Truth to be told, Samsung has a lot of smartphones under its wings which are separated into several distinctive series. The Galaxy A Series represents the company’s mid-range offerings which are often blended with a selection of elements from the Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S and Galaxy Note devices.
This is exactly the reason why the design of both 2017 Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 reminded me of Galaxy Note 5 to certain extent especially with the 2.5D edges on their back. The premium feel of both Galaxy A Series 2017 devices is further highlighted by their metal frame as well as glass cover on both sides of the devices even though these already existed on their predecessors.
Even though the glass cover did attract some smudges and fingerprints, they are hardly visible unless you turn the phones at certain angle. At the same time, I also love how Samsung has implemented a non-protruding rear camera on both Galaxy A Series 2017 devices. In general, both devices feel quite sturdy in my hand and rather delightful to hold.
Meanwhile, Samsung has managed to make the Galaxy A Series 2017 devices rather different from its predecessor by making them dust and water resistant just like Galaxy S7 and Galaxy Note 7. It is not just a mere claim as I did dip a 2017 Galaxy A5 into a small pool that Samsung Malaysia has conveniently set up at the launch event yesterday and it survived without any problem even though it seems that the phone’s touch screen can easily be confused by water.
Another feature of the 2017 Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 that Samsung have really highlighted at the launch event are their cameras especially their low-light capabilities. While it is too early to provide actual verdict for these devices given the limited time that I had with them at the event, cameras on both phones feels quite speedy in capturing images regardless of the light settings.
In addition to the front and back 16-megapixels f/1.9 cameras, both devices are also equipped with a 1.9GHz octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage. Hence, only their screen size and battery capacity that actually separate the 2017 Galaxy A5 and A7 apart.
Of course, let’s not forget their price tag as well. Open for pre-order immediately, the new Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 is priced at RM 1,699 while its bigger and faster brother Galaxy A7 2017 goes for RM 1,899. Unfortunately, Samsung has no plan to release the Galaxy A3 2017 at the moment but who knows; maybe the company might have change of heart later.
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017
Samsung Galaxy A7 2017
