Samsung Introduces Galaxy A-series 2017 with IP68 Rating and USB Type-C

Starting the new year with a bang (a figurative one, for now), Samsung has launched the next iteration of its mid range lineup. The A-series smartphones spread across three different screen sizes and configurations in order to help Samsung’s brand in lower price brackets.

The main highlights this year with the A-series is that all of the phones in this lineup are now bearing IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. Further, all the phones come with a USB Type-C port, making them better equipped for the future. Other common features across the devices include the fingerprint sensor on the front home button, Super AMOLED display, Dual SIM options and Samsung Pay with MST functionality.

The phones also sport the same design language, just in different sizes as has been the trend with the A-series. You get an aluminum mid-frame on the device, followed along with glass on the back. This means that you do not have the privilege of removable batteries that once used to be commonplace, although you do get microSD expandability up to 256GB. Samsung’s press release is also silent on the exact specifics of the SoC used in each of these devices as well. The speakers on the devices are also unconventionally placed on the right hand side near the power button, instead of the bottom of the mid-frame.

	Galaxy A3 2017	Galaxy A5 2017	Galaxy A7 2017
Display	4.7″ HD	5.2″ FHD	5.7″ FHD
Processor	1.6 GHz, Octa Core	1.9 GHz, Octa Core	1.9 GHz, Octa Core
RAM	2GB	3GB	3GB
Internal Storage	16GB	32GB	32GB
Rear Camera	13MP, f/1.9	16MP, f/1.9	16MP, f/1.9
Front Camera	8MP, f/1.9	16MP, f/1.9	16MP, f/1.9
Battery	2350 mAh	3000 mAh	3600 mAh
Fast Charging	No	Yes	Yes

The most disappointing part of the phones is perhaps Samsung’s decision to release the devices with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, with their Touchwiz skin. OEMs often support devices up to a limited major Android releases, so even if the devices do receive Android 7.1 Nougat in a timely manner, this will count against the device’s future-proofing. Of course, since this is a Samsung device, so you also get KNOX functionality out of the box.

The Galaxy A series devices will be available in Russia in early-January and then expand on to global markets. Pricing information is unknown at this stage.

Assuming that the SoC is the same on the A5 2017 and the A7 2017, the A5 2017 makes for a good mid range device that is not handicapped in terms of specs when compared to its larger brother. The exact SoC will determine if the device can stand against flagships at all, but we are not holding our breaths on this one.

What are your thoughts on the 2017 A-series devices from Samsung? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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