Samsung goes full unibody metallic with the Galaxy A Series – the 4.5″ A 3, the 5″ A5, and the 5.5″ A7. Each of them feels light and tight, looks chic and classy, and they showcase camera features the selfie generation will love – a gif file can be made from burst shots of 20, live facial adjustments are shown before shooting, and even gesture-activated selfies are easy.
Samsung Galaxy A7 specs:
Samsung octa-core Exynos 5433 processor
1.8GHz cortex A5-cores, 1.3GHz cortex-A53 cores
2GB of RAM
5.5-inch Super AMOLED display, 1920 x 1080 resolution
16GB of internal storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD
12-megapixel rear camera with AF, LED flash
5-megapixel front camera
Dual-SIM
3G, LTE
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC
Android 4.4 KitKat
2600mAh
150.9 x 75.9 x 6.3 mm
SRP P24,990.00
Samsung Galaxy A5 specs:
1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor
2GB of RAM
5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, 1280 x 720
16GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 64GB
13-megapixel rear camera with AF and LED flash
5-megapixel front camera
3G.LTE
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Android 4.4 KitKat
2,300mAh battery
139.3 x 69.7 x 6.7mm
SRP P19,990.00
Above: Two 3’s side by side – Samsung Galaxy A3 on the left and the LG G3 on the right.
Samsung Galaxy A3 specs
1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor
1GB of RAM
4.5-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, 960 x 540 resolution
16GB internal storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD
8-megapixel rear camera with AF and LED flash
5-megapixel front camera
3G, LTE
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Android 4.4 KitKat
1,900mAh battery
130.1 x 65.5 x 6.9mm
SRP P16,990.00
The Samsung Galaxy A7 is the company’s first dual SIM phone that has a hybrid SIM card tray – it can either house a nanoSIM card or a microSD card. So you have a choice between extra space and a chance at better coverage via another SIM (or another telco SIM). We’re getting used to bigger (the Note 4) and bigger (the Huawei Mate 7) phones, but despite its the A7 size, never felt awkward in my hand, as did another 5.5 incher (the LG G3).
What is common to all A series phones, apart from the same look, are the camera features that mark the series as a lifestyle item: rear camera and selfie features. Like this:
The A Series may mildly remind you of the pre-iPhone 6 physique, but then if you’re a geek like me, you’ve fantasized about having an iPhone 6 with the Note 4‘s Super AMOLED display (see below) and awesome rear and front cameras inside.
We know from the Note 4 how Samsung can throw in awesome camera hardware and software. I’m betting you’re getting the same in the A series. I’ll leave you with a shot of my runaway favorite among the Samsung Galaxy A Series – the smallish A3.
