Samsung A3 cell phone characteristics. Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) review: potential bestseller, but expensive

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.

Minuses:

• Price;
• 16 GB flash memory;
• Lack of video stabilization;
• Android Marshmallow.

(2017), and now we’ll add text about the younger model of the updated A-series to the site. It is simpler in characteristics than its older brothers, but it costs less and is different in size.

Quite a small, compact and pleasantly designed phone from a famous brand. As usual, connoisseurs of Meizu or Xiaomi like to compare their purchases with Samsung or Sony, arguing that there is no point in overpaying for the brand. But if you want Samsung, but have no desire to buy products from other brands? So let's figure out what's what.

Small and convenient

After using the Galaxy A3 for a week, I got very used to its size; the phone is quite small; by modern standards, you can even call it compact. The phone looks the same as the older Galaxy A-series: rounded 2.5D glass covers the screen matrix, the body is edged metal frame, and the back surface is made of glass.

The contours and contours are smooth, there are no sharp parts, the phone looks good, although some may say that the glass back surface is not practical. I won’t argue here, I haven’t conducted crash tests, but I suspect that a fall on the asphalt will lead to a web of cracks. Alternatively, you can put a case on your phone, or pay attention to devices with all-metal or plastic cases.

I liked the flat sides - the case is comfortable, and the slight curves on the back follow the contours of the palm. The phone is also slippery, like its older A-series brothers, but thanks to its small size it is more practical.

To summarize, I will say that the Galaxy A3 is comfortable to hold, and given its small size, it is also comfortable to use with one hand. Nowadays such things are a rare occurrence. True, there were mistakes with the virtual keyboard - it seemed like you aimed at a button, but ended up in the next one. Either the sensor is configured this way, or habit is taking its toll; after a large display it is more difficult to switch to small ones.

It’s easy to operate—under the screen there’s a large mechanical Home key with a built-in fingerprint scanner, and to activate it you just need to put your finger on it, but you don’t have to press it. It seems like a small thing, but a convenient thing that is not found in all Chinese phones. In addition, by double-clicking this button you can quickly launch the camera, which is also a convenient feature.

The scanner works quickly, sometimes there are errors, but this is not the top level, so rare “typos” in the work are still forgivable. In addition, there are not many phones with a fingerprint scanner on the front either. Users often complain when the sensor is located on the back: it is inconvenient when you want to check the status of the phone, whether there are new messages or missed calls. By the way, there is no indicator light here; its absence is compensated by the display of statistics in standby mode on the lock screen, the same Always On Display function, a proprietary feature of Samsung smartphones.

Another plus is water protection, as in more expensive Samsung models. It is better not to swim in the sea; the phone prefers fresh water rather than highly salty sea water. Please note that there are few phones with IP68 water protection on sale, unless you consider specialized shock-resistant models.

Bright Super AMOLED

The frames around the screen are not the narrowest, but not very thick either. With a diagonal of 4.7 inches, there is a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, and there is a colorful Super AMOLED screen. Yes, it has a proprietary PenTile - if you look closely, you will notice small dots, but if you don’t look for flaws in the phone, you won’t understand what it’s all about. If you don't like the default palette, choose calmer options in the settings menu.

Probably at this point it would be worth adding that for the same money you can buy a Chinese analogue with a higher resolution screen. No doubt, before buying it’s better to turn the phone in your hands to form your own opinion about it; I liked the screen with its bright colors. Although if you plan to read from a phone, then AMOLED will tire your eyes, this model is no exception, your eyes will hurt.

What is inside

Even the more expensive representatives of the A-series of 2017 are not the best suited for games, what can you want from the younger model. It’s not all bad here, you can play games, but only simple ones: only 2 GB of RAM, a Samsung Exynos 7870 processor and Mali-T830 graphics. Its memory is 16 GB, plus there is a slot for a microSD memory card if you decide to sacrifice a second SIM card.

The phone runs on old Android 6.0, no information when there will be updates. Yes, this is an ancient version of Android, sometimes you can see twitching in Google Play, or the gallery does not process images too quickly, what can you do, the filling does not have much power reserve. The only question is how you plan to use the phone, if you don’t buy it for gaming pleasures, then you won’t get any problems with it.

