MicrosSD card slot? Could this be sign they'll bring microsSD slots back to their S and Note lines? I sure hope they do because my next phone won't be a Samsung without one.
I skipped the Note 5 because of this omission. If not present on the Galaxy S7, I can assume it won' be on the Note 6 either. So I'll know pretty soon whether to move on from Samsung or not this Spring.
Maybe on a flagship, the company does better making higher-storage SKUs to in effect sell a little Flash at a big markup.
But on cheaper devices, not many people would buy pricier higher-capacity versions, and having them would just complicate distribution (box of 10 16GB units + 1 32GB + 1 64GB) and marketing (the A3 is cheap...unless you get the 64GB version). So they make one low-capacity device and have the slot. In support of this, the low-end Kindle Fire is one of the other relatively rare current-gen devices to have a MicroSD slot.
Alternatively, maybe space is just so valuable in the flagships that even the volume of a MicroSD reader is too much to spend if most won't use it, or there's some reason that I haven't dreamed up even in my wild speculation. :)
Good luck in China, they are going to need it. More than 2x the price of the Chinese OEM devices for similar specs. Even if they are going to pay that sort of prices the Chinese would rather buy old or used iPhones.
It's Samsung, what do you expect? If you want the latest and most community support, nexus is the answer. or if you're don't want to tinker at all and able to poo money, get iPhone.
Personally what gives me hope with this release is that Samsung actually increased the thickness of the phone to pack in a larger battery. I only hope this is a sign of things to come.
How much of a performance upgrade would the A3 be over my SIII? I'm fine with the 720p display and I like the smaller form factor. But I could definitely use a little more compute.
My sister in law got the first gen A5 several months back. I can say the SoC wasn't as powerful as the Exynos 4 (neither CPU nor GPU) in the GS3, but the software was much more toned down, and runs basics tasks just as good.
With this in mind, I'd guess the current gen A3 is getting a Snapdragon 610 (4xA53 @ 1.5GHz) which is faster than the last gen A5 with more RAM than the international GS3 at 1.5GB. And with the more optimized software, I'd say yes, it WILL be faster and more efficient than the GS3. All with a larger battery, more efficient processor, better camera, more premium build and probably a more efficient display.
Also, Samsung are supporting the A series just as good as their flagships, so don't worry about software upgrades, they're coming for sure. Go for it if it's either this or the GS3. However, if you don't want to pay the "Samsung tax" (especially in this segment), I'd suggest you look for more, and probably better options from other manufacturers. The market is packed with great stuff at this price bracket. The OnePlus X is great if you can get your hands on one.
I can't figure out relevance of putting an octa-core CPU in a phone. They should go for optimization rather than multiplication...http://theyouthjob.com/?ref=103109
It looks like the new A5 is the sweet spot for me (coz I'm guessing the A7 would be much more expensive) I like that they decided to upgrade the cpu to an octa core one, and the screen to a bigger one in terms of both physical dimensions and resolution. I hope its price stays as that of the price of the original A5. I'm deciding between the Zenfone Selfie and this http://versus.com/en/samsung-galaxy-a5-2016-vs-asu... . But I'm really dying for the fingerprint sensor on the A5.
So based on the specs and design of the phone, I'd think prices will be something like:
A7- 400-450 USD A5- 350-400 USD A3- 250-300 USD
Does that seem about right? It's tough to even guess without knowing which SOC will be in these things. I assume they will be slightly more expensive than their Motorola equivalents, since Samsung's Galaxy line carries some brand value.
Based solely off of the pricing for the Moto G(2015) phones, I was going to guess $200 for the A3, $250 for the A5 and $300 for the A7. That's probably way to optimistic though, Samsung probably isn't feeling much need to show up last year's phones yet.
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22 Comments
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prime2515103 - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
MicrosSD card slot? Could this be sign they'll bring microsSD slots back to their S and Note lines? I sure hope they do because my next phone won't be a Samsung without one.babadivad - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
I skipped the Note 5 because of this omission. If not present on the Galaxy S7, I can assume it won' be on the Note 6 either. So I'll know pretty soon whether to move on from Samsung or not this Spring.twotwotwo - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
Maybe on a flagship, the company does better making higher-storage SKUs to in effect sell a little Flash at a big markup.But on cheaper devices, not many people would buy pricier higher-capacity versions, and having them would just complicate distribution (box of 10 16GB units + 1 32GB + 1 64GB) and marketing (the A3 is cheap...unless you get the 64GB version). So they make one low-capacity device and have the slot. In support of this, the low-end Kindle Fire is one of the other relatively rare current-gen devices to have a MicroSD slot.
