Samsung Nepal introduced its new series of smartphones named “Galaxy A” just a few days ago. It is a mid-range segment that offers phones with the premium build quality and near-flagship specifications to the users. We checked out the smartphone during the latest Samsung Bloggers meet. Among the three new phones, Samsung Galaxy A3 is the most affordable phone of the series. It is also the smallest one in the whole lineup. The Samsung Galaxy A3 is very thin with just 6.9 mm thickness. The device also comes with an Aluminium unibody construction and a good set of internal hardware.
A series is a new lineup with a premium build, beautiful construction, slim body, and mid-range specification. All phones of the Galaxy A series are made from Aluminium and they are very sturdy. The company says that the phones have metal unibody construction. This means the frame of any A-series phone is carved from a single Aluminium block. Therefore there are no parts and the body is solid and strong. Moreover, the metal body gives a very premium design, feel and look. Galaxy A3 also has a metal body and entry-level hardware. We have used this phone for some time and this is our Samsung Galaxy A3 hands-on first impression.
Samsung Galaxy A3 Specifications and Overview
- Display: 4.5 Inches Super AMOLED Screen
- Resolution: 540×960
- Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 4
- SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (Quad-Core)
- CPU Details: 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53
- GPU: Adreno 306
- Memory: 1/1.5 GB RAM
- Storage: 16 GB eMMC 4.5 Internal, 64 GB micro SD card support
- Battery: 1900 mAh Lithium-Ion
- Back Camera: 8 Megapixels with f/2.4 Aperture
- Front Camera: 5 Megapixels with f/2.2 Aperture
- OS: Android 4.4.4 KitKat (TouchWiz)
- Connectivity and Sensors: micro USB 2.0, Accelerometer, Proximity
Build and Design
The Samsung Galaxy A3 carries the main design philosophy of the A series with its metal unibody construction. It has a premium metal finish and a small footprint. It has a dimension of 130.1 x 65.5 mm with a 6.9 mm thickness. The corners are rounded and the sides are chamfered. On the front side, there is an OLED screen with a front-facing camera, earpiece, and sensors at the top. At the bottom chin, there is a home button and touch navigation buttons. On the backside, there is a camera, LED flash, speaker, and branding. The left side of the A3 has the volume rocker and the right side has a power button with a SIM card slot.
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy A7 Specs, Impression, Price
Internal Hardware
Samsung Galaxy A3 comes with a Snapdragon 410 chip with a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. It is a very popular chip and it can be found in many Samsung smartphones. The Galaxy A3 comes with 1 GB and 1.5 GB RAM options. The internal storage in both models is just 16 GB. Additionally, the phone supports a 64 GB micro SD card. SD card slot is hybrid and this means users can either have two SIM cards or one SIM and one SD card. The battery on the A3 is only 1900 mAh which is the one compromise for the slimness.
In the current scenario, 16 GB of storage is plenty for many people. So we believe people can use two SIMs at once. If you really need more storage, you can always go for an SD card. Now, in the software department, Galaxy A3 comes with Android 4.4.4 KitKat and TouchWiz UI. Samsung has now also released an Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update for Samsung Galaxy A3 in selected regions. The OTA update is set to roll in Nepal as soon as the tests are complete.
Samsung has two models of the Samsung Galaxy A3. They have a 3G version with 1 GB RAM and a 4G LTE version with 1.5 GB RAM. The LTE model comes with NFC hardware. However, the 4G model doesn’t come to Nepal as there is no 4G network available yet. The software of A3 has a few popular features such as Power saving mode and Private mode. There is also an Ultra power saving mode that turns the screen to grayscale and saves more battery by only allowing some apps to work. The phone UI also has a few new themes installed which include Classic, Natural, Casual and Romantic Modes.
Display and Camera
The front side of the Samsung Galaxy A3 has a 4.5″ AMOLED screen with 540×960 resolution and Gorilla Glass 4 protection. Corning glass protection is popular for its drop and scratch resistance. The resolution of 540×960 is called qHD or quarter high definition. It should not be confused with QHD which means Quad High Definition and where the vertical resolution is 1440 pixels. Samsung is using an AMOLED screen which is very popular for its color and quality. OLED screens are taken as the best display in the market and smartphone industry.
Just above the screen on the front side, there is a 5 MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture. It can record videos in 1920×1080 resolution at 30 fps. On the backside of the phone, there is an 8 megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture. It can take pictures at a maximum resolution of 3264×2448 and videos at 1920×1080. The camera app also has a few fancy features such as Wide Selfie, Rear Cam Selfie, HDR, etc.
Also Read: Galaxy J5 and J7 Launch in Asian Market
Impressions
Samsung Galaxy A3 is the entry-level model of the A-series. It comes with all the important things that this series stands for. It has a very solid Aluminium chassis, a vibrant screen, and a good camera. With the metallic premium finish, this mobile is one of the slimmest offerings from Samsung. The weight of the A3 is also only 110 gm which means it is slim and light.
The phone is great on the build and design sides. However, it can’t deliver the performance that many of us expect for the price. The Samsung Galaxy A3 price in Nepal is Rs 31,500 ($300). On the other hand, Galaxy E5 is cheaper and provides a better camera, a bigger screen, and a bigger battery at a lower price.
So it is the choice of the customer to make. Whether they want a premium feeling small compact device or a slightly bigger phone that has more power. In our view, the Samsung Galaxy E5 is the best choice for value at this price. Also if we see other offerings, the Galaxy A5 is the best phone in the entire series with every aspect balanced very well. In summary, our first impression says that Samsung Galaxy A3 has potential but the price does it an injustice.
