The year begins with the release of three mid-priced devices in the Galaxy A line. The 2017 devices are the most impressive of them. Samsung has managed to create all three models with an exceptional look and feel, much like its high-end smartphones. Among the three new products, the Galaxy A3 is the most compact and affordable model.
The device has a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED screen and looks very much like the Galaxy S7, having the same stylish glass and metal design, the same high rating of protection against water and dust, a first for smartphones of this price.
Naturally, in order to reduce the price, compromises had to be made. It doesn't use the fastest processor, has less flash memory, and has a few other weak points, but what about the value for money?
Design
In terms of looks, the Galaxy A3 2017 is as attractive as it gets. This review looked at the beautiful glossy black version of the device; the body, made of glass and metal, feels very solid, and the build quality is at a high level. As a result, you might think that you are holding a flagship smartphone in your hands; thanks to the slight curve of the back of the case and its compact size, the device fits especially comfortably in the hand. The thickness of the case is less than one might expect, the smartphone is well balanced, its weight eliminates the feeling of excessive lightness or emptiness. The smartphone feels monolithic. Every aspect of this device feels well thought out, even the side buttons are made of metal and have a good action and feel.
One of the disadvantages of this beauty of a glass case is the presence of a lot of fingerprints on it. They accumulate very quickly and turn the device into a rather dirty one; you need to constantly wipe it or put it in a case. On the black version of the smartphone in question, this problem is especially noticeable, but with other colors it is not so noticeable. Samsung offers gold, blue and peach versions of the device.
Another distinctive feature of the smartphone is its compact size: the screen is 4.7 inches, there are thin frames around the edges, so the size of the smartphone is even smaller than that of the compact iPhone 7. As a result, it is very comfortable to hold with one hand.
Another good thing is that Samsung has abandoned the outdated microUSB connector and even the affordable Galaxy A3 now uses a modern USB type C interface. There is also a traditional 3.5 mm headphone jack, to which you can also connect speakers and AUX cables.
The main superpower of this smartphone is to protect the case from water. The Galaxy A3 2017 meets the IP68 standard, making it one of the cheapest smartphones with such protection. It can be immersed in fresh water for half an hour to a depth of up to one and a half meters. As a result, you don’t have to worry about splashes and getting caught in the rain, and you don’t have to worry about dropping your smartphone in a sink or puddle.
Screen
It uses a Super AMOLED panel with a 720 x 1280 pixel PenTile resolution, which means there are fewer colors per pixel compared to RGB, so it's sharper. If you look closely, you can see the jagged edges of some icons and text, but during normal use no one will notice this.
What makes a screen good is not its resolution or sharpness, but its color rendition. Here, in this regard, everything is in perfect order. The screen itself is extremely smooth, allowing your finger to glide smoothly across it, and the colors are tuned to the sRGB range that is used for photos and videos. The whites are a little blue and all the colors are a little brighter than they should be, but overall this is a great screen for its price range.
Samsung allows users to customize color rendering. To do this, open Settings > Display > Screen Mode and select one of four color modes. Adaptive mode brings the most accurate colors, but at the same time they cannot be called realistic. The basic mode is close to the generally accepted standard and is recommended to be used.
The maximum brightness of the screen is 440 nits, which allows you to comfortably work with it outdoors under the sun's rays. The minimum brightness is only 1 nit, which reduces eye strain in the dark. Samsung is also keeping up with the competition and has included a blue light filter here for use in the evenings. It can be set to automatically turn on and off in the morning, as the color blue is thought to be responsible for the production of a certain hormone that interferes with sleep.
The new Galaxy A3 also has an Always-On Display feature that shows the time, date and types of missed notifications on the lock screen (but not the notifications themselves). This screen produces text with good contrast, but noticeably increases battery drain rates.
Interface and functionality
Samsung and Google developers do not waste time and are constantly improving their products, as a result Android and the South Korean manufacturer’s own software shell are becoming better and better. The Galaxy A3 2017 features Samsung's Grace user interface, which is noticeably cleaner, more logical and more thoughtful than previous versions. It not only looks nice in appearance, but is also easy to use. Samsung has also worked on its applications: mail, weather, calendar offer a modern appearance, information content and simplicity.
