Screen at Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017), like its predecessor, is made according to technology Super AMOLED what promises us nice colors, acceptable brightness and true black. The 2016 Galaxy A5 had it all, and the 2017 model has it all.

The screen resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels and has not increased over the year. This gives a dot density of 424 ppi, which is good overall.

Samsung also equipped the smartphone with an Always On mode. When the display is off, it continues to display the current time, date and charge level. Battery consumption is minimal, since AMOLED technology allows you to turn on only a couple of dozen pixels necessary for the mode to work.

The screen has good vibrant colors and excellent viewing angles, which may not always be good: everyone around you will see what you are doing there on your smartphone.

Subjective impressions are confirmed by objective data. The brightness of the screen (white) was 357.49 cd / m2, the brightness of black, as it should be for OLED - 0. Accordingly, the contrast is obviously higher than that of any LCD display.

There are two main modes in the display settings: basic and adaptive. In the first, the color gamut is approximately equal to the sRGB area, even a little more. In adaptive, the color gamut is much wider than this area, which is considered the standard.

When measuring color temperature Galaxy screen A5 (2017), the difference between the setting modes is not so noticeable. They are quite close to the natural temperature of 6500K, but still higher than it. The main mode is just below the 7000K line, the adaptive mode is above 7000K, but also not much. In other words, the picture in the second case looks a little colder.

The gamma curve of the main mode practically coincides with the reference one. The adaptive mode is slightly higher in the middle. In the image, this affects the output of the light areas darker than they should be shown. However, a lot can be fixed with the display settings, which the Galaxy A5 (2017) has more than other smartphones.

The Galaxy A5 (2017) features a trendy "blue filter" that reduces blue levels and has a positive effect on fatigue - it reduces. However, we would not use it. When turned on, the display takes on a frankly jaundiced tint. Perhaps it will be useful for long reading in the dark.

In addition to the main and adaptive display modes, there are also PHOTO and VIDEO, which automatically adjust the screen so that pictures and movies look the best on it. For each mode, you can adjust the RGB balance of red, green, and blue flowers... In addition, in the screen settings, you can turn Always On on and off, as well as order the smartphone not to turn on the display in any case if it is in the dark, that is, in a pocket or bag. For devices with large dimensions, this is relevant.

The display recognizes 5 touches, like the Galaxy A5 (2016), which once again confirms our conclusion about the software nature of the limitation. Still, the Galaxy A line should be somewhat inferior to the Galaxy S.

Camera Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) has significantly improved camera. Previously, the device was equipped with a photo module with a resolution of 13 megapixels for the main one and 5 megapixels for front camera... Now the smartphone has two 16 megapixel cameras. The trend reflects the craze for selfies. In addition, judging by the quality of the images, the front 16 megapixels are more "honest" than most smartphones with the declared selfie camera. Both cameras can also shoot Full HD video.

The Galaxy A5 (2017) camera interface remains proprietary. On the first screen, buttons for taking photos and recording videos are immediately available, as well as a window for calling the gallery and previewing a picture. In the other part of the display, we see virtual buttons for changing the camera, controlling the flash and calling the settings. A little face in the corner of the viewfinder calls up the skin color adjustment option. By adjusting the white balance, you can obtain the best hue.

The settings for both cameras are the same. Interestingly, they are displayed not in the design of the camera interface, but like other phone settings. Here you can immediately select a resolution, set a timer, enable video stabilization, geotagging, activate shooting by voice, gesture, volume button.

There are also two more tabs on the main camera screen. By swiping to the right, you can open a tab with filters that are applied in real time to the preview of the snapshot.

The left tab contains shooting modes, both video and photo.

In addition to the automatic mode, there is a Pro mode. It can adjust light sensitivity, white balance, adjust exposure and other parameters.

There are other modes as well: panorama, hyperlapse, HDR, night and food. The most interesting are hyperlapse (slow motion) and food, in which background blur is added, and you can also sip the white balance to make the pictures look better.

The front camera has the same interface and the same tabs. There is a skin color adjustment. The tab on the right also contains real-time filters. There are only three modes on the left tab: self-portrait (the same auto), night and wide self-portrait. The wide self-portrait is a hybrid of a selfie and a panorama. It is not always possible to make the background completely satisfying when taking a selfie. Therefore, in this mode, we take a selfie, move the phone to the right, to the left and get a picture with a wide field of view.

The main camera allows you to shoot in different resolutions, as well as use different aspect ratios. The maximum is achieved with a ratio of 4: 3.

As you can see, the pictures are of very good quality, even with the zoom the image is quite clear, and on the phone screen this difference will not be noticeable at all. In the dark, it's best to shoot with a flash, which works quite well.

With the main camera of the Galaxy A5 (2016), you can shoot videos up to Full HD. Ultra HD (4K) is still in store for the flagships.

The camera perfectly records video and, importantly, sound. The video from the front seat of the car demonstrates that the camera quickly focuses, adapts to light parameters, etc.

The resolution of pictures from the front camera and the choice of the aspect ratio, like the main one.

The picture quality is much more interesting. It's easy to see how much sharpness differs between close-up and wide-shot. No matter how hard we fought, we failed to shoot the dull cityscape from the loggia as sharply as with the main camera. Apparently, the focus of the camera is fixed to ensure perfect selfies.

Likewise, the video shot by the front camera turned out to be blurry, not as sharp as the main one. The assumption of shifted focus or its limited range in order to create the corresponding effect of the depth of the frame, blurring the background in selfies, is confirmed. Usually all cameras of this size are hyperfocal, that is, they have a maximum depth of field from almost 1-2 meters, so when shooting landscapes they do not need to focus. Here, there are clearly settings to blur the background.

By the way, almost all of our comments are valid only when viewing pictures on a computer screen, on the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) AMOLED display all photos look very good, and some are just perfect.

For quite a long time, the Chinese flagships, Nexus and OnePlus, ruled the show in the segment of devices for the conventional $ 400. Gradually, the situation has changed and today literally everyone is fighting for the wallet of a sufficiently wealthy buyer who does not want to spend money on the flagship. We are looking forward to the announcements of such devices, because in this segment companies create truly balanced solutions capable of offering good design, characteristics, cameras, and also - the operating time, noticeably more than that of the flagships. Today we will get acquainted with one of the most interesting such smartphones - Galaxy A5 (2017).

Design and usability

introduced in 2014. Then the main body material, at least for Samsung devices, was plastic (including for the flagship Galaxy S5) and the angular metal device looked very fresh. Updated year turned out to be even better, because it was made similar to the Note 5 and Galaxy S6, and the design Samsung flagships by this moment has changed for the better. In turn, the Galaxy A5 (2017) was made similar to the Galaxy S7, although some features combine it with an affordable .

The general idea remains the same - the front and back panels of the smartphone are made of glass with rounded edges, and the frame is made of metal.

At the start of sales, the smartphone is available in black, gold, blue and pink. Compared to the previous model, the shape of the case has changed noticeably. Now the corners are rounded, there are no chamfers on the frame, the "back" is curved like the Galaxy S7. The camera lens looks small and does not stick out, and all surfaces and body elements are painted in the same color.

The perception of design is a very subjective thing, but the device may seem too calm and neutral, in some ways even boring. On the other hand, it is harmonious and we can say that it will suit literally everyone, regardless of gender and age. The buyer only has to choose the appropriate color.

The shape of the case is comfortable, the A5 (2017) fits perfectly in the palm of your hand, the smartphone can be operated with one hand without any problems. Probably the only design note is the connector USB Type-C not centered on the bottom edge.

