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GSMArena
team, 20
January 2017
Alphabet soup
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) review
1. Introduction
Introduction
A 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display, 14nm Exynos chipset,
a body made out of a glass/metal combo, IP68 certification, 16MP f/1.9 cameras
front and back - it sure sounds like Samsung's next flagship. Only it's not the
flagship we're talking about, but the Galaxy A5 (2017) premium mid-ranger.
Of course, we
are guilty of hand-picking that selection of specs to prove a point, and there
are other fields in that spec sheet that would give away the A5's lower
position in the Galaxy universe. Display resolution is one (1080p), and the
chipset is another (Exynos 7880). Even though it's made on a cutting-edge 14nm
fabrication process, it's still only mainstream Cortex-A53 cores inside and not
hard-hitting Mongooses or Kryos. And then the cameras lack OIS and 4K video
recording, even if they both offer higher resolution than the Galaxy S7.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) at a glance:
·
Body: Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass front and back
·
Screen: 5.2" 1080p Super AMOLED screen (424ppi); Always On Display
·
OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow; Samsung Grace UX; Nougat update in the works
·
Chipset: Exynos 7880, 14nm
process
·
Memory: 3GB of RAM; 32GB storage, dedicated microSD slot for expansion
·
Camera: Primary 16MP, f/1.9, 27mm; Secondary 16MP, f/1.9
·
Video: 1080p
·
Connectivity: nano SIM (dual SIM version available); LTE (Cat. 6); Wi-Fi ac; Bluetooth
4.2; FM Radio; USB Type-C; 3.5mm jack
·
Battery: 3,000mAh
·
Misc: Fingerprint reader, IP68 certification for dust and water resistance,
Samsung Pay
Main shortcomings
·
Somewhat expensive - the Galaxy S6 can
be had for less, the S7 is slightly pricier, but will certainly dip in a couple
of months when the S8 comes out.
·
Android is still Marshmallow, though an
update is coming.
·
No 4K video recording at a price point,
where you can find plenty of phones that support it.
It's not exactly what you call a bargain, the A5
(2017), unfortunately. Its price tag makes a pretty solid case for the Galaxy
S6, and why not even the S7 when the time is right? It's also not looking good
that Samsung is putting out a new premium product with good ol' Marshmallow,
and no shiny fresh Grace UX can make up for that.
None of that means we don't like the
premise of a premium full-featured (or thereabout) smartphone positioned a
notch below the flagships - quite the opposite. We'll be looking into just how
much the A5 (2017) deserves its place in the world on the following pages,
starting (not unusually) with a hardware overview.
Samsung Galaxy A5
(2017) 360-degree spin
The Galaxy A5 (2017 measures 146.1 x 71.4 x 7.9 mm which is standard for
a 5.2-inch phone - most other devices with the same diagonal are within a
millimeter in each direction.
As
for weight, the A5 (2017) is on the heavy side of average. Its 157g aren't
really an issue, but the similarly sized Huawei P9, for example, tips the
scales at just 144g. The brand new HTC U Play is even a notch lighter at 143g,
though admittedly it is severely battery-deprived (2,500mAh).
Hardware overview
If there's one area where the Galaxy A5 (2017) can stand up to
flagship-grade scrutiny it's build and looks. To a non-discerning eye the A5
can easily pass for an S7 - the aluminum frame, the dual-glass sandwich, the
shapes and proportions - it's all top-shelf material.
There's the home button with a fingerprint sensor embedded - a staple of
Samsung smartphone design. It may very well be destined for retirement with the
S8, but for now, it's here to stay. The fingerprint reader works just as on the
Galaxy S7, which is another way of saying - it's good but it's not the fastest
one around.
Galaxy A5 (2017) vs. Galaxy S7 - spot the differences
What's been missing on the A-series for a while now and hasn't made an
appearance on the A5 (2017) either is a notification LED. That one seems to be
a flagship-only feature as of late. The top bezel of the midranger does contain
all the other usual stuff though - earpiece, proximity/ambient light sensors,
and selfie camera.
