Samsung a5 is an interesting thing. Competitors of Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

Convenient, modern and multifunctional - this is how you can characterize the Samsung A 5 2017, which showed decent results during the review process. The device is equipped with an 8-core processor of its own production and 3 GB of RAM, this configuration is enough for a huge number of modern applications, but not for power-hungry games. We also have a very good screen with realistic color reproduction and large viewing angles. Regarding cameras, this is weak side smartphone tk night photography much lower in quality than daytime. Overall, we can recommend Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) for a more detailed introduction, as the device is suitable for a wide range of users due to its performance characteristics and ease of use.

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017): specifications and price

OS	Android;
Screen	5.2 inches;
Permission	1920x1080;
Camera	16 MP;
Frontal	16 MP;
CPU	1900 MHz 8 cores;
Built-in memory	32 GB;
RAM	3 GB;
battery	3000 units;
Price	About 18,000 rubles

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017): owner reviews

— Modern design smartphone;

— High performance thanks to a powerful processor;

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— Availability of an excellent matrix made according to AMOLED technology;

— NFC support, which can be described as a plus;

— It will lie comfortably in your hands;

— The capacity of the battery, and the charging process occurs quite quickly;

— Fast operation of the fingerprint scanner;

— Always-on screen technology;

— Availability of moisture protection;

— A large number of positive reviews;

— High-quality assembly;

- Value for money;

— Excellent work with Wi-Fi networks and 4G;

— Pleasant sound of both conversational and musical speakers;

— It will be comfortable to hold in your hands;

- And here back cover It starts to scratch quickly because it is covered with glass;

— Pictures in the daytime are quite good, but without light they are much worse;

— Manufacturer support;

— Updates to the eighth Android;

— Presence of a well-thought-out shell;

— There is no indicator of missed messages;

— A large amount of pre-installed software;

— Not suitable for most modern games;

Conclusion

Based on the material described above, we can conclude that the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) is a worthy choice for the stated price, and it is also equipped with a number of advantages over competitors in a given price segment. It is definitely worth highlighting the high-tech assembly and matrix with excellent characteristics. In general, we will recommend the device for a closer acquaintance.

Pros:

• Availability of moisture protection;
• Ease of use;
• Iron;
• Shell;
• Manufacturer support and warranty;
• Software update;
• Many thoughtful solutions that make life easier for the user;
• Availability of NFC support;

Cons:

• A separate slot, therefore, or two SIM cards or a SIM card and a memory card;
• The quality of the cameras could be much higher, alas, the biggest disappointment;

In contact with

A highly overrated model with average performance in a metal case

Almost two weeks ago, the presentation of the new Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 smartphones took place, around which there have been many rumors for a long time and which were awaited with special interest. The main highlight of the new series of mobile devices is the transition from the use of plastic, traditional for Koreans, in cases to real metal: both new products received all-metal aluminum cases. With this step, the company finally met the expectations of many, because the main reason for criticism of Samsung from users has always been the questionable design, as well as the stubborn reluctance to offer metal as a material in the production of mobile device cases.

But still, this is not the main sensation: the high price at which the Korean company is going to sell its new smartphones, which in all respects are not only far from the flagship ones, but even the “solid average”, is a stretch. The Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone, which we tested, turned out to be built on an entry-level chip, equipped with a far from flagship screen with a resolution of 720p, lacking most of the functions and capabilities of its top-end counterparts, but is sold at the price of a full-fledged flagship.

Video review

To get started, we suggest watching our video review of the Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone:

Now let's take a look at the characteristics of the new product.

Main characteristics of Samsung Galaxy A5 (model SM-A500F/DS)

	Samsung Galaxy A5	Huawei Ascend G7	Sony Xperia C3	LG L Bello	Acer Liquid Jade
Screen	5″, Super AMOLED	5.5″, IPS	5.5″, IPS	5″, IPS	5″, IPS
Permission	1280×720, 294 ppi	1280×720, 267 ppi	1280×720, 267 ppi	854×480, 196 ppi	1280×720, 294 ppi
SoC		Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (4 Cortex-A53 cores) @1.2 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (4 Cortex-A7 cores) @1.2 GHz		MediaTek MT6582 (4 Cortex-A7 cores) @1.3 GHz
GPU	Adreno 306	Adreno 306	Adreno 305	Mali 400 MP	Mali 400 MP
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	1 GB	1 GB	1 GB
Flash memory	16 GB	16 GB	8 GB	8 GB	8 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	microSD	microSD	microSD
operating system	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4
Battery	non-removable, 2300 mAh	non-removable, 3000 mAh	non-removable, 2500 mAh	removable, 2540 mAh	non-removable, 2100 mAh
Cameras		rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP)	rear (8 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP)	rear (8 MP; video 1080p), front (1.3 MP)	rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (2 MP)
Dimensions and weight	139×70×6.7 mm, 123 g	153×77×7.6 mm, 172 g	156×78×7.6 mm, 150 g	138×71×10.7 mm, 137 g	140×69×7.5 mm, 110 g
average price	T-11755838	T-11030516	T-10958363	T-11036010	T-11168663
Samsung Galaxy A5 offers	L-11755838-10

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (MSM8916), 4 cores ARM Cortex-A53 (64-bit), 1.2 GHz
• GPU Adreno 306
• operating room Android system 4.4.4
• Touch display Super AMOLED, 5″, 1280×720, 294 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB
• SIM cards: 2 Nano-SIM
• Support for microSD memory cards or a second SIM card
• Data transmission LTE Ca4 (150/50 Mbit/s)
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, point Wi-Fi access, Wi-Fi Direct
• GPS/A-GPS, BDS, Glonass
• Position, proximity, lighting sensors, electronic compass
• Camera 13 MP (F2.0), autofocus, LED flash
• Camera 5 MP (F2.2), front
• Battery 2300 mAh
• Dimensions 139×70×6.7 mm
• Weight 123 g

Appearance and ease of use

Regarding the design, it can be stated that there are still no breakthroughs here. In appearance, the new devices are practically indistinguishable from their predecessors. This is especially true for the front panel - the easily recognizable style of Samsung smartphones has not changed at all.

As for materials, the devices actually received metal cases, and entirely made of this material. That is, the back wall and sides in such a case form a solid “trough”, and gluing occurs in the place where the glass of the screen adjoins the metal in the front part.

