Concluding Thoughts

When I offset heard that I would be receiving a Galaxy A5 to review (cheers to the wonderful folks at Expansys), I idea it would be another crappy mid-range Samsung device to fill up out their ridiculously huge smartphone line-upwards. The last production was a consummate surprise to me.

The Galaxy A5 uses one of the nicest designs I've always seen in a Samsung smartphone. It'south thin, light and well built, using a premium option of materials that looks clean and fantastic from well-nigh angles. Place the A5 next to a Galaxy S5 and the cheaper handset far outshines the more expensive, which goes to show how far Samsung's designs have come in a brusque period of time.

Internally nosotros're getting a Snapdragon 410, which is a decent upgrade on the Snapdragon 400, though not revolutionary. CPU operation has increased by around xx% without affecting power efficiency, which helps the Milky way A5 attain decent life from a fairly small battery. Unfortunately GPU performance has stayed the same, restricting the Snapdragon 410'southward use to 720p displays.

Luckily the Galaxy A5 comes with said 720p display, which is generally excellent. It's i of the better Super AMOLEDs going around, with fantastic color quality and deep blacks reminiscent of the superb Galaxy Note 4 display. Its size, 5.0-inches, is also perfect for usability and readability with one hand or two.

Unfortunately the Milky way A5 doesn't come with Android 5.0 on-board, and it's unclear when an update will be available. Samsung doesn't have the best tape of timely updates, so I'd be wary of expecting an upgrade shortly, peculiarly if y'all're hoping for 64-bit support to be unlocked. However, Samsung's latest builds of Android 4.iv.iv with TouchWiz are mostly okay, and come with a decent pick of extra features including multi-window functionality and bully power saving modes.

One of the standout features of the Galaxy A5 is its camera. The thirteen-megapixel sensor is identical to those found in select flagships over the past few years, including the Note 3 and LG G3. Information technology excels at capturing images in good atmospheric condition, with vibrant color reproduction and good clarity. It'south not as good indoors or in low calorie-free, though that'south typical for mid-range handsets.

While the Galaxy A5 itself is a pretty darn proficient mid-range smartphone, Samsung has fallen into a nasty trap: the price. Expansys currently sells the handset unlocked and off-contract for $390, which is around $100 too expensive for this class of products. If Samsung had read the market correctly and priced this device just under $300, information technology would be an absolute winner.

They haven't, and so the Milky way A5 is competing against the concluding generation of flagships that take received discounted cost tags. Every bit good as the Galaxy A5 is, information technology'southward difficult to look past the superb LG G2 for just $350, or the Nexus 5. The Sony Xperia Z2 retails these days for the same $390 price tag as the Milky way A5, and like the aforementioned devices, information technology'due south more powerful, has a better display and (in some cases) longer battery life.

Even though the Samsung Galaxy A5 is actually a very good mid-range device, and the best I've used in this category from the company, the toll completely lets it down.

Pros: Excellent build quality. Bang-up display and camera. Snapdragon 410 is a modest, powerful enough upgrade.

Cons: This mid-range handset is at least $100 too expensive. No Android five.0 upgrade just nevertheless.