Mobile phone Samsung Galaxy a3. Smartphone Samsung Galaxy A3 SM-A300F: model review, customer reviews. Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between different devices

For Samsung, 2017 was a year of excellence. The Koreans not only released one of the most technologically equipped flagships at the moment, the Galaxy S8, setting the bar for the famous iPhones, but also updated many younger and simpler models. Among those that were noticeably upgraded was the mid-range Samsung Galaxy A line. And not only the older models of the series, but also its youngest representative - the Samsung Galaxy A3.

Technical characteristics of Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)

The South Korean developer is quite cunning - while most manufacturers are still chasing the screen size of their smartphones, Samsung is chasing the quality of the equipment. The guys from this company know their customers. And they know that a small but productive gadget is valued much more among ordinary people than a large smartphone with a weak processor.

As a result, we see annual updates to the South Korean mid-range lineup.

Technically, the Samsung Galaxy A has undergone significant changes. However, the models in the series differ not so much from each other.

Frame

Like its older colleagues, the A3 has become smoother and more rounded. The corners of the body no longer protrude so clearly, and the edges smoothly flow from one to another. Many people don’t like this decision regarding the redesign, saying that the phone has become like a point-and-shoot device. However, these are modern trends - angular buildings now seem to be a trend of the last century.

The perimeter of the phone is framed by a metal frame, the front panel is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 with a 2.5D effect. At the back, the same glass covers a slightly curved back panel. By the way, the panel is now smooth, there are no protrusions on it, the camera lens is perfectly tucked deeper into the body, which is quite convenient. The glass surface can sometimes play a cruel joke on its owner - glass and metal in the body materials make the phone uncomfortably slippery. If you are going to carry it without a case, be careful and hold the device tightly. Any fall in this case guarantees cracks and scratches on the phone body.

The front panel is not much different from the 2016 version - the screen occupies about 70% of the entire front part of the device, above it there is a speaker, the company logo, a front camera and a proximity sensor. At the bottom is the “Home” button on the mechanics with a built-in fingerprint scanner. There is also “Return” and “Application List” on the sensor. The touch buttons do not remain visible on the panel in inactive mode, although this is one of the signs of budget - more luxury models no longer have this.

Photo gallery: features of the appearance of the smartphone

Many users noted that after the redesign the phone looked like a point-and-shoot device
The camera now practically does not protrude beyond the surface of the body

At the bottom there is a mechanical button to return to the main screen and touch-sensitive “Context menu” and “Back”
The speaker is placed on the side in an original way, next to it is the lock key

There are two connectors on the bottom - for headphones and for a charger.
Above the display you can find a speaker, front camera lens, motion sensor and the usual logo of the developer company

On the top edge of the phone, the developers placed a SIM card slot and microphone
Traditionally, volume up and down buttons are located on the left side.

The dimensions of the device remained virtually unchanged. The length and width of the phone were 135.4 x 66.2 mm, respectively, and its thickness was 7.9 mm. The weight of the model is 138 g. Compared to last year’s version, the length of the case, its thickness and weight have increased, but the width has decreased. Apparently, the developer tried to bring the phone as close as possible to FullHD parameters with 16:9 proportions.

There are only three color options: black (Black), blue (Blue), gold (Gold), pink (Pink). In general, we tried to please everyone.

The small dimensions of the phone make it extremely ergonomic and convenient. It’s pleasant to hold the phone in your hand, and an attempt to reach the opposite corner, if necessary, will be crowned with undoubted success, even for girls.

Tech stuff

Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 runs on a fairly powerful eight-core Exynos 7 Octa 7870 processor, which is manufactured using 14 nanometer technology. Four ARM Cortex-A53 cores, whose clock speed is 1.6 GHz, and the same number of Mali-T830 GPU cores were placed here. By the way, this chipset was previously found in the oldest representative of the budget J line - Samsung Galaxy J7 last year. You shouldn't expect high results from hardware designed for medium-class phones. However, for its price and niche, the phone demonstrates good performance and stable operation. For everyday work, local equipment is quite enough. More resource-intensive tasks, although they significantly load the processor, are still up to the task. But in heavy 3D games it is useless to test the power of the hardware.