The arrangement of the keys is traditional for Samsung devices. The mini-jack remained on the lower edge - it is convenient, but the number of SIM trays has noticeably increased. The main one is on the left and is designed to install the main SIM in Nano format. The second one is on the top edge, you can install a second Nano-SIM and a microSD memory card in it. The slots are equivalent, so nothing prevents you from installing a main SIM card and a memory card in the second, and using the first for a card when traveling.

As before, a fingerprint scanner is inscribed in the mechanical key under the screen, on either side of it there are two backlit touch buttons. The scanner has a small area, so it works a little worse than, for example, on the iPhone, at least in our test sample - I had to get used to putting my finger at the right angle.

Dust and moisture protection

One of the main innovations in Galaxy series A is the appearance of dust and moisture protection according to IP68 standard. A smartphone can stay in fresh water for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 meters. To prevent moisture from getting into the case, the connectors are sealed, there are rubber seals on the SIM receivers, and the speakers are covered with special membranes. This feature makes the line closer to the flagships and sets it apart from competitors that cannot yet boast of a protected design.

Screen

The Galaxy A5 (2017) has a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display with Full HD resolution. It is covered by a protective glass with a 2.5D effect and an oleophobic coating. Medium width side frames.

The minimum brightness is 2 cd / m² and allows you to read comfortably in the dark, the maximum brightness when filled with white is about 400 cd / m². In real life, the maximum backlight level is much higher, because the brightness changes dynamically depending on the displayed image and ambient light. Therefore, the image on the screen will be clearly visible even outdoors on a sunny day.

There are several color rendering modes. "Basic" offers almost perfect calibration close to IPS matrices.

"Adaptive" mode offers richer colors and adapts images based on the displayed image. For him, a separate adjustment of color components appeared, which will allow you to more finely adjust everything for yourself, change the white balance in any direction. There is a setting to reduce the amount of blue so that the eyes are less tired while reading.

Given the flexibility of the settings, there are no complaints about the display. It has excellent viewing angles, enough brightness in any conditions, automatic backlight adjustment works well. At the sharpest corners, the image has a purple-greenish tint, but this is common to all Super AMOLEDs and is imperceptible in real use.

It's nice that Samsung has added an always-on display mode for the A-series. It allows you to display a clock, calendar or pictures on the screen in standby mode. You can customize the display time when the display is on, and the appearance of notification icons on the screen compensates for the absence of the traditional indicator of missed events.

Hardware platform

The smartphone is built on the Exynos 7880 SoC, which includes 8 Cortex-A53 cores, clocked at up to 1.9 GHz and Mali-830 MP2 graphics. The platform is made according to the 14 nm process technology, which has a positive effect on energy consumption and the lack of heating under load.

Volume random access memory- 3 GB, built-in - 32 GB (23.5 GB available), you can simultaneously install two NanoSIMs and a memory card up to 256 GB. Supported networks Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2, there is an FM radio. NFC availability and MST allows you to use your smartphone for contactless payments (currently only Privat24 is supported, later Samsung Pay can be launched). Connection to a PC is carried out by USB standard 2.0 via balanced Type-C connector.

The device shows average results in benchmarks, at the level of smartphones with Snapdragon 625. In life, Galaxy A5 (2017) is fast and comfortable to use. There is not a large margin of safety in terms of graphics performance, but all games available at the time of release will work with normal graphics settings and a comfortable FPS.

Software platform

Out of the box, the smartphone works under Android control 6.0.1 and the proprietary Grace UX interface, which replaced Touch Wiz and was announced simultaneously with Galaxy Note 7. In the near future, the manufacturer should update the smartphone to Android 7.0, although we would like the device to be immediately supplied with the current version of the OS.

In the new version of the interface, the curtain of switches with notifications and the settings menu have changed. Updated the design of built-in applications. There is a multi-window mode, support for themes. You can find a theme similar to stock Android 6.0 in the app store. Overall, the interface looks cleaner and lighter.

Multimedia

The quality of music playback in the headphones is normal and comparable to that of the competition. The sound is clear and detailed enough.

As with the J5 Prime, the only multimedia speaker is on the right, above the power key. When holding it vertically, you can accidentally cover it with your finger, but in other situations this arrangement is convenient, because the speaker does not overlap during games or watching videos, and is also slightly less muffled in pockets. The volume is sufficient for games and videos. The quality is normal. Sometimes the sound feels slightly muffled, because special membranes have to be used to ensure moisture protection.

Working hours

The smartphone is powered by a built-in 3000 mAh battery. Compared to last year's Galaxy A5, the capacity has increased by only 100 mAh, but the modern process technology has made it possible to achieve more noticeable improvements.

With Always on display (AON) enabled, most users will be able to expect two days of average use. By disabling AON, the result can be slightly improved. If you use the device "to the full", then the charge will definitely be enough for a day of work. There is support for fast charging - the process takes about an hour.

Cameras

The 2017 Galaxy A5 has received updated cameras. Both modules have a resolution of 16 megapixels and an aperture of f / 1.9, although they are, of course, different modules. The main camera features fast and accurate autofocus, is equipped with a flash from one warm diode, which is not inferior in brightness to competitors equipped with two diodes. The equivalent focal length of the lens is 27 mm. Video recording capabilities are limited to 1080p 30fps. Compared to Galaxy A5 (2016), the camera has lost optical stabilization, the device also formally loses to some competitors due to the lack of the ability to shoot 4K video.

However, there are no special problems with the quality of shooting. In good conditions, there is nothing to complain about. The module provides good detail and a wide dynamic range. In the evening and at night, you can take a good shot, but the images show traces of the aggressive post-processing that is typical for most Samsung smartphones.

Conveniently, the camera can be started by double pressing the mechanical Home key. The application has a simple interface. With swipes, you can switch between the menu for choosing color filters and shooting mode, as well as on the front camera. There is a "Pro" mode, but it only allows you to adjust the white balance, ISO, exposure compensation and metering method. There is no possibility to control shutter speed and focus. There will be no problems with shooting macro, but I would like to see a full-fledged manual mode.

Site evaluation

Pros: body materials; the convenience of use; screen; Always on Display function; IP68 protection; speed of work; modern platform; good cameras; working time and fast charging; NFC and MST; updated interface

Minuses: you need to get used to the fingerprint scanner; Android 6.0.1 out of the box; no optical stabilization (compared to A5 (2016)); the waterproof membrane slightly degraded the sound of the speaker

Output: After lucky Galaxy A5 (2016) we expected the new device to be at least as good and our expectations came true. A5 (2017) differs from its predecessor, but most of the changes can be called evolutionary. Systematically increased the characteristics, made the device protected from moisture, made it possible to simultaneously use two SIMs and a memory card. The design has become more versatile, although not everyone will like it. The development of the A-series is reminiscent of how the company changes its flagships, cheaper devices get many unique features of the Galaxy S line. It's nice that the price has not changed much, Galaxy A5 (2017) is worth its money and remains one of the best devices in the class. But over the year, competitors have taken a noticeable step forward and narrowed the gap. Therefore, the question may arise - why should you choose Samsung? Given the comparable prices and capabilities beyond features, design and brand, it's time to start paying attention to unique features. For the A5 (2017), they will be IP68 protection, an interesting color palette, a separate microSD slot, an Always on display function, potentially better integration with payment services and a larger selection of branded cases and accessories.

At the moment, the phone from Samsung, which was named Galaxy A7, is considered one of the best smartphones on the market for similar equipment. However, due to the high cost, which generally corresponds to the quality of the device, the device is not very popular with buyers. It is because of this that the company decided to transfer a large number of functions and design components to another phone of the same line. Let's talk about him in this article. Its name is "Samsung Galaxy A5". It was released in 2017, but it was already sold in quite a large number among consumers. Perhaps the point is that the gadget has taken a place in the middle price category. In order to compose full description device will be based on customer feedback.

