Meet the new version of Samsung’s metal phones
It’s been almost a year since the release of Samsung’s first all-metal mid-range smartphones, and the Korean company has decided to release new, refreshed 2016 models for the holidays. The Galaxy A3, A5 and A7 all get brand new bodies and slightly updated innards to reflect Samsung’s changing design philosophy. Let’s take a gander at the specs to see what the differences are:
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) specs
- 1.6GHz octa-core processor
- 3GB of RAM
- 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD display, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, 1920 x 1080 resolution
- 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 128GB
- 13-megapixel rear camera, OIS, AF, LED flash
- 5-megapixel front camera
- Dual-SIM (optional)
- 3G, LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, fingerprint scanner
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
- 3300mAh battery
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) specs
- 1.6GHz octa-core processor
- 2GB of RAM
- 5.2-inch Super AMOLED HD display, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, 1920 x 1080 resolution
- 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 128GB
- 13-megapixel rear camera, OIS, AF, LED flash
- 5-megapixel front camera
- Dual-SIM (optional)
- 3G, LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, fingerprint scanner
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
- 2900mAh battery
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) specs
- 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410
- 1.5GB of RAM
- 4.7-inch Super AMOLED HD display, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, 1280 x 720 resolution
- 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 128GB
- 13-megapixel rear camera, AF, LED flash
- 5-megapixel front camera
- Dual-SIM (optional)
- 3G, LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
- 2300mAh battery
The new A series phones have also seriously cut down on the bezel size on the displays, so the screen-to-body ratio is better than the previous iteration. The A5 and the A7 both get fingerprint scanners in their home keys, as well as a camera module that has OIS. Samsung has also bumped the battery capacity of both phones to better last the day compared to the previous model.
The A5 has a slightly bigger display (4.7-inches vs 4.5) compared to the previous model, and has a higher resolution camera and a slightly bigger battery. The three phones will first make their debut in China before rolling out to the rest of the world.