Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) Hands-on, First Impressions

Samsung has just launched the new Galaxy A7 (2018) and Galaxy A9 (2018) in Malaysia. The Galaxy A7 touts the company’s first triple rear camera setup, while the A9 steps it up as the world’s first quad rear camera setup.

Based on the Galaxy A7’s price and specs, it falls somewhere in the mid-range category, and will probably be more camera-centric than the competition.

But aside from the triple camera a la Huawei P20 Pro approach, it’s also a pretty sleek and stylish phone with flagship level design. Its construction is metal and glass, which has come to be the biggest design trend of 2018.

Up front, we have a 6-inch Super AMOLED Infinity display with an aspect ratio of 18:9 and a resolution of 2220 x 1080. Samsung still hasn’t budged with regards to the infamous notch, so we do get top and bottom bezels. They aren’t super thick by any means, though.

The screen is fairly bright, as it’s good enough for outdoor use at maximum brightness. Being a Samsung-made OLED based display, colors are good, blacks are deep, and it’s very sharp. The curved corners and 2.5D glass protection also add to the aesthetic factor of the phone’s overall design.

Above the display, we have the call speaker, sensors, and the 24MP f/2.0 front camera. Aside from the triple rear camera setup, the high front camera resolution tells us this can also be a selfie-centric device.

On the left side, we have the card tray with three slots. It can accommodate two nano SIM cards and a microSD slot up to 512GB, which is nice.

On the right, we have the volume buttons and a power button that doubles as the fingerprint scanner.

The power button is just at the right height despite the phone being tall. Using it as a fingerprint scanner takes some getting used to, as the button is slightly recessed. You can also swipe down on it to bring down the notifications, or double tap it to open the camera app.

Down at the bottom, we have the speaker grilles, micro USB port, and 3.5mm audio jack.

At the back, we have a glass panel protecting the metal frame that would steal the show if it weren’t for the three cameras.

Unlike the P20 Pro, whose third camera serves as a telephoto lens, the A7 goes the other route with an 8MP f/2.4 120-degree wide lens.

The 24MP f/1.7 sensor serves as the main camera, and the 5MP f/2.2 helps with depth for portrait mode.

Right now, the Galaxy A7 is looking to be a camera-centric device with lenses for most occasions. You have the option to zoom out if you’re in a situation where the main camera’s field of view isn’t enough, and we can get behind that.

Still, we’ll have to see if the company’s implementation of three cameras is the real deal. Stay tuned for our full review.

The Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) 4GB + 64GB (blue, black, gold) is priced at PHP 17,990USD 307INR 25,988EUR 292CNY 2,233 and will be available in the Philippines on October 27.

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) specs:
6.0-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2220) Super AMOLED display, 411ppi
Samsung Exynos 7 Octa (7885) 2.2GHz octa-core CPU
4GB RAM + 64GB storage + microSD card slot (up to 512GB)
4GB / 6GB RAM + 128GB storage
24MP (F1.7) AF + 8MP (F2.4) 120-deg ultra wide, + 5MP (F2.2) depth, rear cameras
24MP (F2.0) FF front camera
4G LTE Cat.6, 2CA
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80
Bluetooth 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+
NFC (depending on region)
GPS, Glonass, BeiDou
Fingerprint scanner
Android 8.0 Oreo (Bixby, Samsung Pay, Samsung Health)
3,300mAh battery
159.8 x 76.8 x 7.5mm
168g
Blue, Black, Gold, Pink