Table of Contents
- Design and construction
- Fabric
- Hardware and performance
- Camera
- Operational system
- Battery
- Price and availability
- Galaxy A5 2017: the verdict
- Technical specifications
Samsung launched the Galaxy A5 2017 in Spain with the proposal to offer an even better design in a line that was already known for its refined look. The result is a device very similar to the top of the line from 2016, the Galaxy S7. The new A5 has been upgraded in almost every component, from the material to the technical sheet. And, despite being expensive, it costs R$ 100 less than its predecessor at launch. The model hits the shelves for R$ 2.099.
We tested the Galaxy A5 2017 in the last two weeks, enough to reach the verdict on the smartphone. Will Samsung be able to convince to make the investment? And the 3.000 mAh battery, will it do the trick? Check out these and other answers on review complete next.
Design and construction
Right off the bat, the main change of the A5 2017 is in the design. Despite continuing with a metal and glass finish on the front and back, the model has a very different footprint. The corners and edges are rounded and make the device easier and more pleasant to hold, and the buttons remain firm. In the hands, the A5 is almost identical to the S7, only slightly larger. The extra space accommodates an extra 0,1 inch of screen.
The new A5 is more elegant than its predecessor, and, I dare say, even the Galaxy S7 itself. The paintwork is uniform and includes the edges – black in our test unit – and there is no bump on the rear camera. The speaker is in an unusual place, on the side above the power button. The position may seem strange at first, but it turns out to be a valid solution to not block audio output when playing games.
The device has gained water and dust resistance with certification IP68 – the same as the Galaxy S7. There is even space for two chips and a microSD card at the same time. In addition, the cell phone uses the new USB-C standard, which guarantees – as you will see later – a short recharge time.
The A5's design is not perfect because it has the same problems as other Samsung phones. Those with big fingers can press the Home button and the screen at the same time by accident. And the capacitive buttons on the hardware feel dated, causing accidental taps, especially when gaming. Overall, however, the look makes up for these small details and is quite pleasing in everyday use.
Fabric
The display of the Galaxy A5 2017 follows with 5,2 inches, Full HD (1080 x 1920 pixels) and Super AMOLED technology. It's a classic Samsung display: great for displaying strong, vivid colors, even in bright sunlight. The panel has a strong brightness at the maximum gradation, and manages to get quite dark at the minimum level. With the help of the blue light filter, which comes standard, the cell phone offers a good night reading experience.
If you are looking for a device with an excellent screen, the A5 2017 is one of the best in this regard among intermediate smartphones.
Hardware and performance
In practically two weeks of testing, the Galaxy A5 did not choke and shows no signs that it will be one of those devices that crashes too much. Performance is consistent across any app on the Play Store. This goes even for heavy games like Asphalt 8. On the medium graphics, the frame rate is very pleasant. You 3 GB of RAM are enough to leave games saved in memory for quick access, and 32 GB internal enough to store many apps – for photos and videos, there's a card slot microSD up to 256 GB.
At heart, the A5 2017 has an octa-core processor Exynos 7880, manufactured by Samsung itself. On paper, it is equivalent to the Snapdragon 625, present in rivals such as the Zenfone 3 and the Moto Z Play. On Antutu, the Exynos chipset measures just over 60 points, highlighting the performance in 3D graphics. In the real world, this number also translates into nice animations and transitions.
A weak point is that these same transitions and animations are fluid, but at the same time a little slow. Only after manually tweaking them in the developer settings do they seem to be at perfect speed.
The device comes equipped with a fingerprint sensor on the front. In our tests, the performance of the unlock was irregular: Unless you place your finger very well on the surface of the button, unlocking may take longer than on rival devices.
Camera
O Galaxy A5 2017 comes equipped with a respectable set of cameras – at least in terms of specs. Are 16 megapixels com f/1,9 aperture both on the front (for selfies) and on the back. Both record video in Full HD (1080p). In general, performance is satisfactory when there is plenty of light. At night or indoors, the powerful flash helps with capture, along with a Night mode which calibrates the ISO for maximum brightness.
