The two nearly identical rectangular handsets
look innocuous enough and extremely familiar. Yet two things quietly
make the Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 stand out: their all-aluminum
material and their unibody construction. Following the metal-framed
(and plastic-backed) Samsung Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4 , the
A5 and A3 represent Samsung's first stab at an all-metal build, and the
first of its smartphones to seal in the battery completely.
The square-sided handsets look and feel good, similar to the Alpha, or
like smaller, more maneuverable versions of the Note 4. They're also on
the light side and are noticeably slim -- in fact, they're the most svelte
Galaxy phones yet. Don't look for any real standout textures or design
elements to show off the move to metal; these smooth-backed
specimens are understated as far as that goes.
Since the back cover isn't removable, you'll find the SIM-card and
microSD-card slots on the right edge. In some countries, a hybrid slot
will accommodate either a second SIM or a storage card, just not both
at the same time. As midrange phones, you won't find a heart-rate
monitor built in with the camera module; Samsung says that sensor is
reserved for more premium phones like the Galaxy S5 , Galaxy Note 4,
and Galaxy Alpha.
Midrange specs
You might think that luxe metal casings like these would house equally
high-end specs, but the A series is actually defined by midrange specs
that target a more youthful demographic. Samsung's market studies
revealed that this group isn't fussy about top-flight hardware, but is
turning toward the metal trend in a serious way.
SAMSUNG GALAXY A3, A5 SPECS
A5 □□□ A3
Operating system : Android 4.4
KitKat | Android 4.4 KitKat
Screen size : 5-inch AMOLED | 4.5-inch AMOLED
Resolution : 1,280x720; 294ppi | 960x540; 245ppi
Dimensions : 5.5 x 2.7 x 0.26-inch; 139.3mm x 69.7mm x 6.7mm | 5.1 x 2.6 x 0.27-inch; 130.1 x 65.5 x 6.9mm
Weight : 4.3 ounces (123 grams) | 3.9 ounces (110.3 grams)
Cameras : (back/front)13-megapixel; 5-megapixel | 8-megapixel; 5-megapixel
Processor : 1.2GHz quad- core | 1.2GHz quad-core
Storage : 16GB | 16GB, Expandable
storage Up to 64GB | Up to 64GB, RAM 2GB | 1GB
Battery : 2,300mAh | 1,900mAh
Bluetooth : 4.0 | 4.0
4G LTE Yes, Category 4 Yes, Category 4
Samsung also points out that the A5 ad A3 emphasize sound quality,
with adjustable audio that increases volume when it detects competing
background noise. Another feature, called Wise Voice, helps keep
volume levels constant for the receiver even if you're holding the phone
away from your face. Sounds good in theory, though I didn't get a
chance to test out either enhancement.
In terms of color, both the A3 and A5 will come in six shades. There's
the usual black and white, gold and silver metallics, and the same
blossom pink and light blue as the Note 4. As usual, not every color will
be available in every country.
Extra themes
Android 4.4 KitKat is the OS standard for these phones, with Samsung's
TouchWiz interface on top. In a nod to self-expression, a new take on
the UI lets you apply four new themes -- such as "nature" -- that
applies pre-selected images and ringtones. The A3 and A5 also have
their own unique touch sounds that other Galaxy phones don't.
Supercharged selfies
The A3 and A5 may fall in the middle of the hardware spectrum, but
they have a few fun new camera features dedicated to selfies, another
huge trend we're seeing in smartphones.
The Note 4's rear-camera selfie mode is alive and well on the A3
and A5.
It all starts with wide-angle selfies that shoot up to 100 degrees in
portrait and a 120-degree landscape/panorama mode. The A3 and A5
also get the same rear-camera selfie feature first seen on the Note 4 (I
really like this one). In addition, the airbrushing Beauty mode found in
pretty much every Samsung and LG front-facing camera goes a step
further here with effects to correct your skin tone and slim your face,
plus one to enlarge your eyes. If you prefer to send your selfies au
naturel, you'll have the option to turn this off.
You can trigger selfies with a voice prompt as before, and Samsung
also adds the ability to launch a count-down by holding your hand in
front of the camera. You'll have 3 seconds to get your palm out of the
way before the shutter snaps to life.
Also brand-new is an animated GIF mode, which combines up to 20
pictures you capture by pressing and holding the shutter button. You
can adjust the frame rate for 1-to-10 frames per second, and also
tweak the GIF quality using a sliding scale. You'll also be able to
reorder frames and adjust the settings before saving your animated
GIF.
Its unibody design gives the A5, pictured, Samsung's slimmest
smartphone depth.
It's a cute idea, but one that's clearly still in its infancy. Quality on my
GIF was choppy in my hands-on demo, and that's because it caps off
at a 640x480-pixel video resolution.
Sharing is also limited. While
animated GIFS are shareable through a messaging app, it wasn't clear
if you could upload them to social networks like Facebook.
Where can you get the A5 and A3, and for how much?
The Galaxy A3 and A5 will launch in Asia first in November (including
China), followed by rest of the world. While Samsung hasn't released
pricing or distribution details yet (carriers will likely do that on their
own), look for costs of unlocked models to come in significantly lower
than the Note 4.
Outlook
Once again, Samsung's approach of aiming its first fully metal devices
to the middle of the market rather than the tippy-top is a different
strategy than I'd have expected from the smartphone leader. It isn't an
unreasonable position, however.
Appearances matter, and with
midrange specs largely on par with competing devices, the more
premium metal may very well help the A3 and A5 stand out against
rival phones.
Source - CNET
