Appearance Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 can be called stylish, but not original. The device turned out to be compact and easy to operate with one hand.
It inherited its main features from - a back with curved edges, a metal body frame, the same arrangement of cameras and sensors. And in size, the hero of our review looks like a smaller version of the S7 - 135.4 × 66.2 × 8.1 mm, with almost the same thickness, it is only slightly smaller in height and width. The weight of the updated model is 138 grams.
The front panel is covered with tempered Corning glass Gorilla Glass 4, made using 2.5D technology, or speaking in simple language- rounded at the edges. It has a good oleophobic coating, which is why fingerprints and other dirt are not particularly noticeable and are wiped off well. The display occupies almost 68% of the panel surface area. Above the display there is a light sensor, earpiece and front camera. Below the display is a mechanical Home button with a fingerprint sensor built into it. On the sides of the button there are touch keys “Recent applications” and “Back”. When the smartphone is activated, they light up. The left side of the case houses the volume keys. On the right there is a power button and a music speaker. On the top edge there is a tray for a hybrid nanoSIM/microSD slot and an additional microphone. On the bottom edge are located USB port Type-C, main microphone and mini-Jack.
The back panel is curved at the edges and, like the front panel, is made of Gorilla Glass 4. It also has good stain resistance, despite the gloss. At the top of the panel is the main camera, and next to it is led flash.
The main feature of the device case is the presence of moisture protection according to the IP68 standard. This means that the smartphone can easily survive immersion in water to a depth of one and a half meters, but no more than half an hour.
You can buy the Galaxy A3 2017 in several colors: black (Black Sky), gold (Gold Sand), blue (Blue Mist) and pink (Peach Cloud).
Screen - 4.3
The phone is equipped with a high-quality AMOLED screen with HD resolution. It has some of the features of older models, which sets it apart from its competitors.
With a 4.7-inch display diagonal, the resolution of 1280×720 is comfortable, with 312 pixels per square inch of screen area. This is a fairly high value; you can only see individual dots when looking at it point-blank. For comparison, this figure is only slightly higher - 326 p/in².
The main advantage of the display can be considered wide color gamut, covering not only the entire sRGB range, but also 99% of AdobeRGB. As a rule, flagships like . Color rendition is accurate, deviation from the standard does not exceed three units. At the same time, the oversaturation characteristic of devices with an AMOLED display has not gone away, and the color temperature is clearly too high. If you don't like this image, you can set other modes in the settings. By default, adaptive mode is set and you can manually specify RGB values. In addition, the “Movie AMOLED”, “Photo AMOLED” and “Main” modes are available. Functionally, they are similar to those of the new flagship - they change color temperature for warmer shades, and the last mode narrows the color gamut and removes oversaturation.
The brightness range we measured was from 2 to 400 nits; on a sunny day, using the smartphone is quite comfortable, as well as in the dark. Automatic brightness works flawlessly, setting the desired value according to the lighting. The display contrast tends to infinity, as it should be for an AMOLED screen.
The viewing angles are wide. If the phone is lying on a table and you are looking at it from a wide angle, then color distortion is almost invisible.
We also note the Always on Display function, which was previously found only in Samsung flagships. It allows you to display a certain minimum of information on the switched off screen, such as a clock and icons of various events. In this case, the screen always consumes a small amount of battery power; more about this in the corresponding section.
Cameras - 3.5
The Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 smartphone is equipped with 8 and 13 MP cameras that are good for its class. Their quality is sufficient for quick shooting, for example, documents, but they are not suitable for artistic photography.
The main camera has an f/1.9 aperture, LED flash and autofocus.
In daylight, photo quality is above average. Color rendition is close to natural, frame detail is good, but the pictures often lack sharpness. Autofocus works correctly in most cases, but sometimes it “misses”, which can cause sharpness to drop, ruining the frame.
When shooting at night, rather strong noise is added to sharpness errors, and the shooting quality drops significantly. To improve the situation, a night mode is provided that reduces the amount of noise. Its operation is similar to the HDR mode - the final image is formed from several frames, which is why you need to hold the phone motionless for some time. In addition to night photography and HDR, there are Panorama, Continuous Shooting, Food and Pro modes. The latter offers manual settings for exposure, ISO (100-800) and white balance.
Video recording is possible in resolutions up to Full HD (1920×1080) at 30 frames per second. Video quality is above average, sharpness and noise are at an acceptable level. The sound is recorded at a high bitrate of 256 kb/s, which is quite high.
The front camera is not equipped with autofocus, although it has a similar main aperture - f/1.9. The focal length is fixed, which is worth considering when taking selfies: if you are too close or far away, the frame will turn out blurry. The image quality is good, with natural color reproduction and a high amount of detail. Wide-format shooting is possible, and there are also night and burst modes.
The video recording resolution is the same as that of the main camera - 1920x1080, which is quite enough for video calls and communication on Skype.
Photos from the camera Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 - 3.5
Photos from the front camera of Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 - 3.5
Working with text - 3.0
Typing messages on the Samsung A3 2017 is quite convenient.