But, if the A5 2017 looks a lot like the S7 visually, the cameras are far from the same performance. The Achilles heel of the new A5 is the inconsistency of focus. When taking pictures in low-light environments, the rear sensor has some difficulty focusing on close objects. And on the front camera, the result gets worse. With fixed focus, you have to have some luck so your selfies don't come out blurry.
Much of the blame lies in the lack of optical image stabilization (OIS). Also, the software doesn't seem to do a very good job of stabilizing photos and videos digitally. The A5 isn't quite incompetent in terms of photography, but the front camera's performance certainly looks like it could be better.
Operational system
O Galaxy A5 2017 comes with the Android 6.0 Marshmallow and the latest version of Samsung's proprietary interface. Although it does not like such a recent device not to come with Android Nougat, the South Korean's software is getting better and it pleases us on a daily basis. The system's design is elegant and has so many extra functions that even a purist Android user will feel right at home.
Samsung offers a ton of features. The highlights are the native RAM and storage manager, the opening of two apps at the same time, the quick access customization and the new home screen shortcuts. There is also the Safe paste, which saves photos, videos, notes, browsing and even app clones with a password.
The main flaw of Samsung's custom interface, however, is still there. Of the 32 GB internal, a good part is taken up by the system and by various factory installed apps, most of which are useless. There are browser and email apps vying for the same space as Chrome and Gmail, for example. They can't be removed, just deactivated so they don't accumulate data and make the app drawer cleaner.
Battery
With a capacity of 3.000 mAh, the battery of the Galaxy A5 2017 does not impress at first glance. It is the same as for devices like the Moto G4 Plus, which barely lasts a day of moderate use. But, perhaps because of the optimized Exynos chip, the new A5 is a case in itself.
Even with the Always On Display – a feature that shows the date, time and notifications with the screen off – on, you can comfortably use your phone for a whole day. With less intense use, the battery lasts for almost two days. If you're willing to limit performance by turning on energy saving, you can get even more autonomy.
O result impresses. On a typical day of moderate use, the device can deliver more than 6 hours of screen time, a value normally compatible with batteries much larger than 3.000 mAh.
When she finishes, the fast charger via USB-C – there is also a micro USB to USB-C adapter in the box – it restores the energy of the cell phone in an hour and a half from 0% to 100%. When charging does not start from scratch, charging ends in just over an hour.
Price and availability
O Galaxy A5 2017 arrives in Spain costing R$ 100 less than last year, but still expensive. The model is sold at the suggested price of R$ 2.099, can be found with a discount of about 10% in cash payment. The value is high considering the price drop of the Galaxy S7 and rivals like the Zenfone 3 and Moto Z Play.
Galaxy A5 2017: the verdict
Samsung got a lot more right than it got wrong. Galaxy A5 2017. The device has a beautiful design with a waterproof body, excellent performance and battery life, as well as a competent rear camera in most scenarios. The front sensor is a weak point due to the focus limitation, but not enough to shake the whole of the work.
On the one hand, the hits make the 5 A2017 possibly better than models from other brands. The curious thing is that, on the other hand, its biggest competitor may be “inside the house”, in the Galaxy S7. The 5 A2017 isn't exactly a bad buy, but it only tends to get really attractive once the price starts to drop. At R$2.099, he is too expensive to bet. But for less than R$1.700, it has the potential to be the best buy in its category.
Technical specifications
- Processor: Exynos 7880 Octa-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A53;
- Memory RAM: 3 GB;
- Fabric: 5.2-inch Super AMOLED with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels (424 dpi);
- Camera: 16 megapixels, f / 1.9, autofocus, LED flash;
- Frontal camera: 16 megapixels, f/1.9;
- Battery: 3.000 mAh;
- Conectividade: 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C;
- But by the full GPU acceleration tech: Mali-T830MP3;
- External memory: support for microSD card up to 256 GB;
- Internal memory: 32 GB;
- Dimensions: 146,1 x 71,4 x 7,9 mm;
- Weight: 157 grams;
- Sensors: fingerprint reader, accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass, barometer;
- Platform: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.
