Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro: At First Glance
If the specs are anything to go by, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro is just a differently named J7 Sky Pro. The addition of the “Luna” is the most significant difference between the two smartphones.
Looking at the specs of the smartphone, it is undeniable that the smartphone was being offered at a reasonable price at the time of its launch. The same can still be said now.
For its price, the smartphone offers fairly solid hardware components. However, you shouldn’t expect an all-round excellent performance from the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro.
Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro: Design, Dimension & Weight
On most occasions, a cheap plastic design always comes to mind when a budget smartphone is mentioned. However, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro doesn’t completely align with that expectation.
Though it has a plastic build as you’d expect for a smartphone of its price, it doesn’t feel cheap. The smartphone’s build quality is surprisingly good.
The Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro feels so solid that it doesn’t make any creaking sound when slightly squeezed. Even if you don’t like plastic phones, this smartphone is one of those few ones you will fall in love with.
In addition, although you won’t mistake the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro for a Galaxy S6, both smartphones share a lot of things in terms of looks.
On the other hand, you will be forgiven for thinking the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro and the J7 Sky Pro were the same smartphones. This is because both smartphones look exactly the same.
The most noticeable difference between both smartphones is their size. With a 140.8 x 70.1 x 8.7 mm dimension, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro is just a bit smaller.
Even though this small size hints at a small display, the compactness of the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro is a thing to be happy about. Its size makes it feel very comfortable to use the smartphone with one hand.
Moreover, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro has the regular Galaxy candy bar form factor. This means that it has rounded corners and smooth edges made possible by its 2.5d curved glass.
This form factor makes the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro feel nice to hold. In addition, the metallic finish and thin metal strip on the smartphone’s back give it a premium feel.
In terms of weight, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro weighs just 143.9 g. Its lightweight also makes it easy to move around with the smartphone.
Moving further to the details around the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro, the thin strip on the back of the smartphone features the rear camera and a flashlight. Meanwhile, a Samsung branding is located below the metal strip.
Since it features Samsung’s candy bar design, you’ll notice the Samsung logo above the smartphone’s screen. You’ll also find the earpiece, front-facing camera, and led notification light above the display.
Below the display, you’ll see the physical home button positioned in between the recent and back capacitive touch keys.
The right side of the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro features the power button, while the left side features the volume rocker. At the bottom of the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro, you’ll find the charging port, headphone jack, and microphone.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro is not the most attractive smartphone but it’s not ugly either. It also has an impressive build quality.
Hence, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro scores a seven in this review.
Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro: Display Features
The Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro features a 5.0-inch TFT LCD display. This display offers an HD resolution of 1280 x 720.
I still find it strange that Samsung decided to abandon its signature Super AMOLED display architecture. While many people – including myself – may think this was a bad decision, the display is not too bad on a closer look.
By all standards, the display on the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro is moderate. It won’t completely win you over, but it does well to offer decent-looking pictures and videos.
While I streamed the Champions League final match between Chelsea and Man City, both teams’ deep blue and sky-blue jerseys were distinctive enough.
However, the image quality around the faces of the players lacked sharpness on most occasions. The lack of sharpness became increasingly noticeable during the post-match celebrations when fireworks were being set off.
On further tests, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro offered 286 nits of brightness which is way below the 425 nits average for smartphones. Its brightness level is just about the same level as the OnePlus X’s.
On a brighter note, color accuracy on the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro is excellent. It reproduces colors excellently well.
Furthermore, viewing angles on the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro is good. Colors and images barely fade when viewing from flat angles.
In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro scores a seven in this review for its average display performance.
Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro: Camera Features
The Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro comes with a 5 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front camera.
By all standards, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro’s camera performance is quite underwhelming. It is impossible to overlook the low-quality images it produces.
The rear camera is not spectacular in any way. You can’t use the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro as a substitute for a proper digital camera, but it is sufficient for casual photoshoots.
The Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro offers the same real-time filters that digital cameras offer. It also offers a few more camera modes which include continuous shot, panorama, and HDR.
Furthermore, the shutter speed of this camera suffers from delays. Also, if you don’t have steady hands, you might end up with a lot of blurring images.
Although most images captured with this smartphone come out with soft edges, the color reproduction is not too bad. The camera’s color reproduction quality makes up a little for its inconsistent picture details.
The front camera also has some inadequacies in its performance.
Like the rear camera, it performs best when it is used in broad daylight. You can notice distinct features like strands of hair or the bricks on a wall when you take selfies in daylight.
Furthermore, both the rear and front cameras are capable of shooting 720p videos. Video recording is good on both cameras.
However, you will need adequate lighting and steady hands to get the best performance from the camera. In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro scores a six in this review for its average camera performance.
Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro: Battery Life and Talk Time
Samsung equipped the Galaxy J3 Luna Pro with a 2,600 mAh battery.
The standard battery life of most smartphones is to last for almost a day. Even budget smartphones are no exception.
Though the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro doesn’t exactly last for a day, it offers a good battery runtime. The Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro lasted 8 hours 30 minutes in our battery test which involved continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi.
In my day-to-day usage, I found the smartphone’s battery runtime to be satisfactory. The Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro still always had about half of its battery capacity even after intensive streaming and gaming sessions.
Hence, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro scores a seven in this review for its good battery life.
Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro: Storage Options & Performance
The Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro comes with 16 GB of internal storage capacity.
The 16 GB storage on this smartphone is sufficient for your file storage. You will be able to store a lot of your pictures, videos, and documents.
While this 16 GB may be sufficient for your file storage, you might need more if you usually store a lot of files. You will need even more if you usually install a lot of games.
If you are a storage-hungry user, you will be glad to know that Samsung has made it possible for you to expand the storage on this phone via an SD card. You can expand the storage with up to 256 GB SD card.
Hence, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro scores an eight in this review for its excellent storage options.
Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro: Security Features & Sensors
Smartphones have developed so much that they are now often referred to as little computers. They now offer services beyond making and receiving calls.
The additional attributes that modern smartphones offer have improved the overall user experience. They are now so smart that they can work as our personal assistants by following our whereabouts, monitoring our behavior, and predicting our requirements.
The secret behind the extra computing power that sets smartphones apart from traditional communication devices is the integration of sensors. Sensors are tiny devices in our smartphones that allows interactions between humans, computers and the environment.
Modern smartphones are always equipped with a collection of these sensors. Likewise, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro is also equipped with a collection of sensors.
The Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro comes with an accelerometer, geomagnetic, gyro, and proximity sensor.
The accelerometer measures how quickly your phone moves in a linear direction. Apps use this sensor for tilting motions and switching between landscape and portrait orientations.
As I mentioned earlier, the smartphone also comes with a proximity sensor. This sensor detects when the smartphone is close to your ear or in your pocket.
When this happens, the screen switches off to save battery power.
Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro doesn’t come with any sensor for security purposes. Nonetheless, you can make use of the regular password and pattern locks.
In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro scores a seven in this review for its average collection of sensors.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro is a good bargain for its price. It is compact, light, and it looks ten times its price. However, its camera performance is a bit disappointing. Other than that, the smartphone offers a decent level of performance for its price range.
The Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro was released in 2017.
The Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro accepts an SD card of up to 256 GB in size.
No, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro is not waterproof. It doesn’t have any IP rating detail to certify that it is waterproof.
Yes, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro comes with hotspot.
Conclusion
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro is a decent-looking smartphone that offers an above-average performance. However, its camera performance is a bit disappointing.
Aside from its mediocre camera performance, other features are fair enough for the smartphone’s price. If you can overlook its mediocre camera performance, you will be satisfied with all that the smartphone has to offer.
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