Main Difference – Samsung Galaxy A8 vs A7 (2016)
The main difference between Samsung Galaxy A8 and A7 (2016) is that Samsung Galaxy A8 comes with a bigger display and better camera in comparison. Both phones represent the mid-range category, and their hardware configuration is one of the best in the same category. Both devices were designed and published in order to gain ground in the mid-range market of phones. Let us take a closer look at both devices and get a better understanding of what they have to offer and the differences between them.
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) Review – Features and Specifications
Early this December Samsung unveiled a trio of devices in Samsung Galaxy A series. The new devices come with optical image stabilization on the devices cameras, a fingerprint sensor for additional security and magnetic strip emulation to support Samsung Pay. Galaxy A7 (2016) will be first launched in China and will spread to the other parts of the world afterwards.
The Samsung Galaxy A series phones may be the next important series after Samsung Galaxy Note series and Samsung Galaxy S series phones. The Galaxy Note and the Galaxy S series smartphones usually get the most attention, but the A series phones also are an important part of Samsung in many ways. These mid-range phones are affordable devices that keep the company moving. The Samsung Galaxy A series 2016 is an upgraded version of the previous versions that were released with the same model name. A trio of devices were released with this device where all of them came with upgrades when compared with the previous releases. All these devices come with smaller bezels as with the Samsung Galaxy S6.
Another key note is the fact that the Samsung Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 are the first non-flagship phones to support Samsung Pay.
Display
The display that accompanies the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) has a resolution of 1080p with is full HD.
Performance
The power under the hood comes in the form of an octa-core processor which is capable of clocking a speed of 1.6 GHz.
Camera
The rear camera of the device supports a resolution of 13 MP with the front facing snapper coming with a resolution of 5MP. The rear facing camera supports optical image stabilization which reduces the blur on images as well as improves low light shots.
Storage
The built-in storage of the device stands at 16GB where the storage also can be expanded with the use of a micro SD card. This feature is fast disappearing from high-end devices and which may turn out to be a plus for the Samsung Galaxy A7.
Release
The device is expected to be released in China in December. Afterwards, the rest of the world will have access to this device. Although Samsung has a leading place in the high-end phone market, it is facing real competition in the mid-range device category. This is a major attempt by Samsung to get a grip on the mid-range market and improve the sales and stability in the same.
Samsung Galaxy A8 Review – Features and Specifications
Although Samsung Galaxy A8 may be considered a little expensive compared to its rivals, it comes with many features that would easily justify its price tag. The design of the phone is slim and sleek, and it is ideal for daily use. The battery on the phone also lasts longer when compared with its main rivals.
Samsung is the leader in Android smartphone industry. The flagship devices that have been produced so far are up there with the best quite easily. Samsung will easily be the key market share holder of the flagship Android devices, but when we go down the ladder to have a closer look at the mid-range devices, it’s not the same case. A number of Chinese phones have made their way into the mobile market to cater the phone demand of the mid-range segment. This is the area that Samsung is desperate to work on. The release of the Samsung Galaxy A8 is such an attempt of Samsung to overcome the obstacles and capture the mid-range market.
Design
There are a number of phablets in the market, and from a phone point of view, phablets are not the preferred choice. But Samsung Galaxy A8 could be an exception. It is a very slim phone which has a thickness of only 5.9mm, and the weight of the phone is just 151 grams. This will not be too big for your pocket, which says a lot about the phablet and the all-metal body design gives the phone a solid look. The metal rim which flows around the phone gives the device an elegant look. The phone as a whole is slim, elegant and light and has a premium look.
Speakers
The speakers are placed beside the camera as with any other Samsung phones. If the phone is placed flat on the speaker side, the sound generated will feel muffled.
Fingerprint Scanner
As with the Samsung Galaxy S6, the home button on the Samsung, Galaxy A8 doubles as a fingerprint scanner to include additional security. The sensor performs well and is even able to identify the fingerprint in different angles. The phone is able to unlock even if the finger is placed horizontally or vertically. The fingerprint scanner can be said to perform better than the Samsung Galaxy S6.