Photo gallery: Galaxy A3 2017 performance tests

Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 runs on a fairly powerful eight-core Exynos 7 Octa 7870 processor. Four ARM Cortex-A53 cores are placed here, whose clock frequency is 1.6 GHz. The smartphone also has four Mali-T830 graphics processor cores.
For its price and niche, the phone demonstrates good performance and stable operation. In single tests, the cores show low results. A joint test of cores will show a completely different picture - the result is “above average”
Despite the fact that the smartphone is significantly inferior to the company's leading flagships, its performance is absolutely sufficient to complete most everyday tasks. Difficulties in work are caused only by heavy and resource-intensive 3D games If you are buying a smartphone for work and everyday tasks, and not for games and entertainment, the device will not cause any complaints

Android version 6.0.1 Marshmallow is installed here with the Grace UX shell, which among the Samsung lineup was used only in Note7. It has a non-standard notification panel and settings menu, and also provides the phone owner with an additional screen on which current news is displayed. In addition, Grace UX allows you to change the appearance of standard icons and the theme (you will, however, have to buy them), can respond to the owner’s gaze (activating the display when you look at it), and offers to optimize the phone’s energy consumption yourself. In general, Grace UX has a wagonload of useful gadgets and a small cart. Despite their abundance, the shell works quickly, and noticeable slowdowns are observed only when loading news into the panel.

It is also worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 can be upgraded to the latest Android 7.0 Nougat.

Photo gallery: operating system features

The phone is equipped with 2 GB of RAM

Almost half of the phone's total memory will be occupied by system files and folders, which are impossible to get rid of. Fortunately, the developers thought about their customers and placed here a slot for a flash card, the maximum capacity of which can reach 256 GB. Considering that the A3 is Samsung's junior model in the mid-price segment, the gift from the creators seems impressive. Although we should not forget that the additional memory slot will simply be inaccessible if the owner of the gadget uses two SIM cards. You will have to sacrifice either contacts or documents.

Of the available 16 GB of internal memory, about half will be available to the smartphone owner

Battery

The battery on the Galaxy A3 is lithium ion and non-removable. Its capacity is only 2350 mAh, but the screen with low resource consumption and the built-in processor, which intelligently distributes the load on the battery, more than compensate for the small capacity.

The battery in the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 is not very spacious, but the results and operating time are pleasantly surprising

The time of continuous work on the Internet reaches 12-17 hours, the phone can play video for up to 17 hours in a row, play audio for up to 41 hours when the screen is periodically turned on and up to 55 hours when it is turned off. At the same time, the talk time without interruptions is about 17 hours. In general, at an average load level, the smartphone can easily withstand almost two days of work.

There is no fast or wireless charging on the Galaxy A3 2017. However, even without them, the device is fully charged quite quickly - in 1.5 - 2 hours the battery replenishes its reserve to the maximum level.

The battery is undoubtedly the strong point of the smartphone, even with low figures for its capacity.

Other amenities

In addition to good technical characteristics, the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 also added several special functions that will pleasantly surprise the owners of the gadget.

IP68

The IP68 standard guarantees your smartphone reliable protection from dust and moisture entering the phone body. Now you don’t have to worry that your gadget will suddenly stop working after encountering water or a sandstorm. It can be safely placed at a depth of 1.5 meters for as long as 30 minutes. If during such a time even water cannot get inside, let alone dust.

Despite the fact that the smartphone occupies the youngest place in the line, since 2017 it is also equipped with dust and moisture protection properties

Samsung Pay

One of the undoubted advantages of the updated version of A3 is the ability to pay without a physical card. The 2017 version added support for NFC and MST technologies, which allows you to link a card to your phone and then calmly pay with it, even without having this card in your pocket. The data is reliably protected and there is no need to worry about its loss - every transaction of funds is confirmed by your fingerprint.

They didn’t forget to put Samsung Pay in the smartphone

Always-On-Display

This feature, previously exclusive to luxury models, appeared on Samsung Galaxy A line smartphones only this year. Moreover, as you can see, not only among its senior representatives, but also among the youngest A3. The function itself is as follows: the screen of your phone, even in inactive mode, displays all current notifications, events, calendar, clock and other important and useful information.