General inspection

Phone "Samsung A5" in such a short period of time was able to establish itself as a rather powerful device for its price category. Operating system which is used - "Android 6.0", in other words, "Marshmallow". Moreover, the interface and the menu of the phone look quite interesting and fresh. This is because the manufacturer has installed their own skin. The gadget works as quickly as possible due to the presence of 3 GB of RAM and an 8-core processor.

The screen got a diameter of 5 inches, a resolution of 1080 × 1920 pixels. Consumers are completely satisfied with these characteristics. What else can the display boast of? It does not fade in direct sunlight. On the street, visibility is excellent in all weather conditions.

The Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone received the module wireless internet, works with frequencies 2.4 and 5 GHz. The manufacturer has built in a fingerprint scanner, which functions perfectly.

Even with such excellent characteristics, consumers still caused some nuances of a negative reaction. In Russia, the average cost of a device is 28 thousand rubles. It is much more expensive than all of its competitors. But of course, in terms of quality, the latter are significantly inferior.

The Samsung A5 phone received distinctive characteristics. What is it about? On the presence of glass that covers the body, as well as on the use protective technology... The latter makes the smartphone resistant to dust and water. Also, the device received a unique design, which quite claims to be premium. The manufacturer took care of fast charging... The 3,000 mAh battery takes about 1 hour to charge.

Pros and cons, according to consumers

Consumers immediately after the purchase began to look for disadvantages and advantages. Let's take a look at the positive characteristics of the phone first.

• The screen is large and fits perfectly into the size of the case.
• There is a separate port for a memory card.
• The housing is protected from water and dust ingress.
• The design is incredibly good.
• Charging as fast as possible.

And what are the disadvantages of the owners? It should be noted right away that they do not hit the Samsung A5 phone's reputation too much. A more detailed overview is presented below, while we briefly take a look at the disadvantages.

• Due to the ratio of the dollar to the ruble, the cost is slightly overestimated. Although for the American buyer, it is perfect.
• Some consumers note the disadvantages of using the Marshmallow operating system.
• Due to the presence of glass on the case, the device seems rather fragile, but no one has yet dared to test it for strength.

Specifications

The phone went on sale in mid-January 2017. Around the same time, a cover for Samsung A5 began to be sold. The average cost of a gadget, which has already been mentioned above, is 28 thousand rubles. Available colors of the case: blue, gold and black. The form factor is already clear: a smartphone. Dimensions of the gadget: length - 14.6 cm, width - 7.1 cm, thickness - 0.7 cm. The total weight of the phone is 160 g. Of the available touch functions, the following can be noted: barometer, accelerometer, fingerprint scanner, compass, light, proximity, hall sensors. There are also the usual mechanical buttons: power keys, volume control. You can protect your device with a pin code, password, pattern key or fingerprint.

These are the characteristics of the Samsung A5 phone. The only thing missing is more detailed description each of the elements.

• CPU. The chipset is Exynos 7880. The processor has 8 cores for operation. The clock frequency is slightly below 2 GHz, being limited to 1.9 GHz. Perhaps, this "conquered" consumers by the phone "Samsung A5".
• Memory. The internal memory is 32 GB, and the RAM is 3 GB. The phone works with microSD. Its maximum capacity can be up to 256 GB.
• Display. Supports multitouch. Diagonal - 5.2 inches. Color rendering is standard - 16.7 million. These characteristics are not particularly distinguished by the smartphone "Samsung A5".
• Camera. The main and front ones received a resolution of 16 megapixels. There is a flash that makes it easier to take pictures in dark places. If possible, it is allowed to set geotags. Video shooting function is provided. Using the wireless module, it is allowed to connect to TVs. The panorama function is available.
• Battery. Capacity - 3 thousand mAh. It is possible to quickly charge the phone, while the wireless process is not. In standby mode it can hold up to 320 hours. During a conversation - no more than 12 hours. With continuous music playback - up to 30 hours, and video - up to 8 hours.

The package bundle should also be considered separately. The phone is sold with a special coupon from the service, instructions for the user, headphones, a charger and a rechargeable battery.

Feedback on display and design

The majority of consumers call the thickness of the device "Samsung A5", the characteristics of which already make one think about buying it, normal. By today's standards, it cannot be declared too small, but it is optimal. I was also pleased with the weight of the device. Moreover, due to the use of protective technology, it was quite expected that the dimensions would become somewhat large. Consumers called the presence of a speaker a good move speakerphone on the right side. An additional improvement is that the camera does not protrude from the body. The consumers liked it pretty much. After all, when the device is on the table, it does not wobble.

Buyers noted good screen... It is possible to display any applications on the active display in order to have quick access to them. Many reviews have focused on how amazing the screen-to-body ratio is. The phone is easy to hold and operate.

CPU and memory reviews

When it comes to processor and memory, gaming enthusiasts immediately come to life. I must say that the phone works great with fairly capacious programs, even when it comes to 3D graphics. So, gamers should also pay attention to the Samsung A5.

RAM reviews are also good. Users note that due to the built-in shell, which consumes few resources, the phone does not slow down and works as quickly as possible. Some were upset that of all 32 GB, only 23 GB is available to the user. But the memory can be easily expanded with external storage.

Camera Reviews

We continue our review of Samsung A5. Reviews of the camera are only good. Consumers note some difference between the images of the front matrix and the main one. The first is devoid of autofocus and flash, but the photos are still of high quality. Everyone admits that this option is considered almost the best.

I was also pleased with the ability to shoot video at 30 frames per second. The material is obtained in Full HD quality, which cannot but deserve laudatory reviews.

Feedback on communication

Some Samsung A5 owners (95% positive reviews) were skeptical that the manufacturer made two ports for nano-type SIM cards. Two radio modules work at once, so both numbers are always active. The phone supports interoperability with 4G networks, and the transmission speed also impressed many. The device has a built-in bluetooth module that works flawlessly.

What impressed the buyers? The phone has a built-in special port that allows you to connect a charger, synchronize with a computer, and work with a mouse and keyboard.

The fingerprint sensor is equipped in the Home button. Buyers were divided in opinion: some liked this solution, while others did not. It works on touch technology, so there is no need to "wake up" the phone again.

A heavily overpriced mid-range model 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 traditional Korean plastic in cases to real metal: both new items received one piece metal cases made of aluminum. With this step, the company finally met the expectations of many, because the main reason for criticism of Samsung from users has always been related to the dubious design, as well as the stubborn reluctance to offer metal as a material in the production of mobile device cases.

But nevertheless, the main sensation is not this: the high price at which the Korean company is going to sell its new smartphones, which are not only far from the flagship ones, but even for “solid middle peasants”, are striking. The Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone, which we tested, turned out to be built on an entry-level chip, equipped with a far from flagship 720p screen, devoid of most of the functions and capabilities of its top counterparts, but at the same time it is sold at the price of a full-fledged flagship.

Video review

First, we suggest watching our video review Samsung smartphone Galaxy A5:

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

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-core Cortex-A53) @ 1.2 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (4-core Cortex-A7) @ 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 x 70 x 6.7 mm, 123 g	153 x 77 x 7.6 mm, 172 g	156 x 78 x 7.6mm, 150g	138 x 71 x 10.7 mm, 137 g	140 x 69 x 7.5mm, 110g
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 system Android 4.4.4
• Super AMOLED touchscreen display, 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 sensors, proximity, lighting, electronic compass
• Camera 13 MP (F2.0), autofocus, LED flash
• Camera 5 MP (F2.2), front
• Battery 2300 mAh
• Dimensions 139 x 70 x 6.7 mm
• Weight 123 g

Appearance and usability

As for the design, it can be stated that there have still not been any breakthroughs here. In appearance, the new devices are practically indistinguishable from their predecessors. This is especially true of the front panel - the easily recognizable style of Samsung smartphones has not changed at all.

