Samsung creates various levels of smartphones for various users. From super-budget to flagship smartphones. This is done so that every person can own a Samsung smartphone. The Galaxy J1 Mini is an example of a super-budget smartphone. Its featherweight price makes it really cheap and affordable.

Design and Display

The design and ergonomics of the J1 mini are simplistic. A bit too simple for my taste. The plastic back makes it feel cheap. If your hands get oily quickly, then the back panel will be a nuisance. It tends to collect fingerprints and oil. This is SamsungÕs smallest and lightest phone which makes it easy to use in one hand.

The J1 Mini has a ÒminiÓ 4Ó screen with a 480p resolution. It has 233 pixels per inch density. These specs are quite decent for Rs. 8,500 smartphone. You wonÕt be excited to watch videos on such a small screen but the colors are vivid and visuals are sharp too.

Camera

The back camera is 5MP and the front camera produces VGA quality images. The back camera takes average photos. The front camera should have been at least around the 2-3MP range. A good camera is a basic necessity these days. Without decent cameras, people wonÕt be a fan of that particular smartphone.

Hardware and Software

The Galaxy J1 Mini has a Quad-core 1.2GHz processor along with 768MB of RAM. It comes with a mere 8GB internal storage. It can be expanded to 256GB of space. Space won't be your biggest issue. What will annoy you, is the RAM of the phone. After some time it will tend to become slower. The 1500mAh battery will require a boost in the evening or in the afternoon to run the whole day. Thankfully, it is removable, so you can replace it with a new battery pack after two-three years of usage.

Out of the box, it'll run on Android 5.1 Lollipop with TouchWiz UI. It can be upgraded to Marshmallow but we wouldn't recommend doing so. This will slow down the phone considerably.