Samsung Galaxy A7 first impressions: The phone has very stylish design, thanks to a 6-inch tall display with thin bezels.
Samsung Galaxy A7 2018 first impressions: Samsung has launched its first phone with triple cameras at the back – Galaxy A7. The mid-range flagship will cost Rs 23,990 for the base storage model with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Given the price, Galaxy A7 will compete with the likes of OnePlus 6, Huawei Honor 10, Nova 3, etc.
Samsung Galaxy A7 sports a 6-inch FHD+ display and the phone is powered by the company’s own Exynos 7885 processor. The phone will also be available in 6GB RAM and 128GB storage option, which will cost Rs 28,990. At the launch event, we spent some time with the phone and here is our first impressions:
Samsung Galaxy A7 first impressions: Design and Display
The phone has very stylish design, thanks to a 6-inch tall display with thin bezels. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, while the back gets a 2.5D glass coating.The design is minimalist and the back cover has triple rear lens setup aligned vertically on left. The fingerprint sensor is now embedded in the power button on the right. I quite liked the placement of the sensor as it was comfortable to access and within easy reach.
Samsung Galaxy A7 comes in a host of colours, out of which I liked the bubblegum pink the most.
Samsung Galaxy A7 feels incredibly light, and is only 7.5mm thin. Overall, the phone feels premium and stylish and considering the price, this is especially good. It comes in a host of colours, out of which I liked the bubblegum pink the most, though this might not appeal to all.
The Galaxy A7 has a glass finish, something that I would definitely want to flaunt. My only complaint is that the back cover tends to attract fingerprint smudges easily so a back cover is recommended.
Samsung Galaxy A7 has a glass finish, something that I would definitely want to flaunt.
Samsung’s Super AMOLED Infinity display has been used on the Galaxy A7, which is arguably one of the best. I did get a chance to use under bright sunlight and viewing angles were pretty great. The display has an FHD+ resolution, which is good to see. However, the tall form factor might not be handy for people with smaller hands. The phone users a Type-C port for charging, and a 3.5 mm headset jack is present at the bottom.
Samsung Galaxy A7 first impressions: Camera
Samsung Galaxy A7’s cameras are quite impressive for the price. I was happy with pictures taken in bright outdoors as well as places with dim light. The photos have great amount of detail and the colour reproduction was close to natural, which is good to see. In fact, the bokeh feature also performed pretty well in varied light conditions as the photos turned out to be sharp and loss of detail was minimum.
Samsung Galaxy A7 camera sample. (Image resized for web)
Samsung Galaxy A7 camera sample. (Image resized for web)
Samsung Galaxy A7 camera sample. (Image resized for web)
The scene recognition feature also worked quite well in my limited time with the Galaxy A7. It could recognise a few things like plant and food correctly. Though I feel, the phone struggles with pinks and reds, I will reserve judgement for when I use the camera extensively.
Samsung Galaxy A7 camera sample. (Image resized for web)
Samsung Galaxy A7 camera sample. (Image resized for web)
The triple Samsung Galaxy A7 comprise of a 24MP AF primary lens with f/1.7 aperture, 8MP Ultra wide lens with f/2.4 aperture and 120-degree wide-angle as well as a 5MP depth-sensing lens with f/2.2 aperture. I also liked the front 24MP camera, thanks to crisp selfies. I feel it tries to smoothen out skin a little bit, but not to levels that I found annoying. The bokeh mode is pretty good too.
Samsung Galaxy A7 first impressions: Processor, Battery and Memory
Samsung Galaxy A7 runs an octa-core Exynos 7885 processor, coupled with 4GB/6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB storage. In my limited time with the phone, I did not encounter lag or crashes. Of course, we will have more details on performance in our full review.
Samsung Galaxy A7 is still on Android 8.0 Oreo with the company’s Experience 9.0 version skin.
Another good thing is the phone offers Dolby Atmos 360-degree surround sound, which when coupled with Infinity display should make for a pretty good viewing experience. The display gets Widevine L1 certification, which ensures a True HD+ experience on apps like Netflix.
Samsung Galaxy A7 also ships with ‘Made for India’ feature that lets users install apps on the memory card and move content to memory card. The phone supports expandable storage up to 512GB via a microSD card slot. The battery on Galaxy A7 is a 3,300mAh one, though there is no fast charging support.
Samsung Galaxy A7 first impressions: Software
Samsung Galaxy A7 is still on Android 8.0 Oreo with the company’s Experience 9.0 version skin. Given Android P has already started rolling out for smartphones, it is disappointing to see the phone still on an older software version.Samsung really needs to improve its software update game.
Just like Galaxy J-series and many other Samsung phones, the Galaxy A7 also ships with ‘Made for India’ features like S Bike mode, S power planning, etc.
Just like Galaxy J-series and many other Samsung phones, the Galaxy A7 also ships with ‘Made for India’ features like S Bike mode, S power planning, etc. In addition, there’s Samsung Mall feature as well that allows people to click product pictures from their phone’s camera to shop for them or similar products online.
Samsung Galaxy A7 first impressions: Early thoughts
Samsung Galaxy A7 is a pretty good option, especially when one looks at the overall design and camera specifications. The South Korean company has decided to go with an aggressive pricing for Galaxy A7, which makes it a worthy competitor in the mid-range segment. Apart from the camera, I really liked the lightweight and stylish design.
It really comes down to how the phone performs, more of which we will have in our review. As of now, Galaxy A7 seems like a new competitor to the OnePlus 6, Honor 10, and other mid-range flagships.