As for the materials, the devices actually received metal cases, and they are entirely made of this material. That is, the back wall and sidewalls in such a case make up an integral "trough", and gluing takes place in the place where the glass of the screen adjoins the metal in the front part.

However, either the experience of the Koreans turned out to be not enough for 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 except themselves could notice it. The metal here is carefully primed and painted in such a way that it gives the full impression that we have plastic in front of us, both in appearance and in touch. The presence of metal can be recognized only by surfaces that are colder than that of plastic, and by unpainted chamfers on the side edges. And then the confirmation of the company representatives themselves was required, because in previous models the Koreans very skillfully faked their plastic rims to look like real metal. And nevertheless, why it was necessary to hide the metal under the paint so diligently remains a mystery. It is hard to believe in the explanations of the company's representatives - they say it was done solely for better grip with the palm.

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

Leaving aside the unusual behavior of Samsung and proceeding to a direct statement of facts, we can note that the Galaxy A5 came out not large, not heavy and not thick. The smartphone looks and feels similar to other nifty five-inch solutions like the Nexus 5, Lenovo Vibe X2, or Alcatel Idol X +. Due to its small size, the device lies well in the hand, although hard, sharp and straight wide edges of comfort when handling the device clearly do not add.

As already mentioned, the back wall and sidewalls are made of metal here, the case does not have removable elements, and you cannot reach the battery on your own. Accordingly, the SIM-card and the memory card are installed in the side slots, driving into them on metal skids. According to a not very pleasant tradition that has developed recently, it is proposed here to compromise and choose only one of the 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 has captured the minds of not only Chinese developers, but, as it turns out, Korean ones too. It is completely incomprehensible what benefit this 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 in this.

Despite the fact that the body of the smartphone is not distinguished by supernatural thinness, 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 the bones" for this option of placing the camera module.

On both sides of the camera lens, the same square-shaped LED flash and a chrome speaker grill were symmetrically distributed. Since the protruding camera module does not allow the table surface to overlap the grill, the sound of the smartphone lying on the table is practically not muffled. But for the flash, the built-in flashlight mode was not provided, the flash module itself has only one section.

The front of the smartphone is completely covered protective glass Gorilla Glass, adjoining directly to the metal frame, without any gasket. A longitudinal hole has been cut in the glass for the chrome-plated earpiece grille. Sensors and a peephole of the front camera are visible nearby. Strange, but there was no place for such a useful element as an LED sensor for notifications.

An oval mechanical key and two touch buttons on either side of it. The buttons have a bright white backlight with adjustable 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 large enough, hard, metallized, traditionally there are no complaints about the controls in Samsung devices. But the Micro-USB 2.0 connector and the audio output for headphones with a diameter of 3.5 mm this time were clustered on one, lower end, very close to each other. Accordingly, there is nothing on the top side except for the second auxiliary microphone. It's just amazing, but the creators didn't even bother to equip the smartphone with the price of 24 thousand rubles with OTG (USB Host) support.

The smartphone is not protected against dust and moisture, does not support wireless charging, not found on the case and strap mounts. In addition to the white version of the color, 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 general color of the case.

Screen

The Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone is equipped with a Super AMOLED sensor matrix. The physical dimensions of the display are 62 × 110 mm, the diagonal is 5 inches. The screen resolution in dots is only 1280 × 720 (dot density 294 ppi), such a resolution is not enough for a device of the price category that the hero of the review claims. The area of ​​the five-inch screen of the Galaxy A5 is not that small, moreover, the screen is made using Pentile technology.

The brightness of the display has manual and automatic adjustment, the latter is based on the operation of the light sensor. There is also a proximity sensor that locks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to handle 10 simultaneous touches. Side bezels around the screen are not impressive: the distance from the edge of the case to the edge of the screen is about 4 mm at the sides, and at 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 with gloves.

Alexey Kudryavtsev, editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, carried out a detailed examination using measuring devices. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are not worse than that of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the turned off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Samsung Galaxy A5, then they can be distinguished by their size):

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy A5 is slightly lighter (brightness in the photos is 101 versus 98 for the Nexus 7) and does not have a pronounced shade. Note that reflections from bright objects on the Samsung Galaxy A5 display have a faint bluish halo slightly more pronounced laterally. The doubling of reflected objects in the Samsung Galaxy A5 screen 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-to-air type) with very different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of strong ambient light, but their repair in case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. The outer surface of the Samsung Galaxy A5 screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, noticeably better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are much easier to remove, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of regular glass.

When displaying a white field in full screen and when manual control brightness its maximum value was 340 cd / m², minimum - 4.7 cd / m². You also need to take into account the fact that in this case the smaller the white area on the screen, the lighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. For example, when displaying white on half of the screen, the maximum brightness when manually adjusted increases to 360 cd / m². As a result, readability in the daytime in the sun should be at a fairly good level (we did not have the opportunity to check the possibilities). The reduced brightness level allows you to use the device without any problems even in complete darkness. Automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (it is located to the right of the slot of the front speaker). You can make adjustments to how this function works by moving the setting slider from -5 to +5 units. Further, for three conditions, we give the screen brightness values ​​for three values ​​of this setting - for −5, 0 and +5. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness decreases to 4.7, 9.6 and 21 cd / m2, respectively (the first is dark, the rest are normal), in an office illuminated with artificial light (about 400 lux), the brightness is set to 62, 147 and 297 cd / m² (darkish - just right - lightish, which corresponds to the specified correction), in a brightly lit environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or slightly more) - increases to 340 cd / m² regardless of the position of the slider. This value is equal to the maximum with manual adjustment. In general, the result of the automatic brightness control function is as expected. Modulation with a frequency of 240 Hz is present only at medium and low brightness levels. The figure below shows the dependence of brightness (vertical axis) on time (horizontal axis) for several values ​​of brightness adjustment:

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, with a decrease in brightness (somewhere up 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 the test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, such flickering can cause increased fatigue.

This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light-emitting diodes. A full color image is created with 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 micrograph:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of photomicrographs 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), while repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without gaps and overlaps. For such matrices, Samsung has introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer considers the screen resolution for green subpixels, for the other two it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this variant is close to the case of the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen 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 green subpixel stripes. Nevertheless, some uneven contrast borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to the sufficiently high resolution, they have a minimal effect on the image quality.

The screen is characterized by excellent viewing angles, although the white color, even at small angles, acquires a slight blue-green tint, but the black color is just black at all angles. It is so black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. When viewed from a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. For comparison, here are the photos on which the screens of the Samsung Galaxy A5 (profile Basic) and the second comparison participant displayed the same images, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m2, and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K. White field:

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

The color rendition is good, however, the color balance of the screens is slightly different and the colors of the Samsung Galaxy A5 are slightly more saturated (at least, this is 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 of them. Profile Adaptive display differs in some kind of automatic adjustment to the type of displayed image and the surrounding conditions, which is obtained when the two remaining profiles are selected, shown below.

AMOLED movie:

The saturation and color contrast are noticeably increased, the skin is excessively reddish.

