Samsung Galaxy A series

The Samsung Galaxy A series (The A stands for Alpha), Meaning you can also call this series of Smartphones, the Samsung galaxy Alpha series. The Galaxy A series contains upper mid-range Android smartphones which is produced by Samsung Electronics, the company responsible for creating all Samsung smartphones, TV, Air-conditioners, DVD, Laptops, Desktops, Tablets, etc. The Samsung galaxy A series has several similarities with the Galaxy S series. However, the major differences between the A series and S series, is that the Samsung galaxy A smartphones contains lower specifications and features. The first model in the A series, is the 4.7 inch Samsung Galaxy Alpha, which was first introduced on the 13th August, 2014.
Samsung Electronics branch, which is solely responsible for the production of the galaxy A series mid range smartphones, disclosed after announcing the 2017 series, that they are aiming to sell up to 20 million Galaxy A series smartphones in 2017, targeting Users majorly in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America continents.
As of 2017, almost all Galaxy A series models devices is currently available to most countries, However, this device is not available to consumers in the United States. The Samsung galaxy Tab A is also part of the A series and available for purchase in several countries around the world.
In December 2014, exactly 3 months after the release of the first generation of the A series, the Galaxy Alpha, Samsung Mobile had planned to end the manufacturing of the Alpha in favor of its successor, which has similarly designed, but more expensive Galaxy A series. This dream was actualized in the 2015 flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S6, which comes with new design philosophy, combining a unibody metal frame with a glass backing.
In March 2015, the Mobile phone giant introduced the Galaxy Tab A series, which features tablets with 8.0 inch and 9.7 inch displays, comes with S Pen stylus, and runs some Microsoft applications, which is already preloaded into it during production. The S Pen comes with Galaxy Tab A series, making this Tablets, the first Samsung Galaxy device to be equipped with the Samsung stylus outside of the Note series.
Fast-forward to September 2015, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 and 9.7 tablets was launched and made available to the Public, featuring a premium chamfered metal design, which has similar designs and specs with the first generation Galaxy A series mobile phones.
In the last month of 2015, December, Samsung finally unveiled the 2016 edition of the Galaxy A series, showcasing to the world the new features and specifications of the A series, which includes;
Metal and glass buildup,
NFC which supports Samsung Pay,
Samsung’s Adaptive Fast charging feature,
increased Battery life.
The 2016 Galaxy A Model series have similarities to the Galaxy S6, and the Galaxy Note 5 flagships, which were released in April, 2015 and August 2015 respectively.
The company decided not to unveil their 2017 smartphones in December 2016, like in 2015. So as early as in January 2017, Samsung unveiled the 2017 edition of the Galaxy A series, including it’s new sleek designs, Features, Specifications and Market prices. This newly improved features in the Galaxy A series includes 16MP(megapixel) front and back cameras, Exynos 7 Octa 7880 SoC, a 3D glass display (Which is very similar to Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S7), barometer and gyroscope sensors, IP68 certification for water and dust resistance (similar to the Galaxy S7 Active) as well as support for Gear 360 (2017 design). This new design of the galaxy A series are very similar to the Galaxy S7 and the S7 Edge, which was released in March, 2016.

List of Samsung Galaxy A Series

Samsung galaxy Alpha

 

The Samsung galaxy Alpha is the very first smartphone to be produced in the Galaxy A series. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha made it’s first appearance on the 13th of August, 2014 and was later released in September, 2014. In 2014, this device was a high end device and was the very first Samsung smartphone to incorporate a metallic frame, although the remainder of its physical appearance still has several similarities with previous models such as the Galaxy S5.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha Specs

Display: 4.70-inch
Processor: 1.8GHz octa-core
Front Camera: 2.1-megapixel
Back Camera: 12MP
Screen Resolution: 720×1280 pixels
RAM: 2GB
OS: Android 4.4
Storage: 32GB
Battery Capacity: 1860mAh
Full Review on the Samsung galaxy Alpha Specs, Prices and Features

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Here is the List of the 1st generation of Samsung Galaxy A series smartphone, which was released between 2014/2015.

Release Dates:

The Samsung galaxy A3 was first released in October 31, 2014,
The Samsung galaxy A5 was first released in October 31, 2014,
While in January 12, 2015 The samsung galaxy A7 Smartphone was released,
In July 15, 2015 The first generation of the Samsung A8 was released.
Important Note: You should note that although this smartphone were first released between 2014/15, It does not mean that they are still of the 2014/15 era. Today, we have the Galaxy A3 for 2017, Galaxy A5 for 2017, the galaxy A7 for 2017 and finally, the A8 galaxy for 2017.
Samsung is always releasing newer models of the Galaxy A series every year, adding more features. For example, you can’t compare the A3 of 2014, to the A3 of 2017. They may have the same screen size, but their specs, features, Operating systems are different.