Like its older brothers in the line, the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 is not without an always-on screen feature

Blue filter

This mode changes the phone's current color scheme to a softer, warmer, autumnal color scheme. This change has a very beneficial effect on the eyes of the owner of the device, relieves tension from them, and allows the eye muscles to relax. As a result, the time you spend using the phone increases, and discomfort and fatigue decrease.

USB Type C (1.0)

Among other things, the phone has a new USB connector. This is now USB Type C version 1.0. How is the new connector different from the old one? Yes, because it is symmetrical, which means that it doesn’t matter which side you try to insert it into the phone. Any will do.

Fingerprint's scanner

The fingerprint scanner is built into the mechanical Home button on the front of the phone. Users have very mixed reviews about its work. Some are satisfied with the device, noting the fast response (less than 1.5 seconds to unlock) and smooth operation. Others categorically state that the scanner is mediocre and only works every time. Considering that we are talking about a junior phone in the budget line, such flaws seem forgivable.

The fingerprint scanner in the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017, although weak, is still present

Camera

The smartphone is equipped with a camera with a main camera resolution of 13 megapixels. The focal power of the lens is f/1.9. Like older models, the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 has both built-in standard modes and a Pro mode, which involves manual adjustment of most parameters. So, in this mode you can easily adjust ISO, i.e. the light sensitivity of the lens, select the white level, set exposure and much more. The camera interface is also very standard and is unlikely to cause confusion among those who have used Samsung smartphones in recent years.

In addition to the standard ones, the camera is equipped with an HDR mode. If some time ago this mode justifiably seemed useless and ineffective to many users, now HDR often “pulls out” many pictures. On the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017, this mode works very smoothly. After applying HDR, dark holes do not acquire unnatural shades, and highlights do not turn gray.

Left - picture without HDR, right - with HDR mode

Daytime shooting

During the day, the camera focuses the image very accurately and quickly. The frames are detailed, bright, rich and pleasant. The color gamut of the photographs is close to natural, the range of shades is high and varied. As for the white balance, the camera determines it quite close to the original, i.e., real, picture.

However, it is also noticeable that the smartphone is a junior version of the line. The Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 lacks optical stabilization, due to which, even during the day, pictures can sometimes come out insufficiently clear and blurry in places. In this situation, the quality of the photo directly depends on the stamina and reliability of the hand that holds it. Given the light weight of the product, as well as its size, trying to take a good, clear photo becomes a serious task. And in conditions of night shooting or indoor shooting, it becomes even more difficult.

Photo gallery: daytime shooting

The front camera of the phone has a resolution of 8 megapixels and an aperture equal to the main camera, f/1.9

The Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 carries over the same convenience in handling the front camera as its older S-series brothers. You can switch from camera to camera with a simple swipe on the display, take pictures with a quick touch of the screen, or shoot using a voice command or gesture.

With the updated front camera, you don't have to worry about the quality of the pictures - they will be beautiful

Video

The Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 shoots videos in FullHD quality, with a frame rate of 30 fps. The user has access to a panorama mode, as well as a Pro mode with the same settings as the camera.

Video: Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 camera review

Price

The price range of the Galaxy A3 2017 is very large - from 14,700 to 22,990 rubles. The cost of the model in the official Samsung store as of July 2017 is 19,990 rubles.

Video: review of the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 smartphone

A significant update in the design of the Galaxy A line compared to last year's series brought new case materials and hardware solutions to the middle class of smartphones. Until recently, the tandem of glass and metal was the prerogative of top solutions, but times are changing. Most recently, we tested two older models of the series: and. Today we will get acquainted with the younger model: Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016).

The appearance of the Galaxy A3 smartphone is a continuation of the Galaxy S6 line and is significantly different for the better from last year's Galaxy A3 (2015). This is achieved thanks to the quality of workmanship and materials.

The body of the smartphone is made of metal and covered on both sides with rounded glass 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4. High-quality oleophobic coating practically eliminates the appearance of fingerprints on the glass, but increases the overall slipperiness of the device. The metal body is rounded, but has flat sides for a more secure grip.

The smartphone is available in four colors: black, gold, white and pink. We received a model in gold color for testing.

The arrangement of controls and functional elements is typical for the latest generation Samsung Galaxy models. At the top of the front panel there are proximity and light sensors, a speaker and a front camera eye.