The speaker of the phone was moved to the right side, the call can be heard normally, but it is not the most sonorous or loudest device on the market. Just normal, ordinary, I’ll say the same about the sound quality. I usually listen to songs through the Spotify application, the phone plays clearly and there is even a small volume reserve for the metro.

Camera

The quality of the photos is good, Samsung is traditionally strong in terms of pictures, the camera will not let you down when shooting during the day. In the evenings or indoors, I would like more, noise and artifacts creep out, the software kills small details in the pictures, but this is tolerable, given the status of the model in the corporate hierarchy. Nobody forbids you to buy an old flagship and enjoy life with a more advanced camera, which will have optical stabilization. Data for statistics: front camera 8 megapixels, main camera 13 megapixels.

Working hours

The 2350 mAh battery doesn’t seem like much, but the filling here is not voracious, charging lasts for a couple of days. The phone has a USB-C connector, so pay attention to this if you decide to buy accessories: a car charger, for example.

Opinion

The price on Yandex.Market starts at 15 thousand rubles for the “gray” versions, and the Rostest will cost 20 thousand. Is it possible to select equivalent options? Some people will call the Samsung Galaxy A3 an overpriced model from a wealthy brand that sells the phone noticeably more expensive than its more modest Chinese competitors. Others will say: so what, more expensive and okay, but Samsung is a proven manufacturer. And here everyone will be right in their own way.

As usual, it’s better to hold it in your hands before buying - the Galaxy A3 (2017) turned out to be a nice model, it doesn’t look like a budget phone, it doesn’t look like a cheap model. But the filling is rather weak; the “Chinese” ones will be more powerful for the same money. If you set yourself the goal of choosing the most productive version of a smartphone in the category under 20,000 rubles, then the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) is not a leader at all.

If you abandon the idea of ​​​​buying a phone with water protection, then the choice becomes wider and richer; the Galaxy A3 (2017) has other characteristics at the level of its classmates, in some ways even worse (performance, old OS, low screen resolution). For the same 20 thousand you can buy a Huawei Nova or Meizu MX6 - phones of a higher level.

So decide which parameters are more important to you and whether you are willing to overpay for the brand name. Or is it better to buy a smartphone from a Chinese manufacturer with more interesting characteristics.

Did not like

• slippery body is a matter of habit
• no indicator light

Liked

• good autonomy
• convenient sizes
• water protection
• bright screen

I would like to thank the friendliest gadget store for providing me with a smartphone for testing.Biggeek . Using the Wylsacom promotional code, there is a special discount for customers.

New Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 An elegant new product with powerful technical characteristics, protection from water and dust and support for two SIM cards with high-speed 4G Internet. Thanks to its compact body and optimal 4.7-inch screen size, the smartphone can be easily operated with one hand.

Compared to previous versions Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 received more powerful characteristics. The smartphone will be available in three colors: blue, black and gold. Two high-resolution cameras, a main 13 MP and a front 8 MP camera, will help you take photos, high-resolution videos and selfies. Use Samsung Pay, thanks to NFC and MST technology, the Galaxy A3 user can make purchases directly from his smartphone, and the fingerprint scanner is responsible for the security and protection of the payment.

High performance and multitasking are ensured by a powerful 8-core processor and 2 GB of RAM. Also, the Galaxy A3 2017 received a more powerful battery with a capacity of 2350 mAh, which allows you to stay on the Internet for a long time on 4G LTE networks for up to 16 hours and up to 17 hours of talk time. Now, in order to unlock the Galaxy A3, the user does not need to constantly enter passwords; for this, there is a fingerprint scanner; to unlock the smartphone screen, just put your finger on the sensor and the device will quickly identify the owner and provide full access.

Specifications of Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 SM-A320F DS.

