If you’re looking to buy a new smartphone before your kid heads back to school, have I got the perfect phone for you. Check out the Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) from Boost Mobile for an inexpensive yet fully featured smartphone that costs as low as $30 a month.
The international-capable, 3G/4G LTE/Enhanced LTE smartphone runs Android 5.1 Lollipop on a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor for zippy performance and smooth, error-free usage. The pocket-sized Galaxy J3 sports a 5.0″ HD Super AMOLED screen that boasts video with vibrant, crisp colors.
My 12-year-old daughter replaced her much-loved Galaxy Prevail LTE phone with the J3 6 and is thrilled with the switch. The J3 weighs 4.9 ounces and measures 5.6″ by 2.81″ by .31″ and is a perfect fit for a teen or tween’s hands.
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Display and Touchscreen
The onscreen keyboard is similar to other Samsung phone keyboards, and works very well for that thing that teens and preteens love to do – texting. The phone’s touchscreen has just the right amount of sensitivity for commands and navigation.
Games and videos look and sound fantastic on the Galaxy J3. Like so many other kids and teens, my daughter loves playing Pokémon Go. When I was taking photos for this review, I actually caught a Pokémon for her, right there in my bedroom.
Expandable Memory
You can add to the Galaxy J3’s 16 GB of onboard memory with a microSD card up to 128 GB in size. Some phone brands are phasing out microSD cards, and iPhones have never offered this feature.
Great Photos and Videos
One thing that most people consider important in a smartphone is the camera, and the Galaxy J3 6 offers a 5 MP rear-facing camera with quick launch plus a 2 MP front-facing camera. It’ll also take nice HD videos and play them back in HD, too. My daughter described the camera and camcorder as “working completely fine.”
Battery Life
Battery life is pretty good on the Galaxy J3, though with the heavy usage it gets at my house, it needs to be charged daily. Pokémon and other games plus a liberal dose of YouTube videos will drain any phone’s battery in a hurry. The phone’s Sprint 4G LTE mobile network gives her data coverage anytime she needs it.
The Galaxy J3 6 costs around $180 plus as low as $30 a month for unlimited talk and text plus 2 GB of full-speed data with auto-pay. Plus, your data can grow by .5 GB per month (up to 5 GB) with every three months of on-time payments. On-time payments are pretty easy when you’re auto-paying with a credit or debit card.
My daughter received a demo device for use in this honest review. All opinions are my own.
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