However, either the Koreans did not have enough experience in handling metal, or the design idea failed, but everyone recognized the fact: Samsung managed to make such a case out of metal that no one but themselves could notice it. The metal here is carefully primed and painted so that it gives the complete impression that this is plastic, both in appearance and to the touch. The presence of metal can be recognized only by surfaces that are colder than plastic, and by unpainted chamfers on the side edges. And this required confirmation from the company representatives themselves, because in previous models Koreans very skillfully faked their plastic headbands to look like real metal. And yet, why it was necessary to hide the metal so carefully under paint remains a mystery. The explanations of the company representatives - they say this was done solely for better grip on the palm - are hard to believe.

“I am very glad that Samsung honored me and invited me to participate in the announcement of the new series of Samsung Galaxy A smartphones in Russia. As an Olympic champion, I am especially pleased with this cooperation, since Samsung has been supporting the Olympic movement for many years,” said Viktor An, a Russian athlete, six-time Olympic champion in short track, during the presentation. “I am so proud of Samsung for creating great innovations that help Olympic athletes and millions of people around the world every day. I am confident that the Samsung A series smartphones presented today will, as always, be a great success!”

Distracting from Samsung's unusual behavior and moving on to a direct statement of facts, we can note: the Galaxy A5 device was not large, not heavy and not thick. The phone looks and feels similar to other sleek five-inch options like the Nexus 5, Lenovo Vibe X2 or Alcatel Idol X+. Due to its small size, the device fits well in the hand, although the hard, sharp and straight wide edges clearly do not add comfort when handling the device.

As already mentioned, the back wall and sides are made of metal, the case has no removable elements, and you can’t get to the battery on your own. Accordingly, the SIM card and memory card are installed in the side slots, sliding into them on a metal slide. According to the prevailing Lately not a very pleasant tradition, here it is proposed to compromise and choose only one of possible options using cards: either install two Nano-SIM cards without the possibility of expanding the memory, or put a microSD card in the second slot, but then the device will not be able to work with two SIM cards. This strange idea of ​​saving captured the minds of not only Chinese developers, but, as it turned out, Korean ones too. It is completely unclear what benefits such a solution should provide - after all, the market is full of devices with simultaneous support for two SIM cards and a memory card, and even with two “full-size” Mini-SIM cards, there is nothing special about it.

Despite the fact that the smartphone body is not super thin, the camera module nevertheless protrudes noticeably from the back wall. In this matter, the new Samsung smartphones turned out to be no better than the notorious Apple iPhone 6/6 Plus, which only the lazy did not “wash their bones” for this option of placing the camera module.

On both sides of the camera lens, the same square-shaped LED flash and chrome speaker grille are symmetrically distributed. Since the protruding camera module does not allow the grille to overlap with the surface of the table, the sound of a smartphone lying on the table is practically not muffled. But they didn’t provide a built-in flashlight mode for the flash; the flash module itself has only one section.

The front of the smartphone is completely covered with protective Gorilla Glass, adjacent directly to the metal frame, without any padding. A longitudinal hole is cut in the glass for the chrome speaker grille. The sensors and the front camera peephole are visible nearby. It’s strange, but there was no place in the device for such a useful element as an LED notification sensor.

At the bottom, under the screen, there is the usual oval mechanical key and two touch buttons on either side of it. The buttons have a bright white backlight with the ability to adjust the duration. The front panel under the glass has a dotted texture, which makes the smartphone prettier and more expensive.

On both sides there are mechanical volume and lock keys; the buttons are quite large, hard, and metallized; there are traditionally no complaints about the controls in Samsung devices. But this time the Micro-USB 2.0 connector and the audio output for headphones with a diameter of 3.5 mm are clustered on one, lower end, very close to each other. Accordingly, there is nothing on the top end except a second auxiliary microphone. It’s simply amazing, but the creators didn’t even bother to equip a smartphone that costs 24 thousand rubles OTG support(USB Host).

The smartphone is not protected from dust and moisture, does not support wireless charging, and there is no strap mount on the case. In addition to the white color option, there will also be a dark blue Galaxy A5 on sale, in which all elements, including the side frame and the front panel under the glass, are also painted in the same body color.

Screen

The Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone is equipped with a Super AMOLED touch matrix. The physical dimensions of the display are 62x110 mm, diagonal - 5 inches. The screen resolution in pixels is only 1280×720 (dot density 294 ppi), such a resolution is low for a device in the price category that the hero of the review claims to be. The Galaxy A5's five-inch screen area is not that small, and the screen is made using Pentile technology.

The display brightness has manual and automatic adjustment, the latter based on the operation of the light sensor. There is also a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to process 10 simultaneous touches. The side frames around the screen are not impressive: the distance from the edge of the body to the edge of the screen on the sides is about 4 mm, and on the top and bottom - approximately 14 mm. Unlocking the screen by tapping or any other gesture is not provided, and nothing is said about the possibility of working with the screen while wearing gloves.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Samsung Galaxy A5, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy A5 is slightly lighter (brightness according to photographs is 101 versus 98 for the Nexus 7) and does not have a pronounced tint. Note that the reflection from bright objects in the screen of the Samsung Galaxy A5 has a pale bluish halo that is slightly more pronounced in the transverse direction. The ghosting of reflected objects on the screen of the Samsung Galaxy A5 is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the Samsung Galaxy A5 screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, noticeably better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier and appear at a lower speed than in the case of regular glass.

When displaying the white field in full screen and manually controlling its brightness maximum value was 340 cd/m², the minimum was 4.7 cd/m². It is also necessary to take into account the fact that in in this case The smaller the area of ​​white on the screen, the brighter it is, meaning the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. For example, when outputting white on half the screen, the maximum brightness with manual adjustment increases to 360 cd/m². As a result, readability during the day in the sun should be at a fairly good level (there was no opportunity to test it). The reduced brightness level allows you to use the device even in complete darkness without any problems. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker slot). You can make adjustments to the operation of this function by moving the adjustment slider from −5 to +5 units. Below, for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values ​​for three values ​​of this setting - for −5, 0 and +5. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness is reduced to 4.7, 9.6 and 21 cd/m², respectively (the first is a bit dark, the rest are normal), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) the brightness is set to 62, 147 and 297 cd/m² (a bit dark - just right - a bit light, which corresponds to the specified correction), in a brightly lit environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) - rises to 340 cd/m² regardless of the slider position. This value is equal to the maximum for manual adjustment. In general, the result of the automatic brightness adjustment function is as expected. Only at medium and low brightness levels there is modulation with a frequency of 240 Hz. The figure below shows the brightness dependences ( vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for several brightness settings:

It can be seen that at maximum and close to it brightness, the modulation amplitude is minimal and its frequency is 60 Hz (screen refresh rate), as a result, there is no visible flicker. However, when the brightness decreases (somewhere to 70% and below), modulation appears with a frequency of 240 Hz and a large relative amplitude. Therefore, the presence of such modulation can already be seen in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flickering may cause increased fatigue.