• SIM card: quantity 2 SIM cards
• SIM card type: Nano-SIM format (4FF)
• Processor: 8-core / 1.6 GHz
• Operating system: Android
• Screen: 4.7 inches / resolution 1280 x 720 pixels HD / Super AMOLED
• Battery: capacity 2350 mAh / non-removable
• Internet browsing time on Wi-Fi: up to 17 hours
• Internet browsing on a 3G network: up to 12 hours
• Browse the Internet on LTE: up to 16 hours
• Audio playback: up to 41 hours
• Video playback: up to 17 hours
• Talk time: up to 17 hours on 3G network
• Main camera: 13 MP
• Front camera: 8 MP
• Video shooting: FHD 1920 x 1080 pixels, frame rate per second 30
• Memory: 16 GB/user available 9.7 GB
• RAM: 2 GB
• Memory card: MicroSD up to 256 MB
• 3G support: yes
• 4G support: yes
• Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Wi-Fi Direct: Supports
• Wi-Fi hotspot: supports
• Bluetooth: version 4.2
• NFC: supports
• Audio jack 3.5 mm: yes
• USB type C: yes
• USB: USB 2.0
• Water and dust protection: IP68 standard
• Synchronization with PC: yes
• Navigation: GPS/GLONASS
• Fingerprint scanner: yes
• Sensors: accelerometer/proximity/lighting/hall/geomagnetic/barometer/gyroscope
• Phone dimensions: (H.W.T) 135.4 x 66.2 x 7.9 mm
• Phone weight: 138 grams

Samsung Galaxy A3 is the youngest and most affordable model in the updated 2017 A-series line. Externally, it looks the same as the older models A5 and A7, only more compact.

Design

The smartphone is available in four colors - gold, pink, blue and black; The latest version has been reviewed by the editors. Like older models, the Samsung Galaxy A3 boasts 2.5D glass on the front panel, metal frames and a glass back panel. Due to the rounded corners and smooth edges, as well as its small size, it fits well in the hand and does not try to slip out, even despite the smooth surface of the back panel.

The frames around the screen are relatively small (the display occupies 67.9% of the front panel area), traditionally for Samsung smartphones; it uses a hardware Home button (with a built-in fingerprint scanner) and Back and Tasks touch buttons (illuminated at the moment of touch), which further increases the “useful area" of the desktop, removing from it the standard panel with on-screen system buttons.

On the top edge there is a noise reduction microphone and a slot for a SIM card and microSD memory card, on the left there are volume buttons, on the right there is a power button and a multimedia speaker, on the bottom there is a USB Type-C connector, a microphone and a 3.5 mm jack for connecting a headset .

Overall, the device looks good, but it looks clearly better from the front than from the back - mainly due to the 2.5D glass. We also note that the black version, in our opinion, is somewhat inferior to the “color” versions of the smartphone. It is also worth noting that, like other A-series models of 2017, the Samsung Galaxy A3 case is protected from dust and moisture according to the IP68 standard (complete protection from dust, can be immersed in water to a depth of one and a half meters for up to 30 minutes).

Display

The Samsung Galaxy A3 uses a 4.7″ Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 720×1280 pixels. The pixel density is 312 PPI - you can see some grain only by looking closely at the screen; When using a smartphone normally, the image appears dense and the fonts appear smooth.

Despite AMOLED, the colors of the display are quite calm, close to those of IPS matrices. However, in the display settings you can switch from the “Main” video mode (used by default) to more “colorful” - “Adaptive display” (the strongest effect) or more moderate, but still much more saturated compared to “main” - “ Movie AMOLED" and "Photo AMOLED". Here, by the way, you can activate a blue filter, which makes the image warmer and more pleasing to the eye when reading text on a white background for a long time.

The screen is bright and remains fully readable even in direct sunlight. Thanks to AMOLED, the black color is truly black, without gray highlights when viewed at an angle. However, at a high angle, a greenish tint characteristic of this technology appears in the image.

Measurements taken in the “Main” mode show almost ideal characteristics - a flat color temperature line around the standard 6500K, a correct gamma curve and a color gamut slightly larger than the standard sRGB.

Calls, multimedia

The editors received a single-SIM version of the Samsung Galaxy A3 for review; a dual-SIM version will be available for sale in Ukraine (with the ability to install a microSD memory card instead of a second SIM card). The speaker is loud enough, you can hear the interlocutor well, but the multimedia speaker could be louder - on the street you may not even hear the call through your clothes. There were no particular complaints about the sound in the headphones, except that the high frequencies could have sounded a little brighter.

Hardware platform, performance

The smartphone is based on Samsung's own eight-core Exynos 7 Octa 7870 processor, manufactured using 14 nm technology. It includes ARM Cortex-A53 cores with clock speeds up to 1.6 GHz, as well as a Mali-T830 video subsystem. This processor is intended for middle-class models, and at one time was already used in a smartphone. There is 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal memory (of which 10 GB is available to the user), with the ability to expand it using a microSD memory card.

