Jason Malabanan asks, “Which is better: GR3 2017 or J7 Core?“
In this match, we have two low-mid range smartphones with good gaming potentials for their tier level. Let’s begin!
The Huawei GR3 2017 is the little brother of the community favorite, GR5 2017. It has a 5.2“ IPS LCD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, a Kirin 655 chipset, a 16GB internal storage, a 3GB RAM, a 12MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash, an 8MP front camera, and a 3,000mAh battery to power up the smartphone.
The Samsung Galaxy J7 Core is Samsung’s recent released low-mid range smartphone which possesses the chipset of a Samsung mid-range device. It has a 5.5” Super AMOLED display with 1280 x 720 resolution, an Exynos 7870 chipset, a 16GB internal storage, 2GB RAM, a 13MP rear camera with LED flash, a 5MP front camera with LED flash, and a 3,000mAh battery to power up the device.
Let us look at their detailed specs:
| Huawei GR3 2017 | Samsung Galaxy J7 Core | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.2-inch IPS LCD @ 1920×1080 pixels | 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED Display @ 1280 x 720 |
| CPU | HiSilicon Kirin 655 octa-core | 1.6GHz Exynos 7870 Octa-core |
| GPU | Mali-T830 | Mali-T830 |
| Memory | – 16GB internal storage – 3GB RAM | – 16GB internal storage – 2GB RAM |
| Camera | – 12MP autofocus rear camera w/ LED flash – 8MP front camera | – 13MP rear camera with LED flash – 5MP front camera with LED flash |
| Battery | 3,000mAh battery | 3,000mAh battery |
| OS | Android 7.0 Nougat w/ EMUI 5.0 | Android 7.0 Nougat |
Here are the advantages of each smartphone:
Huawei GR3 2017
- Higher screen resolution
- Slightly better performing CPU
- Higher RAM
- Higher front camera resolution
Samsung Galaxy J7 Core
- Higher screen size
- Super AMOLED display for its price
- Slightly higher rear camera resolution
- Front LED flash
From paper alone, we can see that there are mixed advantages from each smartphone. Let’s discuss them one by one.
Display-wise, the J7 Core has the upper hand. Since when it comes to gaming experience, users tend to prefer bigger screen sizes. Additionally, it has a Super AMOLED display which produces vivid colors, however, one recurring problem for AMOLED displays are the burn-ins which causes decay in pixel quality for your smartphone. The J7 Core falls short on its screen resolution in which the GR3 2017 has it better with 1920 x 720 pixels. This smartphone has an IPS LCD display meaning it gives off a more natural color compared with the AMOLED displays. Both display types have their own disadvantages so it’s up to your decision on which type you would pick.
As for the overall performance, the GR3 2017 is faster in terms of its Kirin 655 chipset as it performs slightly better than the Exynos 7870. For their GPU, they are both embedded with Mali T830 which gives off the same gaming potential. The GR3 2017 also has a larger RAM which gives users more opportunities to play higher RAM consuming applications or games.
In terms of camera quality, we cannot say for sure which smartphone produces better quality photos, however, their camera resolutions are not that far so we can expect qualities of almost the same caliber. We have sample shots from our first impression for the J7 Core here.
In terms of battery, they have carry the same battery capacity so we can assume that their lifespan will be close to each other.
The Huawei GR3 2017 is priced at Php8,990 (see price listing here) and the Samsung Galaxy J7 Core is priced at Php9,990 (see price listing here)
Which smartphone would you pick? Let us know your choice by leaving a comment down below.