Out of the box, a proprietary keyboard from the manufacturer is preinstalled. It supports continuous input, has a separate row of numbers, and the language can be changed by swiping on the Spacebar. In the settings you can change the keyboard size, select input languages, and enable spell checking. There is also a high contrast mode - when the keys turn yellow with a black border. True, this mode does not go well with the light theme of the interface.
Internet - 4.0
The Galaxy A3 2017 comes pre-installed with two browsers - Samsung Internet and Google Chrome. Both are good for browsing the Internet.
The proprietary browser supports working with multiple tabs, maintaining bookmarks and autofilling forms. It can also read QR codes and supports extensions downloaded from the Samsung Apps brand store.
We've talked about the browser from the search giant many times, so let's briefly recall its main features: traffic compression, synchronization with the desktop version, and the ability to quickly view web content from any application.
Communications - 5.0
The communications suite of the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 is practically flagship.
All popular interfaces are available, and the connector, despite modern trends, has not gone away. One of the objective shortcomings is the hybrid slot for nanoSIM/microSD. The solution, on the one hand, is classic - the buyer is offered to choose: use two SIM cards or one SIM, and install a memory card in the second slot. On the other hand, the amount of built-in memory is small, so the choice is very difficult. Separately, we note that the manufacturer saved on the quality of the SIM/microSD slides themselves - they are made of fragile plastic. So if you frequently replace memory cards or SIM cards, there is a high risk of breaking this part.
The general list of communications is as follows:
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
- Bluetooth 4.2 LE, A2DP
- GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
- USB Type-C, USB On-The-Go
- FM radio
- accelerometer
- barometer
- gyroscope.
Multimedia - 3.6
The multimedia capabilities of the smartphone can be called quite good.
The built-in video player “digests” most popular video file formats, although it refuses to play sound in AC-3 and DTS; there are also problems with playing mkv files.
Preinstalled as an audio player Google Play Music. It allows you to conveniently sort your local music collection, but its main advantage is access to the music section of Google Play.
To adjust the sound, the proprietary Samsung SoundAlive “enhancer” is used. It allows you to improve the quality of compressed audio recordings and can emulate timbre tube amplifier. In addition, there is an Adapt Sound function that allows you to adjust the frequency range to the individual characteristics of your hearing. As in, it cannot be turned off completely.
We rated the quality of the audio path as good. The sound in the headphones is quite smooth, the amplitude-frequency response is without drops. The amplifier power is sufficient for most headphones.
The volume of the music speaker is quite high - 74 dB. Comparable to the sound when watching football on .
Battery - 3.9
The battery life of the smartphone is not bad, but it could be better, especially considering the AMOLED screen and energy-efficient processor.
Galaxy A3 2017 is equipped with a non-removable battery with a capacity of 2350 mAh. By modern standards this is not much, on the other hand, with good optimization it can be quite enough. The results of our tests showed the following:
- Playing a video at full brightness drains the battery in 14 hours. If you reduce the brightness to a comfortable value of 200 nits - 15 hours;
- listening to music in mp3 format non-stop will “eat up” the entire battery charge in 42 hours;
- Conversations on 3G networks will drain the battery completely in about 15 hours.
Music and call playback performance is similar to test results with a larger battery. But watching the video pleasantly surprised me: the result is at the flagship level Galaxy lines- S7 and S8+.
In everyday use, the smartphone holds up confidently for a couple of days with fairly active use, which includes half an hour of calls on 3G networks, correspondence in instant messengers and social networks, about an hour of watching videos on Youtube and a couple of hours of listening to music. However, if you activate the Always-on Display function, this time is reduced to 40-42 hours. You have to choose between convenience and a few extra hours of work.
The device charges quite quickly. When using the supplied charger The battery charge will rise from 5 to 100% in an hour and a half. Support for any standards fast charging missing here.
Performance - 2.9
The performance of the Galaxy A3 2017 is average, although it is enough for most everyday tasks, but heavy games are no longer for it.
The smartphone is equipped with an Exynos 7870 processor, which has 8 cores on board with a frequency of up to 1.6 GHz. The Mali-T830MP2 accelerator and 2 GB of RAM are responsible for the graphics. This solution is aimed primarily at energy efficiency, so you can’t expect high performance in games. However, the system interface works quickly and without any slowdowns, and several running applications can easily “coexist” in memory.
Synthetic tests gave us the following results:
- Geekbench 4 - 3630 points (almost a thousand less than Apple iPhone SE)
- AnTuTu 6 - 46093 points (twice as many as)
- 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited - 8639 (scored 13778 points).
It is better to run heavy games like Asphalt Extreme or World of Tanks on low graphics settings, high frequency The frame rate drops too much.
When used for a long time, the smartphone practically does not heat up; the temperature on the surface does not exceed 34 degrees, which is almost unnoticeable.
Memory - 4.0
Memory is one of the weak points of a smartphone.
Of the 16 GB of internal memory, about 10 GB is available to the user. This is not enough if you shoot a lot or are used to storing your music collection on your smartphone. Of course, there is support for microSD up to 256 GB, but since the memory card slot is combined with a nanoSIM slot, you will have to choose one.