At the bottom, there is a hardware home button (without a scanner) and a pair of blue-backlit touch buttons. On the left side there are volume buttons, on the right there is a button to turn on the smartphone and a dual nano SIM card tray.

This allows you to use either two nano SIM cards, or change one to microSD (up to 128 GB supported). On the top edge of the case there is a slot for a noise-canceling speaker, at the bottom you can find 3.5mm mini-jack connectors, micro USB connectors, a speaker and a microphone hole. At the back is the main camera module and LED flash.

There are not the slightest complaints about the build quality; everything is done at a high level with an excellent fit of parts. The hardware buttons have a nice, distinct response. Rounded edges and thin display frames make the device as compact as possible, allowing it to be used with one hand.Comparing the Galaxy A3 2015 and 2016, many positive changes are immediately noticeable.

	Samsung A300H Galaxy A3 (Midnight Black) 3 195 - 3 195 UAH Compare prices	Samsung A310F Galaxy A3 (2016) (Black) 1 899 - 1 899 UAH Compare prices
Type	Smartphone	Smartphone
SIM card type	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM
Standard	GSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100
High speed data transfer	GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA	GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSPA. LTE
Number of SIM cards	2 (or microSD card)	2 (or microSD card)
operating system	Android 4.4.4 (KitKat)	Android 5.1 (Lollipop)
RAM, GB	1	1,5
Built-in memory, GB	16	16
Expansion slot	microSD/SDHC/SDXC (up to 64 GB)	microSD/SDHC (up to 128 GB)
Dimensions, mm	130.1×65.5×6.9	134.5×65.2×7.3
Weight, g	110,3	132
Accumulator battery	1900 mAh (non-removable)	2300 mAh (non-removable)
Operating time (manufacturer's data)	up to 11 hours of surfing (Wi-Fi)	up to 12 hours of surfing the Internet (3G)
Diagonal, inches	4,5	4,7
Permission	540x960	1280x720
Matrix type	Super AMOLED	Super AMOLED
PPI	245	312
Dimming sensor	+	+
Touch screen (type)	touch (capacitive)	touch (capacitive)
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 + GPU Adreno 306	Exynos 7 Octa 7580 + GPU Mali-T720
Kernel type	Cortex-A53	Cortex-A53
Number of Cores	4	4
Frequency, GHz	1,2	1,5
Main camera, MP	8	13
Autofocus	+	+
Video shooting	+	+
Flash	LED	LED
Front camera, MP	5	5
WiFi	802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot	802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth	4.0 (BLE), ANT+	Bluetooth 4.1, ANT+
GPS	+ (A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou)	(A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou)
IrDA	—	—
NFC	—	+
Interface connector	USB 2.0 (micro-USB)	USB 2.0 (micro-USB)
Audio jack	3.5 mm	3.5 mm
MP3 player	+	+
FM radio	+	+
Type of shell	monoblock (non-separable)	monoblock (non-separable)

But still, one of the main things is that Samsung used high-quality materials (2.5D Gorilla Glass 4th generation + metal body) and a new display.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) has a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels. Pixelation of small text occurs, but is noticeable upon very close inspection. There is no air gap on the display, and the pixel density is 312 ppi.

Automatic backlight adjustment works correctly and quickly adapts to changes in lighting. Viewing angles are wide, color reproduction and contrast are good, with deep blacks characteristic of Super AMOLED. In the display settings, it is possible to change the “Screen Modes” by choosing from 4 preset profiles. The default is Adaptive Display.

Overall, the screen can be described as decent, with wide viewing angles, typical Super AMOLED color temperature and a good oleophobic coating. We note the excellent behavior of the display in the sun; information is easy to read, without color degradation.

Hardware

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) is built on an Exynos 7 Octa 7580 processor with an operating frequency of 1.5 GHz and a Mali-T720 video adapter.

The device has 1.5 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. It is possible to expand the memory by installing microSD memory cards (up to 128 GB). Of course, by today's standards, 1.5 GB of RAM is not so much, I would like to see a larger volume, but Samsung has clearly set priorities in the Galaxy A series (Galaxy A3 - 1.5 GB RAM, Galaxy A5 - 2 GB RAM, Galaxy A7 - 3 GB RAM).

