Samsung is improving their lineup every year. At least for some devices, they are constantly upgrading the whole series every year. Last year Galaxy A series was launched with A3,A5,A7 and A8. This year each device have new brother, whose name are rehashed as 2016 edition. We will be comparing all those mobiles one by one according to their competition.
One new model is added which is the Galaxy A9 (2016), this didn’t debut last year. A series are one of the popular choices among people due to their thin, metallic built and near high end specs. A series is mid range series which lies above budget range J series. Samsung will soon be launching J series 2016 as well with metallic bodies. You can find about price of other and A series price phones here.
Common Features: All these phones have metallic bodies and Super AMOLED screens covered with Gorilla Glass 4 but 2016 editions have glass at back also. They also have finger print scanner and come with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out of the box. Nano SIM is the common SIM card size for all handsets. One of the best feature of new series is fast charging support.
Read More: Galaxy A 2017 vs Galaxy A 2016
Comparison:
A series comes with KitKat but can be upgraded to Lollipop. Lets start from the bottom of the series and compare the basic Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) vs Galaxy A3
| Samsung Galaxy A3 2016 | Samsung Galaxy Galaxy A3 2015 |
| 1.5 GHz quad core processor | 1.2 GHz quad core processor |
| Snapdragon 410/Exynos 7578 | Snapdragon 410 |
| 1.5 GB RAM | 1.5 GB RAM |
| 16 GB internal/Max 128 GB SD card | 16 GB internal/Max 64 GB SD card |
| 2300 mAh battery | 1900 mAh battery |
| 720p display, 312 ppi pixel density | 540p display, 245 ppi pixel density |
| 4.7” Screen | 4.5” Screen |
| 13 MP f/1.9 Back, 5 MP front | 8 MP f/2.4 Back , 5 MP f 2.2 front |
Biggest point comes in screen quality of A3 2016 because it has 720p display with higher pixels and bigger screen size. The battery is better, camera is more powerful with much brighter lens and higher support to external SD cards. In this game the newer version easiy wins the predecessor.
Now lets see the comparison in between most popular handsets of these series. Galaxy A5 (2016) vs Galaxy A5 2015.
| Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 | Samsung Galaxy A5 2015 |
| 1.6 GHz Octacore/1.5 QC+ 1.2 QC | 1.2 GHz Quad Core (QC) |
| 2 GB RAM | 2 GB RAM |
| 1080p 5.2” Display, 424 ppi | 720p 5” Display, 294 ppi |
| 13 MP, f/1.9 rear, 5 MP front | 13 MP, f/2.0 rear, 5 MP front |
| 2900 mAh battery | 2300 mAh battery |
| 16 GB internal/Max 128 GB SD card | 16 GB internal/Max 64 GB SD card |
| Snapdragon 615/ Exynos 7850 | Snapdragon 410 |
| Adreno 306/ Mali T720 | Adreno 306 |
The differences in the table show that the new generation is much more powerful. Galaxy A5 2016 has processor of double power and also a bigger battery. The screen is now full HD and has higher pixel density, so the display is immersive. The camera is slightly improved than previous generation. It has bigger lens and the Optical image stabilization in 2016 gives better pictures and videos.
Finally we have biggest and most powerful Galaxy A7 2016 vs Galaxy A7 2015. The original A7 was launched a bit later than previous two phones and was under phablet category because of its screen size.
| Samsung Galaxy A7 2016 | Samsung Galaxy A7 2015 |
| 1080p 5.5” screen, 401 ppi | 1080p 5.5” screen, 401 ppi |
| 3300 mAh battery | 2600 mAh battery |
| Snapdragon 615/ Exynos 7850 | Snapdragon 615/ Exynos 5430 |
| 16 GB On board/128 GB SD card Max. | 16 GB On board/64 GB SD card Max. |
| 3 GB RAM | 2 GB RAM |
| Mali T720/ Adreno 405 | Mali T628/ Adreno 406 |
| 1.2+1.5 GHz (QC combo)/ 1.6 GHz Octacore | 1.8+1.3 QC/1.5+1.0 QC combo |
| 5 MP secondary, 13 MP, f/1.9 primary | 5 MP secondary, 13 MP, f/2.0 primary |
Apparently Galaxy A5 2016 managed to keep same screen size, display resolution and even pixel density. Samsung increased the RAM by 1 GB, doubled SD card support. Again the battery upgrade is one of the best part of this phone. Camera is same as of Galaxy A5 2016.
Wrap Up:
It is clear that the new series are bigger and better by all means. The upgrade actually comes with increased price and it is a bit higher than launch price of their predecessor.
If you want a decent phones in mid budget range with hardware specs and build like high end phones then go with A series and try the new ones for best experience.