Samsung galaxy a5 (2016) review

The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) is part of the first group of Samsung smartphones that delivers the plastic-free design, and hardware slightly above some of its main competitors, although this means a price well above them. This device comes with a quad-core Samsung processor running at 1.2 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal space and a truly impressive metallic unibody design. Don't miss our review!

This article has not been assigned by the manufacturer, as we have tried to contact them on several occasions without receiving a response . We have acquired it to be able to carry out a realistic analysis of this mid-range smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy A (2016) technical characteristics

Unboxing and design

Samsung gives us a presentation similar to the one we have seen in the Samsung Galaxy S6 with a white box and screen-printed letters that indicate the exact model it has inside. Once we open the box we find:

• Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 smartphone. Quick start guide. Card extractor. Headphones. Mini USB cable and wall charger.

The outer part is where one of its biggest changes is located, since it is made of aluminum and follows the lines of the Samsung Galaxy S6, there are fewer differences between them. On the front we have a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED screen, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a density of approximately 424 pixels per inch. On the front are light sensors, proximity, return and menu buttons, a physical button for the home screen and a 5-megapixel front camera with a wide angle, which guarantees a greater field of capture for taking selfies.

On the left side we have the volume control buttons. While in the right area the on and off buttons and the tray to connect a nanosim card and a microSD to expand the internal memory of the device.

Below is the classic microUSB input and headphone jack and main speaker for calls. At the opposite extreme we find only the secondary microphone, which works to isolate external audio on calls (or for recording stereo audio on videos).

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The back comes with a metal on its edges, leaving aside the traditional plastic that the Asian manufacturer uses in all smartphones, from the most basic to the most expensive. The back is designed in a glass that gives a PREMIUM design.

We also find the 13-megapixel rear camera, the LED flash and a speaker, all in metal and with a good finish. We don't have the battery cover, making it a terminal with a unibody body.

Screen, dimensions and weight

Another point of change is in the footprint, which gained additional comfort due to the curvature between the bottom of the back and the side of the smartphone. The previous matte paint with a rough texture disappears through a glass that usually slides a lot. On the dimensions it presents 71.0 mm x 144.8 mm x 7.3 mm and a total weight of 153 grams.

These numbers give a phablet that could take advantage of a larger screen, but which uses only 71% of the front of the smarpthone. It does not make so much bulge in the pockets, since it is thin. In addition, it does not weigh as much when used, which guarantees a pleasant touch and ergonomics in long call sessions.

Exnyos processor, graphics card and multimedia system

The processor is the Samsung Exynos 7 model 7580 with eight cores at 64 bits and a speed of 1.6 GHz. The difference in performance with top-of-the-range devices is barely noticeable. Along with this, it incorporates 2 GB of RAM and a graphics card (GPU) Mali T720 MP2 that will allow us to run any game without any problem. As internal memory we have the 16 GB of internal memory already discussed in the introduction to our article.

Everything is running smoothly and this may be a sign that the TouchWiz was less heavy, lighter and less irritating. The crashes or lags have not been observed during its use of 1 week, and that I use with a good number of apps open at the same time .

The music player is exactly the same as found on other Samsung smartphones. A fairly minimalist design is delivered, with sober colors and almost no texture, it allows some adjustments in the part of audio reproduction and even increases the speed of playback.

The speaker has proven to be in an awkward position, as using the smartphone in landscape mode causes it to be covered up and slightly off. So we must be quite careful in this position.

Performance and Android Lollipop 5.1.1

Samsung has changed a lot from the Galaxy A5 2016 both inside and out and it is that the processor of this device is incredible. Over here we have an Android that is still in version 5.0. This feature is important, since Android Marshmallow 6 must be integrated from the factory into any device released this year . but Samsung chose not to include it at the moment.

The interface is still TouchWiz and this cannot be a positive point. Fortunately it is possible to uninstall some pre-installed apps… because it seems that they have some kind of agreement with Microsoft applications .

The visual appearance is the same as that of the Samsung Galaxy S6, with less amount of textures and a multitasking that is identical to that presented in the Lollipop. Everything is more beautiful, organized and with a more modern face. The factory has three home screens, which can increase in number and accommodate more widgets and shortcuts to applications that are installed on the device. Flipboard continues pre-installed and within one of the home screens.

Samsung maintained tools that were very successful on previous devices, such as a notification area with the S Finder on a button, an application to help connect devices with a wireless connection (bluetooth and Wi-Fi type), along with various accesses direct at the top to resources such as Hotspot, connect data, Wi-Fi and even the possibility of using two application windows at the same time on the same screen.

From the factory it comes with some pre-installed games and applications, such as the Samsung browser, voice recorder, file manager, photo editor, note app, digital instruction manual and FM radio

Really amazing 13 MPX camera

The camera on the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 has a 13-megapixel sensor, but it can work very similarly to what the Galaxy S6 has achieved over the past year. We have very great similarity in color rendering, detail, and depth of field. While the front camera, which is one of the lures of the smartpone, delivers 5 megapixels and is more than enough for any video calling app, in addition to guaranteeing good selfies. Selfies benefit from an angle lens that allows more people in the same photo.

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In night photos, the quality is not far from its competitors. It is possible to notice a small drop in quality in the images and that is accentuated more from afar. The reproduction of colors and details are very natural but it does not prevent obtaining a good photo quality for a mid-range terminal.

Focusing and capturing images with this F / 1.9 focal camera is quite fast and there is no delay in image processing. The Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 is also capable of recording FullHD videos at 30fps, with a good quality of sharpness, mainly in bright places.

Samsung Galaxy A5 2016: Autonomy

The battery is 2900 mAh and is capable of satisfying all day-to-day tasks very well, managing to stay practically two days out of the charger. In case the user is more moderate, it can be stretched to almost two days without the need for a full charge. In intense gaming and video playback situations, the A5 is capable of withstanding nearly 6 hours of screen use.

Final words and conclusion about Samsung Galaxy A5 2016

The Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 brings good features for a large part of the users, going from its beautiful construction with the metal edges, the camera and the excellent autonomy of the battery.

It is located in no man's land since it has some high-end and other mid-range product characteristics. In other words, it is somewhere in between. If it had had 3GB of RAM, a somewhat better camera and a slightly more impeccable fingerprint reader, we would have a TOP Sales in the market. But hey, if that were true it would be a Samsung Galaxy S6 and much more expensive…

Its great disadvantage is that it slides a lot and that it is inevitable to use tempered glass on both covers and a quality cover. Also that its recently launched does not incorporate Android Marshmallow as standard.

Currently we can find it in online stores for a price of 425 euros. We get wet… between a Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 or a Samsung Galaxy S6 which one would you stay with? Personally I would choose the A5 2016 because it is worth less, it complies with everything, Full HD resolution, wide autonomy and it is a terminal that is really fluid. If I had to choose a smartphone for the same personnel, would I choose this A5?

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ DESIGN.	- WITH 3GB IT WOULD BE THE PERFECT MOBILE.
+ POWERFUL AND BALANCED.	- COULD INCLUDE ANDROID 6 STANDARD
+ BATTERY AUTONOMY.	- HIGH PRICE
+ PRETTY QUICK CAMERA.
+ EXPANDABLE INTERNAL MEMORY VIA MICROSD
+ TOUCHWIZ HAS IMPROVED A LITTLE.

The Professional Review team awards you the gold medal and the recommended product badge:

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)

DESIGN

PERFORMANCE

CAMERA

AUTONOMY

PRICE

8.8 / 10

THE MOST COMPENSATED AVERAGE RANGE