Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsGalaxy SM-J530F Black - Renewed (Samsung Galaxy J5 2017)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 May 2024
This Samsung Galaxy J5 phone was purchased as a backup, and for listening to internet music stations and sport commentary at home and in the car. The "renewed" phone arrived promptly, safely packaged in a plain cardboard box labelled "Used-Good", with a generic charger and cable. Cosmetically the phone is closer to "Very Good" condition, with just a tiny scratch on the screen not noticeable when in use. The battery was fully discharged when it arrived so first job was to allow it to charge to 100% which took approx 3 hours. I then checked all was working; this is largely intuitive for Android users but the user instruction manual is on the phone under "Settings > User Manual" if needed. The phone I received is running Android 7; the screen icons look a touch dated!
Having made sure all was well with the J5 I immediately ordered a suitable phone case - I chose a Lihondar case. (I find my 20th century fingers and 21st century smartphones are not compatible, so having a case on the phone makes it much harder to drop and easier to use).
I installed the following apps: TuneIn Radio, Mixcloud, BBC Sounds, The Revival Show, Internetradiouk.com, plus a few others. All work well although BBC Sounds does seem to suffer a glitch now and then. Commentary from the BBC sports website works smoothly. Battery life is perfectly OK for my needs, lasting around three days of on/off use with Bluetooth turned on. Sound quality (what we used to call "tone"!) on the phone's speaker is actually surprisingly good - more pleasant to listen to than my main phone.
In summary, after several weeks' use I am very happy with this purchase. The "renewed" J5 phone does all I expected, the condition is very good and the price is reasonable.