Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash Review: Simplistic with Sharp Display

Check out our Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash review before buying this gadget. Learn details on specs, pros, and cons so you can make an informed decision.

The Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash smartphone was released in 2018. This generation of smartphones has brought out some of the most quality devices. Whether it lies in the processor or cameras, developers are bringing new things onto the table.

While some are fans of such innovations, others like to keep it simple. Certain people prefer inexpensive phones that do not require high maintenance. One such instance is the Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash.

It has been quite a while since its initial release, but this device is still racking up raging reviews. The compact, budget smartphone promises a hassle-free experience.

If you need more insight on this, be sure to read our Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash review for more helpful information.

Key Specs

Samsung Galaxy J2 specifications:

• Weight: 154g
• Dimensions: 144 x 72 x 8.9mm
• OS: Android 8.1
• Screen size: 5-inch
• Resolution: 960 x 540
• CPU: 1.4GHz Samsung Exynos 7570
• RAM: 2GB
• Storage: 16GB
• Battery: 2,600mAh, removable
• Rear camera: 8MP
• Front camera: 5MP

Design

The Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash has a portable build that can be carried around easily. It is not too big of a phone. It is smaller than the size of our palms. This is good news for casual phone users who are looking for something light. In a market of phones that require two hands to hold, this one fits easily in our pockets.

On the front side, we have the phone’s display surrounded by bezels. The left and ride side bezels are already thick. However, the upper and bottom side bezels are much thicker. For a budget phone, we understand that aesthetics may not always be a top priority. But for fans of edge-to-edge wide screens, this phone may not be the most appealing option.

The smartphone has a back cover that you can remove. Since the cover is made of plastic, we’ll need to be careful when removing it. Taking the plastic cover off harshly might result in accidental chippings. We find it pleasing that the plastic material gives off a glossy finish. It is a nice touch for a phone on the low-range end.

The rest of the sides feature a power button, volume controls, headphone jack, and a USB-C port. Unfortunately, the device only comes in black, so there’s not much variety when it comes to colors. On top of that, it does not have a water resistance feature for additional protection.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash has a 5.0-inch Quad HD display that accommodates a 540 x 960 resolution. Quad HD displays have been making waves in the budget phone scene.

The feature boasts a remarkable resolution that is said to be even sharper than 720p. The reason why it’s called Quad HD is because of its ability to become four times as sharp.

Thanks to Quad HD, we can enjoy quality images that are crisp and precise. The features greatly complement the phone’s pixels. This brings out the best of the phone’s 16 million colors, providing vibrancy into display visuals.

However, some might find that Quad HD is a bit much for a 5.0-inch display. By compressing many pixels into a small display, it might be heavy for the graphics processor.

The display is also layered with Dragontail Pro glass. Dragontail Pro has made a name for themselves due to its durable materials for increased protection. This form of glass contains some impressive qualities that work well with most electronic gadgets.

It’s fairly light and doesn’t add extra bulkiness onto the display, keeping the slim figure intact. Most importantly, the glass prevents any unwanted scratches on the screen from happening.

Read also:

• Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash User Manual
• Sonim XP5s Review: A Heavy Duty Phone for Extreme Situations

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash features an 8MP Rear Camera and a 5MP Front Camera. Let’s talk about the rear camera first. A budget phone camera having 8 megapixels already adequate. What’s more, the rear camera comes with an LED flash. Accompanied by a 5MP aperture, the rear camera can be used to take clear shots.

As for the front camera, 5 megapixels is enough to take a decent selfie. True, it may not be the best of selfie cameras. It doesn’t produce the most stunning of portraits like other quality phones. But again, budget phones put their focus on getting the essentials first. We’re not surprised that it has limited bonus features.

Despite not having significant camera qualities, the Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash has several camera modes to choose from. We can choose the Auto mode to take a quick shot without any hassles.

To fully capture a beautiful landscape in all its glory, there’s Panorama mode. As for selfies, we have our regular selfie mode and a wide selfie mode. Say hello to group selfies with family and friends.