Display
The size of the display is 5.7 inches, and the 1080p resolution looks impressive. The screen is visible even if it is being used in bright sunlight. The colors produced by the display are crisp, vivid and accurate. At 386 ppi, the screen is detailed, and text can be viewed very clearly. This will also be in favour of the battery as the power consumed by the display will be low. This will extend the battery life further when compared with a higher resolution display.
Interface
The TouchWiz interface has a clean and smooth look. There aren’t many pre-installed apps in the device. If the user needs any apps from Samsung, he can log-in to Samsung store and download the apps he needs.
Performance
Although Samsung Galaxy A8 is a mid-range phone, it packs a punch from a performance point of view. It is able to perform multitasking effectively, and gaming applications run without any problem. Although the device gets hot when the phone is performing complicated tasks, it never gets to a point when the device is uncomfortably hot.
Battery
The battery capacity of the device stands at 3050 mAh, which is said to last for more than a day quite easily.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy A8 comes with a 16 MP camera on the rear and a 5MP camera on the front. Both cameras can handle wide angle shots which can support 120 degrees. This feature will be especially great for selfie shots, especially group selfies. The camera app that comes with the device is also simple which can be opened with a double-tap on the home button. The shutter lag is kept to a minimal which affirms quick capture of images when it needs to be captured. The downside with this camera is, it does not perform well in low light conditions. The images captured in low light will be noisy, and the colors will also be not accurate. Overall the camera can be considered good and it ideal for general use.
Difference Between Samsung Galaxy A8 and A7 (2016)
Design
The dimensions of Samsung Galaxy A8 are 158 x 76.8 x 5.9 mm and the weight of the device stands at 151g.
The dimensions of Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) are 151.5 x 74.1 x 7.3 mm, and the weight of the device stands at 172g.
From these dimensions, we are able to see that Samsung Galaxy A8 is a relatively larger device when compared with Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016). The thickness and the weight of the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) are larger, making the Samsung Galaxy A8 a larger but more portable device.
Display
Samsung Galaxy A8’s display size stands at 5.7 inches, the pixel density of the screen is 386 ppi, and the resolution of the screen is 1080×1920.
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)’s display size stands at 5.5 inches, the pixel density of the screen is 401 ppi, and the resolution of the screen is 1080×1920.
The display size of the Samsung Galaxy A8 is larger, but the display is sharper on the Samsung Galaxy A7.
Camera
The rear camera of Samsung Galaxy A8 comes with a resolution of 16 MP.
The rear camera of Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) comes with a resolution of 13 MP.
The Samsung Galaxy A8 comes with a better resolution camera which will produce more detailed images due to the additional pixels present.
Hardware
Samsung Galaxy A8 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor which can clock a speed of 1.5GHz octa-core and designed according to the 64-bit architecture. The built-in storage is 32 GB while memory expansion is supported with the help of a micro SD card to up to 128GB. Graphics is powered by an Adreno 405 GPU.
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor which can clock a speed of 1.6GHz octa-core and designed according to the 64-bit architecture. The built-in storage is 16 GB while memory expansion is supported with the help of a micro SD card to up to 128GB
There is more built-in storage with Samsung Galaxy A8 but in today’s world which is moving towards cloud storage and the expansion facility available with the devices, storage may not be a big issue.
Battery Life
The battery capacity of Samsung Galaxy A8 is 3050mAh.
The battery capacity of Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) is 3300mAh.
Samsung Galaxy A8 vs A7 (2016) – Summary
The Samsung Galaxy A8 can be considered one of the best mid-range smartphones available out there. The performance of the device is great, and the battery capacity of the device is fantastic. The camera, on the other hand, performs well in bright conditions but fails to do the job in low light conditions. In a very competitive mid-range market, the Samsung Galaxy A8 has most of the bases covered to compete with its rivals.
