Samsung launched A5 2017 variant that is available in India for Rs. 28,990. This is the Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review that will give you a clear picture about the overall performance of the handset, camera and other features.
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 unboxing
Inside the box you will get the handset, user manual in Hindi and English, warranty card, SIM tray ejector pin, good quality earphone, USB Type C cable, USB Type C to micro USB adapter and travel charger (fast charger 9V/1.67A). SAR value Head 0.311 W/Kg. This handset is IP68 certified (dust / water resistant).
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 Design, Display and OS
This is the 2017 version of Samsung Galaxy A5 and looks a lot different. The front as well as back comes with a glass layer that looks great, gives a very premium feel but unfortunately also makes the handset quite slippery – you need to be extra careful. Build and finishing is very good. The rear body is slight curved towards the sides.
The A5 2017 is available in Black and Gold color options. This is a dual SIM handset you can use 2x nano SIM plus a micro SD card all together. There is no LED notification but this handset does come with an always on screen. A5 2017 is packed with good number of sensors accelerometer, barometer, light, proximity, gyro, magnetic, temperature and hall sensors.
Screen is 5.2 inches, it’s a super AMOLED screen with Full HD resolution and screen is also using 2.5D curved glass. The handset is using metal frame. Android Marshmallow 6.0 runs out of the box.
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 Memory and Storage
There is 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM and 256GB micro SD card support. I tried using the TYPE C adapter and connected micro USB pendrive, it did not work – OTG is not supported.
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 performance (hardware)
Inside the hood the Galaxy A5 2017 houses the Samsung Exynos 7880 64 bit octa core processor clocked at 1.9GHz coupled with Mali T830 GPU. Performance was smooth and max battery temperature I encountered was 35 degrees. Handset does not heat up much with heavy usage.
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 Benchmark
Quadrant : 31633
AnTuTu : 56200 / 15637 2nd time – 55196 / 15731
Nenamark 2 : 59.8fps
Disk Speed : 142 MB/s read / 76 MB/s write
Multi Touch : 5 point
This handset supports 5 point multi touch, it was strange cause almost all premium handsets come with 10 point multi touch support, not an issue though.
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 Gaming
Gaming performance was very smooth and lag free. I played Bullet Force, Modern combat 5 and Asphalt 8. You can check the gaming action in the video review.
Camera
There is a 16MP AF camera on the back with a f/1.9 aperture and front camera is also 16MP with F/1.9 aperture. The camera can shoot FHD videos. Still picture quality is average, just short of above average category. The manual mode gives limited option otherwise I would have got a better idea. But in general was expecting better camera performance in low light with f/1.9 aperture. I believe an update can improve the camera performance.
The FHD video recording was very good. Do check the same in the video review.
Camera rating 3.8 out of 5
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 rear and front camera sample
Download Original Image files (right click and save) (do not use it for commercial purpose, without permission of gogi.in).
Others
There is finger print sensor on the front – fast and accurate. No issues with in-call speaker or 4G networks, Reliance Jio worked. The loudspeaker sound however was a little lower than when compared with other handsets. This handset comes with built in WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC.
Samsung Pay
This is a unique feature available on this handset. With Samsung Pay you can make payments at POS (point of Sale terminals) without using your credit or debit card and without swiping thanks to Magnetic Secure Transmission technology, just bring the phone closer to the POS. Check the videos at the end of this review.
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 Battery
There is a 3000 mAh non-removable battery. On a full charge you can expect 5 to 11 hours of non-stop heavy to moderate usage.
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 Battery Performance (time / battery % drop / estimated battery temperature)
- Running Benchmark app – 16 minutes / 4% / 35 degree
- Asphalt 8 + Bullet Force + MC5 game play – 41 minutes / 6% / 33 degree
- FHD video playback with full brightness (WiFi /4G on) – 24 minutes / 7% / 34 degrees
It took me 1 hour 30 minutes to charge the handset using fast charger 9V/1.67A.
Verdict
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 is a very good handset, it is 7.9mm thick, comfortable to use, powerful and does not heat-up. Battery life is very good. Camera quality is average but there is scope of improvement.
The only issue is the price that is on a higher side. At Rs. 29,000 there are better options available in the market.
Rating 4 out of 5
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 is available for Rs. 28,990.