STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS OF SAMSUNG GALAXY A5

Galaxy A5 is one of the mid-range smartphone from Samsung. A5 that already had exhibited at CES 2015 presents a new design concept. Classy, premium, slim, and elegant because designed with the full metal body. At first glance, this smartphone looks identical to the Samsung Galaxy Alpha.

Samsung incorporate technologies that are ready to compete for the Galaxy A5. Starting from 5-inch 720 pixels screen resolution , quad-core chipset to a camera with a resolution of 13MP.

DESIGN

It can be said that Galaxy Alpha and Note 4 is the pioneer generation of Samsung’s android in the future. Especially for the design. Some emerging successor had already adopted the concept of unibody design with metal material. Galaxy A5 has the same features but carries a more affordable price with the assumption specification experienced a downgrade.

The design looks thin, minimalist and clean in a matte polish. The metal frame around the body looks angled firmly while each end of the body in the design is slightly rounded. This smartphone feels comfortable in the hand due to the flat shape.

At the top of the screen there are the earpiece, proximity and ambient light sensor and a 5MP camera. At the bottom of the screen there is a physical home button and two capacitive buttons for recent app and back button.

On the right side there is a power button, at the bottom there are card tray, one for microSD and one for nano-SIM.

While on the left side of the body you can find the volume buttons. In the back side of this phone there is a 13MP camera along with the right and left side of the camera there is a LED flash and the loudspeaker. At the bottom of the body segment is a microUSB port and a 3.5 mm audio port.

DISPLAY

Samsung Galaxy A5 supplied with a 5-inch wide screen with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels. This resolution is quite standard considering out there a few rivals in its range has already use a higher resolution. but, Samsung has adopted Super AMOLED technology, that known with its super contrast and stunning colors. it is proven to boost the quality of the display sector. In fact, the display looks like full HD and the pictures or photos on the screen can still be seen optimally from various viewing angles.

Image clarity and color reproduction on the screen is fairly perfect on this  smartphone. Besides, a 294ppi pixel density makes it capable to presenting a fairly detailed, clear and sharp picture. To protect the screen from scratching, Samsung coat the Galaxy A5 screen with Gorilla Glass 4.

HARDWARE

Samsung Galaxy A5 equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 64-bit chipset. Furthermore Samsung rely on cooperation between the quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53 and Adreno 306 GPU to offer the best performance. It's not the fastest, but the performance is not too bad for a mid-range device.

The chipset used is intended for middle-class matching. The combination with 5-inch display will not cause too much battery drain. 2GB of RAM is more than enough to help boost its performance when you play heavy game or load a solid web pages without lag.

For storage, Samsung Galaxy A5 rely on storage with a 16GB internal storage. Memory available to accommodate file and data for user is about 11,5GB after system and others. Luckily, the vendors providing external memory slot. Samsung Galaxy A5 comes with a 2300 mAh non-removable battery.

OS & IU

Samsung Galaxy A5 using Android 4.4.4 Kitkat that combined with the samsung's typical user interface called TouchWiz UI. These phone offers the same UI version with the Galaxy Alpha, also provides some other features such as the Quick Connect and S finder. You can add applications or widgets on the homescreen panels as needed. You can slide the notification bar from top to bottom. a wide selection of quick access appears at the top. The menu has a vertical display settings that are divided into categories. But you can also browse the menu on the display tab. In the app drawer, the icon is displayed in the grid that can be selected whether costumizable or alphabet.

This smartphone provides a one-handed operation, which can shrink the interface, so you can easily operate it with one hand. available also features called multi-window, where you can run two applications simultaneously in split-screen lined. To display a collection of multiple application windows, just press and hold back button then select the application you want to run. Remember, not all applications support this multi-windows function. There is also a movement and gesture features such as Smart Stay, Smart Pause, and so on. Galaxy A5 also supports Samsung Knox, Studio application (for photos) to Dropbox and Flipboard preinstall.