Peculiarities
Galaxy A3 2017 runs a proprietary interface from Samsung. It is not too different from the standard one, intuitive and easy to use. There is support for Android Pay and Samsung Pay and some “chips” from the flagship family. For example, Game Launcher, which allows you to conveniently group game icons, record video of gameplay and turn off notifications.
The fingerprint sensor works flawlessly; touches are recognized quickly and from any angle.
Starts the year with the release of three devices average price Galaxy A line. The 2017 devices are the most impressive of them. Samsung has managed to create all three models with an exceptional look and feel, much like its high-end smartphones. Among the three new products, the Galaxy A3 is the most compact and affordable model.
The device has a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED screen and looks very much like the Galaxy S7, having the same stylish glass and metal design, the same high rating of protection against water and dust, a first for smartphones of this price.
Naturally, in order to reduce the price, compromises had to be made. It doesn't use the fastest processor, has less flash memory, and has a few other weak points, but what about the value for money?
Design
In terms of looks, the Galaxy A3 2017 is as attractive as it gets. This review looked at the beautiful glossy black version of the device, the body made of glass and metal feels very solid, the build quality is excellent high level. As a result, you might think that you are holding a flagship smartphone in your hands; thanks to the slight curve of the back of the case and its compact size, the device fits especially comfortably in the hand. The thickness of the case is less than one might expect, the smartphone is well balanced, its weight eliminates the feeling of excessive lightness or emptiness. The smartphone feels monolithic. Every aspect of this device seems well thought out, even side buttons are made of metal and have a good ride and feel.
One of the disadvantages of this beauty of a glass case is the presence of a lot of fingerprints on it. They accumulate very quickly and turn the device into a rather dirty one; you need to constantly wipe it or put it in a case. On the black version of the smartphone in question, this problem is especially noticeable, but with other colors it is not so noticeable. Samsung offers gold, blue and peach versions of the device.
Another distinctive feature of the smartphone is its compact size: 4.7-inch screen, along the edges there are thin frames, so the size of the smartphone is even smaller than the compact iPhone 7. As a result, it is very comfortable to hold with one hand.
Another good news is that Samsung has abandoned the outdated microUSB connector and even the affordable Galaxy A3 now uses a modern interface USB type C. There is also a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack, which can also be used to connect speakers and AUX cables.
The main superpower of this smartphone is to protect the case from water. The Galaxy A3 2017 meets the IP68 standard, making it one of the cheapest smartphones with such protection. It can be immersed in fresh water for half an hour to a depth of up to one and a half meters. As a result, you don’t have to worry about splashes and getting caught in the rain, and you don’t have to worry about dropping your smartphone in a sink or puddle.
Screen
It uses a Super AMOLED panel with a 720 x 1280 pixel PenTile resolution, which means there are fewer colors per pixel compared to RGB, so it's sharper. If you look closely, you can see the jagged edges of some icons and text, but during normal use no one will notice this.
What makes a screen good is not its resolution or sharpness, but its color rendition. Here, in this regard, everything is in perfect order. The screen itself is extremely smooth, allowing your finger to glide smoothly across it, and colors are tuned to the sRGB range used for photos and videos. The whites are a little blue and all the colors are a little brighter than they should be, but overall this is a great screen for its price range.
Samsung allows users to customize color rendering. To do this, open Settings > Display > Screen Mode and select one of four color modes. Adaptive mode brings the most accurate colors, but at the same time they cannot be called realistic. Basic mode is close to the generally accepted standard and it is recommended to use it.
The maximum brightness of the screen is 440 nits, which allows you to comfortably work with it outdoors under the sun's rays. The minimum brightness is only 1 nit, which reduces eye strain in the dark. Samsung is also keeping up with the competition and has included a blue light filter here for use in the evenings. It can be configured to automatic activation and turning off in the morning, since the color blue is believed to be responsible for the production of a certain hormone that interferes with sleep.
More new Galaxy The A3 has an Always-On Display feature that shows the time, date, and types of missed notifications on the lock screen (but not the notifications themselves). This screen produces text with good contrast, but noticeably increases battery drain rates.
Interface and functionality
Samsung and Google developers waste no time and are constantly improving their products, resulting in Android and its own shell South Korean manufacturers are getting better. The Galaxy A3 2017 features Samsung's Grace user interface, which is noticeably cleaner, more logical and more thoughtful than previous versions. It not only looks nice in appearance, but is also easy to use. Samsung has also worked on its applications: mail, weather, calendar offer a modern appearance, information content and simplicity.
The updated notification panel got rid of useless switches, but the necessary ones remained. The new settings menu offers important options and no longer looks chaotic, instead we see a well-organized list with search. You can search for applications in the application list, and you can also search here in the Google Play store, which does not require a separate icon. The new device manager helps you find and get rid of malicious and energy-wasting apps.
Experienced users will appreciate features like secure folders that Samsung has introduced in the device. Galaxy Note 7. The most confidential data and documents can be stored here. You can even place a separate account Google.
Despite its small size, the Galaxy A3 has an excellent keyboard. True, we couldn’t find a setting to enable vibration when keys are pressed, which works great on most Samsung devices, but still the keyboard is one of the most accurate and fastest on Android.
