Samsung Pay comes to the budget segment with the Galaxy J7 Pro
After launching Samsung Pay in India earlier this year, the South Korean manufacturer is now making its digital payments service more accessible by bringing it to the budget segment —with the Galaxy J7 Pro the first device to feature the service. Samsung also rolled out another device in the Galaxy J series — the Galaxy J7 Max — which offers Samsung Pay Mini for UPI and Paytm transactions.
The Galaxy J7 Pro has specs similar to that of the standard variant of the Galaxy J7 2017, including a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Exynos 7870 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 13MP front and rear cameras, microSD slot, fingerprint sensor, 4G with VoLTE, and a 3600mAh battery. What's new is 64GB storage, and the aforementioned Samsung Pay.
Everything you need to know about Samsung Pay in India
The Galaxy J7 Max — as the name suggests — is geared toward multimedia consumption, offering a 5.7-inch Full HD display, Exynos 7870 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 32GB internal memory, microSD slot, 13MP front and rear cameras, 4G with VoLTE, and a 3300mAh battery. Both phones come with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, and retain the Smart Glow feature that made its debut last year on the Galaxy J2 2016.
It's immediately not understandable why the larger J7 Max doesn't offer the full-fledged version of Samsung Pay, but it looks like the retail pricing was a factor. The Galaxy J7 Pro will be available in mid-July for ₹20,900 ($320), whereas the J7 Max will be up for sale starting June 20 for ₹17,900 ($275).
The Galaxy J series is Samsung's best-selling lineup in the country, and the availability of Samsung Pay in the budget segment has the potential for a huge uptick in the service's adoption.
Get the top Black Friday deals right in your inbox: Sign up now!
Receive the hottest deals and product recommendations alongside the biggest tech news from the Android Central team straight to your inbox!
Harish Jonnalagadda is Android Central's Senior Editor of Asia. In his current role, he oversees the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, networking products, and AV gear. He has been testing phones for over a decade, and has extensive experience in mobile hardware and the global semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.