It was about two years ago, since Samsung started taking interest in design. The company started with its flagships and brought improved designs to its cheaper devices as well. However, Samsung has still drawn a definite line between its flagship phones and others. That, is why the Samsung Galaxy A5 and A7 are so important.
From the design point of view, the Galaxy A5 and A7 are almost exact replicas of the Galaxy S7. And that is a good thing. The phones have slight curves on the back, all the way around the edges. Unlike the S7, though, the curves also run around the top and bottom edge.
Both the Galaxy A7 and A5 are available in Black and Gold
Combined with glass and metal bodies, that makes for a really attractive design. Honestly speaking, the smaller Galaxy A5 looks better, thanks to its compact body. The A7 has a bigger display, which makes it unwieldy. The glass back also feels slippery. It’s slippery on both devices, but the bigger phone is where you’ll really feel it.
Design-wise, the two phones are quite exceptional, and it’s safe to say that they’re ahead of most of their competitors. Samsung hadn't confirmed the prices at the time of writing this, but the two phones should retail at above Rs. 28,000. That's what last year's Galaxy A5 started at.
Update: Samsung has announced the pricing for the two smartphones now. The Galaxy A5 (2017) costs Rs. 28,990, while the Galaxy A7 (2017) will cost you Rs. 33,490.
The Galaxy A5 is smaller and better suited for single handed usage
However, Samsung’s choice of SoC is suspect here. The two phones run on a 1.9GHz octa-core Exynos 7 series SoC. While Samsung has surely made updates since the last time we saw this processor, but even in the few minutes we spent with the phones, a certain lack of smoothness was evident. Given that Samsung has a faster, Galaxy C9 Pro around the same price range, that may spell troubles. Yes, the C9 Pro is meant for “big phone” lovers, but one wonders why Samsung wouldn’t go for a Snapdragon 652/653 in these devices.
There’s also only 3GB of RAM. While that should be enough as far as regular usage is concerned, it puts the A5 and A7 at a risk, specs-wise. To be clear, we do not think 3GB of RAM is a deal-breaker. In fact, given the right background optimisations, it’s more than enough for many.
The Galaxy A7 is meant for big screen users, but has the same design language as the A5
Speaking of specs, Samsung’s choice of cameras may help users look past the shortcomings. Both these phones have 16MP camera sensors on the front and back. On first impressions, the cameras seem to perform well in well lit conditions as well. Of course, further testing is needed before concrete judgements can be passed. Given Samsung’s usual prowess with cameras, though, things look to be on the up and up.
The same can be said about the batteries. The Galaxy A5 has a 3000 mAh battery, while the Galaxy A7 fits a 3600 mAh unit. That’s the same as the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, respectively. Given the choice of SoC and lower resolution screens, it’s possible that the battery life will be exemplary.
To sum it all up, the Galaxy A5 and A7 are phones built to impress. They have you interested the minute you lay eyes on them, and look and feel like flagship devices. There are possible shortcomings, but Samsung’s devices seem to have been built around solid market research. They’re meant for general users, who want a flagship, care about cameras and battery life, and care about performance only in so far as their phone works and doesn’t hang. That should be easily achieved with the Galaxy A5 and A7.