The updated notification panel got rid of useless switches, but the necessary ones remained. The new settings menu offers important options and no longer looks chaotic, instead we see a well-organized list with search. You can search for applications in the application list, and you can also search here in the Google Play store, which does not require a separate icon. The new device manager helps you find and get rid of malicious and energy-wasting apps.
Experienced users will appreciate features like Secure Folders that Samsung introduced in the Galaxy Note 7. This is where you can store your most sensitive data and documents. You can even put a separate Google account here.
Despite its small size, the Galaxy A3 has an excellent keyboard. True, we couldn’t find a setting to enable vibration when keys are pressed, which works great on most Samsung devices, but still the keyboard is one of the most accurate and fast on Android.
Despite all the advantages, the new Galaxy A3 has the disadvantage of almost all Android smartphones that do not belong to the flagship category. The smartphone runs on outdated software and receives updates very late or does not receive them at all. What has recently changed for the better is the situation with receiving security updates, which began to appear monthly. However, with major Android updates, Google and Samsung need to do something to ensure they come out more quickly.
Processor, performance and memory
Galaxy A3 2017 uses Samsung Exynos 7870 processor and 2 GB of RAM. This is a step down from the Exynos 7880-powered Galaxy A5. Both chips are octa-core with Cortex-A53 cores, but the Galaxy A3 is clocked at 1.6GHz versus the Galaxy A5's 1.9GHz.
As a result, the smartphone cannot be called powerful, but the processor is based on a modern 14 nm process technology. This means greater energy efficiency than previous generations of smartphones, resulting in improved battery life.
The speed of daily work is at a normal level. Samsung has optimized its interface, which is fast and smooth, but you may notice that apps take quite a long time to launch.
The low screen resolution means that the smartphone can perform as well in games as the more expensive Galaxy A5, but the smartphone is clearly not designed for regular gaming. For him, they represent too much of a burden and comfort in them may be far from what is desired.
Benchmarks show that the device’s performance is on par with MediaTek Helio P10 processors; the processor does not reach the capabilities of the Snapdragon 625. Meanwhile, the latter is used in devices of the same price category, such as Huawei Nova.
Galaxy A3 received 16 GB of flash memory, of which about 10 GB is available to the user. MicroSD memory cards up to 256 GB are supported.
Internet and communications
The smartphone supports 4G LTE frequency bands in European and global markets. For Europe, bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20 are available here. There are two slots for SIM cards, one of them is hybrid and instead of a SIM card you can install a microSD memory card in it.
Supports dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, and payment system Samsung Pay, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, Glonass and USB type C.
Camera
The main camera of the Galaxy A3 2017 has a resolution of 13 megapixels and an f/1.9 aperture; there is an 8 megapixel camera on the front. There's an LED flash on the back, but there's no image stabilization and no 4K support.
Let's start by praising the excellent camera app. It can be launched by double pressing the Home button, quickly and conveniently. A new application from Samsung is used here: the developers have removed everything unnecessary from the main screen, rarely used settings are hidden from view, all that remains are the shutter and video recording buttons, a shortcut to the gallery, flash control, settings and a switch between the rear and front cameras. If you want to manually adjust white balance or ISO, swipe left and select Pro mode, which has manual settings. A swipe to the right opens modes, Panorama and others. Various filters and styles for photos are also available here.
Image quality
The quality of photos on this smartphone is above average for devices in this price category. They offer vibrant colors and a good level of sharpness. The camera takes a long time to focus, so it's advisable not to use it when photographing moving subjects, but for everything else it's very good. In dynamic scenes, the brightest parts of the image usually turn out to be too bright; HDR is not turned on automatically; it is recommended to turn it on yourself. HDR improves photo quality, but not as noticeably as on some other smartphones. Panorama mode produces stunning images that seamlessly blend into the bigger picture.
In low light, the photo quality is not as good. Details become blurred and image sharpness disappears. The single flash is quite strong, but completely destroys the correct color rendering, adding a cold green tint.
As for the front camera, it produces wide-angle photos suitable for group shots. The quality of the photos cannot be called good, there is not enough detail and the skin tone is washed out.
Video quality
The camera supports 1080p video recording at 30 fps. The lack of 4K recording is expected at this price, but the Huawei Nova has it, so Samsung is lagging behind. Luckily, even at 1080p the video quality is good, with vibrant colors and proper sharpness and dynamics. Unfortunately, there's no video stabilization at all, so the results often come out shaky. Even the slightest movement of the hands during shooting results in the image jerking. It is the lack of stabilization that can be called the main drawback of this smartphone.