Photo AMOLED:

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

The brightness at an angle on both screens decreased noticeably (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed was increased by 2 times in comparison with the previous two photos), but in the case of Samsung, the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness screen samsung The Galaxy A5 looks much brighter visually (compared to LCD screens) as the screen mobile device often you have to look at at least a slight angle. And the test picture:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness at the Samsung angle is noticeably higher. The switching of the state of the matrix elements is carried out almost instantly, but at the turn-on front 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 how the dependence of brightness on time looks like when switching from black to gray and vice versa:

In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to trails trailing behind moving objects, but in normal use these artifacts are difficult to see. Quite the opposite - dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high definition and even some "jerky" movements.

For profiles Photo AMOLED and Basic the gamma curve plotted using 32 points with equal intervals in terms of the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal any blockage either in highlights or shadows, and the indicator of the approximating power function is equal to 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 dependence (in the captions in parentheses, the exponent of the approximating power function and the coefficient of determination are given):

For profile AMOLED movie The gamma curve has a slightly S-shaped character, which increases the visible contrast of the image, but in the shadows, the shades are still distinguishable.

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 obtained dependence of brightness on the hue (gamma curve), most likely, does not correspond a little to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential output of shades of gray on almost the entire screen. This dynamic picture is enhanced when the option is selected. Auto tuning. screen brightness... In this case, on the graph of the dependence of brightness (vertical axis) on time (horizontal axis), when passing from black to white and vice versa, a falling section appears, that is, the brightness of the white field begins to decrease after about 0.3 s:

Color gamut in case of profile AMOLED movie very wide, but does not cover Adobe RGB coverage:

When choosing a profile Photo AMOLED the coverage changes slightly:

When choosing a profile Basic coverage is significantly reduced, almost to the borders of sRGB:

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

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

Note that normal sRGB-optimized images appear unnaturally saturated on screens with wide color gamut without proper color correction. Hence the recommendation - in most cases, watching movies, photos and everything natural is better when choosing a profile. Basic, and only if the photo was taken on Adobe installation RGB, it makes sense to switch the profile to Photo AMOLED... Profile AMOLED movie, despite the name, the least suitable for watching movies and anything else.

The grayscale balance is imperfect, but generally acceptable. Profile color temperature AMOLED movie above 6500 K, in the other two it is close to 6500 K, while this parameter does not change very much in the significant section of the gray scale. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) for most of the gray scale remains below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, and also changes slightly:

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

Let's summarize. The screen has a sufficiently high maximum brightness and has good anti-reflective properties, so the device, most likely, can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable value. It is permissible to use the 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 (when choosing the appropriate profiles). At the same time, let's recall 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, a drop in image brightness when viewed from an angle. The disadvantages include modulation of the screen brightness. Users who are particularly sensitive to flicker may experience increased fatigue due to this. However, the overall quality of the screen is very high.

Sound

The device has one main speaker, it emits enough loud noise saturated with the entire frequency spectrum. The smartphone sounds nice, the sound is not distorted at the maximum volume level. In the 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. Everything sound effects at the same time, they are united by a technology called SoundAlive - although some of them are available only with connected headphones. The same goes for the sound optimization function. There are a lot of various virtual effects, visually they are combined into a matrix of squares.

There is an FM radio in the standard configuration of the smartphone, and a dictaphone was also found. The voice recorder is simple, unlike top smartphones Samsung, there is no such variety of recording modes, everything is standard. The radio will not work without headphones connected as an external antenna, but it can record programs. Telephone conversations the device cannot record 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 equivalent cells, each of which is always visible and interactive. In addition, each of the cells can be pulled up and made a shortcut out of it for quick access in a separate top line. The drawing of the icons is clear, everything is perfectly visible even in the brightest 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 far from being as rich in capabilities as the cameras of flagship devices: there is no intelligent optical stabilization (Smart OIS) function and selective focusing mode for blurring the background, there is no slow-motion or fast-motion video shooting, and there is no possibility to shoot video in 4K or at a speed of 60 fps. From the shooting modes - only traditional panoramic, portrait, night.

Video camera Samsung Galaxy A5 can shoot with a maximum resolution of Full HD 1920 × 1080 (30 fps); 4K resolution and 60 fps are not supported here. The quality of video recording can be judged by the test clips below.

• Movie # 1 (42 MB, 1920 × 1080 @ 30fps)
• Movie # 2 (46 MB, 1920 × 1080 @ 30fps)

	The attention to detail quickly fades with the removal of the shot, but overall the sharpness is not bad.
	The branches are well worked out. In the lower left corner, you can see a large area of ​​confusion.
	Despite the hard work of noise reduction, the house looks good, and the inscriptions are worked out well.
	In the center there is excellent sharpness on all shots, but the left side of the image spoils the whole picture.
	Another confirmation that in left side it is better not to put important details when composing - on the right, all the plans are good.
	“Smeared” noises are visible on the asphalt.
	Sometimes the noise reduction works quite softly with monochromatic surfaces.
	But he does not always succeed.
	The camera copes with macro photography.
	Close-ups pay much more attention to small details than general ones.
	In poor lighting conditions, there is a high likelihood of smearing. Exposure 1/33 second.
	The text is very blurry, and it's not about the sharpness, but the long exposure (1/25 second). It is best to shoot text indoors with a flash.

Well, everything is quite expected here. Samsung has put in the smartphone not a weak, but also not the best camera, which corresponds to the positioning of the device. And in some places the feeling that the camera could shoot better, but it seems to have not been specially modified, so as not to stand out against the background of the surrounding "hardware" does not leave.

However, the camera itself is quite good. They did not stand on ceremony here with software processing - they just took what is simpler and better, and one cannot say that this is a bad option. Sharping is noticeable, but very mild, and occurs only in places. The details in the background are not given much attention by the camera, but it does not spoil them with attempts to improve them. Shumodav is quite working and neat enough, but it can afford radical measures in the form of banal "smearing" of noise on monophonic surfaces. There are areas of blur in the corners, but in the center the sharpness is decent. True, in low light the camera resorts to relatively long (1/33 s) shutter speeds, and images when shooting handheld come out blurry.

You shouldn't use a camera for artistic photography, but it will cope with documentary photography very well.

Telephone part and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and there is also support for networks fourth generation LTE Cat4 with a maximum possible speed of up to 150 Mbps per receive. In practice, with the SIM-card of the domestic operator MTS, the 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 the flagship brothers, there is no 2 × 2 MIMO mode, no support for the Wi-Fi 802.11ac standard, no ANT + and DLNA. Connection is also not supported external devices to the USB port in OTG mode, there is no MHL support either.

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

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

The smartphone supports work with two SIM-cards, and in general, the work with them in the menu is organized according to the 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 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 work only in 2G). There is only one radio module installed in the device, but a standard one for all is implemented here. Samsung models Duos is the so-called "Active mode", which allows you to receive a call to the second SIM card when the first one is busy. This is done by setting up cross-forwarding of the numbers of both cards to each other. The operation of the active mode of two SIM-cards is based on such operator services cellular communication like call forwarding and call waiting / holding. 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 call forwarding service must be activated on both SIM cards. You can read more about the implementation of the "Active Mode".

OS and software

Samsung Galaxy A5 even after the official release of the fifth version of Android OS goes on sale and runs initially on the Google Android software platform 4.4.4, an update to version 5.x is promised later. On top of the OS interface, the proprietary graphic user interface TouchWiz is traditionally installed here. The rendering 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 capabilities which are missing in the new smartphone. For example, the Galaxy A5 has a very limited supported set of 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, and no familiar heart rate sensor usually found on the back of Samsung's top devices.