Despite all the advantages, the new Galaxy A3 has the disadvantage of almost all Android smartphones that do not belong to the flagship category. The smartphone runs on an already outdated software and receives updates very late or does not receive them at all. What the Lately What has changed for the better is the situation with receiving security updates, which began to appear monthly. However, with major Android updates, Google and Samsung need to do something to ensure they come out more quickly.
Processor, performance and memory
Galaxy A3 2017 uses Samsung Exynos 7870 processor and 2GB of RAM. This is a step down from the Exynos 7880-powered Galaxy A5. Both chips are octa-core with Cortex-A53 cores, but the Galaxy A3 is clocked at 1.6GHz versus the Galaxy A5's 1.9GHz.
As a result, the smartphone cannot be called powerful, but the processor is based on a modern technological process 14 nm. This means higher energy efficiency compared to previous generations of smartphones, which improves battery life. battery life.
The speed of daily work is at a normal level. Samsung has optimized its interface, which is fast and smooth, but you may notice that apps take quite a long time to launch.
The low screen resolution means that the smartphone is capable of gaming performance as good as the more expensive Galaxy A5, but the smartphone is clearly not designed for regular gaming. For him, they represent too much of a burden and comfort in them may be far from what is desired.
Benchmarks show that the device's performance is on par with MediaTek processors Helio P10, the processor does not reach the capabilities of Snapdragon 625. Meanwhile, the latter is used in devices of the same price category, such as Huawei Nova.
Galaxy A3 received 16 GB of flash memory, of which about 10 GB is available to the user. MicroSD memory cards up to 256 GB are supported.
Internet and communications
The smartphone supports 4G LTE frequency bands in European and global markets. For Europe, bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20 are available here. There are two slots for SIM cards, one of them is hybrid and instead of a SIM card you can install a microSD memory card in it.
Dual band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac is supported, and payment system Samsung Pay, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, Glonass and USB type C.
Camera
The main camera of the Galaxy A3 2017 has a resolution of 13 megapixels and an f/1.9 aperture; there is an 8 megapixel camera on the front. There's an LED flash on the back, but there's no image stabilization and no 4K support.
Let's start by praising the excellent camera app. It can be launched by double pressing the Home button, quickly and conveniently. A new application from Samsung is used here: the developers have removed everything unnecessary from the main screen, rarely used settings are hidden from view, all that remains are the shutter and video recording buttons, a shortcut to the gallery, flash control, settings and a switch between the rear and front cameras. If you want to manually adjust white balance or ISO, swipe left and select Pro mode, which has manual settings. A swipe to the right opens modes, Panorama and others. Various filters and styles for photos are also available here.
Image quality
The quality of photos on this smartphone is above average for devices in this price category. They offer vibrant colors and a good level of sharpness. The camera takes a long time to focus, so it's advisable not to use it when photographing moving subjects, but for everything else it's very good. In dynamic scenes, the brightest parts of the image usually turn out to be too bright; HDR is not turned on automatically; it is recommended to turn it on yourself. HDR improves photo quality, but not as noticeably as on some other smartphones. Panorama mode produces stunning images that seamlessly blend into the bigger picture.
In low light, the photo quality is not as good. Details become blurred and image sharpness disappears. The single flash is quite strong, but completely destroys the correct color rendering, adding a cold green tint.
As for the front camera, it produces wide-angle photos suitable for group shots. The quality of the photos cannot be called good, there is not enough detail and the skin tone is washed out.
Video quality
The camera supports 1080p video recording at 30 fps. The lack of 4K recording is expected at this price, but the Huawei Nova has it, so Samsung is lagging behind. Luckily, even at 1080p the video quality is good, with vibrant colors and proper sharpness and dynamics. Unfortunately, there's no video stabilization at all, so the results often come out shaky. Even the slightest movement of the hands during shooting results in the image jerking. It is the lack of stabilization that can be called the main drawback of this smartphone.
Sound quality
The speaker here is located on the side of the case. This is an unusual position, and he himself is quite small. The new Galaxy A series smartphones are the first to place speakers on the side so that they cannot be covered with your hand.
The sound quality from this speaker was surprisingly good. The volume is also at a high level.
Call quality
At telephone conversations Thanks to this smartphone, you can hear your interlocutor well and clearly through your ear, voices sound natural, the same applies to the other side of the line. Your interlocutors have no complaints about the clarity and volume of your voice.
Autonomous operation
The smartphone has a relatively small 2350 mAh battery, but it is paired with an efficient processor and a screen with a resolution of only 720p. As a result, the smartphone has excellent battery life, just like the rest of this year's Galaxy A line.
With the screen on, it showed a battery life of 11 hours, while the Galaxy S7, Google Pixel and iPhone 7 flagships last about 7 hours. In real life, a smartphone lasts about two days on a single charge, but you need to disable the Always-On Display function, which consumes approximately 1% of the charge every hour.
Samsung didn't include an Adaptive Fast Charge charger in the box, but the battery's small capacity means it can charge relatively quickly. It takes 112 minutes to recharge, which is worse compared to the OnePlus 3T and Galaxy S7, but better compared to the Google Pixel with its fast charging standard. There is also no support for wireless charging.
