Samsung’s new Galaxy A5 ~ Smartphone Archive

Price $ 329

See other product :

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* Samsung Galaxy A5                                     * Samsung Galaxy Young 2
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* LG Realm                                           * Nokia Lumia 635
* Nokia Lumia 520                                          * BLU Advance 4.0 A270A
* HTC Desire 510 (A11) white                       * HTC one M9

Samsung Galaxy A5

A5 is the mid-range smartphone from the latest of Samsung’s Alpha range. Sleek design and decent spesification made this smartphone look much better than other smartphone in it’s class.

Thinner than iphone 6 and Easy to Handle

With 6.7 mm thin give 0.2mm thinner from iphone 6. Chamfered metal made in the sides, and two slide-out trays hold microSD card and nano Sim card. The weight is incredible light for 5in smartphone, it only weight 123 gr compare to iphone 6, 129gr and motorola moto G 2015, 155gr. The metal frame, glass front and smooth almost silky plastic back feel sturdy, without give or flex anywhere on the body. The 5 inch screen is bright, vivid and reasonably sharp with a pixel density of 294 pixels per inch (PPI) That’s the same as a 5in Motorola Moto G, but it does mean it is noticeably less crisp than the 432ppi Galaxy S5. For a smartphone with a 5in screen, the Galaxy A5 is surprisingly small and manageable, making it quite easy to use with one hand.

Specifications

Screen: 5in 1280 x 720 (720p) Super AMOLED
Processor: 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16GB + microSD card slot (up to 64GB)
Operating system: Android 4.4.4
Camera: 13-megapixel rear, 5-megapixel front
Connectivity: 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS/Glonass
Dimensions: 69.7 x 139.3 x 6.7mm
Weight: 123g

Enough Under the Hood for Most

The back is covered in a solid, silky feeling plastic, which isn’t removable and neither is the battery.While the A5 has a microSD for adding more storage, it lacks removable battery. It does have solid battery life though, lasting a day with intensive use, longer if used sparingly. It also has Samsung’s excellent ultra power saving mode, which switches the display to black and white and leaves just a few applications and the phone accessible, extending battery life to several days when needed.The Galaxy A5’s 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor won’t win any benchmarking battles, but it is perfectly capable of handling most duties without issue.There were a few odd stutters, including animations in the British Airways app and when loading a code-heavy website, but overall the phone feels snappy.

Older Android and TouchWiz

The Flipboard powered ‘Briefing’ fills the left most homescreen of the launcher, but can be turned off in settings. The Galaxy A5 runs Android 4.4.4 with Samsung’s customary modifications, in the form of a user interface called TouchWiz. It isn’t the latest version of Android – that would be the excellent Android 5 Lollipop – and TouchWiz is a bit like Marmite, some will love it while others will hate it.It’s the same version of the software that was available on the Galaxy S5 before it was updated to Lollipop, and on the Galaxy Alpha. Most of the Samsung apps can be safely ignored in favour of better ones from Google, but some features such as the “Briefing” panel on the homescreen that’s powered by social news aggregator Flipboard might well be worth using.

Camera

The 13-megapixel camera is capable of solid shots, but the default camera app can be overzealous in post processing, reducing details in good light.

The 13-megapixel camera is capable of solid shots, but the default camera app can be overzealous in post processing, reducing details in good light. The Galaxy A5’s 13-megapixel camerais a capable camera for a mid-range smartphone, but can’t compete with high-end models. It is considerably better than the 5-megapixel camera on the Motorola Moto G 2014, however. Images in decent light are good, and details are solid in low-light. The camera is easy to use and responsive, but its post processing can often leave something to be desired, with over-sharpened edges often destroying close-up detail in good photos. Third-party camera apps do not suffer from this problem.

Verdict

The Galaxy A5 is a solid, perfectly usable and attractive mid-range smartphone, which is unusual for Samsung, which has a habit of making its lower-priced smartphones frustrating to use. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of current flagship smartphones, but is thin, light and has enough processing power to get most jobs done without issue. It looks and feels like a premium smartphone, which most mid-range handsets do not. The A5’s biggest problem is its lower-priced competition, including the Motorola Moto G, which has similar specifications and a smoother software experience while costing over £100 less.

Pros: premium design and feel, light and compact for a 5in smartphone, thin, solid camera, decent battery life, microSD card slot

Cons: no removable battery, relatively low resolution screen, not the latest version of Android

Price : $ 329