Samsung Galaxy A8 is getting ready to replace the current upper-end phone A7 early next month in India at a price of around Rs 30,000, according to a Delhi-based Samsung distributor.
The pictures of Galaxy A8 have already been leaked on a French website, and shows that the phone is already very close to commercial production (see their picture below, comparing the new phone with the predecessor).
The A8 (and later, Galaxy A9) are the upgrades to the A series launched late last year and early this year, but the difference between the A7 and A8 will not be remarkable.
On the other hand, the A9 is likely to come with a quad-HD display and be priced in the Rs 36,000 range.
For now, it’s the specifications of the A8 that have been revealed. At Rs 30,000, the phone will only be about Rs 4,500 costlier than the A7. That is still cheaper than the launch price of the A7.
The A7, which was launched at Rs 31,000 in January, is currently selling for Rs 26,000, and can be expected to fall to about Rs 25,500 by the time the A8 is launched in India. The price would have fallen even more but for the decline in the value of the Indian rupee against foreign currencies.
Anyway, for that extra Rs 4,500 that you pay over the A7’s price, you get the following improvements:
a) Better rear camera: The A8 comes with a 16 MP shooter at the back, while the A7 has a 13 MP one.
b) Better looks: The A8 definitely looks more stylish. While the A7 looked more squarish, the A8 looks more longish, and the silver gril around the sides are less pronounced. The edges are more curvy, which is the reason why it looks less squarish compared to the A7. In many ways, the new model reminds one of the Galaxy S6.
c) Bigger display: The display of the Galaxy A8 is 7.4% bigger in area than that of the earlier model and has a diagonal length of 5.7 inches vs 5.5 inch on the earlier model. That said, resolution remains the same at full-HD, and technology is also the same – Super AMOLED.
d) Android 5 Lolipop: A much needed upgrade. With this, the new phone will finally bring the Lolipop update to the A series.
e) Slight bigger, 3050 mAh battery compared to 2.6 Ah battery on the earlier model.
f) A fingerprint sensor for easier unlocking and added security.
Do keep in mind that the A series will not have all the top features that Samsung wants to put into its phones. That privilege is reserved for its ‘S’ series.
As a result, the A8 is also likely to have 16 GB of internal storage, 2 GB of RAM and come with the mid-range Snapdragon 615 chipset.
At 5.7 inches, quad-HD resolution (4 mln pixels) would have added some crispness to the display compared to a full-HD (2 mln pixel) screen, though there is very little difference at 5 inches.
However, compared to prices of Rs 40,000 plus for the S series, a discount of Rs 10,000 definitely makes this phone a value offering, especially considering that many people can’t make out any difference between a full HD display and a quad HD display even at 5.5 inches.
While distributors expect Samsung to unveil both the A8 and the A9 at the same time next month, going by past record, there may not be an official launch ceremony, and the phones may simply ‘trickle in’.
The A7 has been one of the most successful launches for the Korean company in recent years. The phone has successfully taken on competition in the upper mid range from other MNC brands.
The A7 has reportedly outsold the HTC Desire 826, which is slightly cheaper than the Korean model.
[socialpoll id=”2277140″]