Conclusion
The Galaxy A3 2017 is a fascinating smartphone. It brings a level of design and interface sophistication previously unseen in devices of this price category. The same can be said regarding the protection of the housing from water.
The developers know about their successes and this year the smartphone has become more expensive: 330 euros instead of last year’s 300 euros. Of course, there are also disadvantages here, one of which is slow operation compared to flagship models. There is a noticeable delay between clicking on an icon and launching applications. The video has no stabilization, so it comes out shaky. The 16GB of flash memory is too small by modern standards, and the 720p screen leaves much to be desired in terms of sharpness.
These disadvantages pale in comparison to the advantages. You will enjoy the excellent design of the device every day you work with it, the bright, rich display produces vivid images, the Samsung Grace user interface has many settings and their convenient organization, the battery life is excellent, as is the quality of the photos.
Among the alternatives to this smartphone is the Honor 8 with a 5.2-inch screen, also beautiful and stylish, with a faster processor and the same high-quality photos and videos and battery life. The interface here is not that good, although the smartphone runs on Android Nougat.
Another option is the 4-inch iPhone SE, which is noticeably more powerful and regularly updated, with better photos and support for 4K video recording. Moreover, it costs 400 euros.
Two more new alternatives are the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus on the latter Android versions. Which of these devices to choose is up to each user to decide independently.
Pros:
- Chic design, use of glass and metal, thin and comfortable body;
- Water protection;
- Battery life;
- High-quality photographs in daylight;
- Great keyboard;
- MicroSD memory card support;
- USB type C.
- Price;
- 16 GB flash memory;
- Lack of video stabilization;
- Android Marshmallow.
For Samsung, 2017 was a year of excellence. The Koreans not only released one of the most technologically advanced this moment flagships Galaxy S8, setting the bar for the famous iPhones, but also updated many younger and simple models. Among those that were noticeably upgraded was the mid-range Samsung Galaxy A line. And not only the older models of the series, but also its youngest representative - the Samsung Galaxy A3.
Technical characteristics of Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
The South Korean developer is quite cunning - while most manufacturers are still chasing the screen size of their smartphones, Samsung is chasing the quality of the technology. The guys from this company know their customers. And they know that a small but productive gadget is valued much more among ordinary people than a large smartphone with a weak processor.
As a result, we see annual updates to the South Korean mid-range lineup.
Technically, the Samsung Galaxy A has undergone significant changes. However, the models in the series differ not so much from each other.
Frame
Like its older colleagues, the A3 has become smoother and more rounded. The corners of the body no longer protrude so clearly, and the edges smoothly flow from one to another. Many people don’t like this decision regarding the redesign, saying that the phone has become like a point-and-shoot device. However, these are modern trends - angular buildings now seem to be a trend of the last century.
The perimeter of the phone is framed by a metal frame, the front panel is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 with a 2.5D effect. At the back, the same glass covers a slightly curved back panel. By the way, the panel is now smooth, there are no protrusions on it, the camera lens is perfectly tucked deeper into the body, which is quite convenient. The glass surface can sometimes play a cruel joke on its owner - glass and metal in the body materials make the phone uncomfortably slippery. If you are going to carry it without a case, be careful and hold the device tightly. Any fall in this case guarantees cracks and scratches on the phone body.
The front panel is not much different from the 2016 version - the screen occupies about 70% of the entire front part of the device, above it there is a speaker, the company logo, a front camera and a proximity sensor. At the bottom is the “Home” button on the mechanics with a built-in fingerprint scanner. There is also “Return” and “List of Applications” on the sensor. The touch buttons do not remain visible on the panel in inactive mode, although this is one of the signs of budget - more luxury models no longer have this.
Photo gallery: features of the appearance of the smartphone
Many users noted that after the redesign the phone looked like a point-and-shoot device 
The camera now practically does not protrude beyond the surface of the body 
At the bottom there is a mechanical button to return to the main screen and touch “ Context menu" and "Back" 
The speaker is placed on the side in an original way, next to it is the lock key 
There are two connectors on the bottom - for headphones and for a charger. 
Above the display you can find a speaker, front camera lens, motion sensor and the usual logo of the developer company 
On the top edge of the phone, the developers placed a SIM card slot and microphone 
Traditionally, volume up and down buttons are located on the left side
The dimensions of the device remained virtually unchanged. The length and width of the phone were 135.4 x 66.2 mm, respectively, and its thickness was 7.9 mm. The weight of the model is 138 g. Compared to last year’s version, the length of the case, its thickness and weight have increased, but the width has decreased. Apparently, the developer tried to bring the phone as close as possible to FullHD parameters with 16:9 proportions.
There are only three color options: black (Black), blue (Blue), gold (Gold), pink (Pink). In general, we tried to please everyone.
The small dimensions of the phone make it extremely ergonomic and convenient. It’s pleasant to hold the phone in your hand, and an attempt to reach the opposite corner, if necessary, will be crowned with undoubted success, even for girls.
