Samsung launches the Galaxy A series in the UAE

Samsung launched the 2017 Galaxy A series, the 5.7-inch A7, 5.2-inch A5 and 4.7-inch A3 smartphones at its new Dubai Media City office today. 

Pricing and availability 

The Galaxy A will be available at all major retailers in the UAE on January 12 starting at Dh1,149 for the Galaxy A3, Dh1,449 for the Galaxy A5 and Dh1,749 for the Galaxy A7.

Specifications Galaxy A7 Galaxy A5 Galaxy A3 Network LTE Cat.6 * May differ by markets and mobile operators Display 5.7-inch FHD Super AMOLED 5.2-inch FHD Super AMOLED 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED Processing Power 1.9GHz octa core 1.6GHz octa core Operating System Android 6.0.16 (Marshmallow) Camera Rear: 16MP (f/1.9)  Front: 16MP (f/1.9) Rear: 13MP (f/1.9) Front: 8MP (f/1.9) Additional features Samsung KNOX, S-Voice, Dual SIM option Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC  Sensor Accelerometer, Proximity, Geomagnetic, RGB Light, Hall Fingerprint scanner, Barometer Resistance IP68 water and dust proofing Memory 3GB RAM + 32GB storage 2GB RAM + 16GB storage microSD slot (up to 256GB) microSD slot (up to 256GB) Dimension 156.8 x 77.6 x 7.9mm 146.1 x 71.4 x 7.9mm 135.4 x 66.2 x 7.9mm Battery 3,600mAh, Fast Charging 3,000mAh, Fast Charging 2,350mAh

 

First look

At first glance, both the cheaper A3 and mid-range A7 are devices that have a premium, solid feel. They are well built and seem like they should be value for money. 

While the specs and OS can be judged when we review the devices, there are two things we were impressed to see.

IP68 certification

This has generally been a feature reserved for high-end devices for some time now. Now you don’t need spend Dh2,500 to have a phone you can merrily take for a swim.  

Samsung Pay

While this isn’t confirmed news, apparently Samsung Gulf is working on Samsung Pay coming to the UAE.