Samsung released the Galaxy A8 (2018) series here in the Philippines last month and became the first upper mid-range device to be announced this year, succeeding the last year’s Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017). Both are equipped with two selfie cameras, Infinity display, gorgeous design that was heavily inspired by the company’s flagship smartphones and the water & dust resistance, rated at IP68.
Kicking our firsthand experience on the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) series, you’ll notice that they’re now using dual large front cameras, consisting of a 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel with a bright f/1.9 aperture for easily capturing details photos, even in low-light conditions. Also, there’s another 16-megapixel with a f/1.9 aperture on the rear camera that shoots remarkable photos with broad details. Take a look at the samples below.
Featuring a 5.6-inch (A8) and 6.0-inch (A8+) Super AMOLED screen with FHD+ resolution in an 18.5:9 ratio, these two handsets are sitting below the “S” series of the Korean tech giant, with metal body wraps situated on all the sides and a rather rounded finish, making it very comfortable to hold. It feels great in their respective sizes, with the help of thin bezels. Surprisingly, even the build is made by a glass on both front & back, and aluminum frame, it feels very light in our hands. Also, like the other “A” series, they’re still both water and dust resistance. Further, the fingerprint scanner now comfortably sits below the camera at the back, a huge improvement from the flagship’s awkward position of the said sensor.
Inside the phone, we have the Exynos 7885 hexacore chipset running at a maximum frequency of 2.2Ghz, comprising two Cortex-A73 cores and six Cortex-A53 cores. The graphics unit comes with Mali-G71, with the help of 4GB (A8) or 6GB (A8+) RAM and 32GB (A8) or 64GB (A8+) of storage that can be expanded up to 256GB thru microSD card. Basic connectivity, including LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS are available, as well as, NFC and the USB Type-C port. And lastly, there’s a 3,000 mAh battery with fast charging capability. Both are now available nationwide, for a price of P26,990 and P32,990, respectively.
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) key specs:
| Display | 6.0-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED screen, 2220 x 1080 pixels, 411 ppi |
| CPU | 2.2Ghz 64-bit octa-core Exynos 7885 chipset |
| RAM | 6GB |
| GPU | Mali-G71 |
| SIM | Dual-SIM, Dual-standby |
| Storage | 64GB |
| Storage expansion | microSD slot up to 256GB |
| Rear camera | 16-megapixel, f/1.7 aperture |
| Front camera | 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel, f/1.9 aperture |
| Video recording | 1080p (30 fps) with video digital image stabilisation (Vdis) |
| Operating system | Android 7.1.1 “Nougat” |
| Others | Fingerprint scanner |
| USB-OTG support | |
| Connectivity | WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | |
| GPS, with A-GPS, GLONASS | |
| GSM, HSPA+, 4G+ LTE | |
| microUSB 2.0 | |
| Dimensions | 159.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm |
| Weight | 191 grams |
| Battery | 3,500 mAh non-removable capacity, fast charging support |
| Colors | Black, Gold, Orchid Gray and Blue |
| Price | P32,990 |
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) key specs:
| Display | 5.6-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED screen, 2220 x 1080 pixels, 441 ppi |
| CPU | 2.2Ghz 64-bit octa-core Exynos 7885 chipset |
| RAM | 4GB |
| GPU | Mali-G71 |
| SIM | Dual-SIM, Dual-standby |
| Storage | 32GB |
| Storage expansion | microSD slot up to 256GB |
| Rear camera | 16-megapixel, f/1.7 aperture |
| Front camera | 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel, f/1.9 aperture |
| Video recording | 1080p (30 fps) with video digital image stabilisation (Vdis) |
| Operating system | Android 7.1.1 “Nougat” |
| Others | Fingerprint scanner |
| USB-OTG support | |
| Connectivity | WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | |
| GPS, with A-GPS, GLONASS | |
| GSM, HSPA+, 4G+ LTE | |
| microUSB 2.0 | |
| Dimensions | 149.2 x 70.6 x 8.4 mm |
| Weight | 172 grams |
| Battery | 3,000 mAh non-removable capacity, fast charging support |
| Colors | Black, Gold, Orchid Gray and Blue |
| Price | P26,990 |
