Samsung’s affordable Galaxy A (2017) series of smartphones borrow some of the best features from the flagship Galaxy S series.
Samsung has officially taken the wraps off its much-rumored Galaxy A (2017) series of smartphones. In line with the rumors, the company has today announced three smartphones — Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy A5 (2017), and the Galaxy A7 (2017). The smartphones will be initially available only in Russia, and will then be steadily “expanded to global markets.”
The Galaxy A (2017) series of smartphones get a host of new features and improvements over their predecessors. For one, Samsung has upped the premium-ness factor by giving the devices a metal frame and a 3D glass covering the back panel. This design language was introduced last year with the Samsung Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, and the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7. All three smartphones will be available in four color variants, including black sky, gold sand, blue mist, and peach cloud.
Other improvements include USB Type-C connectivity, and IP68 certification, which makes the devices resistant to water and dust. Like their flagship counterparts, the Galaxy A (2017) smartphones also feature an Always on display to show notifications and other alerts without having to wake up the phone.
Though Samsung has officially announced it, recent reports hinted that the Galaxy A5 (2017) is likely to be priced at RM 1,699 (approximately Rs 25,700), while the Galaxy A7 is likely to be priced at RM 1,899 (approximately Rs 28,700).
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) specifications
The Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) sports a 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED display, and is powered by a 1.6GHz octa-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM. There is 16GB onboard storage on offer, which can be expanded up to 256GB using a microSD card slot.
For photography, the device is equipped with a 13-megapixel rear snapper with f/1.9 aperture, while up front there is an 8-megapixel snapper with f/1.9 aperture. The smartphone also features a fingerprint sensor, 2,350mAh battery, and connectivity options like dual-SIM card slots, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v 4.2, and NFC. On the software front, the Galaxy A3 (2017) runs on Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 out-of-the-box. There is however no fingerprint sensor on the smartphone.
To put these specs into context, the Galaxy A3 (2016) featured a 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED display, quad-core processor, 1.5GB RAM, and 16GB of expandable storage. It also came with a 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel selfie camera, 2,300mAh battery, and connectivity options like dual-SIM card slots, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC. It ran on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop wrapped under Samsung’s TouchWiz UI.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) specifications
The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) features a 5.2-inch full HD (1080p) Super AMOLED display, 1.9GHz octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB onboard storage, and a microSD card slot. For photography, the device is equipped with a pair of 16-megapixel rear camera with f/1.9 aperture both on the front and rear. The smartphone also features a fingerprint sensor, 3,000mAh battery with fast charging support, and connectivity options like dual-SIM card slots, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v 4.2, and NFC. On the software front, the smartphone runs on Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 out-of-the-box.
In comparison, the Galaxy A5 (2016) featured a 5.2-inch 1080p display, octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of expandable storage. It also came with a 13-megapixel rear snapper, 5-megapixel selfie camera, 2,900mAh battery and connectivity options such as dual-SIM card slots, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4G, and NFC. It ran on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) specifications
Lastly, the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) features the same set of specifications and features as the Galaxy A5 (2017). The only difference though is the size of the display. Where the Galaxy A5 (2017) features a 5.2-inch display, the Galaxy A7 (2017) comes with a 5.7-inch full HD (1080p) Super AMOLED display.
The Galaxy A7 (2016), in comparison, featured a 5.5-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display, 1.6GHz octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 16GB onboard storage, and a microSD card slot. It also came with a 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, 3,300mAh battery, dual-SIM card slots, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC. It ran on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop wrapped under Samsung’s TouchWiz UI.