The chipset belongs to the middle class, and in benchmarks the smartphone, as expected, demonstrates appropriate performance - relatively speaking, between “average” and “medium-high”. It will be enough for any modern tasks, with the exception of perhaps the heaviest 3D games.

Software

Samsung Galaxy A3 runs Android 6.0.1 OS, complemented by a new proprietary shell - Grace UX (we first saw it in the Galaxy Note7). It features an updated notification panel and a new look for the settings menu; in addition, the new A-line has an additional screen to the left of the home screen - it houses a news aggregator; depending on the firmware, this can be either the Russian-language Briefing (based on the well-known Flipboard service) or the English-language Upday. The shell supports a system of replaceable skins and icons downloaded from the company store, displays clocks, notifications and other information on the off screen in the Always On Display mode, can keep the screen on while you look at it, offers its own menu for optimizing energy consumption and contains quite a lot more number of additional features.

The fingerprint scanner works quite reliably, the screen unlocks in less than half a second. The interface generally works quickly and smoothly; minor slowdowns are observed rarely and mainly when accessing the built-in news aggregator.

Camera

The smartphone is equipped with a 13-megapixel main camera (f/1.9) and an 8-megapixel front camera. The camera's own application, in addition to the fully automatic mode, also offers Pro - in this case, the user can manually select white balance, ISO, enter exposure compensation and select the exposure metering method (spot/center-weighted/matrix).

The camera quickly focuses and takes a shot, the pictures are of fairly good quality - with a decent dynamic range, natural colors and fairly accurate automatic white balance detection. In low light or indoors, the quality deteriorates slightly. Clarity could be better; small details such as thin branches, grass or pine needles may noticeably suffer from the noise reduction algorithm.

The camera has an HDR mode, it works very delicately, and if there is not a sufficiently strong difference in brightness between different parts of the image in the frame, the result of its operation may turn out to be purely cosmetic. However, in a situation where there is a light source in the frame or simply a very bright object against a dark background, this shooting mode can significantly improve the image by “stretching out” the shadows. An example of its work (on the left is a normal frame, on the right is HDR):

Autonomy

Samsung Galaxy A3 is equipped with a non-removable lithium ion battery with a capacity of 2350 mAh. Thanks to the Super AMOLED screen, as well as the use of the energy-efficient Exynos 7870 Octa processor, the smartphone turns out to be very durable, even despite the not very high battery capacity - for example, in the PCMark test it lasted almost 10 hours, which is a very good result. We can say that in medium load mode it will almost certainly last 2 full days.

Conclusion: In terms of technical characteristics, the Samsung Galaxy A3 looks interesting, but in terms of design, the smartphone (especially in black) cannot boast of anything particularly outstanding. But his ergonomics are all right. But the price (9 thousand UAH at the time of writing the review) looks somewhat inflated, as for the youngest model in the series - so we can say that those who need a compact smartphone with a small screen will show interest in it, and not those who looking for “something on a budget.”