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Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015)

The Tech world held their breath, as Samsung announced on October 2014 the launching of the Galaxy A3. Two months later, the A3 was later released on December 2014. This smartphone is considered as a successor to the Samsung Galaxy Alpha.
The major features and specifications includes; 4.5 inch HD display, 8MP rear facing camera and a 5MP front camera for selfies and welfies. It also comes with a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset, 1 or 1.5GB of RAM and an improved 1900mAh battery. It comes shipped with Android 4.4.4 “KitKat”. However, Users of the Samsung A3 can now easily and officially update to Android 5.0.2 “Lollipop”, which became available in May, 2015.

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2015)

The second smartphone to be produced under the galaxy A series is the Samsung Galaxy A5, 2015 model. This smartphone was announced on October 2014 and released on December 2014, same date as the A3 2015 Model. This device, which is among the first generation of the A series, is also considered as a successor to the Samsung Galaxy Alpha.
The A5 device comes with features like an improved screen size of 5.0 inch HD display, a 13MP back and a 5MP front camera, the same as the A3 2015 model. This device comes with a whooping 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset, 2GB of RAM and an improved battery power of 2300mAh. Like the A3 (2015 model), the A5 also run on the Android 4.4.4 “KitKat”. However, there is good news. As Users of the Samsung galaxy A5 (2015 model), have the opportunity to update to Android 5.0.2 “Lollipop”, which was officially rolling out in May 2015. Better still, Users can now upgrade to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, starting from August 2016.
What is still not confirmed is if Users can upgrade to the Android 7.0 nougat.

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2015)

The 3rd smartphone in the first generation of the A series, is the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2015). The galaxy A7 smartphone was first announced on January 2015 and was released on February 2015, 2 months after the release of Galaxy A3 (2015) and the Galaxy A5 (2015) became available to the public.
Like all Samsung devices, the A7 comes with an improved features and specifications, which also means it will be expensive than the A3 and A5 (2015 models respectively).
The 2015 A7 smartphone specifications and features include; 5.5 inch Full HD display, a 13 MP back and a 5MP front camera, an 64-bit octa-core Exynos 5430 (LTE single-sim model) or Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (3G/LTE dual-sim model) chipset, an increased RAM of 2GB and a 2600mAh battery, which is more powerful than the A5. This device also comes shipped with Android 4.4.4 “KitKat”. Unlike the A5, you can ONLY update your 2015 A7 model to Android 5.0.2 “Lollipop”, but updating it to Android 6.0 Marshmallow is not yet confirmed.

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2015)

The Samsung Galaxy A8 was first introduced to the tech world on July 15, 2015 at an event in China, which makes it the biggest smartphone with the best features in the A series.
The Galaxy A8 is a lot thinner than the earlier models from the A-series and Samsung’s overall smartphone lineup, measuring a whooping 5.9 millimetres (0.23 in) in thickness.
The Samsung galaxy A8 2015 model specs and features includes:

• 5.7 inch Full HD display,
• 16MP back and a 5MP front camera,
• 64-bit octa-core Exynos 5430/5433 or a Snapdragon 615 chipset,
• 2GB of RAM
• 3050mAh battery.
• Android 5.1.1 “Lollipop”.

However, Samsung mobile limits this smartphone to it’s selected market after its release. The Galaxy A8 is only officially available in Middle Eastern, Asian and African markets, it was not shipped to any other continents in the world.

2016 Lineup of the Samsung galaxy A Series (2nd generation)

Release Dates

• The Samsung galaxy A3 was first released on the 2nd of December, 2015.
• The Samsung galaxy A5 was also released in December 2, 2015.
• The Samsung galaxy A7 was also released on the 2nd of December, 2015.
• The Samsung galaxy A9 was also released same date as those above.
• The Samsung galaxy A9 pro was later released on the 30th of March, 2016.
• While the Samsung galaxy A8 was released September 30th, 2016.

