Samsung has unveiled a couple of updated models in its Galaxy A series of mid-range handsets. And considering the company is rumoured to be pushing back the release of the next Galaxy S8 flagship phone, these very capably fill a gap in the company's schedule.
Both the Samsung Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5 devices will be coming to the UK from early February, with pre-orders available from 20 January through Samsung's own online store and selected carrier and retail outlets. Prices are yet to be revealed.
Those who pre-order either handset through some of the retail outlets will also get a pair of Samsung Level Active Wireless Headphones.
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Much of the feature set and some of the spec from the Galaxy S7 has made it down the line to the new Galaxy A devices, including IP68 water and dust resistance. They also get longer battery life than the 2016 equivalents, with Fast Charging and a USB Type-C port.
An always-on display enables users to check key notifications without fully waking either phone, while they offer improved storage capacity and increased microSD card compatibility to 256GB.
They will sport a metal frame, "3D glass back" and come in black, gold, light blue and peach colour schemes.
Here are the key specifications for each of the phones:
Samsung Galaxy A5 full specifications
- 5.2-inch Full HD Super AMOLED screen
- 1.9GHz octa-core processor
- 3GB RAM
- LTE Cat 6 network connectivity
- 16-megapixel cameras front and rear
- 32GB storage with microSD card slot (up to an additional 256GB)
- Fingerprint scanner
- USB Type-C connection
- IP68 water and dustproofing
- Android 6.0.16 (Marshmallow)
- Dimensions: 146.1 x 71.4 x 7.9mm
- 3,000mAh battery with Fast Charging
Samsung Galaxy A3 Full specifications
- 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED screen
- 1.6GHz octa-core processor
- 2GB RAM
- LTE Cat 6 network connectivity
- 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel on the front
- 16GB storage with microSD card slot (up to an additional 256GB)
- Fingerprint scanner
- USB Type-C connection
- IP68 water and dustproofing
- Android 6.0.16 (Marshmallow)
- Dimensions: 135.4 x 86.2 x 7.9mm
- 2,350mAh battery with Fast Charging
Both of the handsets will debut at CES 2017 in Las Vegas. Pocket-lint will be there to go hands-on with them to give you our first impressions. A third variant, the Galaxy A7 also to make an appearance at the show, is not currently planned for UK or Europe.