Specifications

	Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 Black (SM-A320FZKD) Notify when on sale
Type	Smartphone
Pre-installed OS	Android 6.0.1
RAM, GB	2
Built-in memory, GB	16
Expansion slot	+
SIM card type	Nano-SIM
Number of SIM cards	2 (or 1 SIM + memory card)
CPU	no data
Number of Cores	8
Frequency, GHz	1,6
Battery	2350 mAh (non-removable)
Operating time (manufacturer's data)	operating time on the Internet (3G) (hours) - up to 12, operating time on the Internet (LTE) (hours) - up to 16, operating time on the Internet (Wi-Fi) (hours) - up to 17, operating time in video playback mode (hours) - up to 17, operating time during audio playback (hours) - up to 41, audio playback (hours, Always On Screen mode off) - up to 55, operating time in talk mode (3G WCDMA) (hours) - up to 17
Diagonal, inches	4,7
Permission	720x1280
Matrix type	Super AMOLED
PPI	312
Dimming sensor	+
Display Features	HD sAMOLED, 16,000,000 colors and shades
Main camera, MP	13
Video shooting	FHD (1920 x 1080) 30fps
Flash	+
Front camera, MP	8
Camera Features	13 MP (f/1.9, main filter, Food mode), 8 MP (f/1.9)
High speed data transfer	GPRS/EDGE/3G/LTE
Communication standards	2G GSM850/GSM900/DCS1800/PCS1900, 3G UMTS B1 (2100)/B2 (1900)/B5 (850)/B8 (900), 4G FDD LTE B1 (2100)/B2 (1900)/B3 (1800)/B5 (850)/B7 (2600)/B8 (900)/B20 (800), 4G TDD LTE B40 (2300)
WiFi	802.11ac
Bluetooth	4.2
GPS	+
IrDA	-
FM radio	+
Audio jack	+
NFC	+
Interface connector	USB Type-C
Dimensions, mm	135.4x66.2x7.9
Weight, g	138
Protection from dust and moisture	IP68
Type of shell	monoblock (non-separable)
Housing material	metal, glass
Keyboard type	screen input
More	Fingerprint's scanner. Symmetrical on all sides. Durable 3D rear glass. Withstands immersion in water to a depth of 1.5 m for up to 30 minutes. MST technology. Synchronization with PC - Smart Switch (PC version). Screen rotation sensor. Barometer. Gyroscope. Geomagnetic sensor. Hall Sensor. Proximity sensor. RGB light sensor. S-Voice.

Photos in the interior

If you read the review of the A5 2017, then I advise you to read the sections “Positioning”, “Display”, “Battery”, “Camera”, “Performance” and “Impressions”, since the rest of the text is almost the same, little things have changed, fortunately these The devices are built using the same tracing paper.

Specifications

• Android 6.0.1 with Clean UI, upgrade to Android 7
• Screen 4.7 inches, SuperAMOLED, HD, 312 ppi, automatic brightness adjustment, automatic brightness adjustment to suit your habits, color profiles, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, AlwaysOn Display
• Chipset Exynos 7870, 8 cores up to 1.6 GHz (Cortex A53), 14 nm, Mali-T830 GPU
• 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal memory (9.7 GB of memory available to the user out of the box)
• Battery Li-Ion 2350 mAh, no fast charging, operating time in mixed mode 2 days (test result), 3G/4G data transfer mode - 14/17 hours, video playback - up to 17 hours, talk time - up to 17 hours
• Installation of two nanoSIM cards, as well as a microSD memory card (up to 256 GB) - a combined slot, simultaneous operation of microSD and two SIM cards is impossible
• Front camera 8 megapixels, f/1.9, facial enhancements (eyes, skin color, face tone)
• Main camera 13 megapixels, f/1.9, LED flash, autofocus
• Two microphones, noise reduction system
• IP68 water protection, up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 meters
• FM radio
• Fingerprint sensor located on the front panel
• USB Type C 1.0
• 4G FDD LTE - B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B20(800); TDD LTE B40(2300)
• GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
• ANT+, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4+5 GHz, NFC, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.2
• Sensors - accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint scanner, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor
• Samsung Pay
• Color options: black (Black Sky), gold (Gold Sand), blue (Blue Mist), pink (Peach Cloud)
• SAR value - 0.35 W/kg (head), 1.38 W/kg (body)
• Dimensions - 135.4 x 66.2 x 7.9 mm, weight - 138 grams

Contents of delivery

• Smartphone
• Charger with USB Type C cable
• Instructions
• Wired stereo headset
• microUSB-USB Type C adapter for charging cable
• “Paper clip” for removing the SIM tray

Positioning

Most manufacturers have completely abandoned the compact smartphone segment; for some reason it is believed that a small-sized phone should be outdated and not the most modern. There are three companies on the market that produce such devices: Apple (iPhone SE model), Sony (Compact series), and Samsung. The 2017 A3 fulfills the desire of some buyers to get a small, compact phone. The relatively small screen diagonal of 4.7 inches determines the use cases for such a device - first of all, it is needed for calls, and secondly for social networks, instant messengers and web browsing. This smartphone can be safely considered as a second phone, in this capacity it is almost ideal - it works for a long time, has a balanced, modern set of functions. But it is also good as a main device for those who are not looking for a large screen diagonal and are used to compact models.