This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

In the fragment above you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), and by repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without breaks or overlap. For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer calculates the screen resolution based on the green subpixels; based on the other two, it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this version is close to the case of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and some other newer devices from Samsung and not only with AMOLED screens. This version of PenTile RGBG is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and stripes of green subpixels. However, some unevenness of contrast borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to the fairly high resolution, they have a minimal impact on image quality.

The screen is characterized by excellent viewing angles, although white color, when deviated even at small angles, acquires a slight blue-green tint, but black color is just black at any angle. So black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. For comparison, here are photographs in which the screens of the Samsung Galaxy A5 (profile Basic) and the second comparison participant, identical images were displayed, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera was forced to switch to 6500 K. White field:

Note the excellent uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture (profile Basic):

Color rendition is good, however, the color balance of the screens is slightly different and the colors of the Samsung Galaxy A5 are a little more saturated (at least that’s how the image is recorded by the camera). The photo above was taken after selecting a profile Basic in the screen settings, there are four in total. Profile Adaptive display differs in some kind of automatic adjustment to the type of displayed image and environmental conditions, which is obtained by selecting the two remaining profiles shown below.

Movie AMOLED:

Saturation and color contrast have increased noticeably, the skin is excessively reddish.

Photo AMOLED:

Saturation is still high, but color contrast is back to normal. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen (again profile Basic). White field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed was doubled compared to the previous two photographs), but in the case of Samsung the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness, the Samsung Galaxy A5 screen visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), since you often have to look at the screen of a mobile device from at least a slight angle. And a test picture:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of the Samsung at an angle is noticeably higher. Switching the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the switching edge there may be a step with a width of 16.7 ms (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to gray and back:

Under some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing moving objects, but when normal use It is difficult to see these artifacts. Quite the contrary - dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “jerky” movements.

For profiles Photo AMOLED And Basic constructed using 32 points with an equal interval in the numerical value of the shade of gray, the gamma curve did not reveal any blockage in either highlights or shadows, and the index of the approximating power function is 2.21-2.23, which is very close to the standard value of 2.2 , while the real gamma curve deviates little from the power-law dependence (the captions in parentheses show the exponent of the approximating power function and the coefficient of determination):

For profile Movie AMOLED The gamma curve has a slightly pronounced S-shape, which increases the apparent contrast of the image, but shades are still distinguishable in the shadows.

Let us recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen. This image dynamism increases when you select the option Auto tuning screen brightness. In this case, on the graph of brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis), when moving from black to white and back, a descending section appears, that is, the brightness of the white field begins to decrease after about 0.3 s:

Color gamut in the case of a profile Movie AMOLED very wide, but does not cover Adobe RGB gamut:

When selecting a profile Photo AMOLED the coverage changes slightly:

When selecting a profile Basic the coverage is significantly compressed, almost to the limits of sRGB:

Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:

In case of profile Basic with maximum correction, the color components are already noticeably mixed with each other:

Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, without appropriate correction, the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. Hence the recommendation - in most cases, watching movies, photographs and everything natural is better when choosing a profile Basic, and only if the photo was taken on an Adobe RGB setting, does it make sense to switch the profile to Photo AMOLED. Profile Movie AMOLED, despite the name, is the least suitable for watching movies or anything else.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is not ideal, but, in general, acceptable. Color temperature in profile Movie AMOLED above 6500 K, in the remaining two - close to 6500 K, while in a significant portion of the gray scale this parameter does not change very much. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) over most of the gray scale remains below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, and also does not change much:

(The darkest areas of the gray scale can in most cases be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

Let's summarize. The screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device can most likely be used outdoors even on a sunny summer day without any problems. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is permissible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works quite adequately. The advantages of the screen include a very good oleophobic coating, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB and an acceptable color balance (if you select the appropriate profiles). At the same time, let us remind you about the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), excellent uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, and a drop in image brightness when viewed at an angle. Disadvantages include modulation of screen brightness. For users who are particularly sensitive to flicker, this may cause increased fatigue. However, overall the screen quality is very high.

Sound

The device has one main speaker; it produces a fairly loud sound, rich in the entire frequency spectrum. The smartphone sounds pleasant; at maximum volume the sound is not distorted. In conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable, the conversation is quite comfortable.

To play melodies, a proprietary player with the maximum number of settings is used as standard. All sound effects at the same time, they are combined with a technology called SoundAlive - however, some of them are only available with connected headphones. The same applies to the sound optimization function. There are a lot of different virtual effects, visually they are combined into a matrix of squares.

An FM radio is included as standard with the smartphone, and there is also a voice recorder. The voice recorder is simple, unlike top Samsung smartphones, there is not such a variety of recording modes, everything is standard. Radio without connected quality external antenna headphones will not work, but can record programs. The device cannot record telephone conversations from the line.

The main, rear 13-megapixel camera has an f/2.0 aperture, autofocus and LED flash. The settings menu is clear and intuitive; it is divided into equal cells, each of which is always visible and interactive. In addition, each cell can be pulled up and made into a shortcut for quick access in a separate top line. The icons are clearly drawn, everything is clearly visible even in the brightest conditions sunlight, and in general, the implementation of the camera control menu in the latest Samsung devices is one of the best on the market.

However, the camera itself is not nearly as rich in capabilities as the cameras of flagship devices: there is no intelligent optical stabilization function (Smart OIS) and a selective focus mode for blurring the background, there is no slow or fast video recording, and there is no ability to shoot video in 4K or at 60 speed. fps. The only shooting modes are traditional panoramic, portrait, and night.