Sound quality
The speaker here is located on the side of the case. This is an unusual position, and he himself is quite small. The new Galaxy A series smartphones are the first to place speakers on the side so that they cannot be covered with your hand.
The sound quality from this speaker was surprisingly good. The volume is also at a high level.
Call quality
During telephone conversations, thanks to this smartphone, you can hear your interlocutor well and clearly through the ear, voices sound natural, the same applies to the other side of the line. Your interlocutors have no complaints about the clarity and volume of your voice.
Autonomous operation
The smartphone has a relatively small 2350 mAh battery, but it is paired with an efficient processor and a screen with a resolution of only 720p. As a result, the smartphone has excellent battery life, just like the rest of this year's Galaxy A line.
With the screen on, it showed a battery life of 11 hours, while the Galaxy S7, Google Pixel and iPhone 7 flagships last about 7 hours. In real life, a smartphone lasts about two days on a single charge, but you need to disable the Always-On Display function, which consumes approximately 1% of the charge every hour.
Samsung didn't include an Adaptive Fast Charge charger in the box, but the battery's small capacity means it can charge relatively quickly. It takes 112 minutes to recharge, which is worse compared to the OnePlus 3T and Galaxy S7, but better compared to the Google Pixel with its fast charging standard. There is also no support for wireless charging.
Conclusion
The Galaxy A3 2017 is a fascinating smartphone. It brings a level of design and interface sophistication previously unseen in devices of this price category. The same can be said regarding the protection of the housing from water.
The developers know about their successes and this year the smartphone has become more expensive: 330 euros instead of last year’s 300 euros. Of course, there are also disadvantages here, one of which is slow operation compared to flagship models. There is a noticeable delay between clicking on an icon and launching applications. The video has no stabilization, so it comes out shaky. The 16GB of flash memory is too small by modern standards, and the 720p screen leaves much to be desired in terms of sharpness.
These disadvantages pale in comparison to the advantages. You will enjoy the excellent design of the device every day you work with it, the bright, rich display produces vivid images, the Samsung Grace user interface has many settings and their convenient organization, the battery life is excellent, as is the quality of the photos.
Among the alternatives to this smartphone is the Honor 8 with a 5.2-inch screen, also beautiful and stylish, with a faster processor and the same high-quality photos and videos and battery life. The interface here is not that good, although the smartphone runs on Android Nougat.
Another option is the 4-inch iPhone SE, which is noticeably more powerful and regularly updated, with better photos and support for 4K video recording. Moreover, it costs 400 euros.
Two more new alternatives are the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus on the latest version of Android. Which of these devices to choose is up to each user to decide independently.
Pros:
- Chic design, use of glass and metal, thin and comfortable body;
- Water protection;
- Battery life;
- High-quality photographs in daylight;
- Great keyboard;
- Support for microSD memory cards;
- USB type C.
- Price;
- 16 GB flash memory;
- Lack of video stabilization;
- Android Marshmallow.
The Galaxy A3 smartphone is the “brother” of the flagships Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, belonging to a simpler version and sporting a modern metal-glass body.
If you become its owner, then you probably want to know how to set up a Samsung Galaxy A3 phone.
This article will help all unaware users figure out how to properly configure a smartphone. And step-by-step instructions will help you with this.
Preparation
Since the Samsung Galaxy A3 is equipped with a removable battery, it will need to be installed in the device. Then press the power button on the end of the phone. Voila, the smartphone turned on.
The configuration settings process begins. First, you will be asked to select the system language. Then you will be prompted to connect to Wi-Fi (here you will need to enter the access code).
After this, the date/time is set automatically (this can also be done manually by clicking the necessary parameters in each of the fields).
How to add a Google account
After the preparatory steps, you can log into an existing account or create a Google account by clicking the appropriate button.
If you already have Google, simply enter your email/password. You can create a backup that will be linked to your account by checking the permission box.
- To allow location reading for data collection, check the first box.
- To be able to use location tracking for the Google searches option, check the second box.
In photon mode, the smartphone will independently install applications that were purchased previously and were linked to an existing Google account.
Samsung account settings
Creating Samsung accounts has many similarities with creating HTC accounts. Why is this necessary?
This setup allows you to have access to offers and information from the manufacturer.