2016 Operating System Versions:

The following devices (A3/A5/A7/A9) came with the 2016 Android 5.1.1 Lollipop version, but can also be updated to the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and the Android 7.0 Nougat. This is for the 2016 A series;
While the 2016 A8 and A9 pro came with Android 6.0.1 “Marshmallow”, and can be upgraded to Android 7.0 “Nougat”
Improved features:

• Metal and Glass buildup with Gorilla Glass 4 on the back and front sides (A3/A5/A7/A9/A9 Pro)
• A full metal display on the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2016)
• Always-on display (A8)
• 13-megapixel back camera and 5-megapixel front camera with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
• NFC and MST technologies which support Samsung Pay electronic payments. (A5/A7/A8/A9/A9 Pro)
• Adaptive fast charging technology. (A5/A7/A8/A9/A9 Pro)
• Ultra Data Saving Mode feature powered by Opera Max (A5/A7/A9 Pro – South and Southeast Asia only)
• 2 SIM cards and 1 SD card slot combination (A5/A7/A9 Pro – Africa, Middle East and Asia only)
• Cat 4 LTE (A3), Cat 6 LTE (A5/A7/A9/A9 Pro) and Cat 9 LTE (A8)
• Bigger and improved battery life with Ultra Power Saving Mode.
• S Health: An application from Samsung that allows users to watch their weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels from their phone, despite not having a heart rate sensor similar to its flagships.
• Microsoft Apps: Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, Excel), Skype and OneDrive (free 100 GB cloud storage for 2 years).

Samsung Galaxy A9 2016

The Samsung Galaxy A9 2016, which is also known as the SAMSUNG Galaxy A9_6,runs on the Android platform and is manufactured by Samsung Electronics. The SAMSUNG Galaxy A9₆ was first introduced on the 2nd of December, 2015. The galaxy A9 was released same date as the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016), Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016), and Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
The Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016) runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, and we are still waiting to hear that the Samsung galaxy A9 can be updated to the Android 6.0 marshmallow.

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)

The Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 model, which is also called SAMSUNG Galaxy A5₆, runs on the Android operating system, and is manufactured by the Samsung Electronics. This device was first introduced and released in December, 2015, same date as the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016), Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016), and Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016).
The Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 model comes with a SoC (system on chip) Exynos 7580, which is a 64-bit Octa Core 1.6 GHz Exynos 7 SoC processor. The graphic processor of the A5 is Mali-T720. This smartphone comes with a 2GB RAM and 16 GB UFS 2.0 internal storage, and a space to insert a removable MicroSD cards of up to 128GB. This smartphone also comes with a MicroSD card slot which is has been designed to allow insertion of a SIM card, and thus the A5 (2016) can also be used in Dual SIM mode.

Samsung Galaxy A7 2016

Main Article: Samsung Galaxy A7 2016
The Samsung Galaxy A7 2016, which is also known as the SAMSUNG Galaxy A7_6, runs on the Android operating system, and is manufactured by Samsung Electronics. This device was launched and became available to the public on the 2nd of December, 2015. This smartphone was also released alongside with the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016), Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016), and Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016).
The Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) runs on the Android 5.1.1 “Lollipop” and can be upgraded to the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. This smartphone comes with awesome specs, includingt the addition of Exynos 7580 SoC,. which consists of 8 ARM Cortex-A53 backed by the Mali-T720MP2 GPU and a 3GB of RAM, with a 16GB internal storage. Users of this smartphone are also given the option of expanding this device storage memory, as you can expand the memory up to 128 GB through a MicroSD slot. With the galaxy A7 2016 model, you have the option of either inserting a second nano sim, or using the same slot to insert a MicroSD to expand and increase the storage space.
This device also comes with a 3300mAh non-removable battery like its predecessor.

Galaxy A8 2016

Main Article:  Galaxy A8 2016
This smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy A8 2016, is an Android phablet which is produced by Samsung Electronics. This device was officially released on the 30th of September, 2016. However, unlike several smartphones in the Galaxy A series, the Galaxy A8 2016 comes with a better processor, which shares similarity to the Samsung’s 2015 flagships devices, the Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
The A8 2016 model is a 5.7 inch touchscreen and a 1080×1920 pixels resolution. This device comes with a battery capacity of 3300mAh, a 16MP back camera and 8MP front camera with flash on both sides.

Galaxy A9 2016

Main Article:  Samsung Galaxy A9 2016 Specs and Features
The Samsung Galaxy A9 was officially released and made available to the public on the 2nd of December, 2015. During the next few month after it’s release, the Galaxy A9 2016 model was only available in China and Hong Kong.
In features and specification, the Galaxy A9 featrues the following;

• 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor,
• 3GB of RAM,
• 32 GB internal memory,
• 4000mAh battery with Samsung Adaptive Fast charging feature
• 6-inch Full HD display with Gorilla Glass 4.
• OP: Android 5.1.1 “Lollipop”, can be updated to the Android 6.0.1 “Marshmallow”
• Dimensions 161.7 × 80.9 × 7.4 mm
• Weight 200g
• Camera: 13MP back camera and 8MP front facing camera.