AMOLED display • Always on, too • Home button with fingerprint sensor • The usual stuff, minus LED
More importantly, and unlike any previous non-flagship or non-rugged
phone, the A-series for this year have IP68 certification for dust and water
resistance.
We do tend to compare the A5 (2017) to both the existing S7 and the
projected S8 and while the S7 is so last year with its 3.5mm jack, the S8 may
be one of the trendsetters to lose it. So there - the A5 (2017) is on par with
the current top model in this respect, and possibly better than the upcoming
one.
The A5 (2017)'s wired interface is in fact more up-to-date than the
current flagship S7. The Type-C USB port only made it on a Samsung phone with
the Note7, but we all know how that ended. Other than a somewhat obscure C9
Pro, the A-series remain the only Samsung handsets with a Type-C port. Beat
that, S7.
USB Type-C and 3.5mm jack - our favorite combo
One odd design decision sees the loudspeaker placed on the right side of
the phone, right above the power button. For ringtones that's as good as any
other position and in a way it's better for video viewing when holding the
display in landscape orientation that the prevalent bottom placement. There are
no stereo speakers, but there aren't any on Samsung flagships either. Not yet,
at least.
A power button where it's supposed to be • A loudspeaker where it's never been
As with a few other previous A-series models, the A5 (2017) has a couple
of card slots. The one on the side accommodates one nanoSIM, while the slot on
top takes a microSD card. The latter can also fit an additional nanoSIM card on
dual SIM versions of the A5 (2017) and in this case the microSD slot remains
available - it's a dedicated solution and not a hybrid one and we can't stress
enough just how much we prefer it this way.
Volume rocker and nanoSIM slot on the left side • microSD slot and a secondary mic on top
On the back, the S-series have been having all sorts of sensors, but not
the A's - it's the bare minimum here with just the camera module and the LED
flash.
Minimalist back • Just the camera and LED flash
Your palms will undoubtedly appreciate the curves on the back, which
make the A5 a joy to handle. Some people tend to complain that glass is
slippery, but we've had more issues in this respect with satin-finished
aluminum on some phones, so it's probably down to the individual's skin
properties. What's not debatable is that on glass backs smudges reign.
Galaxy A5 (2017) in the hand
Display
The Galaxy A5 (2017) like all
self-respecting Galaxies packs a Super AMOLED display. The A5 in particular is
smack in the middle between the 4.7-inch A3 (2017) and the 5.7-inch A7 (2017)
in terms of diagonal, and its 5.2-inch panel has FullHD resolution. That
amounts to a 424ppi density but the Diamond Pixel arrangement makes that less
sharp than a competing LCD with equal number of subpixels for each color. It's still plenty sharp though.
The display can give you that AMOLED punch
that's become synonymous with the tech, at the expense of color accuracy. In
Adaptive mode average DeltaE is 5.3 with Red waaay off at 11.2, but also quite
inaccurate whites. Switch to basic mode, however, and you're treated to an
excellently calibrated display with an average DeltaE of just 2.0 and a maximum
of 3.2. Cinema and Photo modes are somewhere in between - whatever floats your
boat.
Maximum brightness is excellent, particularly if you
engage the Auto mode, in which case the display gets a healthy boost in bright
conditions. That said, last year's model could pump out more nits in Auto mode.
Even so, the A5 (2017)'s numbers are right up there with the S7 flagship -
excellent. Contrast is infinite, it's Super AMOLED's treat for you. With a
minimum brightness of just 1.8 nits night-time scrolling sessions won't strain
your eyes either.