To set up your phone, pull down the information area tray from the top.
After that, you will see Samsung settings in the top area; if they are missing, then click “settings”, which are located in the notification area.
Scroll down, looking for “accounts.” From the list you need to select “Samsung account” and make the settings.
- “Create an account” (“Log in to an existing one” - if you already have one).
- Choose a country.
- You accept the terms.
- By reading the privacy policy, you confirm your choice.
- Enter your email/password/date of birth/postal code.
- Go to your email and confirm your registration.
If there is no email associated with your phone, you will be prompted to create one.
After activating a Samsung account, the user receives a variety of additional benefits - Music Hub Cha On, Bada Auth For Android, Samsung Dive and so on.
On the account page you can quickly set up your account from Exchange, Skype, Facebook, LinkedIn, and you will not need any additional settings.
At the same time, it remains possible to connect from different servers to other accounts.
Setting up Google Play
By launching the application, which contains your magazines, music, books, applications, films, you accept the terms. In the “menu”, select “my applications” and view or update which have received a new version.
In “accounts”, select the one you need to install applications on Google Play. In “settings” you can set options for received notifications, set a PIN code for security, and much more.
“In wishes” - various products from Google Play are added, which you can install in the future. In the “help” you can find out everything about the service.
That's basically it, nothing complicated. Now you know how to set up a Samsung A3.
Moreover, the above tips will help not only Galaxy S3 owners, but also all novice users who are just starting to get acquainted with the Android system
Diagonal.
The design is quite modern for 2016-early 17th.
Moisture protection.
Passable photos in good lighting, nothing more, don't expect much.
I would like to add the fingerprint sensor as a plus, but it is now available in phones that cost 4-6 thousand rubles, and it works the same: after the 3rd try, and only if you wipe both the sensor and your finger thoroughly! Sometimes you have to apply direct pressure to begin to recognize it. Sometimes you have to re-enter the fingerprints because it can no longer be recognized, sometimes once a week, sometimes once a month, sometimes more often.
About autonomy: normal, but the sad fact is that 5% of a hundred can disappear in an hour, but 5% from 5 to 0 can suddenly disappear in a minute, and this despite the fact that the smart switched to energy saving! Just like that, for no reason at all, just zero and goodbye, and you figured that you would have enough to receive at least a couple of calls, if you didn’t touch it, but no, it doesn’t even buzz, you’ll pass out. In general, the last percentage melts right before our eyes, even without load, and this is with a fresh smart. What to expect next?
And to those who write that they switched from a more productive flagship to this smart and are delighted, check to see if your opus is corrupt?
One generally says that with 2GB of RAM, the browser navigator and instant messengers are not unloaded... well, well... they are unloaded on 8GB of private space, my 2x a320 is unloaded, and even with severe lag, but yours is not unloaded... but do you really use this smart phone?
In short, this smartphone has almost no positive aspects, and those that exist are completely canceled out by its shortcomings.
Terribly slow and laggy. The iron is quite weak for such a price. Sometimes you even wait 20-30 seconds for the camera to start, and sometimes it doesn’t start at all.
Browsing is a pain, especially when after it you try to go somewhere else.
The memory gets clogged INSTANTLY! A measly 16GB was commonplace in 2012. 5 years have passed since then. Now 16GB is not enough even for the most necessary things, especially for a smartphone starting from 10,000 rubles...
2GB of RAM... so you understand, this smartphone has multitasking (multi-window), and then there is Nox, which, consider, is a second OS within the OS (you can also create an account there and install applications separate from the main account) in itself Knox is cool, but with 2GB of RAM...
In short, all these services are already eating up a lot of RAM, and if you use your smartphone a little more than a couple of SMS and a couple of calls a day, this means terrible lags. It lags especially badly when there is 600MB left in the internal memory, and given that there is only 16GB, you will encounter this problem very soon, and the phone will start throwing annoying warnings about lack of space everywhere. If you are not the most experienced user, then most likely you will run into chronic lack of memory, terrible minute-long lags and reboots. And then you will understand that it was worth overpaying 1500 rubles and buying an iphone se with 32GB, which is 3.5 times more powerful and has enough memory, and it will not lag so much that you will constantly miss calls because the DIALER INTERFACE DRAWS 50 SEC. AND YOU JUST DON'T SEE THE PRIN BUTTON
Loading...