Video samsung camera Galaxy A5 can shoot with a maximum resolution of Full HD 1920x1080 (30 fps); 4K resolution and 60 fps shooting speed are not supported here. The quality of video recording can be judged by the test videos below.

• Video No. 1 (42 MB, 1920×1080 @30fps)
• Video No. 2 (46 MB, 1920×1080 @30fps)

	Attention to detail quickly disappears as the shot is removed, but overall the sharpness is quite good.
	The branches are well done. In the lower left corner you can see large area blur.
	Despite the considerable amount of noise reduction, the house looks good, and the inscriptions are well done.
	The center has excellent sharpness in all shots, but the left side of the image spoils the whole picture.
	Another confirmation that in left side It’s better not to include important details when composing the frame - all plans on the right are good.
	“Smeared” noises are visible on the asphalt.
	Sometimes the noise reduction works quite softly on plain surfaces.
	But he doesn’t always succeed.
	The camera copes with macro photography.
	In close-ups, much more attention is paid to small details than in general ones.
	In insufficient lighting there is a very high probability of blurring. Shutter speed 1/33 second.
	The text is very blurry, and it's not a matter of sharpness, but a long shutter speed (1/25 second). It is better to shoot text indoors with flash.

Well, everything here is quite expected. Samsung put into a smartphone not weak, but not best camera, which corresponds to the positioning of the device. Moreover, in some places you can’t help but feel that the camera could have shot better, but it’s as if it wasn’t specially modified so that it wouldn’t stand out too much from the hardware around it.

However, the camera itself is quite good. They didn’t stand on ceremony with software processing here - they just took what was simpler and better, and we can’t say that this is a bad option. Sharping is noticeable, but very moderate, and occurs only in places. The camera doesn’t pay much attention to the details in the background, but it doesn’t spoil them with attempts to improve them. The noise suppressor is quite functional and quite neat, but it can afford radical measures in the form of a banal “smearing” of noise over plain surfaces. There are areas of blur in the corners, but in the center the sharpness is decent. However, in low light, the camera resorts to relatively long shutter speeds (1/33 s), and images when shooting handheld come out blurry.

It’s still not worth using the camera for artistic photography, but it will cope very well with documentary photography.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also supports fourth-generation LTE Cat4 networks with a maximum possible speed of up to 150 Mbit/s for reception. In practice with a SIM card domestic operator The MTS smartphone confidently recognizes and works with 4G networks.

Network capabilities are implemented modestly: there is support for NFC technology, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, as standard you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi channels or Bluetooth. But unlike its flagship counterparts, there is no 2x2 MIMO mode, no support for the Wi-Fi 802.11ac standard, no ANT+ and DLNA. Connection is also not supported external devices to a USB port in OTG mode, there is no MHL support.

The navigation module works with both GPS and the domestic Glonass system, and also sees satellites of the Chinese Beidou (BDS). There are no complaints about the navigation module; satellites are found very quickly.

The drawing of letters and numbers of virtual keyboards is quite large, it is also possible to change the size of the entire desktop, or you can separately reduce the virtual keyboard block and even move it to any place on the screen. The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing telephone number A search is also carried out immediately using the first letters in contacts. For Swype fans, there is a method of continuous input using a stroke from letter to letter; for this you need to enable the T9 service in the settings.

The smartphone supports working with two SIM cards, and in general, working with them in the menu is organized according to a familiar principle: you can designate any of the SIM cards as the main one for organizing voice calls, transferring data or sending SMS messages. When dialing a number, you can also select the desired card by calling the context menu from the notification menu. A SIM card in any slot can work with 3G (LTE) networks, but only one of the cards can work in this mode at the same time (the second will only work in 2G). There is only one radio module installed in the device, but it is standard for all models. Samsung Duos the so-called “Active mode”, which allows you to receive a call on the second SIM card when the first one is busy. This is realized by setting up cross-forwarding of the numbers of both cards to each other. Dual SIM active mode relies on carrier services such as call forwarding and call waiting/hold. After turning on the mode, the device prompts you to manually enter two numbers that will be forwarded to each other. For the function to work, the forwarding service must be activated on both SIM cards. More details about the implementation " Active mode" can be read.

OS and software

Samsung Galaxy A5, even after the official release of the fifth version of Android OS, goes on sale and runs natively on the Google software platform Android versions 4.4.4, update to version 5.x promised later. The proprietary TouchWiz graphical user interface is traditionally installed on top of the OS interface. The drawing of all elements, the internal arrangement of the shell, the location of menu items, settings sections and pop-up contextual submenus - everything is familiar and very similar to what is implemented in the same Galaxy S5 or Galaxy Alpha, with the exception of some flagship features that are missing in the new smartphone. For example, the Galaxy A5 has a very limited set of supported gestures.

The hardware and software complex of the hero of the review, unlike even the non-flagship Samsung Galaxy S5 mini, is simplified beyond recognition. There is no fingerprint scanner built into the front button, no infrared transmitter on the top end, and no familiar heart rate sensor, usually located on the back of top-end Samsung devices.

Accordingly, among the applications, even the developers’ favorite one is not preinstalled Samsung program to track your own health called S Health, which could measure heart rate and stress resistance. Remained in place energy saving mode, privacy mode, ability to work in two windows simultaneously. Added the Briefing news panel, called up from the left with a side swipe - an analogue of HTC Blinkfeed.

Performance

Like the Huawei Ascend G7, the hero of the review is one of the few middle-class mobile devices that operates on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 platform. The platform is quite new, 64-bit, but this is far from a top-end chip - rather, an entry-level solution that produces a very low performance. The central processor here has 4 Cortex-A53 cores operating at 1.2 GHz. Graphics processing is handled by the Adreno 306 video processor with a core frequency of 400 MHz. The device has 2 GB of RAM. The smartphone doesn’t have a lot of built-in memory - out of the nominal 16 GB of internal memory, about 11 are available to the user. The possibility of expanding the built-in memory is provided: you can install microSD card, but then the second SIM card will have to be removed. But the device does not support the mode of connecting external devices to the USB port (USB Host, USB OTG) - you cannot connect an external flash drive.

