Samsung launches two new phones for the selfie-lovers

In July 2015, Samsung launched two phones in India that were built around one idea: better selfies. They were the Samsung Galaxy J5 and J7. Both had a flash on the front camera, which was rare at that price back then. Both were sold only online, through Flipkart.

This post first ran as a short news item on launch day. I have now turned it into a full guide. It explains what the two phones offered, what the specs meant in plain words, why Samsung made them, and what happened to the J series later. The old version had a few mistakes, such as the screen type and the size of the J7 screen. Those are fixed here, using Samsung’s own press note and other reports from that week.

The Launch in Short

Samsung India announced the two phones on 16 July 2015. The Galaxy J5 was priced at Rs 11,999. The Galaxy J7 was priced at Rs 14,999. Pre booking opened on Flipkart the same day and ran for about a week.

Samsung said the launch took its range of 4G phones in India to ten models. The company called both phones “mid range”. That meant they sat above cheap basic phones but well below its costly Galaxy S flagships.

The phones had been unveiled a month earlier, in June 2015, in China. The Indian versions came with their own set of features and offers.

Samsung Galaxy J5 and J7 Specifications

Here is what each phone had, as listed by Samsung and by The Indian Express on launch day.

Feature	Galaxy J5	Galaxy J7
Screen	5 inch HD Super AMOLED (720 x 1280)	5.5 inch HD Super AMOLED (720 x 1280)
Processor	1.2 GHz quad core (Qualcomm Snapdragon)	1.5 GHz octa core (Samsung Exynos)
RAM	1.5 GB	1.5 GB
Storage	8 GB, expandable to 128 GB	16 GB, expandable to 128 GB
Rear camera	13 MP with LED flash	13 MP with LED flash
Front camera	5 MP with LED flash	5 MP with LED flash
Battery	2600 mAh	3000 mAh
Thickness	7.9 mm	7.5 mm
Weight	146 g	171 g
Software	Android 5.1 Lollipop	Android 5.1 Lollipop
Price at launch	Rs 11,999	Rs 14,999

Both phones came in white and black at launch. Both supported 4G and two SIM cards.

What Those Specs Mean in Simple Words

Phone specs can read like a secret code. Here is a quick key.

Super AMOLED screen

This is a screen type that Samsung uses a lot. Each tiny dot on the screen makes its own light. So blacks look deep and colours look bright. The old version of this post called the screens “TFT”. That was wrong. Both were Super AMOLED.

HD resolution

HD here means 720 by 1280 dots, or pixels. It was fine for 2015. Many newer phones have sharper Full HD screens. On the larger J7, the same number of dots was spread over a bigger area, so it looked a little less sharp up close.

Quad core and octa core

A “core” is like one worker inside the phone’s chip. Quad means four workers. Octa means eight. More cores help when many apps run at once. The J7 had eight cores at 1.5 GHz. The J5 had four at 1.2 GHz. GHz is a measure of how fast each core works.

RAM and storage

RAM is the phone’s short term memory. It holds the apps you are using right now. Storage is where your photos, songs and apps are kept. Both phones had 1.5 GB of RAM. The J5 had 8 GB of storage and the J7 had 16 GB. A microSD card of up to 128 GB could add more space.

mAh

This is how battery size is measured. A higher number usually means a longer day on one charge, though screen size and use matter too. The J7’s 3000 mAh battery was larger to feed its larger screen.

4G LTE

4G is the fourth generation of mobile data. LTE is the main standard behind it. In mid 2015, 4G was still new in India, and phone makers were racing to offer it at lower prices. Samsung said both phones could reach speeds of up to 150 Mbps on 4G networks.

Why the Front Flash Was a Big Deal

Selfies were huge in 2015, but most budget phones had weak front cameras with no flash. In a dim room or at night, selfies came out dark and grainy. Samsung put a 5 MP front camera with its own LED flash on both phones. The flash lights up your face when you shoot in low light.

Samsung pitched this hard. Its launch note said the phones would give “great selfies in any lighting condition”. That is a marketing line, of course. But the front flash was a real feature that set these phones apart at the time.

Launch Offers and the Flipkart Deal

Samsung sold both phones only on Flipkart, which it called India’s largest online retailer. Flipkart’s business head said they were “thrilled” to have the J series on their platform.

Several offers came with the launch. Buyers got free in game credits worth up to Rs 3,200 for games like Asphalt 8 and Modern Combat 5. Airtel gave a double data offer for 4G users. Buyers also got six months of music downloads worth Rs 594 on the Wynk Music app. Samsung flip covers worth Rs 999 were offered for Rs 199 for a short time.

Samsung linked the gaming offer to its own research. It said 87% of mid range phone users in India aged 18 to 25 played games on their phones.

Why Samsung Made These Phones

The J series was built for growing markets such as India. Its job was to give buyers a known brand at an entry level or mid level price. Samsung’s own launch note said the aim was to give people “options in the mid range price segment” as more of them moved to 4G.

Competition was the other reason. Budget phone makers were selling phones with strong specs at low prices, many of them online. When Samsung later reshaped its range in 2018 and 2019, reports said the goal was to compete better with Chinese brands such as Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi.

The letter J is said to stand for “Joy” or “Junior”. The J series brought several older Samsung budget lines under one name.

What Happened to the J Series

Samsung kept the J name going for a few more years and updated the models at least once a year. Newer versions came with tags like Prime, Pro and Max. In January 2019, Samsung launched the Galaxy M10 and M20, a new online focused range. The Galaxy A10, A30 and A50 followed the next month.

In April 2019, Samsung said the J series had been merged into the Galaxy A series. The M series took over the online budget role. So if you look for a new “J” phone today, you will not find one.

On software, the J5 shipped with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and could be updated to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The J7 got its Marshmallow update in India on 28 July 2016.

Should You Buy a Used J5 or J7 Today?

You may still see these phones on resale sites at very low prices. For a child’s first phone or a backup for calls, one might still work. But keep a few things in mind.

These phones run very old versions of Android. Many new apps may not install or may run slowly with 1.5 GB of RAM. Old phones that no longer get updates are also more open to security risks, so avoid using one for banking. The battery will likely be worn out after so many years. For most people, a new budget phone is the safer pick. Our guide to the best smartphones under 25,000 can help you start.

If you only need calls and texts, a basic phone may suit you better. Read our guide to choosing between smartphones and feature phones. You can also learn more about Samsung as a mobile company in India, or read how Airtel planned 4G branded handsets for Rs 4000 in the same era.

Frequently Asked Questions

When were the Samsung Galaxy J5 and J7 launched in India?

Samsung India launched both phones on 16 July 2015. They were sold only on Flipkart.

What was the launch price of the Galaxy J5 and J7?

The Galaxy J5 cost Rs 11,999 and the Galaxy J7 cost Rs 14,999 at launch.

What was special about these phones?

Both had a 5 MP front camera with its own LED flash for better selfies in low light. They also had Super AMOLED screens and 4G support.

What is the main difference between the J5 and J7?

The J7 had a bigger 5.5 inch screen, an eight core processor, 16 GB storage and a 3000 mAh battery. The J5 had a 5 inch screen, a four core processor, 8 GB storage and a 2600 mAh battery.

Does Samsung still make Galaxy J phones?

No. Samsung merged the J series into the Galaxy A series in 2019 and started the Galaxy M series for online buyers.