Accordingly, even the favorite of the developers is not preinstalled among the applications. Samsung program for tracking your own health called S Health, which could measure pulse and stress resistance. Remained in place energy saving mode, privacy mode, the ability to work simultaneously in two windows. Added a news panel Briefing, called on the left with a side swipe - similar to HTC Blinkfeed.

Performance

Like Huawei Ascend G7, the hero of the review is one of the few mid-range mobile devices whose work is organized 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, which produces a very low performance. The central processor here has 4 Cortex-A53 cores, operating at a frequency of 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 does not have a lot of built-in memory - out of the nominal 16 GB internal memory the user has about 11. The possibility of expanding the built-in memory is provided: a microSD card can be inserted into the smartphone, 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) - an external flash drive cannot be connected.

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, then there is no particularly noticeable increase. Of course, there is a difference, but against the background of the results of higher-level platforms, the significance of such an increase is leveled. Here, all the same modest results (up to 20K) in AnTuTu against the background of 45K and higher in the top models and 30-35K in the models of a confident mid-range. The graphics accelerator of the novelty looks especially sad in comparison with competitors. Even the modest Asus Zenfone 5 on the Intel Atom Z2560 platform, which even after the price increase costs only 10 thousand rubles, confidently bypasses the Snapdragon 410 with its Adreno 306 in all graphics tests.

So, devices based on the Snapdragon 410 platform, albeit 64-bit, can be called "middling" only with a stretch, their hardware performance is below average.

Testing in latest versions complex tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

All the results obtained by us when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks, we have summarized for convenience in tables. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, therefore, 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 graphics subsystem in game tests 3DMark,GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark for the most productive smartphones, it is now possible 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 evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can be truly correct only on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Video playback

To test the "omnivorous" video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats that make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since modern options are processed at the expense of one processor cores most often impossible. Also, do not 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 test results, the subject was not provided with full support all the necessary decoders, in this case, audio. To fully play most of the most common files on the network, you will have to resort to using a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, and in it you will first have to change the settings, switching from hardware decoding to software or to a new mode called 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 audio codec, used in the vast majority of video content on the Internet, was removed, so users lost sound when watching their favorite TV series and movies. But there is a way out of this situation: you need to manually connect the codec downloaded for specific model processor in the smartphone by the user. Here short instruction for those who encountered this problem:

In the MX player settings, select the "Decoder" → "Download custom codec" section (the bottom line). After that, a page should open in the 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 we select the penultimate item "Select custom codec", a list of internal folders will open, from which you need to select the folder where you downloaded the codec. We choose it and confirm our choice. The sound will reappear.

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

Testing of video output features was carried out Alexey Kudryavtsev.

MHL, like Mobility DisplayPort we are in this smartphone were not found, so I had to limit myself 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 "Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices).) Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the respective files.

According to the criterion for outputting frames, the quality of video files playback on the screen of the device itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be displayed with more or less uniform intervals and without frame drops. 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 edge of the screen, one to one pixel by pixel, that is, in the original resolution. The worlds display PenTile features - the vertical world through the pixel looks like a grid, but on the horizontal world with stripes through the pixel there is no 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 all the shades are displayed in the highlights.

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 novelty does not break records of autonomy, but everything is at a very decent level.

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

Continuous reading in FBReader(with a standard, light theme) at the minimum comfortable level of brightness (the 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 the 3D games mode, the device worked for almost 4.5 hours. A full charge takes just over 2 hours.

Outcome

Something strange is going on with marketing at Samsung, and it looks like it is due to declining revenues and complicated competition with mature Chinese manufacturers that are stepping on their heels. The Koreans have released a smartphone that is completely simplified on all fronts, cutting out everything that is possible from it, and now they are trying to sell it at the price of a full-fledged flagship. Samsung does not seriously think that only due to the appearance of metal in the case, users have to come to terms with poor performance, screen resolution, far from the flagship, docked user interface, and take 24 thousand rubles to the cashier for this? And this despite the fact that, even unlike the cheaper brother, the Galaxy S5 mini model, the hero of the review has neither a fingerprint sensor, nor a heart rate sensor, nor an infrared transmitter, nor moisture protection. It's not even up to mentioning that the smartphone lacks a lot of such fundamentally useful little things as an LED indicator of events, a flashlight, support for USB OTG and the second Wi-Fi band (5 GHz), etc., etc. competitors do not even have to say: for the same 24 thousand, an excellent true flagship, the most saturated with functions and capabilities, was presented almost simultaneously, HTC Desire eye, and even for a much lower price, you can still get twice the performance Lenovo Vibe X2 with a Full HD screen. The Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone, although made of high-quality materials with a high level of performance inherent in the company, is nevertheless very simple in its capabilities and characteristics, and its place is in a completely different price category.

Metal sidewalls, not filled with glass, now have the same color as the bezel. That is, the smartphone became completely black - we had the Galaxy A5 (2017) black. There is also a pink Galaxy A5 (2017) pink, a gold Galaxy A5 (2017) gold and a light blue Galaxy A5 (2017) blue.

Also, the main camera remained without a lighter edging, Home button with built-in fingerprint scanner.

No extra holes were noticed in the smartphone. Moreover, he also adopted IP68 water resistance from the older model.

The materials of the smartphone are of high quality. It is quite heavy, but not heavy. It's nice to hold it in your hand.

The glass surface looks nice, is pleasant to the touch, but it can potentially get scratched, fingerprints remain on it, and in general the device turned out to be rather slippery, so we would definitely recommend buying a case for the Galaxy A5 (2017).

Connectors and controls

On the front panel of the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017), there are also no major changes.

It is entirely filled with glass, in which a hole for a voice speaker is cut at the top and a Home button at the bottom. At the top to the right of the speaker is the front-facing camera. But there is no light indicator of events - it was left only to the flagships.

The hardware button has been preserved, although according to preliminary information, Samsung intends to get rid of it in the Galaxy S8.

There are two more standard Android sensors on the right and left (back and application manager), but they are not visible without backlighting. Touching them is not fixed, so it is very easy to touch them.

The fingerprint scanner is configured in the "Lock screen and security" section of the settings. To add a fingerprint, you need to touch the sensor several times, the display will show the progress of the scan.

If the fingerprint is not recognized after several touches, then it is proposed to protect the screen with a gesture or a pin code. With a large number of mismatches, the phone may prohibit touching the scanner for 30 seconds.

The fingerprint is also used to confirm payments in Samsung Pay and to access the "Secure Folder". You can also watch how the scanner works in our video:

The back side is unchanged. The camera is located in the upper part of the body in the middle, to the right of it is the flash.

On the right side there is a button for turning on the screen / smartphone. A stereo speaker grill also appeared here. Previously, it was at the bottom.

On the left side, there are two volume control buttons, just like in the A5 (2016). There is also a slot for SIM-1.

Used by nanoSIM. It is opened with a special key, which should be included in the kit.

At the top there is a combined SIM-2 / microSD slot.

Unlike other smartphones with combo slots, this one can install nanoSIM and microSD at the same time. You can watch a video of installing SIM-cards in Galaxy A5 (2017):

At the bottom there is a USB Type-C connector, a microphone hole and a headset jack. USB Type-C operates at full speed - it is not USB 2.0 with a new connector type.

As you may have noticed, the case of the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) is not demountable. We have long been accustomed to this, but the battery will have to be changed in service center.

Case for Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

It is difficult to buy a Galaxy A5 (2017) case or cover in early 2017, but that will change over time. Judging by the declared dimensions, the 2017 version will differ from the 2016 version by literally a couple of tenths of a millimeter, so you can expect that almost any Galaxy A5 (2016) case will fit the Galaxy A5 (2017), but we still recommend it before buying. try on the phone, especially when it comes to a more or less hard case. Rubber, silicone or soft plastic bumpers are likely to work. The Galaxy A5 (2017) will be 0.2mm thicker, not thinner than its predecessor.