This model has a set of functions comparable to older devices, although the 2017 A3 has removed a number of features compared to the A5/A7 - the phone has a simpler front and main camera, a lower screen resolution (HD, not FullHD), and no fast charging for the battery , which, however, is not critical, the charging time remains comparable, since the battery capacity is also lower. All the advantages in the form of Samsung Pay (NFC/MST), IP68 water protection remain. As well as the use of exactly the same materials, which distinguishes the model from many of its classmates, it is made perfectly. And, perhaps, this is one of the few compact smartphones on the modern market - the difference between this model and 5-inch devices is very noticeable, the impressions from them are very different. Moreover, these differences are both a plus and a minus, and depend directly on what you are used to.

Design, dimensions, control elements

In the A-series, the design is to some extent inherited from older models, the same body materials, no noticeable simplifications or savings. The A3 model looks expensive and stylish, regardless of what color you choose. There are four color options in total; there are no pink phones in Russia yet.

I have a black A3, it is classic and looks good. The mirror surface reflects the surrounding world, plays in the light, the device looks very interesting, and hand marks are practically invisible. I’ll add here that the screen with a splash screen can always work (AlwaysOn Display function), which none of the competitors have. In the end, we get an unusual device that has no analogues on the market; it can be distinguished from any other at first glance.

If we talk about which color is the best, then I like blue, it is a delicate shade, very unusual, perfect for girls, however, look for yourself.

Please note that the front and back panels are the same color, as is the side metal edging (6000 series aluminum). The device also looks good in pink, but it is definitely only for girls.

The gold phone is somewhat rustic, but everyone has their own tastes.

The fact that the device has a glass back and front does not hinder it at all, since Corning Gorilla Glass 4 is quite reliable and protected from accidental falls, although depending on your luck. This device is completely identical in mechanical protection to the Galaxy S6 EDGE, the quality is at the same level. I once recorded a video about how this phone survives collisions with sharp objects or asphalt, you can watch this video.

The innovation of the A-series in 2017 was water protection, which was taken from the S7/S7 EDGE, the implementation is exactly the same. The SIM card tray is protected by rubber gaskets, the microphones and speakers have membranes, the protection level is IP68, which allows the phone to be at a depth of 1.5 meters for up to half an hour. This does not mean that the phone needs to be washed under water, much less with soap or something similar. But if you drop it in water, nothing will happen to it. There are no models with water protection in this price segment.

Now about the control elements. Under the screen there is a mechanical key, it contains a fingerprint sensor, it is simplified compared to the S7/S7 EDGE, it works a little slower, but there are no problems because of this. Nice solution that just works. On either side of it are two touch keys.

On the left side there are two volume keys, on the right side there is an on/off button. There is a microphone at the bottom and top ends, there is a noise reduction system, it does its job perfectly, you can be heard well in any conditions, even when the wind blows strongly in your face.

At the bottom end there is also a 3.5 mm jack for a headset or headphones, as well as a USB Type C connector for the charger. At the top end there is a tray in which a nanoSIM card and a memory card or two SIM cards are installed. This is a combination tray, so it's worth remembering that the A5/A7 can accommodate both a memory card and two SIM cards at the same time.

The speaker is located on the right side surface, due to this it can overlap in the pocket, and it will not be heard very well. The speaker itself is average in volume, but very pleasant.

Phone dimensions - 135.4 x 66.2 x 7.9 mm, weight - 138 grams. Compact, very small. It can sink in a man's hand, but some people like this size. In clothes it is completely invisible, you can easily forget that you have a phone in your pocket, it doesn’t feel like a constant burden. If you like compact models, then you'll fall in love with the 2017 A3.

Compared to Galaxy A5 2017

Display

The younger model was equipped with a screen with HD resolution; on such a diagonal, low resolution does not play a big role, the picture looks good. But for those who like to peer at the screen and recognize PenTile, I will not recommend this screen; you will see its structure from a distance of ten centimeters, and from five centimeters you can accurately determine the “looseness” of the picture. It’s clear that no one is looking that close to the screen, but who cares? Ordinary people who are not burdened with knowledge about PenTile will simply say that it is a good screen that produces a nice picture, which is also customizable.