Tech stuff
Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 runs on a fairly powerful eight-core Exynos 7 Octa 7870 processor, which is manufactured using 14 nanometer technology. Four ARM Cortex-A53 cores, whose clock speed is 1.6 GHz, and the same number of Mali-T830 GPU cores were placed here. By the way, this chipset was previously found in the oldest representative of the budget J line - Samsung Galaxy J7 last year. You shouldn't expect high results from hardware designed for medium-class phones. However, for its price and niche, the phone demonstrates good performance and stable operation. For everyday work, local equipment is quite enough. More resource-intensive tasks, although they significantly load the processor, are still up to the task. But in heavy 3D games it is useless to test the power of the hardware.
Photo gallery: Galaxy A3 2017 performance tests
Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 runs on a fairly powerful eight-core Exynos 7 Octa 7870 processor. Four ARM Cortex-A53 cores are placed here, whose clock frequency is 1.6 GHz. The smartphone also has four Mali-T830 graphics processor cores.
For its price and niche, the phone demonstrates good performance and stable operation. In single tests, the cores show low results. A joint test of cores will show a completely different picture - the result is “above average”
Despite the fact that the smartphone is significantly inferior to the company's leading flagships, its performance is absolutely sufficient to complete most everyday tasks. Difficulties in work are caused only by heavy and resource-intensive 3D games If you are buying a smartphone for work and everyday tasks, and not for games and entertainment, the device will not cause any complaints
Android version 6.0.1 Marshmallow is installed here with the Grace UX shell, which among the Samsung lineup was used only in Note7. It has a non-standard notification panel and settings menu, and also provides the phone owner with an additional screen on which current news is displayed. In addition, Grace UX allows you to change the appearance of standard icons and the theme (you will, however, have to buy them), can respond to the owner’s gaze (activating the display when you look at it), and offers to optimize the phone’s energy consumption yourself. In general, Grace UX has a wagonload of useful gadgets and a small cart. Despite their abundance, the shell works quickly, and noticeable slowdowns are observed only when loading news into the panel.
It is also worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 can be upgraded to the latest Android 7.0 Nougat.
Photo gallery: operating system features
The phone is equipped with 2 GB of RAM
Almost half of the phone's memory will be occupied system files and folders that are impossible to get rid of. Fortunately, the developers thought about their customers and placed here a slot for a flash card, the maximum capacity of which can reach 256 GB. Considering that the A3 is Samsung's junior model in the mid-price segment, the gift from the creators seems impressive. Although we should not forget that the additional memory slot will simply be inaccessible if the owner of the gadget uses two SIM cards. You will have to sacrifice either contacts or documents.
Of the available 16 GB of internal memory, about half will be available to the smartphone owner
Battery
The battery on the Galaxy A3 is lithium ion and non-removable. Its capacity is only 2350 mAh, but the screen with low resource consumption and the built-in processor, which intelligently distributes the load on the battery, more than compensate for the small capacity.
The battery in the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 is not very spacious, but the results and operating time are pleasantly surprising
Time continuous operation on the Internet reaches 12-17 hours, the phone can play video for up to 17 hours in a row, play audio for up to 41 hours when the screen is periodically turned on and up to 55 hours when it is turned off. At the same time, the talk time without interruptions is about 17 hours. In general, at an average load level, the smartphone can easily withstand almost two days of work.
There is no fast or wireless charging on the Galaxy A3 2017. However, even without them, the device is fully charged quite quickly - in 1.5 - 2 hours the battery replenishes its reserve to the maximum level.
The battery is undoubtedly strong point smartphone even with low capacity figures
Other amenities
In addition to good technical characteristics, the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 also added several special functions that will pleasantly surprise the owners of the gadget.
IP68
The IP68 standard guarantees your smartphone reliable protection from dust and moisture getting into the phone body. Now you don’t have to worry that your gadget will suddenly stop working after encountering water or a sandstorm. It can be safely placed at a depth of 1.5 meters for as long as 30 minutes. If during such a time even water cannot get inside, let alone dust.
Despite the fact that the smartphone occupies the youngest place in the line, since 2017 it is also equipped with dust and moisture protection properties
Samsung Pay
One of the undoubted advantages of the updated version of A3 is the ability to pay without a physical card. The 2017 version added support for NFC and MST technologies, which allows you to link a card to your phone and then calmly pay with it, even without having this card in your pocket. The data is reliably protected and there is no need to worry about its loss - every transaction of funds is confirmed by your fingerprint.
They didn’t forget to put Samsung Pay in the smartphone
Always-On-Display
This feature, previously exclusive to luxury models, appeared on Samsung Galaxy A line smartphones only this year. Moreover, as you can see, not only among its senior representatives, but also among the youngest A3. The function itself is as follows: the screen of your phone, even in inactive mode, displays all current notifications, events, calendar, clock and other important and useful information.
Like its older brothers in the line, the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 is not without an always-on screen feature
Blue filter
This mode changes the current color scheme phone to a softer, warmer and autumnal one. This change has a very beneficial effect on the eyes of the owner of the device, relieves tension from them, and allows the eye muscles to relax. As a result, the time you spend using the phone increases, and discomfort and fatigue decrease.