Overall, the performance of the Samsung Galaxy A3 is at an average level; the tests performed showed the following results:

Communication capabilities are represented by wireless modules Wi-Fi standard 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC and GPS (A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou).

During the test, there were no problems with signal reception and transmission. The sound of the conversational and external speakers did not cause any complaints.

Interface

The software part of the Samsung Galaxy A3 is built on the Android OS version 5.1.1 and the proprietary TouchWiz Nature UX shell version 5.0. It is well recognizable due to the fact that it is also used on other models of the company.

The lock screen displays the clock, weather, and missed events are sorted by date. It is also possible to quickly go to the phone book or launch the camera.

The built-in Smart Manager program allows you to visually monitor the main parameters of your smartphone (RAM volume, internal memory, virus scan, battery consumption) and clear the memory if necessary.

Let's note a nice feature: the Home button has additional functionality: launching the camera by double-clicking when the device is locked and the ability to answer an incoming call.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy A3 is equipped with two camera modules, 13 MP and 5 MP. Both cameras have the same f/1.9 aperture, but unlike older versions (Galaxy A5, A7), the main module does not have optical stabilization. The maximum resolution when recording video is 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. The camera interface is simple and clear, nothing unnecessary or complicated. There are basic modes and effects for image processing.

The quality of the images can generally be described as average, the picture lacks overall sharpness when viewed on a monitor, but on a smartphone screen the picture looks good.

Examples of main camera shots

Examples of front camera shots

Video recording example

Autonomy

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) is equipped with a 2300 mAh non-removable battery, which is 400 mAh more than its predecessor. During the battery test, the screen brightness was set to 200 cd/m². The test device gave a good result in the PCMark test, lasting 9 hours and 6 minutes, discharged from 100% to 21%.

In real-life conditions of use (calls, Internet surfing, watching videos and photos), the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) lasted 2 days and 2 hours, with 5 hours 40 minutes of active screen, which is a good indicator.

Minuses: there is no fingerprint scanner, as in older models; lack of event indicator; no optical camera stabilization

Conclusion: Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) is characterized by compact body sizes, modern design and good materials. The balanced technical characteristics are more likely intended for an audience looking for a long-lasting device with small dimensions and a decent screen. In general, the smartphone performed well in all aspects, naturally it lacks some features (fingerprint scanner, optical stabilization), but do not forget that this is a junior model in the Samsung Galaxy A line.

Specifications

We were able to see metal in the finishing of the body of a Samsung smartphone. But not the only “alpha” - a few months later the company announced a line of metal smartphones, which so far included only two devices: A3 and A5. In this review we will look at the younger model – Samsung Galaxy A3.

First impressions and appearance

Probably everyone who held an Alpha for the first time knows this feeling when you pick up a Samsung and can’t believe it’s a Samsung. With A3 everything is exactly the same. Just the fact that it's Samsung adds a new feeling. Which? The smartphone is compact and, you see, today it is difficult to remember a small smartphone running Android, which, no matter how trivial it may sound, felt pleasantly cool in the palm of your hand from the first touch. An analogy immediately arises with the iPhone 4, 4S, 5 and 5S, but we won’t talk about them, since this is obvious.

The smartphone is almost entirely metal. Its frame, physical buttons and back panel are made of a material beloved by geeks. Almost the entire front panel, as is customary, is occupied by protective glass. But there is a fly in the ointment in this barrel of honey - almost the entire metal surface of the A3 is covered with a certain matte-to-touch composition, which gives the smartphone a pearlescent tint and at the same time deprives the device of part of the wow effect that an all-metal body could produce.

The dimensions of the device are 130.1 x 65.5 x 6.9 mm, weight – 110.3 g. The gadget feels thin and light and, in general, small. We live in such terrible times when a smartphone with a diagonal of 4.5 inches can be called compact without the slightest remorse.

Display

If there's one thing the Galaxy A3 is pure Samsung, it's the display. A truly Korean Super AMOLED matrix with all the ensuing consequences is installed here. Some will prefer these acidic colors, while others will not like them. The long-suffering black is truly black here. The resolution of this display is 960 x 540 pixels, which on 4.5 inches gives a pixel density of 245 ppi.

