Samsung A6+ & J6 First Impressions: When Being Simple is Smart

A look at two budget friendly devices from Samsung.

Samsung phones are considered to be a ‘safe’ option when it comes to smartphone recommendations.

Besides the millennial segment of the population, who are more inclined towards Chinese (more value for money) brands, there is still a considerable number who’d rather go for a Samsung phone and be willing to compromise on certain specs for brand value.

Now, to further strengthen their grip in that department, Samsung has launched four new phones, namely the A6, A6+, J6 and J8. This is the new mid-range series from Samsung and it is looking to target the under 30k segment with these devices.

Where the J6 is the most economical in this line-up at Rs 16,490, the most expensive offering is the A6+ which comes in at Rs 25,990.

Since we could get are hands only on the J6 and the A6+, here’s a first impression of two budget friendly devices from Samsung.

Specifications A6+

• Display: 6-inch Super AMOLED FHD+
• Processor: Snapdragon 450 octa-core
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 64GB (expandable)
• Rear camera: 16MP+5MP (f/1.7+f/1.9)
• Front camera: 24MP
• Battery: 3500mAh
• Price: Rs 25,990

Specifications J6

• Display: 5.6-inch Super AMOLED FHD+
• Processor: Exynos 7 series
• RAM: 3GB/4GB
• Storage: 32GB/64GB (expandable)
• Rear camera: 13MP
• Front camera: 8MP
• Battery: 3000mAh
• Price: Rs 13,990 (32GB), Rs 16,490 (64GB)

Design & Display

The J6 sports a polycarbonate unibody design which, despite not being metal, feels premium. It’s very compact and the curved edges make the phone a tad more user friendly.

The A6+ on the other hand is a 6-inch heavy piece of hardware, thanks to its full metal design. Not the conventional smartphone, but again binge watchers and gamers will love this bulky one.

Both come with Super AMOLED displays, so you can expect both vibrant colours and a fast-draining battery with these two.

Performance & Hardware

Both these smartphones sport very humble hardware. The bigger A6+ is running on a Snapdragon 450 processor coupled with 4GB RAM. I wouldn’t recommend overburdening this phone with a lot of apps or multi-tasking, but you can get through the BASIC day-to-day functions very easily.

The J6 houses a Exynos 7 series processor and RAM options of 3GB and 4GB. Again, very modest specifications.

Both the devices offer memory expansion up to 256GB via a microSD card slot. It’s good that all the newly launched Samsung phones will comes with Android Oreo 8.0 out-of-the-box.

What I am still trying to figure out is why has Samsung put the fingerprint sensor on the back of these phones when there is so much of space available on the chin of the device. When I asked the Samsung team about this, they said that it’s purely because of some engineering aspects Samsung has placed it at the back.

Well, I for one still believe it to be more convenient option on the front of the device. And still USB type 2.0! No fast charging! WHY?

Camera & Battery

Samsung’s mid-range phones have always been decent in the camera department and the same hold true for both the A6+ and the J6.

Where the A6+ comes with a 16+5-megapixel camera setup on the rear, and a whopping 24-megapixel selfie camera, the less costly J6 comes with a single 13-megapixel lens at the back.

For selfies the J6 comes with a moderate 8-megapixel sensor which isn’t one of the best out there. If you’re running low on light, both the phones comes with selfie flash.

Here are some samples from the A6+:

Here are some samples from the J6:

For back-up, the J6 runs on a 3000mAh battery pack while the A6+ has a 3500mAh powerhouse. It’s sad that none of the phones come with type-C nor fast charging, which is a big deal breaker.

Initial Verdict

So, the easier bit is done, launching the phones. Now begins the tough part, marketing them.

Both the J6 and the A6+ offer a lot of potential and I feel these phones are for a very niche category.

Samsung has to play it smart here and divert from segments which are already being dominated by brands like Xiaomi and OnePlus. Instead, it needs to focus on the chuck that recognises Samsung as a dependable brand and wouldn’t hesitate spending that extra buck.