It was also reported that Samsung is going to release the Clear Covers for the Galaxy A line models, which are now available for the Galaxy S. The picture shows just such a case.

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) screen

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017), like its predecessor, is made using Super AMOLED technology, which promises us good colors, acceptable brightness and real black. The 2016 Galaxy A5 had it all, and the 2017 model has it all.

The screen resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels and has not increased over the year. This gives a dot density of 424 ppi, which is good overall.

Samsung also equipped the smartphone with an Always On mode. When the display is off, it continues to display the current time, date and charge level. Battery consumption is minimal, since AMOLED technology allows you to turn on only a couple of dozen pixels necessary for the mode to work.

The screen has good vibrant colors and excellent viewing angles, which may not always be good: everyone around you will see what you are doing there on your smartphone.

Subjective impressions are confirmed by objective data. The brightness of the screen (white) was 357.49 cd / m2, the brightness of black, as it should be for OLED - 0. Accordingly, the contrast is obviously higher than that of any LCD display.

There are two main modes in the display settings: basic and adaptive. In the first, the color gamut is approximately equal to the sRGB area, even a little more. In adaptive, the color gamut is much wider than this area, which is considered the standard.

When measuring the color temperature of the Galaxy A5 (2017) screen, the difference between the setting modes is not so noticeable. They are quite close to the natural temperature of 6500K, but still higher than it. The main mode is just below the 7000K line, the adaptive mode is above 7000K, but also not much. In other words, the picture in the second case looks a little colder.

The gamma curve of the main mode practically coincides with the reference one. The adaptive mode is slightly higher in the middle. In the image, this affects the output of the light areas darker than they should be shown. However, a lot can be fixed with the display settings, which the Galaxy A5 (2017) has more than other smartphones.

The Galaxy A5 (2017) features a trendy "blue filter" that reduces blue levels and has a positive effect on fatigue - it reduces. However, we would not use it. When turned on, the display takes on a frankly jaundiced tint. Perhaps it will be useful for long reading in the dark.

In addition to the main and adaptive display modes, there are also PHOTO and VIDEO, which automatically adjust the screen so that pictures and movies look the best on it. For each mode, you can adjust the RGB balance of red, green, and blue. In addition, in the screen settings, you can turn Always On on and off, as well as order the smartphone not to turn on the display in any case if it is in the dark, that is, in a pocket or bag. For devices with large dimensions, this is relevant.

The display recognizes 5 touches, like the Galaxy A5 (2016), which once again confirms our conclusion about the software nature of the limitation. Still, the Galaxy A line should be somewhat inferior to the Galaxy S.

The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) has significantly improved camera. Previously, the device was equipped with a 13 megapixel photo module for the main camera and 5 megapixels for the front camera. Now the smartphone has two 16 megapixel cameras. The trend reflects the craze for selfies. In addition, judging by the quality of the images, the front 16 megapixels are more "honest" than most smartphones with the declared selfie camera. Both cameras can also shoot Full HD video.

The Galaxy A5 (2017) camera interface remains proprietary. On the first screen, buttons for taking photos and recording videos are immediately available, as well as a window for calling the gallery and previewing a picture. In the other part of the display, we see virtual buttons for changing the camera, controlling the flash and calling the settings. A little face in the corner of the viewfinder calls up the skin color adjustment option. By adjusting the white balance, you can obtain the best hue.

The settings for both cameras are the same. Interestingly, they are displayed not in the design of the camera interface, but like other phone settings. Here you can immediately select a resolution, set a timer, enable video stabilization, geotagging, activate shooting by voice, gesture, volume button.

There are also two more tabs on the main camera screen. By swiping to the right, you can open a tab with filters that are applied in real time to the preview of the snapshot.

The left tab contains shooting modes, both video and photo.

In addition to the automatic mode, there is a Pro mode. It can adjust light sensitivity, white balance, adjust exposure and other parameters.

There are other modes as well: panorama, hyperlapse, HDR, night and food. The most interesting are hyperlapse (slow motion) and food, in which background blur is added, and you can also sip the white balance to make the pictures look better.

The front camera has the same interface and the same tabs. There is a skin color adjustment. The tab on the right also contains real-time filters. There are only three modes on the left tab: self-portrait (the same auto), night and wide self-portrait. The wide self-portrait is a hybrid of a selfie and a panorama. It is not always possible to make the background completely satisfying when taking a selfie. Therefore, in this mode, we take a selfie, move the phone to the right, to the left and get a picture with a wide field of view.

The main camera allows you to shoot in different resolutions, as well as use different aspect ratios. The maximum is achieved with a ratio of 4: 3.

As you can see, the pictures are of very good quality, even with the zoom the image is quite clear, and on the phone screen this difference will not be noticeable at all. In the dark, it's best to shoot with a flash, which works quite well.

With the main camera of the Galaxy A5 (2016), you can shoot videos up to Full HD. Ultra HD (4K) is still in store for the flagships.

The camera perfectly records video and, importantly, sound. The video from the front seat of the car demonstrates that the camera quickly focuses, adapts to light parameters, etc.

The resolution of pictures from the front camera and the choice of the aspect ratio, like the main one.

The picture quality is much more interesting. It's easy to see how much sharpness differs between close-up and wide-shot. No matter how hard we fought, we failed to shoot the dull cityscape from the loggia as sharply as with the main camera. Apparently, the focus of the camera is fixed to ensure perfect selfies.

Likewise, the video shot by the front camera turned out to be blurry, not as sharp as the main one. The assumption of shifted focus or its limited range in order to create the corresponding effect of the depth of the frame, blurring the background in selfies, is confirmed. Usually all cameras of this size are hyperfocal, that is, they have a maximum depth of field from almost 1-2 meters, so when shooting landscapes they do not need to focus. Here, there are clearly settings to blur the background.

By the way, almost all of our comments are valid only when viewing pictures on a computer screen, on the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) AMOLED display all photos look very good, and some are just perfect.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

As usual, there are three models for 2017 in the Galaxy A lineup: Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy A5 (2017) (model SM-A520F) and Galaxy A7 (2017). The main difference between them is the screen diagonal: 4.7 ", 5.2" and 5.7 ", respectively. Although the characteristics are also different, the truth is mainly in the Galaxy A3 - it has always been noticeably weaker. As for the A5 (2017), then it is almost exactly the same as the A7 (2017) in terms of hardware.

The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) smartphone came to us even before the official release, so some of the characteristics presented in the table may be updated. As you can see, compared to the Galaxy A5 (2016), the changes are clearly visible.

First of all, this concerns the processor, the role of which is played by the Samsung Exynos 7880 Octa chip. It is somewhat stronger than the Exynos 7580 Octa chipset, which was used by its predecessor, and at the same time is made using a newer 14 nm process technology. The new chip offers 8 Cortex-A53 cores, operating at 1.88 GHz, and at the same time it is now capable of working with LPDDR3-1033 memory, whereas before the previous version only provided 933 MHz for RAM.

Back in the day, the Exynos 7580 surprised me with its relatively weak video card - the Mali-T720 MP2 entry-level accelerator. The Exynos 7880 has a more modern and faster GPU - Mali-T830 MP3, which has three execution pipelines and operates at a frequency of 950 MHz. However, architecturally, this is also an entry-class solution, however, when compared with its predecessor, the frequency has become higher (it was 668 MHz) and there are more execution units - the speed increase will be visible by eye.

In general, such a hardware platform is quite sufficient for today's time and demonstrates a good average level.

