At the moment, the phone from Samsung, which was named Galaxy A7, is considered one of the best smartphones on the market for similar equipment. However, due to the high cost, which generally corresponds to the quality of the device, the device is not very popular with buyers. It is because of this that the company decided to transfer a large number of functions and design components to another phone of the same line. Let's talk about him in this article. Its name is "Samsung Galaxy A5". It was released in 2017, but it was already sold in quite a large number among consumers. Perhaps the point is that the gadget has taken a place in the middle price category. In order to compose full description device will be based on customer feedback.
General inspection
Phone "Samsung A5" in such a short period of time was able to establish itself as a rather powerful device for its price category. Operating system which is used - "Android 6.0", in other words, "Marshmallow". Moreover, the interface and the menu of the phone look quite interesting and fresh. This is because the manufacturer has installed their own skin. The gadget works as quickly as possible due to the presence of 3 GB of RAM and an 8-core processor.The screen got a diameter of 5 inches, a resolution of 1080 × 1920 pixels. Consumers are completely satisfied with these characteristics. What else can the display boast of? It does not fade in direct sunlight. On the street, visibility is excellent in all weather conditions.
The Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone has received a wireless Internet module and operates at 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies. The manufacturer has built in a fingerprint scanner, which functions perfectly.
Even with such excellent characteristics, consumers still caused some nuances of a negative reaction. In Russia, the average cost of a device is 28 thousand rubles. It is much more expensive than all of its competitors. But of course, in terms of quality, the latter are significantly inferior.
The Samsung A5 phone received distinctive characteristics. What is it about? On the presence of glass that covers the case, as well as on the use of protective technology. The latter makes the smartphone resistant to dust and water. Also, the device received a unique design, which quite claims to be premium. The manufacturer also took care of fast charging... The 3,000 mAh battery takes about 1 hour to charge.
Pros and cons, according to consumers
Consumers immediately after the purchase began to look for disadvantages and advantages. Let's take a look at the positive characteristics of the phone first.- The screen is large and perfectly fits the size of the case. There is a separate port for the memory card. The case is protected from water and dust. The design is incredibly good. Charging is as fast as possible.
- Due to the ratio of the dollar to the ruble, the cost is slightly overestimated. Although for the American buyer it is ideal. Some consumers note the disadvantages of using the Marshmallow operating system. Due to the presence of glass on the case, the device seems rather fragile, but no one has yet dared to test it for strength.
Specifications
The phone went on sale in mid-January 2017. Around the same time, a cover for Samsung A5 began to be sold. The average cost of a gadget, which has already been mentioned above, is 28 thousand rubles. Available colors of the case: blue, gold and black. The form factor is already clear: a smartphone. Dimensions of the gadget: length - 14.6 cm, width - 7.1 cm, thickness - 0.7 cm. The total weight of the phone is 160 g. Of the available touch functions, the following can be noted: barometer, accelerometer, fingerprint scanner, compass, light sensors, proximity, hall. There are also the usual mechanical buttons: power keys, volume control. You can protect your device with a pin code, password, pattern or fingerprint.These are the characteristics of the Samsung A5 phone. The only thing missing is more detailed description each of the elements.
- CPU. The chipset is Exynos 7880. The processor has 8 cores for operation. The clock frequency is slightly below 2 GHz, being limited to 1.9 GHz. Perhaps this "conquered" consumers by the phone "Samsung A5". Memory. The internal memory is 32 GB, and the RAM is 3 GB. The phone works with microSD. Its maximum capacity can be up to 256 GB. Display. Supports multitouch. Diagonal - 5.2 inches. Standard color rendition - 16.7 million. These characteristics are not particularly distinguished by the smartphone "Samsung A5". Camera. The main and front ones received a resolution of 16 megapixels. There is a flash that makes it easier to take pictures in dark places. If possible, it is allowed to set geotags. Video shooting function is provided. Using the wireless module, it is allowed to connect to TVs. Panorama function available. Capacity - 3 thousand mAh. It is possible to quickly charge the phone, while the wireless process is not. In standby mode it is capable of holding up to 320 hours. During a conversation - no more than 12 hours. With continuous music playback - up to 30 hours, and video - up to 8 hours.