Galaxy A9 Pro 2016

Main Article: Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro 2016 Specs and Features
The newest addition to the galaxy A series is the “Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro”, which was first introduced on March 30, 2016. This device shares a lot of similarity with the original Galaxy A9, but comes with an upgraded specifications.
The Samsung galaxy A9 pro Model is SM-A910x
Its specifications include the following listed below;

• 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor,
• 4GB RAM,
• 32GB internal memory,
• 5000mAh battery with Samsung Adaptive Fast charging feature,
• 6-inch Full HD display with Gorilla Glass 4 covering on the back and front sides.
• Operates on the Android 6.0.1 “Marshmallow, and it can be upgraded to the Android 7.0 Nougat.
• Dimensions 161.7 × 80.9 × 7.9 mmDimensions 161.7 × 80.9 × 7.9 mm
• Weight 210g
• Rear camera: 16MP
• Front camera: 8MP

2017 Galaxy A Series Updates (3rd generation)

The third generation of the Samsung galaxy A line was officially released on the 2nd of January, 2017.
This series comes with the Android operating system versions:
Android 6.0.1 “Marshmallow” → Android 7.0 “Nougat” (future)
CPU/GPU/Bluetooth:
Exynos 7870 with Mali-T830 MP2 GPU and Bluetooth 4.2 (A3)
Exynos 7880 with Mali-T830 MP3 GPU and Bluetooth 4.2 (A5/A7)

Improved Features in the 2017 Models:

• All the models released in 2017 comes with a 3D glass display
• Features an “Always-on display”
• Cat 6 LTE (A3) and Cat 7 LTE (A5/A7)
• IP68 certification for water and dust resistance, just like the S7 and S8 active.
• 16MP back cameras.
• Barometer and Gyroscope sensors
• Samsung Cloud
• Secure Folder feature
• Game Launcher
• Gear 360 (2017) compatibility (with the A5/A7 2017 models)

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)

THE latest version of the Samsung galaxy A, is the 2017 Model. The A3 2017 comes with upgraded features compared to it’s predecessors, and comes with the Android 6.0.1 “Marshmallow”, with an upgrade option to Android 7.0 “Nougat”. This device comes with a Memory of 2GB RAM and a storage space of 16GB.
This device also comes with a 2350mAh non-removable battery with the fast charging feature.

Samsung galaxy A3 2017 Specs

Type	Touchscreen smartphone
Form factor	Slate
Dimensions	135.4 x 66.2 x 7.9 mm
Weight	135g
Operating system	Android 6.0.1 “Marshmallow” Upgrade to Android 7.0 “Nougat”
System on chip	Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 7870
CPU	Octa-Core 1.6 GHz
GPU	Mali-T830
Memory	2 GB RAM
Storage	16 GB
Removable storage	up to 256 GB
Battery	2350mAh (non-removable) withfast-charging
Data inputs	List[show]
Display	4.7″ (120mm) Super AMOLEDHD display withCorning Gorilla Glass 4,1280×720 pixel
Rear camera	13 MP
Front camera	8 MP
Connectivity	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot; Bluetooth v4.2, A2DP, EDR; USB Type-C v1.0 reversible connector

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

The Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 Version, is the direct successor of the A5 2016 Model. The A5 2017 version also runs on the Android Operating system, and comes with an out of the box Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, which can be upgraded to the Android 7.0 Nougat. This device was announced in the early hours of 2017.
The Samsung galaxy A5 2017 was announced on January 2, 2017, alongside with it’s Galaxy A series smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) and Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017).

Memory	3 GB RAM
Storage	32 GB
Removable storage	up to 256 GB
Battery	3000mAh (non-removable) withfast-charging
Data inputs	List[show]
Display	5.2″ Super AMOLED FHD display withCorning Gorilla Glass 4,1080×1920 px
Rear camera	16 MP
Front camera	16 MP
Connectivity	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot; Bluetooth v4.2, A2DP, EDR; USB Type-C v1.0 reversible connector

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)

This is the current latest model released in the 3rd generation of the samsung galaxy A series. The A7 2017 model was released January 2017, weighs 186g and has a thickness of 7.9mm. This device runs on the Android 6.0.1 “MarshMallow” and comes with a 3GB RAM.
This device comes with a whooping 3600mAh Li-Ion powered battery, and a 32GB storage space. Just in case you are not yet aware, the Samsung galaxy A7 2017 has the edge design, not the usual design.
This device has a display size of 5.7 and a screen resolution of 1080×1920 pixels