According to the test results, if we compare the performance of the new 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 platform with the previous 32-bit SoC Snapdragon 400, no particularly noticeable increase is visible. There is, of course, a difference, but compared to the results of higher-level platforms, the significance of such an increase is leveled out. Here are the same modest results (up to 20K) in AnTuTu against the background of 45K and higher in top models and 30-35K in confident mid-level models. The graphics accelerator of the new product looks especially sad in comparison with its competitors. Even the modest Asus Zenfone 5 on the platform Intel Atom The Z2560, which even after the price increase costs only 10 thousand rubles, confidently outperforms the Snapdragon 410 with its Adreno 306 in all graphics tests.

So it’s a stretch to call devices based on the Snapdragon 410 platform, even 64-bit, “average”; their hardware performance is below average.

Testing in latest versions comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

All the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the most latest versions popular benchmarks, we have summarized them in tables for convenience. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark,GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

	Samsung Galaxy A5	Huawei Ascend G7 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 410/Adreno 306)	Sony Xperia C3 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400/Adreno 305)	LG L Bello	Acer Liquid Jade (Mediatek MT6582/Mali-400MP)	Asus Zenfone 5 (Intel Atom Z2560/PowerVR SGX 544MP)
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better)	2624	2620	2855	2127	2050	3596
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better)	4386	4452	4668	2881	2817	5697
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	9.6 fps	9.8 fps	4.0 fps	9.8 fps	7.2 fps	12.4 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	5.4 fps	5.3 fps	—	4.2 fps	4.1 fps	7.0 fps
Bonsai Benchmark	1726 (25 fps)	1707 (24 fps)	1290 (18 fps)	2112 (30 fps)	1290 (18 fps)	3321 (47 fps)

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

According to the testing results, the subject was not provided with full support for all the necessary decoders, in this case, audio ones. To fully play most of the most common files on the network, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, even in it you will have to first change the settings, switching from hardware decoding to software or new mode entitled Hardware+(not supported by all smartphones). By the way, in the latest versions of the program, unfortunately, due to licensing problems, support for the AC3 sound codec, used in the vast majority of video content on the Internet, was removed, so that users lost sound when watching their favorite TV shows and films. But there is a way out of this situation: you need to manually connect the codec, downloaded for a specific processor model in the smartphone by the user himself. Here is a short guide for those who encounter this problem:

In the MX player settings, select the “Decoder” → “Download custom codec” section (bottom line). After this, a page should open in your browser asking you to select and download the desired codec for your phone (the player itself will tell you which version to choose). After downloading, we return to the MX player settings, again go to the “Decoder” section, only now select the penultimate item “Select a custom codec”, a list of internal folders will open, from which you need to select the folder where you downloaded the codec. Select it and confirm your choice. The sound will appear again.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Standard video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3		plays without sound
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3	plays fine with custom codec	plays without sound
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	plays fine with custom codec	plays without sound

Tested video output features Alexey Kudryavtsev.

MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort we are in this smartphone We didn’t find it, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) Red marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the device itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (720p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution. The worlds show the peculiarities of PenTile - the vertical world through the pixel looks like a grid, but the horizontal world with stripes through the pixel does not have the typical greenishness. The brightness range displayed on the screen actually corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows only a couple of shades merge with black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed.

Battery life

The capacity of the lithium-ion battery installed in the Samsung Galaxy A5 is not the largest - only a modest 2300 mAh. However, the smartphone proved to be quite worthy when tested in traditional load modes, which, in general, is not surprising - after all, there is neither a powerful productive platform nor an energy-intensive screen with high resolution. The new product does not break autonomy records, but everything is at a very decent level.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D Game Mode
Samsung Galaxy A5	2300 mAh	14:00	11:00 am	4 hours 20 minutes
Huawei Ascend G7	3000 mAh	20:00	13:30	6:30 a.m.
Sony Xperia C3	2500 mAh	14:30	9:30 a.m.	5 hours 50 minutes
LG L Bello	2540 mAh	14:00	10:20 am	4 hours 50 minutes
LG L Fino	1900 mAh	10:00 am	7:00 am	4 hours 10 minutes
LG L90	2540 mAh	15:20	10:00 am	4 hours 50 minutes
Acer Liquid Jade	2100 mAh	13:20	8 hours 40 minutes	4 hours 30 minutes
Wexler Zen 5+	2000 mAh	8 h. 10 m.	5 h. 30 m.	3:00 am
Alcatel Idol 2 mini S	2000 mAh	15:50	9:00 a.m.	4:00 am
Huawei P6	2000 mAh	14:50	7 h. 10 m.	4:00 am
Asus Padfone E	1820 mAh	15:20	7 h. 10 m.	3 hours 50 minutes
Samsung S4 mini	1900 mAh	16:40	10:30 a.m.	4 hours 40 minutes
LG G2 mini	2440 mAh	16:00	10:00 am	5:00 a.m.
Motorola Moto G	2070 mAh	15:20	8:00 am	4 hours 20 minutes
ZTE nubia Z5 mini	2300 mAh	11:05 am	8:00 am	3 hours 50 minutes

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted about 14 hours until the battery was completely discharged. When continuously watching video in high quality (720p) with the same brightness level through home network The Wi-Fi device lasted 11 hours. In 3D gaming mode the device worked for almost 4.5 hours. Full charging time is just over 2 hours.

Bottom line

Something strange is going on with Samsung’s marketing, and it seems that it’s due to declining revenues lately and more complicated competition with seasoned Chinese manufacturers who are nipping at their heels. The Koreans released a smartphone that was completely simplified on all fronts, cutting out everything possible from it, and now they are trying to sell it at the price of a full-fledged flagship. Doesn’t Samsung seriously think that just because of the appearance of metal in the body, users must put up with poor performance, a screen resolution that is far from the flagship, a crippled user interface, and pay 24 thousand rubles to the cash register for this? And this despite the fact that, even unlike its cheaper brother, the Galaxy S5 mini, the hero of the review has neither a fingerprint sensor, nor a heart rate sensor, nor an infrared transmitter, nor moisture protection. There is no time to even mention that the smartphone lacks a lot of such fundamentally useful little things as an LED event indicator, a flashlight, support for USB OTG and a second Wi-Fi band (5 GHz), etc., etc. O there is no need to speak of competitors: for the same 24 thousand, almost at the same time, an excellent, true flagship, maximally rich in functions and capabilities, HTC Desire Eye, was presented, and even for a much smaller amount you can still buy twice as productive Lenovo Vibe X2 with Full HD screen. The Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone, although it is made of high-quality materials with the company’s characteristic high level of performance, is still very simple in its capabilities and characteristics, and its place is in a completely different price category.

