Absolutely large and powerful. That’s how Samsung Philippines describes the 6-inch phablet with powerful features built-in to the device, the 2016 Galaxy A9 Pro.
This phablet will surely attract users that demand large display and long battery life.
Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro Philippines version
The one that is getting into the Philippine market has a dedicated dual nano SIM card, a 32G built-in storage, a 4G RAM and dedicated microSD slot that supports up to 128G.
It is powered by a Snapdragon 652 with 64-bit 1.8Ghz octa-core CPU with Adreno 510 running the show.
Out of the box, the 2016 A9 Pro gets an Android 6.0 Marshmallow with the Samsung’s UI called Touch UI. Having the Android 6.0 will enable the user to use the “adaptive storage” when a microSD is added which I think is an advantage.
Build and design
A mixture of glass and metal design that highlights the color of the metal and the glossy reflection of the glass. Both the front and back is protected by the latest version of the Gorilla Glass.
It feels a little hefty courtesy of the huge battery but we would forgive Samsung for this when this device will last for two days without the aid of a power bank.
Camera
The rear camera of the A9 Pro has 16MP with its lens opening of F/1.9, it comes with an OIS feature and a LED flash. The front camera has 8MP with the same opening of the rear camera. We’ve had a quick test of the camera and like the usual Samsung standard, we saw beautiful and detailed photos even in the low-light scenario. For the selfie enthusiasts, you will enjoy the wide-angle shots provided by the front camera.
Display
For the consumer of Netflix, iFlix, and YouTube contents, this is the part that you will love this device so much. The large 6-inch full HD display will get you addicted to watching not only video content. You will enjoy browsing photos because of the bright and clear display. Colors are vivid and details of images will surely surprise you.
The Galaxy A9 Pro 2016 has a fingerprint sensor built-in to the home button which is responsive most of the time. And it is good that the two capacitive buttons are backlighted. We love it!
Battery
Don’t worry about the built-in battery because most of the current models employ the same, even the iPhones. It has a very large battery capacity of 5,000mAH. On paper, the A9 Pro will get a full charge from zero to 160 minutes or about 2.6 hours. There is a fast-charging technology implemented on this but Samsung did not clarify what kind of quick charging feature they used here.
What’s not there?
Of course, you’d ask for the features that Samsung did not include in this seemingly powerful phablet. With VR technology becoming popular these days, you also hope that the A9 Pro is also capable of viewing 360-degrees angle. Like you, we are also frustrated that the Galaxy A9 Pro 2016 did not include a gyroscope. So, no GYROSCOPE baby.
You will remember that Samsung was one of the first to implement the USB 3.0 in their Note series. They removed it eventually in the next models. We were hoping to see USB Type C in this model. No USB Type C too.
Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro (2016) specs
6-inch FHD Super AMOLED display 1920 x 1080 resolution, 367ppi
2.5D curved glass
Gorilla Glass 4 back and front
1.8 GHz 64 Bit Snapdragon 652 octa-core CPU
Adreno 510
4GB RAM
32GB built-in storage
Micro SD card support up to 128GB
Camera: 16 MP f/1.9 w/ OIS and LED flash, 8 MP f/1.9
5,000 mAh non-removable battery
Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow w/ TouchWiz UI
Dual Nano SIM
Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, OTG, GPS, A GPS, GLONASS
Fingerprint sensor
210 g
Pricing and availability
Official SRP of the 2016 Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro is P25,990 and you will start to see it in stores beginning August 12, 2016.
