Samsung has been slowly changing its global strategy, just to keep up with the modern times. The company has today expanded its 4G LTE portfolio with the launch of 4 new smartphones and in the lead is slim and sleek, Galaxy A7, embracing metallic exterior and housing powerful hardware. We got to spend some quality time with Galaxy A7 at Samsung Forum 2015. Here are our initial impressions.
Samsung Galaxy A7 Quick Specs
- Display Size: 5.5 Inch Super Amoled, Full HD resolution
- Processor: 1.7 GHz 64 bit Octa Core Snapdragon 615 Cortex A53
- RAM: 2 GB
- Software Version: Android 4.4.4 KitKat based TouchWiz UI
- Camera: 13 MP, LED Flash, Can record 1080p Full HD videos at 30fps
- Secondary Camera: 5 MP FF, Wide angle lens
- Internal Storage: 16 GB
- External Storage: 64 GB using MicroSD card
- Battery: 2600 mAh
- Connectivity: 4G LTE, HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS, Micro USB 2.0, NFC
Design, Build and Display
Samsung Galaxy A7 is a large screen phablet which is also Samsung’s slimmest phone at 6.3 mm with the classic metallic side edge. The handset is Samsung’s slimmest smartphone till date which also contributes towards making it easily manageable.
The build quality seems impressive. The rear panel has matte finish and is made up of good quality plastic. Both MicroUSB port and 3.5 mm audio jack are present on the bottom. Metallic volume rocker housed on the side edge provides good feedback. This is also a hybrid dual SIM device, which means you will have to choose between the second SIM card slot and MicroSD card.
The 5.5 Inch super AMOLED display is good in quality with very good viewing angles and colors. It’s a bright AMOLED panel, protected by Gorilla Glass 4 on top, which appeared very decent in our initial time with the device.
Processor and RAM
1.5 GHz snapdragon 615 64 Bit octa core chipset powers this smartphone, with assistance from Adreno 406 GPU and 2 GB RAM. Out of 2 GB, 888 MB of RAM is free on first boot.
4 Cortex A53 cores are clocked at 1.7 GHz, while 4 others are clocked at 1 GHz. Since it’s a big.LITTTLE architecture chipset, OS will treat it as a quad core processor. Chipset will support 4G LTE in India. This is the same chipset which we tested in Yureka, and we expect a decent performance in long run.
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Camera and Internal Storage
The rear 13 MP camera can record 1080p Full HD videos. With LED flash, decent low light performance and plenty of pixels on board, we doubt that this will be a deal breaker for those looking forward to buying Galaxy A7.
At the front, there is a basic 5 MP fixed focus camera for selfies, with wide angle lens and gesture support to make your job easier. We would extensively test camera performance in our full review, but our initial impressions are positive.
Out of 16 GB internal storage, around 9.60 GB is free at user end. You can use up to 64 GB microSD external storage at the cost of second SIM card too. However, you cannot install apps on SD card.
User Interface and Battery
Out of the box, Samsung Galaxy A7 will be running Android 4.4.4 KitKat based TouchWiz UI on top. We saw that Samsung has trimmed down conventional TouchWiz UI to make it more responsive. The UI is rich in options with plenty to keep you busy, but since these handsets will be released in later half of March, lack of Android Lollipop might be a deal breaker for many uses. The native dialer supports cellular video calling.
Battery capacity is 2600 mAh which again sounds good enough for one day usage. Considering UI optimizations and battery performance in Galaxy Alfa and Note 4, we are inclined to trust Samsung’s one day comfortable usage claims. We will talk more about the battery backup in our full review.
Samsung Galaxy A7 Photo Gallery
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Conclusion
Samsung Galaxy A7 looks and feels like a high end smartphone, which isn’t surprising at 30K. If you are looking for a large display Samsung branded smartphone with enough power for day to day and high end handling, Samsung Galaxy A7 won’t disappoint you. Considering the rate with wish Samsung slashes price tags, it could turn out to be a great deal after initial few weeks.
