Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017), Galaxy A3 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017) are the Galaxy A (2017) series unveiled in January 2016 by Samsung electronics.
The three A-series handsets share some similar features. These include the IP68 dust and water resistance technology, fingerprint sensor, and MicroSD.
They also come with a USB Type-C port.
The handsets are expected to be released into the market by the end of January.
It will be interesting to see the kind of reception they will get especially after the Note 7 problems.
My guess is that the handsets will do well in the market since Samsung is a household name with a history of producing premium products.
One incident, well it’s more of several in one, is not likely to affect the company in 2017.
In this article, the focus is on the differences and similarities between A3 and A5.
The two handsets are similar in several ways but there are also distinguishing specs.
See the comparison table:
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) vs. Galaxy A5 (2017) Specs and Price
| Specs | Samsung Galaxy A3 | Samsung Galaxy A5 |
| Display | 4.7-inch Super AMOLED screen, 720 x 1280 pixels, with always on display | 5.2-inch Super AMOLED screen, 1080 x1920 pixels, with always on display |
| Processor | Octa-core 1.6GHz Cortex-A53 | Octa-core 1.9GHz Cortex-A53 |
| OS | Android v6.01 Marshmallow | Marshmallow 6.01 |
| Camera | 13MP rear camera with autofocus and LED flash, 8MP front camera | 16MP rear, 16MP front, both with f/1/9 aperture |
| Memory | 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage expandable by up to 256GB | 3GB RAM with autofocus and LED flash, 32GB ROM expandable by up to 256GB |
| Network | GSM/HSPA/LTE | GSM/HSPA/LTE |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, USB, GPS | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, USB |
| Battery | 2350mAh, non-removable | 3000mAh, non-removable |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Gold, Pink color variants | Black, Gold, Pink, Blue color variants |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Body Dimension | 135.40 x 66.20 x 7.90mm, 135g in weight | 146.1 x 71.4 x7.9 mm, 157g |
| MicroSD | Yes | Yes |
| IP68 water and dust resistance technology | Yes | Yes |
| Expected price | Kshs. 30,000-35,000 | Kshs. 36,000-40,000 |
The table above shows tha A5 has superior features than A3.
The former comes with a higher processing power, battery capacity, screen size, dimension, resolution, RAM, and price.
Also, A5 comes with superior camera features.
The two handsets will run on Marshmallow and while we would have expected Samsung to do better, we cannot complain much.
We should, however, anticipate an upgrade to Android 7 pretty soon. Hopefully.
While Samsung is yet to officially comment on the retail price of A5 and A3, estimates can be made.
One thing we can be sure of is that the price will be lower than that of S7.
The mid-tier handsets are soon to be released into the market and are definitely worth the wait.
This is especially because they come with features that are not found in most mid-range handsets.
Although the handsets are quite decent, the prices, though I’m working with estimates, are a bit high for mid-tier devices.
Companies such as Tecno and Infinix have some pretty nice phones that retail at much lower prices; hence, it will be interesting to see how things turn out.
Read also: Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) Specs and Price