Feedback on display and design
The majority of consumers call the thickness of the device "Samsung A5", the characteristics of which already make one think about buying it, normal. By today's standards, it cannot be declared too small, but it is optimal. I was also pleased with the weight of the device. Moreover, due to the use of protective technology, it was quite expected that the dimensions would become somewhat large. Consumers called the presence of a speakerphone on the right side part a good move. An additional improvement is that the camera does not protrude from the body. The consumers liked it pretty much. After all, when the device is on the table, it does not wobble.Buyers noted good screen... It is possible to display any applications on the active display in order to have quick access to them. Many reviews have focused on how amazing the screen-to-body ratio is. The phone is easy to hold and operate.
CPU and memory reviews
When it comes to processor and memory, gaming enthusiasts immediately come to life. I must say that the phone works great with fairly capacious programs, even when it comes to 3D graphics. So, gamers should also pay attention to the Samsung A5.RAM reviews are also good. Users note that due to the built-in shell, which consumes few resources, the phone does not slow down and works as quickly as possible. Some were upset that of all 32 GB, only 23 GB is available to the user. But the memory can be easily expanded with external storage.
Camera Reviews
We continue our review of Samsung A5. Reviews of the camera are only good. Consumers note some difference between the images of the front matrix and the main one. The first is devoid of autofocus and flash, but the photos are still of high quality. Everyone recognizes that this option is considered almost the best.I was also pleased with the ability to shoot video at 30 frames per second. The material is obtained in Full HD quality, which cannot but deserve laudatory reviews.
Feedback on communication
Some Samsung A5 owners (95% positive reviews) were skeptical that the manufacturer made two ports for nano-type SIM cards. Two radio modules work at once, so both numbers are always active. The phone supports interoperability with 4G networks, the transmission speed also impressed many. The device has a built-in bluetooth module that works flawlessly.What impressed the buyers? The phone has a built-in port that allows you to connect Charger, sync with your computer, and work with a mouse and keyboard.
The fingerprint sensor is equipped in the Home button. Buyers were divided in opinion: some liked this solution, while others did not. It works on touch technology, so there is no need to "wake up" the phone again.
Software reviews
Consumers note that the gadget has received an excellent set of software. Even though the device works with "Marshmallows" from "Android", the manufacturer has installed a proprietary shell, therefore, interacting with the phone is pleasant and comfortable. Performance and multitasking are of the highest level, so buyers of the Samsung A5 write only positive reviews.Samsung Galaxy The A5 was awaited with particular interest, because this model, together with the A2, should have been the first articles in which Samsung finally abandoned the usual glossy plastic. Samsung Galaxy A5 is made entirely of aluminum, it has good, but still far from flagship specifications... First of all, the model will attract their attention from those users who are willing to pay for a metal case and solid design, not paying much attention to other features of the model.
Design and ergonomics
Externally new model The Samsung Galaxy A5 is difficult to distinguish from its earlier siblings. Yes, this is still the same corporate identity from Samsung - a strict but elegant body, slightly rounded edges, an oval mechanical Home button. At the same time, it is very difficult to guess that the body is made entirely of aluminum - it is painted over so that the feeling of high-quality plastic is created to the touch. Only a silvery border on the ends reveals the metal in the body.
The smartphone turned out to be thin, light enough and compact, it fits comfortably in the hand and does not slip out thanks to the very coating that for some reason “disguises” the metal body. Samsung Galaxy A5 is monolithic, it cannot be disassembled, so you cannot change the battery, and slots for a memory card and SIM-cards are located at the end of the device. The front of the smartphone is covered with Gorilla Glass, there are also sensors and a camera peephole, although there is no LED alert sensor.
When buying, it is worth remembering that you will not be able to use two Nano-SIM cards and microSD at the same time, since the second SIM slot is combined with the memory card slot. We'll have to make a compromise, although it is not clear why in such a far from the most budget model to implement such savings, while there are smartphones on the market that are 2 times cheaper, where you will not have to choose between memory expansion and a second operator. The protruding camera is also inconvenient.
Generally Samsung design Galaxy A5 is familiar to Samsung users, the smartphone looks expensive and beautiful, it is comfortable to work with it.
Screen
Super AMOLED screen with a 5-inch matrix has a resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels and an average pixel density per inch - 294 ppi. The picture is not displayed with print quality, which one would expect from a smartphone of this price category, but it is convenient to work with the display. There is an automatic brightness control, a light and proximity sensor, you can also manually adjust the brightness indicator. Multi-touch supports up to 10 touches at a time. The smartphone turned out to be of medium size, the frames around the screen are about 4 mm, so the area is not used very economically, given the rather large diagonal.