Mobile phones are an integral part of IT technology. Samsung company deservedly occupies a leading position in the world of sales electronic devices. They can rightfully be called the best manufacturers of these goods. The most famous smartphones are the Galaxy family, developed on the Android platform. The most popular Galaxy models are the J, A and S series devices. The Galaxy family is represented in all price segments(budget, medium and image). The letter designations of the series correspond to each price range.

J-series is budget models, made from inexpensive materials and equipped with a simple body, but at the same time having good filling. A-series models are in middle category prices and quality. And S-series gadgets belong to the fashion version.

In January 2017, Samsung introduced the third generation of Galaxy A-series smartphones to the general consumer. Among the new products in this line, the Samsung Galaxy A5 stands out. The average price for Samsung Galaxy A5 in Russia is approximately 27,900 rubles.

The functionality of the Samsung A5 (2017) was generally good, but it seems that it was deliberately limited so that it would not be compared with the flagship S-series devices.

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

The A5 is in many ways similar to other devices in the Galaxy family: it also has rounded corners, a square camera eye and an oval fingerprint scanner on the home key. On either side of it there are still illuminated “task” and “back” keys. But instead of plastic, the body is now made of glass and metal. The 2017 model weighs a little more than last year's (157 g), but thanks to its rounded shape, it is comfortable to hold in your hands. Not only the front is made of 2.5D glass, but also back panel. There is a panel above the display, where the speaker is located in the center, and a light sensor eye and a camera are installed on either side of it.

From the back, the A7 looks similar to the Galaxy S7, the advanced model from 2016, with the camera and flash rounded to the edges. On the right side there is a speaker grille, which was previously located on the bottom end, and below it is the power key. On the left is a tray for one SIM card, which can be removed with a pin. Above there are volume buttons. At the bottom there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a microphone hole and a port USB Type C. In addition, the A5 is equipped with plastic strips to separate the antennas. At the top there is a slot for a SIM card and a flash drive, as well as a hole for a second microphone.

A5 (2017) is available in four colors - black (black sky), blue (blue fog), gold

(golden sand) and peach.

Specifications

Operating system - Samsung A5 runs on Android OS v6.0.1 Marshmallow with the manufacturer’s proprietary interface. The curtain is designed better and combines color with standard applications. In the previous version of Android, it is dark gray, and messages, dialer, contacts and settings are made in white.

Single sim ( nano sim) or dual sim (nano sim, dual stand by).

The RAM memory capacity is 3 GB (and it is equipped with LPDDR3 chips). At the beginning of work, 1.5 GB are already occupied, and while using the smartphone, about 1 GB remains free, but there is nothing to worry about. Android works based on Linux kernel. According to the policy of this OS, the RAM memory should not be empty, and if there is nothing there, then it must be loaded with secondary programs. But if the owner decides to play some heavy game, the system will immediately allocate the necessary space for it. The transition between different tasks is smooth, invisible to the user.

The capacity of the built-in memory is 32 GB, of which 23.5 GB is allocated to the user section. There is also a separate MicroSD slot for cards, their capacity can be up to 256 GB. USB OTG function is also supported.

A5 (2017) has the following dimensions: 71.4 mm * 146.1 mm * 7.9 mm (width-height-thickness).

Equipped with an eight-core processor with a frequency of 1900 MHz.

NFC and MST technologies support the Samsung Pay function, which allows the owner to pay for purchases with a smartphone in all shopping centers and generally make any payments. All transactions made are protected by a fingerprint, so payments are absolutely secure.

The A5 (2017) has two separate SIM card slots. They support all European networks from 2nd to 4th generation. Wi-Fi networks supports wireless module. To determine the location, the navigator uses GLONASS and GPS satellites. Stereo sound transmission and energy-saving mode are provided by Bluetooth version 4.2. The USB Type C port charges and connects various accessories.

Touch finger scanner

Built into the main hardware button. Was created to unlock your smartphone, make Samsung Pay payments and use a secure folder.

To set up the scanner, you must first set a password or pattern to unlock your phone.

Connection

The smartphone supports three navigation systems: American JPS, Russian GLONASS and Chinese BeiDou. Navigation works great both outdoors and indoors.

Design

A5 (2017) has a thoughtful ergonomic design that facilitates human interaction with this smartphone and reduces the likelihood of damage. It is made to fit the hand, and therefore all its elements on the body can be controlled without problems. And if it’s still difficult to operate with one hand, then you can turn on a special mode in which the menu will decrease in size. The scanner is located on the front panel and works quickly. The camera does not protrude from the body, which reduces the likelihood of damage. In addition, the phone can be placed on any surface without fear of dropping it; it will lie flat.

But the main advantage of the case is its dust and water resistance. The smartphone has maximum protection against dust and moisture according to the IP68 standard. The last property is generally unique for such devices: A5 (2017) will withstand immersion in water to a depth of 1.5 m and for up to half an hour, and nothing will happen to it! True, this only applies to fresh water.

After the smartphone has been in water, the following text appears on the screen: “Checking the port. Moisture detected. To charge the device, the charging/USB port must be dry” (see photo).

There is nothing wrong with this message. In order to continue using the smartphone, the user simply needs to dry this port.

Sound

Water resistance is great, but it does make the sound a little muffled, especially in the bass. The sound will be sufficient for a call, and you can use speakers and headphones to listen to music and movies. The saturation of the sound will depend on the quality of the headphones. For more fine tuning The sound has an equalizer with preset settings. The kit includes quite decent earplugs. Of course, there is an FM radio.

Screen

The screen diagonal is 5.2 inches. The display is made using Super AMOLED technology and has a resolution of 1920 * 1080 pixels (FullHD). Eat touch control, type touch screen- multi-touch, i.e. it simultaneously supports several touches (this device has 5).

A5 (2017) is also equipped with a light sensor. The number of colors the device has is 16 million, with bright and rich shades chosen. True, they look like this if you look at the screen directly, and from the side the picture will “float” a little, but it’s unlikely that anyone will look at it that way.

The device has an Always On Display function, i.e. the screen is always on. When the phone is locked, the time and recent notifications are displayed.