The technical characteristics of this SuperAMOLED display are as follows: 4.7 inches, SuperAMOLED, HD, 312 ppi, automatic brightness adjustment, automatic brightness adjustment to your habits, color profiles, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, AlwaysOn Display.

For my taste, the quality of the screen is excellent for its class, it has a large reserve of brightness in automatic mode, the display is easy to read in the sun, just like the previous year’s model (in the S7 EDGE the screen has greater brightness, as a result, it is even better in the sun) .

The screen has an AlwaysOn Display option, that is, you can see application icons, clocks or pictures all the time, the screen operation does not drain the battery much, in 12 hours it’s a couple of percent. Until now, this function has not been widely available in the mid-price segment, which noticeably makes the 2017 A3 stand out and puts it on par with Samsung flagships.

Whatever one may say, the screen in this model is excellent for its positioning and capabilities, nothing more is needed. Considering the scenarios for using the device (a minimum of heavy games with complex graphics as an example), this is the right choice.

Battery

The built-in Li-Ion battery has a capacity of 2350 mAh, fast charging is not supported, but the standard charger charges the battery in 1 hour 35 minutes. That is, there is no need for fast charging; due to the small battery capacity, charging time is normal. There is no built-in wireless charging, which is found in flagship models.

In mixed mode, the device lives quietly for two days with 3-4 hours of screen operation, data transmission in LTE and two hours of calls. It all depends on what and how you use it; you can achieve better results, for example, 5-8 hours of screen operation in two days of work, as well as less time.

Playing unconverted video in HD quality in MX Player at maximum brightness - up to 17 hours. This is an excellent indicator considering the size of the battery; many Chinese show comparable results on a 5000 mAh battery.

The operating time of the 2017 A3 becomes its strong point; even with a heavy load, it will not be possible to discharge it faster than in a day; on average, this is two days. Those who use only calls can easily count on 5-6 days of work; of course, it all depends on the operator and the number of these calls. But in general, we can state the fact that operating time is the strong point of this model.

Traditionally, there is a power saving mode, when the screen backlight and processor frequency are limited. In this mode, many will not experience problems with the operation of the device, but the operating time will increase by at least 20 percent. In maximum energy saving mode, everything on the screen turns gray, and the device can provide hours of operation even with a small charge.

Communication capabilities

GPS/GLONASS works perfectly, a cold start takes about ten seconds, navigation works perfectly, there are no problems. By the way, this distinguishes A-brands from many Chinese companies, where the implementation of antennas is such that you can expect anything from typical functions.

Another strong point is the support of almost all necessary LTE frequencies, here the device also shows its strengths (analogs in this price segment cannot boast of this; as a rule, they save on antennas).

Finally, the device has NFC and ANT+ support, which will appeal to those who use sports sensors. Bluetooth version 4.2.

If we talk about Wi-Fi, then it uses 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4+5 GHz, there is a repeater mode (distributing a Wi-Fi signal to other devices as an access point).

The version is USB 2.0, but the USB Type C (1.0) connector is used, so fans of modern connectors will be happy; for the rest, it’s time to come to terms with the transition to the new standard.

Memory, RAM, performance

Samsung uses its own chipsets in A-series models, which can be considered a plus; they are improving year by year. For example, in 2016, chipsets in the A-series were made at 28 nm, now it is 14 nm, which gives an increase in performance and operating time. The chipset in the A3 2017 is Exynos 7780, 8 cores up to 1.6 GHz (Cortex A53), Mali-T830 graphics processor.

In synthetic tests, this processor performed well. In real life, everything also works perfectly, you will not feel any shortcomings in performance, the model is at the same level, and the safety margin will last for at least a couple of years.

The device has 16 GB of internal memory (9.7 GB available), memory cards can be up to 256 GB. RAM 2 GB, which is enough for most consumers. And given the screen resolution, everything becomes very good, this solution is balanced, and there are no noticeable compromises.

Camera

The front camera is 8 megapixels (f/1.9), as usual, there is no autofocus, so it’s worth finding the distance from which the pictures are best taken, this is about half a meter, that is, an outstretched arm. The quality of the front camera is good, but don't expect anything special from it; after all, the main camera is better. There is a traditional improvement in skin color and tone, you can enlarge your eyes, and at the same time make your face thinner. Girls will definitely like these “improvements”.