Using TouchWiz, the A3 display can be calibrated, customized for yourself, there are 4 modes to choose from: “Adaptive Display” (automatically optimizes the color range, saturation and sharpness of images for gallery applications, camera and Play Books), “Movie AMOLED”, “Photo AMOLED” and "Basic". There are no questions about the viewing angles and responsiveness of the display, but it does not recognize more than five simultaneous touches - not that this somehow limits the user’s actions, but this fact takes place.

Cameras

The resolution of the main camera of the Samsung Galaxy A3 is 8 MP. And it sticks out; Samsung engineers were unable to fit an eight-megapixel module into a 6.9 mm thick body. A diode flash was located next to it. The Galaxy A3 takes really good pictures. There are a bunch of features, filters and camera settings in the best traditions of TouchWiz, but I never found ordinary HDR. The video is recorded in FullHD resolution, its quality will also suit the average person.

The front camera in the Galaxy A3 has a resolution of 5 MP. It also has a bunch of modes and settings that are designed to make your selfies as cool and unusual as possible. But if we discard all this unnecessary tinsel, what remains is a very good front camera, which can not only take tons of selfies, but also show its owner in Skype in the best possible way.

Examples of photos and videos

Hardware and software

Inside the smartphone there are four Qualcomm cores operating at a frequency of 1.2 GHz, and they are supported by the Adreno 306 graphics accelerator. The smartphone has 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, which can be expanded using microSD memory cards. By the way, about them. In the Samsung Galaxy A3, the memory card slot is combined with a slot for a second SIM card. As you already understand, the Galaxy A3 is a dual-SIM smartphone. However, if you install a memory card in it, there will be no space left for a second SIM card.

Samsung on Qualcomm. This phrase can please or at least reassure most geeks, but in this particular case, everything is not so smooth. It would seem that with processors manufactured by Qualcomm, modern mobile games should at a minimum run smoothly and stably, and at a maximum show everything they are capable of. But no. No matter how hard I tried, Real Racing 3 could not start on the Galaxy A3, but Dead Trigger 2 can be played without any problems even at maximum settings.

Operating system – Android 4.4.4 KitKat with a proprietary TouchWiz interface to boot. It’s cool (although probably not so cool today) that the manufacturer installed a relatively recent version of Android into the smartphone, and it’s not entirely cool that the version of the proprietary shell is somewhat stripped down. It’s not clear why, but the HDR mode in the standard camera application, for example, became a victim of this “cutdown”.

As befits a mid-range smartphone, the synthetic tests of the Samsung Galaxy A3 do not have enough stars from the sky.

I was pleasantly surprised by the battery. Having familiarized yourself with the characteristics of the device, you think: “How many minutes of smartphone operation will 1900 mAh last today?” But after spending some time with the Galaxy A3, you realize that this battery capacity is quite enough for a day of use. Of course, the manufacturer could have installed a more capacious battery, but for the Galaxy A3 its thickness plays a big role.

All 2017 Galaxy A series smartphones have become much more rounded. So rounded that some reviewers even call the design “soapy.” In my opinion, everything is far from so terrible. On the contrary: the gadgets look extremely neat, no pretentiousness. There is a metal panel around the perimeter, 2.5D glass with a volume effect in front, and a curved glass “back” at the back.

Galaxy A3 (2016)

Galaxy A3 (2017)

If there is anything to find fault with, it is only the rear panel, which looks a bit empty due to the small camera lens. By the way, now he doesn’t protrude out at all.

The glass body with matte metal on the ends glides in your hands. If it’s frosty outside and your hand is in a knitted glove, then you need to be extremely careful. Falls are unacceptable - this is almost a hundred percent crack or scratch on either the front or rear glass.

The main advantage of the A3 (2017) is its very compact size. The device is comfortable to hold; you can operate it with one hand, whether on the move or while running. Still, it’s a pity that there are fewer and fewer models with 4.7-inch screens on the market every year.

Not without a wow factor: like the flagships S7 and S7 edge, all Samsung A-series smartphones of 2017 are also protected according to the IP68 standard. This means that dust will not get inside the case, plus the phones can be kept for 30 minutes at a depth of up to 1.5 meters.

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) is protected from water: the gadget can be kept for half an hour at a depth of up to 1.5 meters.