The display has good anti-glare properties; working with the Samsung Galaxy A5 under the sun will not present any problems. There is no air gap between the glass and the matrix. The Galaxy A5 also boasts an excellent oleophobic coating that is very easy to remove fingerprints from. Also, the model has very large viewing angles, when watching movies or photos from an angle, the colors are practically not distorted.
Camera
The cameras in the Samsung Galaxy A5 worked great, with this in latest models the manufacturer usually has no problem. An excellent front camera with a 5 megapixel module allows you to take very high-quality pictures, "selfies", and provides a good picture during video calls. It has an f / 2.2 aperture and is capable of shooting 1080p video.
The main camera has a 13-megapixel module, autofocus, LED flash. The settings and controls menu is very convenient, it is divided into cells and is intuitive. You can move your most used shortcuts to the Quick Access Toolbar.
Looking to buy a phone that can shoot Full HD video? Check out the Asus Zenfone 6 review - a smartphone with a great camera!
The camera has no optical stabilization images and the ability to expose spot focus, video at 60 frames per second, she also cannot shoot. But at the same time, the quality and implementation of the camera at Samsung is one of the best on the market today.
Performance and software
Samsung Galaxy A5 is equipped with 64-bit Qualcomm processor Snapdragon 410 Quad Core with clock frequency 1.2 GHz, as well as the Adreno 306 graphics accelerator. The performance of this platform is average, in benchmarks some of the cheaper models confidently outperform the Samsung Galaxy A5, despite the 64-bit platform. Nevertheless, the smartphone works smoothly and quickly, copes well with heavy games and applications, does not freeze. 2 GB of RAM also play a role. The built-in memory in the device is 16 GB, and free for the user - 12 GB. As we already wrote, this volume can be expanded, but only by sacrificing the ability to use a second SIM card.
Read a review of an LG phone with similar specs
The Galaxy A5 runs on Android 4.4.4 OS with proprietary shell TouchWiz. The user will be able to change themes and customize desktops, install S Health apps and kids mode. There are also preinstalled programs for photo editing, creating collages and video editing. The model supports almost all communication capabilities - 2G, 3G, LTE networks, as well as NFC, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth, Beidou, GPS, Glonass, but there is no USBOTG mode. A pleasant bonus for the user is the presence of an FM radio.
Battery and battery life
The Samsung Galaxy A5 has a 2300mAh non-removable battery. This is not enough for a device of this class, but in general, the model demonstrates good results. autonomous work in particular thanks to the optimized chipset. Under very heavy loads, the Galaxy A5 will hold out for a day, with the same use, the S5 worked for about half a day. Video in high quality you can watch more than 12 hours. You can fully charge your Samsung Galaxy A5 in less than two hours, which is very convenient. The model does not have wireless charging capabilities.
SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW
The Samsung Galaxy A5 has both advantages and disadvantages. But a good camera, good performance and a metal body look good, so there will definitely be fans of this device.
The Samsung Galaxy A5 is a normal mid-range phone. Although there are some nuances: an improved processor, which is slightly better than those installed on most Android devices in this segment, plus the presence of S martW atches.
The design has certainly taken a step forward. Buyers will clearly love the 13MP camera.
In general, it turned out good smartphone average level, no surprises.
PROS
- Neat design
- More powerful screen
MINUSES
- May not be able to handle multitasking at times
- May be more expensive than better models from this category
Which one to choose: Samsung Galaxy S6 or Galaxy A5 (2017)? Perhaps you are faced with such a question and cannot make a choice in any way: take a two-year-old flagship or a brand new middle peasant Galaxy series A 2017? Some people really find it difficult to define, so today we intend to compare them.
There is a significant age difference between them, as you probably know. new phone middle segment using modern technologies, but is it superior to the flagship with the most advanced inventions at the time?
Display and design
Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy A5 (2017) have almost the same diagonal screens - 5.1 and 5.2 inches, respectively. The flagship of 2015 has 2K-resolution, and this year's mid-range is Full HD, so the point is not in favor of the new device. However, the Samsung A5 2017 is equipped with a Super AMOLED panel, which is made using more advanced technologies, due to which its quality has improved. The A5 has a slightly better screen-to-body ratio, but falls short of its rival in pixel density.
Both devices use the same materials for their cases: metal and glass. The front and back panels are covered with impact-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The bezels are made of very durable aluminum in both cases. The build is very high quality, none of them have any problems with it.
In addition, the 2017 Galaxy A5 boasts IP68 certification, which makes it water and dust resistant like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.
Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy A5 (2017): specifications
Samsung has equipped these gadgets with excellent 8-core processors. In the case of the Galaxy A5 (2017), you only get energy-efficient Cortex-A53 cores, while the Galaxy S6 has 4 high-performance Cortex-A57 cores and 4 energy-efficient Cortex-A53 cores. Moreover, the device in the middle segment is equipped with a three-core video accelerator, while the flagship is equipped with an eight-core one.Almost two weeks ago, the presentation of the new smartphones Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 took place, around which there have been many rumors for a long time and which were awaited with special interest. The main highlight of the new series of mobile devices is the transition from the use of traditional Korean plastic in cases to real metal: both new items received one piece metal cases made of aluminum. With this step, the company finally met the expectations of many, because the main reason for criticism of Samsung from users has always related precisely to the dubious design, as well as the stubborn reluctance to offer metal as a material in the production of cases. mobile devices.
But nevertheless, the main sensation is not this: the high price at which the Korean company is going to sell its new smartphones, which are not only far from flagship, but even for "solid middle peasants" claiming with a stretch, is striking. The Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone, which we tested, turned out to be built on an entry-level chip, equipped with a far from flagship 720p screen, devoid of most of the functions and capabilities of its top counterparts, but at the same time it is sold at the price of a full-fledged flagship.
Video review
First, we suggest watching our video review of the Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone:
Now let's take a look at the characteristics of the new item.
Main characteristics of Samsung Galaxy A5 (model SM-A500F / DS)
| Samsung Galaxy A5 | Huawei Ascend G7 | Sony Xperia C3 | LG L Bello | Acer liquid jade | |
| Screen | 5 ″, Super AMOLED | 5.5 ″, IPS | 5.5 ″, IPS | 5 ″, IPS | 5 ″, IPS |
| Permission | 1280 × 720, 294 ppi | 1280 × 720, 267 ppi | 1280 × 720, 267 ppi | 854 × 480, 196 ppi | 1280 × 720, 294 ppi |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (4 cores Cortex-A53) @ 1.2 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (4-core Cortex-A7) @ 1.2 GHz | MediaTek MT6582 (4 Cortex-A7 cores) @ 1.3 GHz | ||
| GPU | Adreno 306 | Adreno 306 | Adreno 305 | Mali 400 MP | Mali 400 MP |
| RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Flash memory | 16 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory card support | microSD | microSD | microSD | microSD | microSD |
| Operating system | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.4 |
| Battery | non-removable, 2300 mAh | non-removable, 3000 mAh | non-removable, 2500 mAh | removable, 2540 mAh | non-removable, 2100 mAh |
| Cameras | rear (13 Mp; video 1080p), front (5 Mp) | rear (8 Mp; video 1080p), front (5 Mp) | rear (8 Mp; video 1080p), front (1.3 Mp) | rear (13 Mp; video 1080p), front (2 Mp) | |
| Dimensions and weight | 139 x 70 x 6.7 mm, 123 g | 153 x 77 x 7.6 mm, 172 g | 156 x 78 x 7.6mm, 150g | 138 x 71 x 10.7 mm, 137 g | 140 x 69 x 7.5mm, 110g |
| average price | T-11755838 | T-11030516 | T-10958363 | T-11036010 | T-11168663 |
| Samsung Galaxy A5 offers | L-11755838-10 | ||||
- SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (MSM8916), 4 cores ARM Cortex-A53 (64-bit), 1.2 GHz
- GPU Adreno 306
- Operating room Android system 4.4.4
- Super AMOLED touchscreen display, 5 ″, 1280 × 720, 294 ppi
- Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB
- SIM-cards: 2 Nano-SIM
- Support for microSD memory cards or a second SIM card
- Data transmission LTE Ca4 (150/50 Mbit / s)
- Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
- Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
- GPS / A-GPS, BDS, Glonass
- Position sensors, proximity, lighting, electronic compass
- Camera 13 MP (F2.0), autofocus, LED flash
- Camera 5 MP (F2.2), front
- Battery 2300 mAh
- Dimensions 139 x 70 x 6.7 mm
- Weight 123 g
Appearance and usability
As for the design, it can be stated that there have still not been any breakthroughs here. In appearance, the new devices are practically indistinguishable from their predecessors. This is especially true of the front panel - the easily recognizable style of Samsung smartphones has not changed at all.
As for the materials, the devices actually received metal cases, and they are entirely made of this material. That is, the back wall and sidewalls in such a case make up an integral "trough", and gluing takes place in the place where the glass of the screen adjoins the metal in the front part.