USB Type C (1.0)
Among other things, the phone has a new USB connector. This is now USB Type C version 1.0. How is the new connector different from the old one? Yes, because it is symmetrical, which means that it doesn’t matter which side you try to insert it into the phone. Any will do.
Fingerprint's scanner
The fingerprint scanner is built into the mechanical Home button on the front of the phone. Users have very mixed reviews about its work. Some are satisfied with the device, noting the fast response (less than 1.5 seconds to unlock) and smooth operation. Others categorically state that the scanner is mediocre and only works every time. Considering that we are talking about a junior phone in the budget line, such flaws seem forgivable.
The fingerprint scanner in the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017, although weak, is still present
Camera
The smartphone is equipped with a camera with a main camera resolution of 13 megapixels. The focal power of the lens is f/1.9. Like older models, the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 has both built-in standard modes and a Pro mode, which involves manual adjustment of most parameters. So, in this mode you can easily adjust ISO, i.e. the light sensitivity of the lens, select the white level, set exposure and much more. The camera interface is also very standard and is unlikely to cause confusion among those who have used smartphones Samsung latest years.
In addition to the standard ones, the camera is equipped with an HDR mode. If some time ago this mode justifiably seemed useless and ineffective to many users, now HDR often “pulls out” many pictures. On the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017, this mode works very smoothly. After applying HDR, dark holes do not acquire unnatural shades, and highlights do not turn gray.
Left - picture without HDR, right - with HDR mode
Daytime shooting
During the day, the camera focuses the image very accurately and quickly. The frames are detailed, bright, rich and pleasant. The color gamut of the photographs is close to natural, the range of shades is high and varied. As for the white balance, the camera determines it quite close to the original, i.e., real, picture.
However, it is also noticeable that the smartphone is a junior version of the line. The Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 lacks optical stabilization, due to which, even during the day, pictures can sometimes come out insufficiently clear and blurry in places. In this situation, the quality of the photo directly depends on the stamina and reliability of the hand that holds it. Given the light weight of the product, as well as its size, trying to take a good, clear photo becomes a serious task. And in conditions of night shooting or indoor shooting, it becomes even more difficult.
Photo gallery: daytime shooting
The front camera of the phone has a resolution of 8 megapixels and an aperture equal to the main camera, f/1.9
The Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 carries over the same convenience in handling the front camera as its older S-series brothers. You can switch from camera to camera with a simple swipe on the display, take pictures with a quick touch of the screen, or shoot using a voice command or gesture.
With the updated front camera, you don't have to worry about the quality of the pictures - they will be beautiful
Video
The Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 shoots videos in FullHD quality, with a frame rate of 30 fps. The user has access to a panorama mode, as well as a Pro mode with the same settings as the camera.
Video: Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 camera review
Price
The price range of the Galaxy A3 2017 is very large - from 14,700 to 22,990 rubles. The cost of the model in the official Samsung store as of July 2017 is 19,990 rubles.
Video: review of the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 smartphone
Samsung Galaxy A320F A3 2017 is simple, productive and durable. We talk about the interface, performance in comparative tests, new features, sound and camera!
Samsung Galaxy A320F A3, the junior representative of the A line, has always been considered a compromise solution for those who wanted to have a premium smartphone, but did not require the high performance of older models. The 2017 model no longer looks like an ordinary average car. This is the second part Samsung review Galaxy A3 2017. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the model, which describes the main advantages and disadvantages of the model, body, display, battery and autonomy of the device.
Android for Samsung Galaxy A320F A3 2017
The company is in no hurry to install the latest versions of software on its devices. Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 came out with marshmallow Android 6.0.1 on board (basically the same as the 2016 A series). But Android update 7.0 for the Galaxy A3 2017 is expected in the first half of this year. Note that the current version of the software already works on the much-anticipated Grace UX, successor to TouchWiz.
Smartphones of 2017 are the first from the A-series to receive the function Always On Display- shows three main applications: time, date, calendar with a number of additional settings. The function also shows new notifications on the display (a feature that does not work with the S7).
In low light conditions, the image becomes dim and turns off completely when the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 is in your pocket.
Samsung Galaxy A320F A3 2017 equipped with a fingerprint scanner to protect your smartphone and access applications and websites. The fingerprint reading time is not the fastest, but the sensor responds on par with S-flagships.
The user can also create a secure folder with personal files and applications: photos, mail, documents.
For smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 provides 15Gb of memory in branded cloud storage, where you can save everything: from contacts to letters and media files. The user decides which files are synchronized and saved via Mobile Internet, and some - exclusively via Wi-Fi.
Home screen on Samsung Galaxy A320F A3 2017
The home screen has undergone the least changes. Users still have access to Briefing via the left swipe (which is mercilessly annoying and, fortunately, can be disabled). The user can apply themes and install icon packs to change the look of the desktop.
The notification panel remains almost the same. When collapsed, the user sees notification icons, a clock, charge level, active connections and SIM cards. The opened curtain offers the user more settings. Traditionally, under the settings menu there is a slider for adjusting the screen brightness, and below it is the Google search box.
The Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 has a new notification blocking option that allows you to turn off annoying reminders from apps and games. Users have differing opinions on the design of the new menu. Some people like schematic minimalism, while others are critical of the curtain. But you don't have to choose. It is impossible to roll back the Samsung Galaxy A 3 2017 to earlier versions of Android without voiding the warranty.
One of the significant drawbacks of the Galaxy A3 2017 software is the lack of a multitasking mode like in the older Galaxy A5 2017 and Galaxy A7 2017 models. The user cannot open several applications in one screen mode. Switching between active applications has not changed at all. Everything is presented and functions the same as in the previous version of the device.
The main menu has also changed somewhat functionally. The main changes concern search by application. If previously, upon request, the search offered you only installed applications, but now applications from Galaxy Apps are pulled into the search results (you can install the Play Market).
With the introduction of Grace UX, the shell interface has changed little. The operating system takes up a lot of space: of the 16GB of internal memory, only 10GB is available to the user.
Samsung Galaxy A320F A3 2017 Review: Game Launcher
Game Launcher- new option for Samsung A-series- separate folder for games for quick access. All games and applications are stored in the folder, management and customization functions are available. Game Lauhcner allows you to simplify and organize the main menu for those who install many games and entertainment applications on their smartphone. A large number of icons in the general menu make searching and access difficult.
In the Game Launcher settings, the user can manage notifications from applications, quickly switch between games, disable touch buttons to avoid random clicks, video screen capture for recording gaming sessions. The function is useful for those who upload videos of game levels on YouTube. If desired, the user can activate the selfie camera and create a 2 in 1 video. Settings allow you to select the resolution and recording quality if the device memory is limited.
Game Launcher in Samsung Galaxy A320F A3 2017 saves statistics of all games that the user has launched on the device. The application tracks not only results and points, but also genres, and shows what the user plays more: racing, strategy games, logic games, etc.
Game Launcher also allows you to optimize your phone's performance: change settings without having to go to the main menu.
Performance Samsung Galaxy A3 2017
Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 is powered by Exynos 7870 Octa processor. Created using a 14nm process technology, the chip uses all 8 Cortex A53 cores (1.6 GHz each) and GPU Mali-T830. The chip is paired with a very mediocre 2GB of RAM. This is enough for normal everyday use (messengers, social media, calls, internet), but may not be able to handle heavier games.
The performance of the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 is quite mediocre.
AnTuTu testing results:
results Samsung testing Galaxy A3 2017 in Basemark OS 2.0:
Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 test results in GeekBench (multi-core):
Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 test results in GeekBench (single core):
Speaker volume in Samsung Galaxy A3 2017
The Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 has one speaker, quite loud, located atypically, and it is virtually impossible to cover it with your palm during use (intentionally or not). The sound is loud and clear, even at maximum limits.
Comparative sound test in smartphones:
A little about the output sound
Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 output provides crisp, clear, high quality sound, something no one expected from the younger model. The highs are clear, the bass is spacious, the mids are clear. No subsidence. Even at maximum volume, the sound remained clear and rich. Note that a lot depends on the quality of the headphones through which you will listen to the tracks, as well as on the quality of the file and the source - where you get the music from: the cloud, a social network or the file is stored in the phone’s memory.
Messages and keyboard
Contrary to everyone's expectations, Samsung offers a standard SMS messenger. Previously it was assumed that it would be replaced by Google Allo, but this application has not received adequate user support and, despite the large number of downloads, the application is little used.
The interface is simple, all the main functions and settings are hidden in the side menu, called up by swiping. Menu offers fast access to all media files received and transmitted via short messages, blocking incoming/outgoing messages, disabling notifications from specific contacts, marking priority messages (always shown in the TOP, regardless of the date the conversation was received or updated). Messages support emoticons and transfer of graphic files.
Text entry is done using standard keyboard Samsung with many custom settings: you can change the width and height, hide unnecessary lines and character buttons. You can change the color scheme and increase the contrast.
Camera Samsung Galaxy A3 2017
The camera in the Samung Galaxy A3 2017 is very mediocre. The front camera has improved in megapixels from 5MP to 8MP, while the main camera has not changed compared to the previous year's version.
The smartphone does not have optical stabilization, nor does it have technology Dual Pixel. This is a touch phase detection autofocus technology designed to smoothly and clearly track a moving subject in sharp focus.
While the Galaxy A3 2017 inherited a lot of camera features from the Samsung S7, it lacked the basic functions that determine the quality of the image.
Pro mode is available to users, but the settings are very limited. The user can only change ISO and adjust exposure, nothing more. S-flagships offer much more settings, resulting in the highest quality images.
Examples of photos from Samsung cameras Galaxy A3 2017:
Conclusion
- Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 has virtually no competitors, the market for 4.7-inch smartphones is rapidly shrinking. And those gadgets that are available now do not offer such performance as the younger A-series model.
- The device received premium features, which were previously available only in S-flagships: AOD, dust/moisture protection.
- The autonomy of the device is excellent: 93 hours of moderate use (with AOD turned off) is amazing. A3 2017 will give a head start in terms of autonomy of both Samsung S7 and iPhone 7.
- Camera- not the strongest side of the smartphone, but it copes with everyday tasks with a bang!
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