Another important nuance: the A3 (2017) now supports Samsung Pay. The 2016 model did not have it, although the A5 (2016) and A7 (2016) work with the payment service.

The speaker is located cleverly - on the upper part of the right side. And, you know, it's convenient! It does not overlap with fingers either vertically or horizontally. The sound, however, is far from ideal. The volume is slightly above average, the audio is a little muffled due to the protective membrane, and the low frequencies are frustrating.

The fingerprint scanner, like in other Samsung smartphones, is built into the mechanical Home button under the screen. The papillary pattern is recognized quickly, and it is not necessary to press the unlock button.

Sometimes the sensor glitches: it completely refuses to recognize the fingerprint, and that’s it. Only entering a PIN, password or pattern key helps. I got fed up with this already on the second day of testing, and I simply turned off the scanner.

Good picture, low resolution

For IPS this would be enough, but the features of AMOLED are such that due to the PenTile effect, individual pixels are easily distinguishable by the naked eye. This is especially annoying when reading e-books or text from web pages. Grain also makes it difficult to adequately evaluate the quality of the resulting photos after shooting - they look better on a smartphone screen than on a computer monitor.

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) has a Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Not enough.

The Always On function migrated from the flagships to the A3 and other A-series models in 2017. This is when in sleep mode the display shows a clock or calendar plus notifications about missed calls and messages.

According to various estimates, such a feature eats up from 1.5 to 3% of the smartphone’s charge per hour. In a day we get from minus 20 to minus 35 percent of the battery. So it’s better not to turn Always On on at all.

There is a night mode. It’s easy to guess from the name “Blue Filter” that it turns off shades of the blue spectrum, and in the dark your eyes are less tired. There are also four color profiles to choose from and the ability to manually adjust the screen color balance.

One of the options for displaying information on the screen of a locked smartphone in Always On mode

Gaming on low or medium settings

The Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) is not designed for mobile games. The eight-core Exynos 7870 with a frequency of 1.6 GHz and 2 GB of RAM (of which the system eats up more than half) is not enough for serious mobile entertainment. For example, when playing at high (and sometimes even medium) graphics settings in demanding games like World of Tanks Blitz and Unkilled, frame drops often occur - the image jerks. So for serious projects it is better to choose the minimum. Of course, there will be no problems with simple arcade games or puzzles. But the case practically does not heat up and performance does not drop after a long load.

A much more serious difficulty is the constant lack of memory. The built-in 16 GB, of which the user only has less than 6 GB, is very little. The necessary applications, one episode of the series plus a couple of decent games and that’s it - it’s time to put a memory card in the compartment instead of the second SIM. In general, there is no need to have any illusions about the dual-SIM functionality of the Galaxy A3 (2017). The maximum allowed microSD capacity is 256 GB.

Comparison of A3 (2017) performance with other smartphones in benchmarks. The higher the result, the better.

Excellent front camera and good main camera

The 13-megapixel camera of the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) pleased with its quick launch by double-clicking the Home button and its user-friendly interface. Everything you need is always at hand, there is a manual mode and a convenient slider with which you can quickly make the frame lighter or darker. This is called exposure compensation.

During the day, at dusk and in rooms with artificial light, the automation works great. The smartphone focuses quickly (although the A5 and A7 are better in this regard due to phase-detection AF), there are no errors with white balance, and frames are saved to memory quickly. In a word, photography is comfortable. There is only one problem - in some places the pictures look a little blurry. When viewing on a computer, you just want to go into Photoshop and turn on the sharpening macro.

No HDR

With HDR

When it comes to night photography, things get sad. Autofocus hunts and misses, detail drops, and a lot of noise appears. It is best to switch to manual mode and compensate for automatic errors with your knowledge of shooting parameters.

Video can only be recorded in Full HD, but the modest processor would hardly be able to handle anything more. You shouldn't play operator at night, but you can during the day. The main thing is to hold your smartphone tightly, move it smoothly and do not remove it while moving. There is no optical stabilization.

To summarize briefly about the main camera, these are my impressions. The Galaxy A3 (2017) takes better photos than budget Meizu and Xiaomi, but worse than some competitor smartphones with a larger diagonal. Of the more budget alternatives, the most interesting in this regard is the Honor 6X. You can also look at the Sony Xperia XA - the quality of the pictures is higher there, but the automation is worse. Comparable in price, Huawei nova can easily compete with the A3 (2017) in terms of selfies.

