The 2018 version of the Samsung Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+ smartphones were officially announced on Tuesday, after their fair share of leaks and rumors. They bear the design heritage and user experience of the Samsung Galaxy S8 with features like Infinity Displays and IP68-certified dust and water resistance, in addition to dual selfie camera setups, which is the first from the company. Samsung will start selling the Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+ in early January 2018, though a price tag has not been announced yet and we’ll understand it soon.
Samsung Galaxy A8 and the Galaxy A8+ both come with an IP68-certified build and have Samsung Pay integration. Also, the smartphones are the first in the Galaxy A series to support the company’s Gear VR headset. Both will arrive in stores in four colour options, namely, Black, Blue, Gold, and Orchid Grey – targeting millennials and young users.
Samsung A8 & A8+ Features
Samsung Galaxy A8 and the Galaxy A8+ both come with an IP68-certified build and have Samsung Pay integration. Also, the smartphones are the first in the Galaxy A series to support the company’s Gear VR headset. Both will arrive in stores in four color options, namely, Black, Blue, Gold, and Orchid Grey – targeting millennials and young users.Sure, past versions of the Galaxy A have had really good builds too, but this is by far the best that has been released.
Samsung polished the metal band around the handset to a shine so that it matches this year’s flagships, making it feel a lot like a mini S8.While the panel looks good, I really think the bezels could have been a little smaller. Instead, you’re left with a relatively fat band around the smartphone’s screen which isn’t very attractive. Sure, Samsung might also call this an “Infinity Display” but it’s not curved so it doesn’t bleed over the edge like Samsung’s flagship models.
Hardware & Specs
Specification-wise, the Android 7.1.1 Nougat-running Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) appear as the successors to the company’s Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017). The Galaxy A8 (2018), among the two, features a 5.6-inch full-HD+ (2220×1080 pixels) Super AMOLED display with 18.5:9 aspect ratio (the same as the Samsung Galaxy S8), while the Galaxy A8+ (2018) has a 6-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display. There is a curved glass protection on top of the Infinity Display panels, identical to the ones featured on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. Under the hood, both the smartphones have an octa-core chip with two cores clocked at 2.2GHz and six cores clocked at 1.6GHz. The Galaxy A8 has 4GB RAM, whereas the Galaxy A8+ comes in 4GB and 6GB RAM options.
Samsung has provided two front-facing camera sensors on the Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+ to persuade the selfie-taking youth. There is a 16-megapixel fixed focus, f/1.9 camera sensor, and an 8-megapixel f/1.9 sensor. Both the sensors provide users with the option to either have a blurred background to create a bokeh effect on their selfies or have a clear and crisp background as well as a focused foreground. Also, there is a pre-installed Live Focus feature that helps users to adjust the Bokeh effect even after capturing the self-portraits. In addition to the dual camera setup, the smartphones have a 16-megapixel camera sensor on the back with a f/1.7 lens. The rear camera sensor supports video digital image stabilization (VDis) technology and has features such as hyperlapse and a Food mode.
The Samsung Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+ have 32GB and 64GB onboard storage options that are expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB). On the connectivity front, the smartphones have 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, and USB Type-C port. Besides, the Galaxy A8 packs a 3000mAh battery, while the Galaxy A8+ has a 3500mAh battery.