Alternatively, maybe space is just so valuable in the flagships that even the volume of a MicroSD reader is too much to spend if most won't use it, or there's some reason that I haven't dreamed up even in my wild speculation. :)
hung2900 - Thursday, December 3, 2015 - link
It depends on whether Samsung use UFS-2 on their flagships or not. Or make an innovation that we can have both.zeeBomb - Thursday, December 3, 2015 - link
Gotta love the A series. Got me hyped up for what they have to offer.shabby - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
Android 5.1 LollipopAre you serious?!?
DCide - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
Perhaps it will get an updated Android before being released outside of China.StrangerGuy - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
Good luck in China, they are going to need it. More than 2x the price of the Chinese OEM devices for similar specs. Even if they are going to pay that sort of prices the Chinese would rather buy old or used iPhones.WorldWithoutMadness - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
It's Samsung, what do you expect?If you want the latest and most community support, nexus is the answer.
or if you're don't want to tinker at all and able to poo money, get iPhone.
mooninite - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
Hahahaha Android 5.1DROPPED!
Mr Perfect - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
I'm curious about a few things, if you guys find out, let us know.1. What SoCs are they?
2. Are they getting Marshmallow?
3. What networks do they work on?
4. Why have I never heard of this A line before? :P
Andrei Frumusanu - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
Likely Exynos 7580 or Snapdragon 616/617 depending on regions with different network bands.zebrax2 - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
Personally what gives me hope with this release is that Samsung actually increased the thickness of the phone to pack in a larger battery. I only hope this is a sign of things to come.Hulk - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
How much of a performance upgrade would the A3 be over my SIII? I'm fine with the 720p display and I like the smaller form factor. But I could definitely use a little more compute.lilmoe - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
My sister in law got the first gen A5 several months back. I can say the SoC wasn't as powerful as the Exynos 4 (neither CPU nor GPU) in the GS3, but the software was much more toned down, and runs basics tasks just as good.With this in mind, I'd guess the current gen A3 is getting a Snapdragon 610 (4xA53 @ 1.5GHz) which is faster than the last gen A5 with more RAM than the international GS3 at 1.5GB. And with the more optimized software, I'd say yes, it WILL be faster and more efficient than the GS3. All with a larger battery, more efficient processor, better camera, more premium build and probably a more efficient display.
Also, Samsung are supporting the A series just as good as their flagships, so don't worry about software upgrades, they're coming for sure. Go for it if it's either this or the GS3. However, if you don't want to pay the "Samsung tax" (especially in this segment), I'd suggest you look for more, and probably better options from other manufacturers. The market is packed with great stuff at this price bracket. The OnePlus X is great if you can get your hands on one.
Hulk - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
Thanks for the great info. I'm Sprint so kind of limited...OreoCookie - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - link
Hmmm, these color choices, I've seen them before, but I can't quite put my finger on it … ;-)remo_mein05 - Thursday, December 3, 2015 - link
I can't figure out relevance of putting an octa-core CPU in a phone. They should go for optimization rather than multiplication...http://theyouthjob.com/?ref=103109ToTTenTranz - Thursday, December 3, 2015 - link
If the A5 and A7 are carrying the long-awaited Snapdragon 620, then they should be the midrangers to look out for.They have everything to make HTC's One A9 completely irrelevant.
jb958 - Thursday, December 3, 2015 - link
It looks like the new A5 is the sweet spot for me (coz I'm guessing the A7 would be much more expensive) I like that they decided to upgrade the cpu to an octa core one, and the screen to a bigger one in terms of both physical dimensions and resolution. I hope its price stays as that of the price of the original A5. I'm deciding between the Zenfone Selfie and this http://versus.com/en/samsung-galaxy-a5-2016-vs-asu... . But I'm really dying for the fingerprint sensor on the A5.cfenton - Thursday, December 3, 2015 - link
So based on the specs and design of the phone, I'd think prices will be something like:A7- 400-450 USD
A5- 350-400 USD
A3- 250-300 USD
Does that seem about right? It's tough to even guess without knowing which SOC will be in these things. I assume they will be slightly more expensive than their Motorola equivalents, since Samsung's Galaxy line carries some brand value.
Mr Perfect - Friday, December 4, 2015 - link
Based solely off of the pricing for the Moto G(2015) phones, I was going to guess $200 for the A3, $250 for the A5 and $300 for the A7. That's probably way to optimistic though, Samsung probably isn't feeling much need to show up last year's phones yet.