INTERNET & CONNECTIVITY

Samsung Galaxy A5 contains a variety of the latest connectivity ranging from LTE Cat. 4, 2G and 3G. This smartphone also supports NFC, Wi-Fi a / b / g / n and Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, ANT +, microUSB 2.0 port.

For your information, LTE Cat 4 supports the ability of Internet access up to 150Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload.

In the 5-inch wide screen, user can use the Galaxy A5 to browse the web. Chrome is the default browser that has been prepared by Samsung so you can open a page that can be set according to your taste. Unfortunately USB OTG is not supported on Galaxy A5.

CAMERA

Samsung Galaxy A5 rely on 13 MP camera with a maximum resolution that can be achieved at 4128 x 3096 pixels in mode 4 : 3. This camera can also shoot in 16 : 9 mode but only optimized on 4128 x 2322. Meanwhile, in the front sector embedded 5 MP camera, perfect and realistic combination considering that the Galaxy A5 is targeting the middle class.

Camera user interface is quite user friendly and convenient to use. On the left and right there is a shortcut that is very helpful. Starting from the setting, mode, flash, etc. The camera has a sharp details, realistic and accurate color.

13MP resolution is sufficient to meet the needs of photography. Moreover, this camera can supports full HD 1080p video recording. While the 5MP front camera can satisfy those who love selfie. Galaxy A5 supports a wide angle selfie mode. Galaxy A5 camera can also combine images with video simultaneously.

MULTIMEDIA

Galaxy A5 comes with the TouchWiz music player and Play Music made by Google. Please note if Samsung's typical music player  has been accompanied by a variety of features including support for many music formats like FLAC. Galaxy A5 also  have a MusicSquare features that can set the tempo (Exciting or Calm) and emotion (Passionate or Joyful).  the point is, this feature can adjust the owner moods.

SoundAlive equalizer presets enhance the power of music. You can adjust the balance between the Treble and Bass, Vocal and Instrumental. You can also add effects such as 3D, Bass and Clarity. Embedded FM radio can also track the radio station automatically. About the video player, codec support is complete and can be used to play video or movies up to 1080p.

STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS

STRENGTH

• Camera 13 MP, Design Premium, LTE support, NFC support.

WEAKNESSES

• Small battery capacity, middle-class processor, the price is more expensive than its rivals.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the Galaxy A5 is an important step to samsung in the design side. Samsung sees there seems to be a niche in the market where consumers like something classy, luxurious, and offer a high prestige. The presence of the Galaxy A5 could be the magnet to who really want to spend a little more in classy products and good quality.

For performance, is not much different from the average rivals on the market. Even in the machine side the Galaxy A5 is not too obtrusive. Do not expect the embedded CPU performs like a premium smartphone. if only the price can be much cheaper, Galaxy A5 will be the number one choice in this segment.

GALAXY A5 SPECIFICATIONS

Network : GSM / HSPA / LTE

Dimensions : 139.3 x 69.7 x 6.7 mm (5.48 x 2.74 x 0.26 in), 123 g (4.34 oz)

SIM : Nano-SIM

Display : Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 5.0 inches, 720 x 1280 pixels (~294 ppi pixel density), Corning Gorilla Glass 4

OS : Android OS, v4.4.4 (KitKat)

Chipset : Qualcomm MSM8916 Snapdragon 410

CPU : Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53

GPU : Adreno 306

Memory : 16 GB, 2 GB RAM,  Card slot microSD, up to 64 GB

Camera: Primary 13 MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama, 1080p@30fps, Secondary  5 MP

Connectivity : WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0, A2DP, EDR, LE, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC (LTE model only), FM radio, recording, USB microUSB v2.0, 3.5mm jack

Battery : Non-removable Li-Ion 2300 mAh battery

Colors : Pearl White, Midnight Black, Platinum Silver, Soft Pink, Light Blue, Champagne Gold