Display test
|
100% brightness
|
||
Black, cd/m2
|
White, cd/m2
|
||
0
|
421
|
∞
|
|
0
|
601
|
∞
|
|
0
|
413
|
∞
|
|
0
|
559
|
∞
|
|
0
|
408
|
∞
|
|
0
|
518
|
∞
|
|
0
|
391
|
∞
|
|
0
|
563
|
∞
|
|
0
|
392
|
∞
|
|
0
|
610
|
∞
|
|
0
|
363
|
∞
|
|
0
|
619
|
∞
|
|
0.34
|
374
|
1101
|
|
0.34
|
395
|
1161
|
|
0.37
|
460
|
1243
|
|
0.25
|
385
|
1540
|
|
0.46
|
500
|
1094
|
|
0
|
433
|
∞
|
|
0
|
447
|
∞
|
|
As for sunlight legibility, the AMOLED A5 for 2017 is
on par with last year's model, and slightly better than the A3 (2017), but none
of them is a match for this or last year's flagships. In fact, the A5 (2017)
sunlight contrast ratio is virtually identical to the budget J7 (2016) - sounds
great from that phone's perspective, not as flattering from the A5's. That
said, only top-of-the-line LCD-equipped phones can post such results (the likes
of the iPhone 7 and Xperia XZ), and it's not them that the A5 is facing, pricey
as it may be.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Samsung Galaxy S7 edge4.439
- OnePlus 34.424
- Samsung Galaxy S74.376
- OnePlus 3T4.232
- Samsung Galaxy S64.124
- Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)3.804
- Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)3.789
- Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)3.688
- Huawei P93.195
- Huawei nova2.467
Connectivity
The Galaxy A5 (2017) is well-stocked on
connectivity options. Samsung specifies Cat.6 LTE (300Mbps downlink, 50Mbps
uplink), with a disclaimer that it may vary by region and carrier, and since
the Exynos 7880 itself supports Cat.7 you may want to check locally if the
100Mbps DL speed is of such crucial importance to you (you know who you are).
There are single SIM and dual SIM versions, each of
them with two card slots. In each case there's a dedicated microSD slot as well
- on single SIM models (such as the one we had) there's no cutout for the
second SIM in the top slot (presumably, no contacts and hardware, maybe?).
There is also dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth
v4.2 (but no detail on aptX for high-quality audio), NFC and MST (for Samsung
Pay, where available), and an FM radio receiver. There is no IR transmitter,
though.
A Type-C port is in charge of charging, but only
adheres to USB 2.0 spec, so you're limited to a 'measly' 480Mbps theoretical
maximum transfer speeds. USB OTG is supported for attaching peripherals, but
there's no MHL support for wired video output. Thankfully, there's a 3.5mm
headphone jack.
Samsung Galaxy A5
(2017) battery life
The Galaxy A5 (2017) is powered by a
3,000mAh battery - oh, look, it's the same capacity as the Galaxy S7. And this
one has fewer pixels to render, plus a chipset that should be more frugal than
the thirsty flagship number-crunchers.
Well, indeed it is. The Galaxy A5 (2017) only fell
short of the S7's time in the voice call test, and just by an hour and a
quarter. At close to 22h its result is still perfectly acceptable.
It gets better in the screen-on disciplines. It takes
14 and half hours of our Wi-Fi web browsing test to deplete the A5's battery -
a remarkable feat, even if the smaller A3 (2017) does outlast it by an hour.
The S7, on the other hand, can't even make it to 10h.
In video playback the A5 crosses the 16-hour mark
before calling it quits - another superb performance. The flagship is closer
here, but still falls short by an hour and a half.
As for standby, we've tested the phone both with the
Always On Display feature engaged and then turned off. While it does take a
massive toll on standby time (and consequently on the overall endurance
rating), you should bear in mind that our testing can't account for the phone
turning off the display completely when it's in a pocket, for example. So,
presumably, actual real-world standby with the AOD on should be much better.
The overall endurance rating of 95h is an excellent
result and is a testament to the inherent benefits of having a 14nm chipset on
board - be it an Exynos or a Snapdragon.
The battery testing
procedure is described in detail in case
you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the
smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
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