Samsung Malaysia has officially announced the availability of the new Galaxy A (2016) series of smartphones. These mid-range devices are refreshed editions of the first-generation Galaxy A smartphones from last year, featuring a mix of good hardware and premium materials.
The three models of the Galaxy A (2016) are the Galaxy A7 (2016), Galaxy A5 (2016) and the Galaxy A3 (2016). As their model names suggest, the Galaxy A7 lies on the higher-end of the scale, offering an octa-core processor clocked at 1.6GHz (likely to be an Exynos 5 Octa) with 3GB of RAM. It features a 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, while the rear camera is a 13MP f/1.9 sensor paired with OIS. On the front, there’s a 5MP f/1.9 front camera. Finally, the LTE Cat 6 Galaxy A7 (2016) has a generous 3,300mAh battery, and 16GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot that supports up to 128GB cards.
The middle child of the series is the Galaxy A5 (2016). It features the same 1.6GHz octa-core processor, 13MP OIS and 5MP rear and front cameras as the Galaxy A7 (2016),and 16GB of expandable storage, but with a few minor changes. There’s a smaller 5.2-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, 2GB of RAM, and a smaller 2,900mAh battery (because it’s a smaller device).
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Samsung’s new Pink Gold colourway is also available for the Galaxy A (2016) series.
Finally, there’s the Galaxy A3 (2016). This is the lowest-end model of the series, and is also the smallest device of the three. It features a 4.7-inch 720p Super AMOLED display, a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 13MP f/1.9 rear and 5MP f/1.9 front cameras, a 2,300mAh battery, and 16GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot.
Both the Galaxy A5 and A7 (2016) support LTE Cat 6, fast charging and even Samsung Pay, while the Galaxy A3 (2016) only supports LTE Cat 4 (up to 75Mbps) with no fast charging and Samsung Pay features. The Galaxy A7 and A5 also features a fingerprint sensor. However, all three smartphones run on Android 5.1 Lollipop, and are available in Dual-SIM versions in Malaysia – the A7 and A5 feature dual SIM slots with and microSD slot, while the A3 sports a hybrid SIM slot.
Also notable is the fact that all three models in the Galaxy A (2016) series is made with a metal body and glass backs, and a design language that’s similar to 2015’s flagship Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5, lending a premium feel for the three devices.
Dual-SIM slots with microSD in the Galaxy A5 and A7 (2016). The other SIM slot is located at the top of the phone.
The Samsung Galaxy A (2016) series are now available in Malaysia, and will retail for RM1,299 (Galaxy A3 2016), RM1,599 (Galaxy A5 2016), and RM1,899 (Galaxy A7 2016). All purchases will come with a 32GB Samsung microSD card. The Galaxy A (2016) series are available in Black, White, Gold and Pink Gold colours.