By the way, about self-portraits. They are good: the 8-megapixel front camera works real miracles in normal lighting. Sharpness, detail, color rendition - everything is in perfect order. Corrections need to be made only for the lack of autofocus. See examples of shooting with comments in our gallery:

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Works for a long time, charges quickly

Inside the smartphone there is a 2350 mAh battery, but you shouldn’t be afraid of such a modest capacity. Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) works its fair day with above-average load or 1.5 days in economy mode.

The combination of an economical processor and a low-resolution AMOLED screen has an effect. This is especially evident in monotests. The smartphone can play Full HD video at maximum brightness for 19.5 hours. Our favorite simple arcade game, Subway Surfers, at maximum brightness, drains the battery in about 7 hours.

Operating time of Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) in comparison with competitors and record holders, indicated in minutes

The Koreans equipped all three new A-series smartphones, including the A3, with a USB Type-C connector, and rightly so. The road to unification! The A5 and A7 claim fast charging; the A3 does not support such technology, which, however, does not prevent the gadget from being fully charged from 0 to 100% in 1.5 hours.

Comparison with competitors

Finding a decent smartphone on sale with a screen diagonal of less than 5 inches is quite a quest. The Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) actually has only two competitors in this field - Sony Xperia X Compact And iPhone SE. Both are much more expensive in official retail. However, a compact Apple smartphone from “gray” supplies can be considered as an alternative - you will get a stable OS, powerful hardware and a combination of a good main and disgusting front camera.

Starting from five inches, very good options appear. Of course, there is no IP68 protection anywhere (this is cool, but do you really need it?) and support for Samsung Pay (not everyone needs it either), but many of the main characteristics of competitors are better, and prices are lower.

The most interesting alternative is Huawei nova. You'll gain a little in price (from 1 to 4 thousand), get a better screen, an all-metal body, 32 GB of memory instead of 16 GB and slightly better performance with about the same cameras. You will lose in autonomy.

The nomination “budget model with a guarantee” is a metal Meizu M3S mini with 32 GB of internal memory. The camera and battery are worse here, and the overall performance is slightly lower, but this is compensated by 3 GB of RAM versus 2 GB for Samsung. The screen is also HD, but IPS, so there is no graininess. The most important thing is the price. In official retail, the gadget costs 9,000 rubles cheaper.

About the same thing, but without a guarantee - this is Xiaomi Redmi 3S with 32 GB of memory, starting at 10,000 rubles. You can, of course, officially from one of the retailers for 15,500, but since there is Meizu, there is little point in this. For almost 2.5 times less money we get comparable performance, good battery life and more memory. Plus shell glitches, compatibility with applications and the possibility of running into a model without support for Russian LTE bands as a bonus.

If the screen diagonal doesn’t matter to you, then among the 5.2 and 5.5-inch models there is an even wider choice, but we won’t dwell on them. Still, the A3 (2017) is a device specifically for lovers of small smartphones; the competitors must be appropriate.

Opinion site

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) is an interesting smartphone. No one has yet offered mass models from the middle price segment with protection from water and dust. Ugly rubberized bricks from little-known brands don't count. These are niche products.

However, at a price of 23,000 rubles, this phone should be an almost ideal compact “mid-ranger”. The situation is different: there is a weak hardware, a lack of memory (only 16 GB, of which only 6 are free) and a hybrid slot, a grainy screen and a glitchy fingerprint scanner.

Does it make sense to replace the A3 (2016) with a new model? In my opinion, only if you really want to start using the Samsung Pay service. In A3 (2017) its support appeared. This may also be justified if you like to take self-portraits - the selfie camera is good here. Water protection is not a serious reason for updating, but everyone probably has their own opinion.

Pros:

• Water and dust protection (IP68)
• Compact and convenient body
• Excellent build quality
• Bright AMOLED screen
• Good automatic main camera
• Cool selfie camera
• USB Type-C connector
• Charges quickly
• There will be an update to Android 7.0
• Supports Samsung Pay

Minuses:

• High price
• Low performance
• Slippery body
• Low screen resolution
• 16 GB memory and hybrid slot
• Glitchy fingerprint scanner