In addition, this mode also displays two buttons for calls and photos. Thanks to Super AMOLED technology, this function consumes very little energy.

In addition to the color variety, the A5 (2017) screen has another important advantage - it saves battery power. This is achieved due to the fact that in AMOLED matrices, not the entire panel is illuminated at the same time, but each pixel independently. The battery is consumed in a gentle mode, since the black pixels do not light up. In this case, the correct transmission of black occurs. Therefore, compared to other smartphones with a similar battery, the A5 (2017) will last much longer. So in economy mode, this phone (as well as other Samsung models) is simply beyond praise.

Brightness is controlled by PWM (pulse width modulation), its flickering can be noticeable at reduced brightness, and at full brightness the human eye does not see it (but this does not mean that it does not notice it). Thanks to the adaptive brightness on the AMOLED display, information in the sun is perceived and read much better than on IPS display(another smartphone display technology).

The sensor is covered with especially durable glass with an oleophobic coating that protects against stains and dirt.

Cameras

Samsung A5 (2017) is equipped with two cameras, rear and front, both 16 megapixels. Since the lens does not protrude from the body, it is necessary to use ISOCELL modules with small pixels (1 micron). There is autofocus, the focal length of the camera is 27 mm. There is an LED flash.

The main camera takes very decent photos during the day, although in slightly colder shades (the white balance is not quite adjusted). At night, unfortunately, the pictures don't come out as good as during the day. However, this applies to all middle-income earners. Excellent night photos are only taken so far flagship samsungs S-series.

The A5 (2017) has digital stabilization, but no optical stabilization. This means that the photos will be beautiful only if you shoot motionless, but when shooting on the move, the picture is slightly blurred.

Thanks to the wide selection of filters available, any Galaxy A5 (2017) user will feel like a professional photographer.

There is a smart button, which makes it easier to take selfies. You just need to select the position of the shutter button on the screen.

Here is an example of a photo taken during the day:

And here's how he takes pictures at night:

Photo taken at night

The A5 (2017), like other smartphones, has standard applications.

In addition to the usual ones, it has the following applications installed:

• Office suite Word, Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, voice recorder that converts voice to text.
• HTML5 (but not Java, which is what almost all mobile applications are built on).
• Payment systems Samsung Pay and uBank.
• Search engines Google and Yandex.
• Not just a store Google Play Store, but also the store of Samsung itself.
• Samsung club applications - gifts from Samsung, Samsung Members, essentials, notes.

Autonomy

The A5 (2017) socket charges 100% in about an hour and forty minutes. It will take 7-9 hours to charge from a computer. The battery has a capacity of 3000 mAh. When browsing websites on the Internet and surfing social media. networks it will work for a day and a half. The charge will last less than a day for gaming.

In emergency mode, the phone will be able to work for a maximum time; if necessary, you can send a message or your coordinates.

You can play almost all games on the A5 (2017), all new games work great. Just don’t forget that with games the charge will run out much faster than when reading some information on the Internet. By the way, the A5 (2017) has no problems with the Internet, navigation is fast, and sites do not freeze.

What's new in 2018?

As already mentioned, the A5 (2017) smartphone runs on Android OS 6.0.1. In August last year, it was updated to Android 7.0, and in April 2018, smartphones of this line were launched on Android based 8.0.0.

Advantages and disadvantages of the A5 smartphone (2017)

Advantages:

• High Internet speed;
• According to reviews from various users, the processor and display are simply cool;
• Large memory capacity (built-in memory 32 GB + microSD with a maximum capacity of 256 GB);
• Two cameras that allow you to take high-quality photographs;
• Waterproof (in fresh water);
• With Samsung Pay, you can make various payments directly from your smartphone.

Flaws:

They are known to often be a continuation of advantages, and this is once again confirmed by the features of A5 (2017).

• Due to the protective membranes that provide water resistance, the sound comes out muffled, and the bass suffers more;
• Of course, thanks to the bright color palette, the quality AMOLED displays out of competition, but many consumers complain that their eyes get tired quickly;
• As the same users write in their reviews, they were sometimes let down by the fingerprint sensor.

All in all, to sum it up, we can say that the Galaxy A5 (2017) is optimal choice in terms of price and quality.

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She promised to start with updating the line of popular A-series smartphones. This is a mid-segment line, which this time is represented by three devices, one of which Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017). The prefix in the name indicates that the gadget replaced the 2016 model. Well, let's see how the new model can surprise those who have already used the previous January smartphone Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016).

External features

This is already the third generation of the A-series, which means we should expect dramatic changes. And they are: back in August, Meizu demonstrated how to make an affordable smartphone with a premium design with its Meizu U10. Well, it looks like the trend has been set. Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) received 2.5D glass not only on the front panel, but also on the back. The frame of the smartphone is metal. Considering the rounded corners, the gadget looks stylish, as befits a device of the new 2017 year. Unusual colors also add color: gloss black, gold, soft blue and pink.

Now about the display: it has 5.2"" and 1080x1920 AMOLED pixels. Under the display there is a hardware button with a fingerprint scanner, which meets modern security standards and allows you to use a proprietary payment application. Interestingly, the developers have added an “always on screen” feature. Well, if we talk about the design in general, the devices have become more like a stylish flagship brother; this is clearly not the middle segment that it was before. It is also noteworthy that, just like the flagship, the smartphones received protection according to the IP 68 standard, so they are not afraid of water, although you can’t tell by looking at it.

Technical capabilities

It was not for nothing that payment systems were mentioned in the review of the model: the gadgets support NFC and MST modules. From others interesting features– two camera modules with excellent characteristics. The modules received 16 megapixels each, provided by Light+ sensors, and high-aperture f/1.9 optics. In practice, the manufacturer claims accurate focusing even in low light conditions, which many mid-segment cameras cannot yet cope with. As for the platform, the smartphone uses a proprietary Exinus 7880 chip with eight cores. The battery received 3000 mAh, which should be enough for average comfortable work.

Last year's Samsung Galaxy A series of smartphones was very successful in terms of design. They looked beautiful, although they were inferior in characteristics to numerous Chinese analogues. Yes, Chinese phones are becoming more and more popular, but Samsung is no stranger. Excellent materials quality cameras, functional shell, and the brand also means a lot. I know people who believe in Samsung and they only have phones of this brand. I think you will have such acquaintances too.

