Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) Initial Review: The A Series Goes Water Resistant

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) Initial Review: The A Series Goes Water Resistant

You’ve seen us crank out a fair amount of articles about Samsung’s 2017 line of A series phones and, yesterday —  January 11, we finally saw its local release. It’s time to look at one of the phones from the A series, the A7 (2017), to give you our initial impressions about the mid-ranged device. A little disclaimer before we begin though, the unit that was lent to us is in retail mode so we are incapable of performing benchmarks. With that, let’s have a quick look at its specs before we dive in.

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) Specifications

  • 1.9GHz Exynos 7880 octa-core processor
  • 3GB of RAM
  • 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display; 1920×1080 resolution
  • 32GB of expandable storage (Up to 256GB)
  • 16-megapixel rear camera, f/1.9 aperture
  • 16-megapixel front camera, f/1.9 aperture
  • 3G, LTE
  • Dual SIM
  • WiFi, Bluetooth v4.2, NFC
  • GPS, A-GPS
  • Fingerprint sensor
  • IP68 Certification
  • USB Type-C
  • 3600mAh battery with Fast Charging
  • Android 6.0.16 Marshmallow

Curvier than Before

Samsung has always managed to maintain a level of quality in terms of its build and design with each iteration of its phones, and it certainly continues with that trend with the entire 2017 A series lineup. Without a doubt, they look and feel like their predecessors, but with enough of a change to give their products a refreshing take.

The main difference you’ll find on the A7, and the A series in general, from last year’s offerings is that they’ve been given rounder corners and curvier edges. The curvier edges are due to the glass helping sandwich the metal build from the back, which looks like its been transplanted straight from the S7 Edge to the A7 2017. Couple that with the 2.5D curved glass in front to protect the Super AMOLED panel, which happens to blend right in to the phone’s metal frame, and you definitely have a good looking, premium device in your hands.

The big news coming from leaks leading up to the launch of the A7 (2017) and its other siblings in the A series is that they’ve gotten IP68 certification; news confirmed by its announcement at CES 2017. This means that the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) is dust and water resistant up to a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes.

It’s time to take a quick tour around the phone.

You’ve got the power button on the right side with the speaker grille above it. On the left, you’ll find the volume rocker and the SIM trays. Down at the bottom is where you’ll find the 3.5mm audio jack and the USB Type-C port, and up on top is the tray for the MicroSD card.

Samsung is also getting into the selfie game with A series, because up in front you’ll find its 16-megapixel front camera on its forehead. On its chin, you’ll find the all-too-familiar Samsung setup for navigation; a fingerprint scanner embedded on the home button flanked by capacitive keys on either side. On the rear of the A7 (2017) is the 16-megapixel rear camera and its LED flash; both its selfie and main shooters rock an aperture size of f/1.9.

The Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) sports a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED panel, which is just as awesome as ever. Like the old saying goes” “Don’ fix it if it ain’t broke!” and there’s definitely nothing wrong with this display. Colors are rich, images are sharp, and it has great viewing angles.

Under the hood of the A7 (2017) is a 1.9GHz Exynos 7880 octa-core processor, which is paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage; the internal storage can be expanded upon via MicroSD. It runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and providing juice to the A7 (2017) is a 3600mAh battery. Sadly, as we mentioned above, the loaner unit that was given to us is in retail mode so we’ll have to wait a little longer to run benchmark tests. There are a few hiccups here and there, but we’re guessing that won’t be the case in the units that will actually hit store shelves. We’ll see.

That pretty much does it for our initial review of the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017), which retails for Php 23,990. It’s smaller sibling, the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017), which pretty much has the same specs except for a smaller display at 5.2-inches retails for Php 19,990.

 

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