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.

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:

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Samsung

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
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Samsung

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.