Samsung Galaxy J6 Review – What Works and What Doesn’t

It’s been a while since we saw an exciting affordable phone from Samsung. The recently launched On7 Prime was basically a rehashed version of popular last year phones, which is why the Galaxy J6 (aka Galaxy On6) is perhaps the first Samsung budget phone this year worth considering.

On the face of it, the Galaxy J6 / Galaxy On6 brings in a new design, is the first J-series phone with an infinity (18.5:9) screen, and also includes an AMOLED display. But how is the overall performance of the Galaxy J6?

Let’s talk about what works and what doesn’t in our Galaxy J6 Review.

Editor’s Note: The Samsung Galaxy J6 has been rebranded as the Samsung Galaxy On6 for online buyers in India. There is no difference between the Galaxy J6 and the Galaxy On6, save for the price. 

Jump To:

• Samsung Galaxy J6 Review: Specification
• Samsung Galaxy J6 Review: Things that work for Galaxy J6
• Samsung Galaxy J6 Review: Things that don’t work for Galaxy J6
• Samsung Galaxy J6 Review: FAQ
• Samsung Galaxy J6 Review: Verdict
• Samsung Galaxy J6 Review: Pros and Cons

Samsung Galaxy J6 Specifications

What works for the Samsung Galaxy J6 / On6 :

1. Design

Most 18:9 display phones today have a standard 6-inch or higher screen size. That makes the Galaxy S6, with a 5.6-inch screen, pleasantly compact.

You can easily pass it for a metal body phone, but the material used is actually plastic. The J6 is still pretty solid and has curves in all the right places in order to assist with comfortable handling.

Also Read: Vivo X21 Review – First of its kind in India 

Samsung is once again sticking to the speaker placement on the (top) right edge. We don’t have a particular problem with this, but every now and then you will run into a situation where you will have to adjust your grip to avoid muffling the audio output.

We’d have liked USB Type-C port, but oh well. The audio jack is also present near the bottom, next to the charging port and the only microphone.

2. Display

Samsung is your best bet if you are looking for an AMOLED screen on an affordable phone. The Samsung Galaxy J6 display isn’t as dazzling as high-end AMOLED panels, but it still benefits from the characteristic infinite contrast and awesome blacks. And it conforms to the 18:9 aspect ratio trend.

The display also gives you the option to switch between pre-defined color profiles and that’s one important reason why we’d prefer the Galaxy S6 screen over all other options in this budget.

3. Battery

The 3000mAh battery on the Galaxy J6 doesn’t sound like much, but the battery backup we are getting is surprisingly good. The handset can comfortably last for a day of usage with enough remaining for bed-time. There is no fast charging, though.

4. Software

Samsung Galaxy S6 runs Android Oreo-based software with Experience 9.0 UI. This is a mature and intuitive interface that also has provisions to maintain performance in the long run. For instance, there is scheduled cleaning that deletes unnecessary cache files, log files, etc. every day at midnight.

We are still not a fan of J-series suit of extras (Samsung Mall, Sbike mode, etc.), but from what we hear these are enhancement that legacy users value.

5. Dedicated card slot

Let’s be clear. An SD card isn’t a replacement for internal memory, but if you watch a lot of multimedia content on your phones or keep local music files, an SD card can prove to be really handy.

The Samsung Galaxy J6 makes room for a dedicated card slot and you won’t have to give up on dual SIM functionality to augment storage.

What doesn’t works for the Samsung Galaxy J6 / On6:

1. Ageing Chipset

The Samsung Galaxy J6 is powered by the 14nm process based Exynos octa-core 7870 processor, which is also the same chip that used to power more-than-a-year-old Samsung phones like Galaxy J7 Prime. This would have been fine if the SoC could match up to contemporaries like Snapdragon 636 or even Snapdragon 630 that most other brands offer for the same price.

If you are buying J6, we’d recommend that you go for the 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage option for more performance assurance in the long run.

2. Camera

Samsung Galaxy J6 has a 13 MP (f/1.9, 28mm) rear camera and an 8MP(f/1.9) front camera for selfies. We don’t mind the phone missing dual cameras because – let’s face it – almost all affordable phones are terrible when it comes to bokeh shots. But keeping that aside, the performance is still underwhelming. The cameras struggle to focus, show poor dynamic range, and details are often lacking.

3. Missing Sensors

Samsung Galaxy J6 is missing some basic sensors like Gyroscope, Ambient Light sensor, and Magnetometer (Gyroscope) which we expect on all basic phones in 2018. This certainly takes away from the user experience.

Samsung Galaxy J6 / On6 FAQ:

Now, let’s answer popular user queries related to Samsung Galaxy J6:

Question: Does Samsung bundle Galaxy J6 case cover in the box?

Answer: No.

Question: Is Samsung Galaxy J6 Water-Resistant?

Answer: No. Samsung is still reserving water resistance for more expensive phones.

Question: Does Galaxy J6 support Dual SIM Dual VoLTE?

Answer: No. It does not.

Question: How much internal storage is free on Galaxy J6?

Answer: Out of 32GB, 21.2 GB is available at the user end

Question: Do we have Face Unlock on Samsung Galaxy J6? How well does it work?

Answer: The Face Unlock is reasonably fast but the performance will take a hit on a bad hair day. You can also use Face Recognition to authenticate Autofill from SamsungPass.

Question: Does Samsung Galaxy J6 have Samsung Pay or Samsung Pay Mini?

Answer: Samsung Pay Mini. You can add wallets and bank accounts (UPI) but you won’t be able to add debit and credit cards.

Question: Does Samsung Galaxy J6 support ViLTE or direct Video calling?

Answer: Yes, native video calling is supported. Call quality is very good.

Question: Does Samsung Galaxy J6 support USB OTG?

Answer: Yes, it does.

Question: What about Samsung Galaxy J6 Benchmark Scores?

Answer: Here’s how the Galaxy J6 performed:

Samsung Galaxy J6 / On6  Review – Should you buy it?

Samsung knows its j-series audience well and the Galaxy J6 has been designed to appease them. The new design and trendy 18:9 display should ensure that buyers looking for affordable and branded alternatives don’t overlook the J6. It’s compact size also makes it unique and should work to its advantage.

Other than that, the Galaxy J6 cannot compete with the contemporary offerings like Redmi Note 5 Pro and Zenfone Max Pro M1 in terms of performance or camera.

Out of Galaxy J6 and its online-variant Galaxy On6, the Galaxy On6 makes more sense as it offers better hardware for a lower price.

Also Read: OnePlus 6 Review  – Gratifying Experience

Samsung Galaxy J6 Pros and Cons / Samsung Galaxy On6 Pros and Cons