Samsung Galaxy A6+ review: The selfie camera and Infinity Display are highlights of this phone.
According to the latest numbers from Counterpoint, Samsung seems to have come back on top after a few quarters playing catch up with Xiaomi. Under pressure, Samsung launched a slew of smartphones in India in the second quarter with its Infinity Display feature, which is now available at more affordable price points.
While the J Series has seen considerable success in India, Galaxy A6+ is another option from the company, which sports this 19.2:9 aspect ratio display. But the Galaxy A6+ also gets a bigger 3500 mAh battery, and a front camera which is 24MP. The Galaxy A6+ is a mid-range phone from Samsung in terms of pricing, given that it costs Rs 25,990 at launch.
So how does Galaxy A6+ fare in our review? Read on to know
Samsung Galaxy A6+ specifications: 6-inch screen with 2,280 x 1,080 pixels full HD+ resolution | Snapdragon 450 octa-core processor at 1.8 Ghz | 4GB RAM with 64GB storage | 16MP+5MP rear camera and 24MP front camera | 3,500mAh battery | Android Oreo 8.0 with TouchWiz
Samsung Galaxy A6+ price in India: Rs 25,990
Samsung Galaxy A6+ review: What’s good?
Samsung certainly has the edge with its Infinity Display, and Galaxy A6+ with its 6-inch SAMOLED full HD+ display with minimal bezels on the side looks good. Yes, the phone has a top and bottom chin on the front, but what I like about the overall design is that it is light and easy to use with one-hand. Despite the 6-inch display, Galaxy A6+ does not seem overwhelming.
The phone has a metal build and we got the black and gold version of the unit for review. I have to admit I’m not a fan of the gold, though the overall design will appeal to most. Samsung has placed the dual-rear camera in a vertical alignment at the back of the phone, and the fingerprint sensor is below it.
The phone has a metal build and we got the black and gold version of the unit for review.
There are two rather prominent antenna bands at the back of the phone as well. The speaker grille is not at the bottom, but at the right-hand-side of the phone, just above the power button. The volume buttons are on the left-hand-side. Samsung has also included a dedicated microSD slot on this phone, which is good to see. This is a dual-SIM smartphone. At the bottom is the micro-USB charging port, and a headphone jack.
I would say the display is certainly the highlight of this smartphone. The full HD+ resolution is good enough for watching videos, the colour reproduction is solid. The icons appear sharp, and I certainly enjoyed watching videos on this phone.
Samsung Galaxy A6+ comes with a 6-inch full HD+resolution display.
Coming to the overall performance of the Galaxy A6+, this one comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor, which is certainly underpowered for the price. For regular usage, like multi-tasking on Chrome, opening social media apps like Facebook or just watching YouTube, the phone works fine. I did not notice any significant heating issues when using this phone.
The Galaxy A6+ also comes with a Face Unlock feature from Samsung, which works well to quickly unlock the phone. Setting it up is also easy and a quick process, which most users will appreciate.
(L to R) Samsung Galaxy A6+ PCMark score, Geekbench score and ranking on Antutu.
Coming to the camera, this is a bit of a hit and miss. The camera does manage to get some nice shots, but there’s a noticeable shutter lag at times. Colour reproduction is good, and even the low-light or night shots look acceptable. However, one expects more at this particular price range.
While the Live Focus (which is what Samsung calls the ‘Portrait’ or Bokeh mode) does deliver some beautiful results, one really needs to spend time figuring out the exact distance, angle when using this mode. The amount of patience needed to get the right shot via Live Mode can be frustrating at times.
Camera sample from Galaxy A6+ in Bokeh mode.
Camera sample from Galaxy A6+.
Camera sample from Galaxy A6+.
Camera sample from Galaxy A6+.
Camera sample from Galaxy A6+.
Camera sample from Galaxy A6+ in Bokeh mode.
Coming to the selfie camera, this is quite good, and can capture results with ample details. Even selfies captured indoors look good, and thankfully not too fake, which can be a problem on some phones. However, the ‘Selfie Focus’ aka the Portrait mode still needs tweaks in order to perfect it as the edges are not sharp.
The Galaxy A6+ is a solid option when it comes to battery life. It would easily last a day given the 3500 mAh battery on board, with heavy-duty or moderate tasks. On PCMark, it scored around 11 hours plus, which is good to see.
Samsung Galaxy A6+ selfie camera samples in the Portrait mode.
Samsung Galaxy A6+ review: What’s not good?
My major concern with the Galaxy A6+ was the performance. The Galaxy A6+ is really underpowered for its price and this shows. For instance, a flood of notifications would cause the phone to freeze quite often. The gaming experience, at least on graphics heavy games like Asphalt 8 and Nova Legacy is far from ideal. This is not to say the game does not work, but there’s a lag at times. Again one does not expect these issues at a price of Rs 20,000.
The position of the speaker on the Galaxy A6+ is annoying to say the least.
The shutter lag on the camera is also a problem in my opinion. Even with the Live Focus, the camera would take a good 10-15 seconds to process and load the image. Honestly one wonders why Samsung did not go for a high-end processor with this phone. Plus, the low-light performance is just average, and there is a significant amount of noise in some photos.
The older micro-USB port at the bottom is also a miss. Another problem with the phone would be the placement of the speaker. One has to be careful not to cover this while watching videos. And that happened to me quite often, and the sound would completely disappear. This can mar one’s video watching experience.
Samsung Galaxy A6+ review: Verdict
The Galaxy A6+ is good enough phone, but it does lack that extra bit of power, which would have made this unbeatable at this price point. For those who want the newer display, and a better selfie camera at this price point, Galaxy A6+ is certainly an option to consider. But at this price, one expects more from a Samsung phone.
The major negative is that the price is too high for the overall specifications. For those looking for a more powerful performance, phones like Moto X4 or Nokia 7 Plus might be a better bet.