Samsung is the world’s largest smartphone maker. Its Galaxy A7 2018 looks set to defend its turf in the mid-range by providing what could be the most affordable triple camera phones yet.
We don’t know the price or availability of the Samsung Galaxy A7 yet, but the first of the new format Galaxy A series, the Galaxy A8 2018 released in January is A$649 has now dropped to $599. We are guessing the A7 will be somewhere the magic sweet spot of $699-799.
The triple camera is different from Huawei’s P20 Pro offering below. The comparison is for reference only.
| Huawei Pro Pro | Samsung Galaxy A7 2018 |
| 40MP RGB 1/1.7in type sensor, f/1.8 aperture (shoots at 10MP by default with four-pixel binning/stacking) | 24MP RGB AF (F1.7) (shoots at 6MP in low light with four-pixel binning/stacking like Google Pixel 2) 2160@30fps |
| 20MP monochrome, f/1.6 aperture, depth camera for bokeh but defaults to 5MP | 5MP RGB (F2.2) Depth camera for bokeh |
| 8MP dedicated to optical 3x zoom, f/2.4 aperture | Ultra-wide: 8MP RGB (F2.4), 120° which equals the human eye FOV |
| Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) for all | Unsure |
| 24MP front camera, f/2.0 aperture | 24MP FF (F2.0), adjustable LED flash, HDR, bokeh, studio lighting, AR Emoji, filters |
| Laser autofocus and colour temperature sensor | PDAF (laser hybrid focus) |
It also has 19 AI categories called Intelligent Scene Optimizer: Food, Portraits, Flowers, Indoor scenes, Animals, Landscapes, Greenery, Trees, Sky, Mountains, Beaches, Sunrises and sunsets, Watersides, Street scenes, Night scenes, Waterfalls, Snow, Birds, and Text. These help the point-and-shoot brigade to take better idiot-proof photos.
The camera should give superior photos to any other current mid-range offering. As a bonus, it includes an ultra-wide angle lens not seen on any other device except the top-of-the-range LG G7 and V30+ ThinQ with a 125° lens.
As for the rest.
A 6” super AMOLED 2220 x 1080, 18.5:9 screen, Wi-Fi AC, NFC, 3,300mah battery and more. It looks like a class leading mid-range package.
It will launch first in Asia and Europe in mid-October and hopefully come to Australia soon after.
Samsung mobile CEO DJ Koh said the company plans to overhaul its smartphone strategy at the mid-range price point by packing new technology into its Galaxy A devices to appeal to millennials.
The Galaxy A7 is the first handset as part of the new strategy. The A7 is Samsung’s first device with a triple camera and highlights how it’s bringing new technology to lower-priced smartphones, even before its flagship handsets.
Samsung Galaxy A7 specifications
| Specs | Samsung Galaxy A7 |
| Display | 6.0” FHD+ (1080×2220) Super AMOLED, 18.5:9, Gorilla Glass (not specified), Always-on-display, AR/VR enabled |
| Camera |
Rear: Triple camera – 24MP AF (F1.7) – Ultra Wide: 8MP (F2.4), 120° – Depth: 5MP(F2.2) Front: 24MP FF (F2.0) |
| Body | 159.8 x 76.8 x 7.5 mm, 168g |
| AP | Eight Core 2.2GHz |
| Memory |
4 or 6 RAM, 64 or 128GB Internal Storage MicroSD Slot (Up to 512GB total) |
| Battery | 3,300mAh |
| OS | Android 8.0 |
| Network |
LTE Cat.6, 2CA Single and Dual SIM versions |
| Connectivity |
Wi-Fi AC dual band VHT80 Bluetooth 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+ |
| Payment | NFC |
| Sensor | Accelerometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor, GPS |
| Audio | Dolby Atmos (headphones) MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA |
| Video | MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM |
| Colours | Blue, Gold, Pink, Black |
Samsung Galaxy A7, Samsung Galaxy A7,