Those who surf the Internet are aware of the eternal torment of choice: what to buy, the creation of a famous brand or an almost top Chinese, promising brand? Judging by successful sales various Galaxy A last year, fans of this series were not stopped by the price, there were many willing ones. And people still go to stores, try out devices, twirl them in their hands to get an impression of their purchases; not all “Chinese” products can be checked out in person.

Slippery but doesn't get wet

The design surprised me; Samsung abandoned the angular shapes and again returned to the soapy features. Remember the old flagship Samsung Galaxy S3? The new A5 is very similar in shape, and the back panel looks very modest, I would add a picture or pattern to it for variety, it would look better, but it looks like a budget phone.

Here is a photo of A5 and S7 edge, compare the sizes and evaluate the difference in appearance.

The case is very slippery, you can walk with the phone without a case, but you need to use it carefully, otherwise you will drop it.

Glass front and back, the shiny surface is combined with a durable aluminum side. There is no fault with the assembly, nor with the ergonomics, all the buttons are in their places.

If you can’t handle the phone with one hand, then turn on the special mode, then the menu will shrink in size. The camera can be launched by double-clicking the button under the screen, very convenient.

But IP68 water protection, like the top-end Galaxy S7, is good and practical. The phone is not afraid of swimming in fresh water, withstanding being at a depth of up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.

Screen with a twist

The phone, as usual for Samsung, has a bright Super AMOLED, now the Always On Display feature works, when additional data is visible on the screen in standby mode, and the backlight does not work at this time. To some extent, it compensates for the lack of a light indicator, although nothing simpler and more efficient than a flashing diode has yet been invented.

Diagonal 5.2 inches, resolution 1080x1920 - the picture is bright, everything is clearly visible on the street, no traces are left on the display, excellent oleophobic coating. It’s strange that on a phone that costs almost 30 thousand rubles, multi-touch detects only 5 simultaneous touches.

Samsung Pay is not working yet

The phone helps pay for purchases via Samsung Pay, but I was unable to link a card to it; during testing, the service did not work and advised me to wait a little longer. Well, OK. I note that the phone has an NFC chip, but it does not work with the Troika card. I tried several applications, but the smartphone does not show travel data through the applications.

The camera is very good during the day

The camera on the back of the case does not protrude at all, it is flush with the surface. Convenient: when you put the phone on the table, it lies and does not wobble.

The resolution of the main and front cameras is the same, both are 16 megapixels. Galaxy A5 (2017) shoots perfectly in automatic mode, launch it in the settings manual mode or additional story profiles. Here are a few examples, and you can evaluate the rest in Google Drive. I didn’t find the specifications of the model on the Samsung website, but as I understood from the description in other sources, there is no optical camera stabilization; last year’s Galaxy A5 had it.

Take a look at how HDR works (on the left - with it, on the right - the effect is turned off).

The quality of video recording is limited to Full HD; the phone records videos well, but strobes a lot. Here's an example of shooting at a skating rink.

Not the most powerful, but works quickly

If you look at the performance, this is a typical mid-range product. 61 thousand points in AnTuTu, Exynos 7880 processor, 3/32 GB of memory and a slot for a microSD card. New processor Based on the 14nm process technology, it features reduced power consumption

Samsung's operating system is still power hungry and consumes RAM in large volumes, out of 3 gigs, 1.3 GB remains for work, and when you also use applications, there are about 500 MB free. You can live, but they don’t want to hear about process optimization at Samsung.

If you play WoT: Blitz at maximum graphics settings, the phone produces 30-35 fps, which is enough performance reserve for modern games. The phone does not overheat and does not turn into a heating pad, which is good.

The phone has 2 SIM cards, and there is a separate compartment for the memory card; you don’t have to sacrifice the second SIM if you put a microSD here, it’s very practical.

Samsung pleased us with the sound quality in the headphones; it plays clearly, although the volume reserve is not very large. The sound through the speaker is clear, but not loud. In the old-fashioned way, you can listen to FM radio if you connect headphones, although now they listen more and more often Google Music or similar services.

Works one day like everyone else

Galaxy A5 has a 3000 mAh battery, it works fast charging, the phone works for a day or a day and a half under my load with the Internet and other activities. In the menu you can find functions to optimize system operation; the device itself determines which applications prevent it from sleeping peacefully and disrupt the operating mode. USB-C is used for charging, it’s good that Samsung has finally begun to transfer its equipment to a new port. True, finding a cable at the nearest stall is still a problem; USB-C is still not held in high esteem among us, but in vain.

What is the price?

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) sells for 27,990 rubles. Considering that by adding 3 thousand rubles, you can buy last year’s Galaxy flagship S6, you’re wondering if you should take an older, but more sophisticated phone? Yes, there will be no water protection and a slot for a memory card, but it has better camera, more interesting appearance. Do you want to save money, but buy Samsung? Then look at the Galaxy A5 (2016), it is still relevant, the hardware is simpler, but it costs around 20 thousand.

Of the options from other brands, I can recommend Honor 8 (), it costs the same as A5, it’s more a matter of personal attitude to the brands, they are similar in characteristics, but Honor has a nicer design, for my taste. Another competitor is glass-metal ASUS Zenfone 3 () in a similar style.

Opinion

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) pleased us with a rare feature; there are few phones on sale with water protection. What else can surprise you? In my opinion, the appearance has become worse than that of the old generation, last year Galaxy line A3/A5/A7 looked more interesting. Although in terms of materials and assembly everything is still decent, and the filling has become even more powerful. I think that when prices drop in a few months, the phone will “go to the people.”

To summarize, I will say that I liked the new Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) in terms of characteristics, but not in terms of design. Judging by past experience, Samsung is capable of more. Otherwise, the model turned out to be good, and if you look at analogs from Huawei or ASUS, you will see comparable price tags, I can’t say that the overpayment for the brand will be too high, Samsung has an adequate pricing policy.

Did not like

• Slippery body
• Soap design
• No indicator light
• Limited NFC capabilities
• Old Android 6.0

Liked

• Good camera
• Autonomy
• Water protection
• Functional shell
• Bright screen

I would like to thank the friendliest gadget store for providing me with a smartphone for testing. Biggeek. By promotional code Wylsacom There is a special discount for buyers.