If we ever need to record a moment on this phone, we have Live Video Capture. We can record with Full HD and play it back on a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Whip out this device and take videos of all your best memories.

Storage

The Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash comes with internal memory storage of up to 16GB. With all the systems in the device, unfortunately, only 9GB of memory can be accessed.

In this day and age, 16GB itself is too small for current apps that require a bigger memory. Don’t forget that we still have other data to keep, such as messages or photos.

To make up for this, the phone allows us to add in expandable memory storage. The device can accommodate a microSD card of up to 512GB. Investing in a microSD card is helpful, especially when we’re using phones that lack internal storage.

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash utilizes a 1.4 GHz Samsung Exynos 7570 processor. To get into specifics, the processor is made up of a 64-bit CPU. This translates into a phone that performs efficiently without sacrificing much power capacity. With this processor, we can enjoy vivid images and gain access to contents that require much vibrancy.

As mentioned before, the processor doesn’t take up much battery capacity. This is because the processor is designed to save up as much power as it can. Another advantage that comes with it is increased security. This era of technology is no stranger to privacy breaches. Fortunately, the processor helps to protect the phone from any suspicious activity.

This Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash Review also includes an insight into the phone’s RAM. The device makes use of a 2GB RAM to run all of the phone’s activities. Depending on what you use with your phone, 2GB should be enough for basic usage. However, if we’re looking at heavy-duty apps, the phone might run into some problems.

Issues with RAM have always been a common issue with budget phones. While there is not much that we can change, we can still alleviate the situation. Make sure that the phone’s cache is cleared daily before heavy usage. Part of owning a phone is maintenance. Whether it’s a cheap or expensive phone, every device requires personal care.

Moving forward to its operating system, the phone is supported by Android 8.1. Some of us might simply refer to it as “Oreo”. The system boasts better management of running apps. Additionally, we can also pin running videos on the screen while opening another app. This leaves room for phone multitasking and quick switching between apps.

However, any version of the Android OS could never escape from certain flaws. Once such instance is its white notification bar. It might not be a major issue, but it can be a disturbance in terms of brightness. While Android is oftentimes affiliated with Google, the phone is unable to accommodate Google Lens yet.

Complementing the software is its accelerometer, gyroscope, and proximity sensors. These three basic sensors are the keys to the phone’s touchscreen and gesture functions.

All these sensors synchronize together to prevent any accidental touches on the screen. Furthermore, the sensors can accurately detect our gestures as well. This is pretty apparent when we’re rotating our screens from vertical to horizontal mode.

Connectivity

The Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash can stay connected up to 4G LTE. There is enough coverage provided by the phone to access multiple network bands. Wherever we’re at, the device promises adequate signals to stay in touch. But if the data connection is not an option, the phone has Wi-Fi Connectivity that we can rely on.

Besides that, the phone comes with Bluetooth Technology version 4.0. Avid users of Bluetooth headphones or speakers can easily connect their devices with the phone. If we’re ever in need of a portable modem, no sweat. The phone can also act as a mobile hotspot, with the ability to connect up to 10 devices.

Battery

The Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash is powered by a battery with a 2,600mAh capacity. The phone boasts a long-lasting battery life that can be used for hours. Overall, the phone can withstand 325 hours of standby time. In other words, that’s 16 hours of talking time.

Since the back cover is removable, we can take out the battery as well. However, we wouldn’t recommend removing the battery all the time. If not done properly, it might cause the battery to malfunction.

Make sure that any removals of the battery are done under safe conditions. Better yet, try to minimize the number of times the battery needs to be taken out.

Is the Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash a good phone?

So far, the Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash has shown some promising features. Sure, it may not be of the highest quality, and there’s no special factor to it. But for a low price of $49.98, it already provides all the basics of a modern smartphone.

Wrapping up our Samsung Galaxy J2 Dash review, different people buy phones for different purposes. Some happen to opt for simpler phones merely for the sake of communication. If that’s the case, then this device should do the trick. Simple and fuss-free, it’s a phone that will keep us going in the long run.