The main camera is 13-megapixel (f/1.9), of course, there is autofocus, as well as additional shooting modes, including PRO, but it differs from the flagships, since the camera is simpler. The A3 has a simpler camera than older models, so don't expect much from it. But she copes with her job quite well: taking pictures of pages with text, capturing the world around her - all this can be done. But if you want to shoot beautifully for social networks, then look at flagships or higher-class models.

When recording video, the maximum is FullHD resolution and 30 frames per second.

Look at the examples of pictures and videos, I think they will all tell you about the quality of the camera.

Software

The model was originally released on Android 6.0.1, but many interface elements are similar to what we see in Android 7 and Clean UI on S7/S7 EDGE. I advise you to read about what appeared in Android 7, since this model will soon receive this version of the OS.

I won’t describe the standard Android functions; you can read about them in a detailed review.

Unlike top models, there is a built-in FM radio, which looks like a nice bonus.

When using KNOX, you can install any program in duplicate, for example, install two WhatsApp messengers on one device and use them for each SIM card (two numbers, two messengers). You can even correspond with yourself. Exactly the same trick can be done with any software; not a single phone allows you to simultaneously work with two instant messengers on the same device with different numbers. Today, many Chinese manufacturers offer something similar in their smartphones, but the implementation is different everywhere.

Impression

The vibration alert is average, the ringer volume is also average - perhaps I would like there to be more headroom, but the phone is still audible, and you can feel it in your pockets when it vibrates. Rather, there is no reserve in terms of volume, but how will anyone perceive this moment? The device cannot be called quiet.

There are practically no compact models on the market, also keep in mind that Samsung has always been able to make its devices smaller than those of its competitors; just remember that 5.2 inches from Samsung is the body of many 4.7-4.9 inch models. So here too, the 2017 A3 turned out to be very compact; only one competitor immediately comes to mind - the iPhone SE. But the price of this compact phone is noticeably higher with similar characteristics and a memory capacity of 16 GB; in Russia it costs 31,990 rubles. In terms of design, it's the complete opposite of the 2017 Galaxy A3. Plus, the iPhone SE has a camera, but there is no water protection, there is, of course, no AlwaysOn Display, the operating time is the same or less.

Also, the Sony Xperia X Compact is made in a completely different style; the model is small, but extremely expensive (32-33 thousand rubles). Comparable operating time, slightly faster processor, better camera, no water protection and no AlwaysOn Display. This model definitely does not have any special advantage over the A3, which would cost 10,000 rubles. Its price positioning is close to the iPhone SE.

If there were many competitors in the segment of 5-inch models for the 2017 A5, there are practically no competitors for compact 4.7-inch models with small bodies. The two main competitors are the iPhone SE, as well as the Sony Xperia X Compact, but they are significantly more expensive. Sony will release an updated version of this smartphone, but the price difference will be even greater. Only large companies can afford to play in the market of compact models, and, unlike Samsung, they see such devices as models with super profits. In my opinion, this is the wrong approach, since a compact smartphone with decent materials cannot be prohibitively expensive, as the A3 2017 proves. For those who are looking for a compact model on Android, this device will be the preferred choice.

Comparisons with the 2017 A5 may be valid, but here you get a larger body size, higher performance, higher screen resolution and about the same battery life in the older model. But you lose that very compactness. These are different worlds in perception based on the size of the case, and this must be taken into account, everything else fades into the background.

The model of the previous season, namely the A3 2016, is weaker in every sense: shorter operating time in any mode, lack of an AlwaysON screen and water protection, and no support for Samsung Pay. On the other hand, if you have such a phone and it works, then you shouldn’t change it to a new one. Wait another generation and then change it. However, it’s worth buying it now as a compact phone if you don’t have money for a new model (the previous one costs 17,990 rubles). Let me remind you that the price of the 2017 A3 is 22,990 rubles.

The bottom line: the 2017 A3 is excellent for those who are looking for a compact smartphone that will focus on calls, instant messengers, browsing the Internet, and to a lesser extent on heavy games. This device is ideal as a second smartphone, as it works for a long time and is compact. The model turned out to be successful, but compact phones remain in demand not by a very wide audience, so the 2017 A3 is not worth expecting any huge sales, it plays only within the niche of compact devices.