Support for Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi 802.11n is also in line with the market average. It would be more interesting to see 802.11ac. As for LTE, there is compatibility with the sixth category, giving up to 300 Mbps for reception.

We also note two 16 megapixel cameras, but 4K video recording is already available for smartphones of this level from another manufacturer, and not just Full HD.

3 GB of RAM is also perceived as the standard for the market, at least for normal, not cheap manufacturers. Of the 32 GB of storage, 24 are available to the user, which is also not bad. In addition, a version with 64 GB of memory is expected.

Compared to 2016, the processor has become faster, the video accelerator is more powerful, the amount of RAM has increased by 1.5 times. The screen remains the same and the cameras are better. At the same time, the battery capacity has grown by only 100 mA * h and is 3000 mA * h. This can negatively affect time. autonomous work, one can only hope for optimizations in Android 6.

Performance testing

The rival of the Samsung Galaxy A5 is a mid-range device based on the Qualcomm platform, which has similar characteristics and will clearly be a competitor to the Galaxy A5 (2017) on the market.

Smartbench 2012 shows the superiority of the Galaxy A5 (2017) over its rival. This is not a rout, but a sure advantage.

The Chinese smartphone wins the browser test.

3DMark also goes to Huawei Nova. It is likely that the processor in the Galaxy A5 (2017) is not as powerful, especially its graphics, as it seemed after the first test.

In Basemark tests Samsung was ahead, as well as in the very first, old Smartbench 2012. It is noticeable that Huawei wins in graphics and is inferior in tests for overall performance.

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) in Antutu

Now let's see how the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) performed in Antutu, a popular destination.

Here it is already faster than Huawei Nova.

Autonomy Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)

Autonomy, measured by, turned out to be better in the Galaxy A5, although the difference is not so strong. Remaining 82% of the 3000 mAh battery. Huawei lost a little more, although its battery is even 20 mAh, but more.

You can also state some progress in comparison with Huawei Nova. Despite the more modest chip, previous version the smaller battery left 73% after our test. A 2-3 percentage point difference could be attributed to a difference in battery capacity, but 9 percentage points clearly indicate that the new smartphone is much better at power saving.

The gluttony graph looks typical: three-dimensional graphics... But if we compare with the Galaxy A5 (2016), then in the new model all components are optimized from graphics to consumption at rest.

Samsung has always done well with built-in power management. In this model, there is also optimization of the processor and memory in the settings.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) should provide a good level of battery life.

Games for Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) carries on board not the most powerful, but modern accelerator. It can be expected that its performance, coupled with the increased processor frequency, will be enough to make all games fly.

• Riptide GP2: excellent, everything flies;

• Asphalt 7: excellent, everything flies;

• Asphalt 8: excellent, everything flies;

• Modern combat 5: excellent, everything flies;

• N.O.V.A. 3: excellent, everything flies;

• Dead trigger: excellent, everything flies;

• Dead trigger 2: excellent, everything flies;

• Real Racing 3: excellent, everything flies;

• Need For Speed: No Limits: excellent, everything flies;

• Shadowgun: Dead Zone: excellent, everything flies;

• Frontline Commando: Normandy: excellent, everything flies;

• Frontline commando 2: excellent, everything flies;

• Eternity warriors 2: excellent, everything flies;

• Eternity warriors 4: excellent, everything flies;

• Trial Xtreme 3: excellent, everything flies;

• Trial Xtreme 4: excellent, everything flies;

• Dead effect: excellent, everything flies;

• Dead effect 2: excellent, everything flies;

• Plants vs Zombies 2: excellent, everything flies;

• Dead target: excellent, everything flies;

• Injustice: excellent, everything flies.

Indeed, the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) did a great job with all the games in our test. Thus, toys that can slow down this smartphone are either not yet written, or the display resolution allows the device to cope with the load.

ON

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) comes with Android system 6.0.1, which does not look very modern at the beginning of 2017. Obviously, the device will receive an update to Android 7 in the near future. The next version of Touch Wiz is also available, which really does not change from those that we have already described with the example of flagship gadgets.

The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) has three default home screens: the main home screen with Google search, weather widget, main apps including Samsung Pay, and the Google apps folder. Second screen with recommended Smamsung applications, Yandex search, protected folder and Microsoft applications folder. The third screen is the Briefing application, which pulls up various news.

Another feature of the interface is Samsung app Notes, rendered on the panel at the bottom of the screen. It allows you to take various notes and store them in the Samsung cloud. In general, Samsung, like Apple, is following the path of developing the service part, therefore, without a Korean company account, half of the smartphone's functions will not be available. Gmail alone is no longer enough.

Galaxy A5 (2017) offers secure data storage on the smartphone itself. This storage can be used to store data as well as applications. They can only be accessed with a fingerprint. In this case, the storage will be blocked if someone tries to gain unauthorized access to it by rooting the phone.

There are two payment systems on the smartphone at once. The first is the Russian Ubank, the second is the proprietary Samsung Pay. The choice between them so far depends on which bank card the owner of the smartphone has. However, in the future, I think, Samsung will cover all major banks that work with the population. The difference is that Ubank is mainly focused on payments, while Samsung Pay is also focused on buying goods offline.

The Yandex application is preinstalled on the smartphone, which offers search and news feeds.

In the Samsung Essentials widget, the company proposes to install additional applications for a smartphone, and the preinstalled ones are in a folder in the menu. It is not made on the first screens - that's such modesty. There are well-known S Health, S Voice, Audio Recorder, browser, file manager, Samsung account management, the already mentioned Secure Folder and Samsung app stores and goods stores, you can even buy a refrigerator through the latter.

Note that Audio Recorder supports dictation mode, that is, it converts voice to text.

From Microsoft apps, the folder contains Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, and Skype. There is also Word, but it ends up on the home screen.

In general, the set of applications is pleasant and useful. The only thing you have to wind up account Samsung. This can tie the user to one brand of smartphones.

Output

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) - good telephone... The score is well worth saving for the flagships of the Korean company and its competitors. Smartphones of this price level are supposed to be good: beautiful, comfortable, modern, moderately productive and affordable.

We did not find any serious flaws in the device. He left a very good impression.

The only thing is that the transition to USB Type-C cannot be fully approved, at least while this connector is not found in every second smartphone. Branded cables, branded charging device they evoke melancholy not so much at the cost as in the fact that they cannot be bought at every corner.

Price Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

It was impossible to buy Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) at the time of writing, but its price after the release will be 30 thousand rubles. The 2016 model now costs an average of 21-22 thousand rubles. You can find it cheaper.

The Huawei Nova we tested in parallel is in the same price range. You can buy it for 21-23 thousand rubles. However, for this money, you can only get an IPS display.

Xiaomi Mi5 with 32 GB storage costs about 20 thousand rubles and is an interesting offer. The device is built on Snapdragon processor 820, can shoot 4K video, but only has a 4MP front camera and IPS display 5.15-inch diagonal and Full HD resolution.

5.5-inch ASUS ZenPhone 3 costs about 26 thousand. It has 4GB of RAM, is powered by Snapdragon 625, and supports fingerprint reading. However, the device again has an IPS-display, and the resolution of the front camera is only 8 megapixels.

As you can see, there are options, however Super AMOLED remains a strong offering from Samsung.

Pros:

• good design;
• high-quality assembly;
• there is a fingerprint scanner;
• good Super AMOLED display;
• good autonomy;
• good cameras;
• protection against moisture, dust;
• the Always On function is very convenient.

Minuses:

• USB Type-C, for now;
• slippery and easily soiled body;
• non-separable body;
• Android 6 out of the box
• no event LED.