When Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 was cleared by the Wi-Fi Alliance a little over a week ago, it was evident that the Korean company was almost ready to unveil the Galaxy A 2017 successor.
At the time, we had already come across a great deal of specs and features that were expected to show up on the Samsung Galaxy A8 2018. But today, we now have our eyes on the real info following Samsung’s official unveiling of not only the A8 2018, but also the more powerful Samsung Galaxy A8+ 2018.
Just in case you didn’t know, these two phones have nothing to do with previous Samsung Galaxy A8 handsets, rather, they are successors to the outgoing Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 and Galaxy A7 2017, respectively. As it was rumored before today, the Galaxy A8 2018 and A8+ 2018 are the first Sammy midrangers to rock the new Infinity Display design that had been exclusive to the high-end Galaxy S and Note families, but this is not all that the pair brings to the fold.
Looking at the two phones, it’s easy to label them as the best midrangers from Samsung yet. The pair has lots of flagship-like features and due to the Infinity Display, there are no physical home and navigation buttons. With this in mind, the fingerprint scanner is on the back panel, but unlike the Galaxy S8 and Note 8, the scanner is below the camera for easier access. Supporting the display screen is an ergonomic curved glass on both ends of the phone and you still get the premium glass and metal design that first appeared on the Galaxy A5 and A7 2017.
The Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 rocks a 5.6-inch Super AMOLED display screen that boasts a full HD+ resolution. The phone measures just 149.2mm tall, 10mm shorter than the Galaxy A8+ 2018, which rocks a bigger 6-inch Super AMOLED panel with the same full HD+ resolution. Similar to the Galaxy S8, the Infinity Display on these two phones has the same 18.5:9 aspect ratio and they join the flagship family in supporting the Gear VR headset, the first outside the S and Note series.
We’ve seen the likes of Oppo and Vivo luring customers to their midrange phones through top-notch cameras and apparently, Samsung won’t be left behind. The Galaxy A8 2018 and A8+ 2018 have a dual selfie camera of 16MP+8MP, where both sensors have the same f/1.9 aperture, but the back panel gets a single 16MP lens with an even better f/1.7 aperture, video digital stabilization and dual-tone LED flash.
When Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 and A7 2017 were made official, besides rocking IP68 designs, the major highlight was their 16MP cameras on both ends. Well, the new Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 family is taking this to the next level with the dual selfie camera and even better main shooter, essentially making this series a camera-centric midrange family. Users can use each camera individually, thus allowing them to enjoy bokeh effects on shots. With the help of the Live Focus feature, users of the two phones will also be able to adjust the background blur before and after taking shots.
In terms of specs, the Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 ships with a 4GB RAM and two storage options of 32GB and 64GB, both of which have a microSD card slot, and a 3000mAh battery unit. As for the A8+ 2018, you get two RAM and ROM options – 4/6GB and 32/64GB – and an even bigger 3500mAh battery unit with support for fast charging, just like the standard model. Like their predecessors, these two also have IP68 certified designs for dust and water resistance. Samsung also went for the latest USB-C for connectivity, but you still get a 3.5mm audio jack. Both phones are powered by the same Exynos 7885 chipset, up from the Exynos 7880 used on the 2017 models.
In terms of software, the Galaxy A8 2018 and Galaxy A8+ 2018 have Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box, which basically means that Samsung is saving Oreo for the Galaxy S9 launch. Like their flagship counterparts, the pair has the latest Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and support for Samsung Pay out of the box. You will be able to grab either phone in black, gold, orchid grey or blue color variants.
Where the Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 will set you back €499, the A8+ 2018 will set you back €599. As you may have guessed, these are European prices, but details of other markets’ pricing remain unknown, but it won’t be long before they come out. If anything, the pair is expected to start selling in early January 2018.
What do you think about the new Galaxy A8 2018 and Galaxy A8 2018+? Let us know in your comments below.