Is it a worthy mid-range contender from Samsung?
Right before the 1st half of 2018 comes to a close, Samsung unveiled a number of mid-range devices. One of them is the Galaxy A6 (2018), which has a close semblance to last year’s Galaxy J7 Pro in terms of its size, design, and its internals. Similarities aside, the Galaxy A6 (2018) gets a few key upgrades, which include front and rear cameras borrowed from the Galaxy A8 (2018), an Infinity display, and Dolby Atmos.
With its asking price of Php 16,490, is the Galaxy A6 (2018) an impressive mid-range offering from the South Korean brand? Right before the Galaxy A6 (2018) is sold to the public on June 9, we used it as our daily driver to determine if it is indeed a good offering.
Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018) Specs
- 1.6Ghz Exynos 7870 octa-core processor
- 3GB RAM
- 5.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity display
- 32GB of expandable storage (Up to 256GB)
- 16-megapixel f/1.7 rear camera with LED flash, PDAF
- 16-megapixel f/1.9 front camera with LED flash
- 3G, LTE
- Dual SIM
- WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0
- GPS, A-GPS
- Fingerprint sensor, Face recognition, Dolby Atmos
- 3000mAh battery
- Android 8.0 Oreo
Skinny, robust, and compact
While it has its similarities with the Galaxy J7 Pro, what makes the Galaxy A6 (2018) distinct aside from the Galaxy S9-esque camera and fingerprint scanner module is that it is one skinny phone. Comparing it to the Galaxy J7 Pro and the Galaxy A8 (2018), the Galaxy 6 (2018) has a slender aluminum unibody chassis that is close to the thickness of the Apple iPhone 6 sans bendgate issues.
What’s equally impressive is that Samsung managed to avoid any camera protrusion in the back in spite of a skinny body, and that’s a definite thumbs up. As for the aluminum unibody build, the Galaxy A6 (2018) has a solid one at that, it managed to survive an accidental drop with a minor ding (Sorry, Samsung). However, with the black color we used for this review, the Galaxy A6 (2018) is a fingerprint magnet. We’re not sure if it stays the same with the blue and gold colors, but we hope Samsung finds a way how to make its black-colored aluminum-bodied phones less prone to fingerprint smudges.
Gorgeous display, though we wish for a Full HD+ panel
In line with most 2018 Samsung phones, the Galaxy A6 (2018) gets a 5.6 HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Display. The display change resulted in slim bezels and the shift to in-display keys just like the more expensive Galaxy A8 (2018). While Samsung’s Super AMOLED display is one of the best we have tested so far, we find the HD+ resolution a bit inadequate given its price tag.
Resolution aside, the Galaxy A6 (2018)’s display delivers as expected. We got good color rendition and decent viewing angles even when using the phone in direct sunlight. The auto brightness option is pretty snappy, as it adapts to any lighting condition on the fly.