However, either the experience of the Koreans turned out to be not enough for handling metal, or the design idea failed, but everyone recognized the fact: Samsung managed to make such a case out of metal that no one except themselves could notice it. The metal here is carefully primed and painted in such a way that it gives the full impression that we have plastic in front of us, both in appearance and in touch. The presence of metal can only be recognized by surfaces that are colder than that of plastic, and by unpainted chamfers on the side edges. And then the confirmation of the company representatives themselves was required, because in previous models the Koreans very skillfully faked their plastic rims to look like real metal. And nevertheless, why it was necessary to hide the metal under the paint so diligently remains a mystery. It is hard to believe in the explanations of the company's representatives - they say it was done solely for better grip with the palm.
“I am very glad that Samsung honored me and offered me to participate in the announcement of a new series of Samsung Galaxy A smartphones in Russia. As an Olympic champion, this cooperation is especially pleasant for me, since Samsung has been supporting the Olympic movement for many years, ”said Viktor An, a Russian athlete and six-time Olympic short track speed skating champion during the presentation. “I am very proud of Samsung, which creates great innovations that help Olympic athletes and millions of people around the world every day. I am sure that the Samsung A series smartphones presented today, as always, will be a great success! "
Leaving aside the unusual behavior of Samsung and proceeding to a direct statement of facts, it can be noted that the Galaxy A5 came out not large, not heavy and not thick. The smartphone looks and feels similar to other nifty five-inch solutions such as Nexus 5 , Lenovo Vibe X2 or Alcatel Idol X +... Due to its small size, the device lies well in the hand, although hard, sharp and straight wide edges of comfort when handling the device clearly do not add.
As already mentioned, the back wall and sidewalls are made of metal, the case does not have removable elements, and you cannot get to the battery on your own. Accordingly, the SIM-card and the memory card are installed in the side slots, driving into them on metal skids. According to the prevailing recent times not a very pleasant tradition, here it is proposed to compromise and choose only one of possible options using cards: either install two Nano-SIM cards without the possibility of expanding the memory, or put a microSD card in the second slot, but then the device will not be able to work with two SIM cards. This strange idea of saving has captured the minds of not only Chinese developers, but, as it turns out, Korean developers too. It is completely incomprehensible what benefit this solution should provide - after all, the market is full of devices with simultaneous support for two SIM-cards and a memory card, and even with two "full-size" Mini-SIM cards, there is nothing special about it.
Despite the fact that the body of the smartphone is not distinguished by supernatural thinness, the camera module nevertheless protrudes noticeably from the back wall. In this matter, the new Samsung smartphones turned out to be no better than the notorious Apple iPhone 6/6 Plus, which only the lazy did not "wash the bones" for this option of placing the camera module.
On both sides of the camera lens, the same square-shaped LED flash and a chrome speaker grill were symmetrically distributed. Since the protruding camera module does not allow the table surface to overlap the grill, the sound of the smartphone lying on the table is practically not muffled. But for the flash, the built-in flashlight mode was not provided, the flash module itself has only one section.
The front of the smartphone is completely covered protective glass Gorilla Glass, adjoining directly to the metal frame, without any gasket. A longitudinal hole has been cut in the glass for the chrome-plated earpiece grille. Sensors and a peephole are visible nearby front camera... Strange, but there was no place for such a useful element as an LED sensor for notifications.
In the lower part under the screen, there is an oval mechanical key and two touch buttons on either side of it. The buttons have a bright white backlight with adjustable duration. The front panel under the glass has a dotted texture, which makes the smartphone prettier and more expensive.
On both sides, there are mechanical volume and lock keys, the buttons are large enough, hard, metallized, traditionally there are no complaints about the controls in Samsung devices. But the Micro-USB 2.0 connector and the audio output for headphones with a diameter of 3.5 mm, this time huddled on one, the bottom end, very close to each other. Accordingly, there is nothing on the top side except for the second auxiliary microphone. It's just amazing, but the creators didn't even bother to equip the smartphone with the price of 24 thousand rubles with OTG (USB Host) support.
The smartphone is not protected against dust and moisture, does not support wireless charging, not found on the case and strap mounts. In addition to the white version of the color, there will also be a dark blue Galaxy A5 on sale, in which all elements, including the side frame and the front panel under the glass, are also painted in the general color of the case.
Screen
The Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone is equipped with a Super AMOLED sensor matrix. The physical dimensions of the display are 62 × 110 mm, the diagonal is 5 inches. The screen resolution in dots is only 1280 × 720 (dot density 294 ppi), such a resolution is not enough for a device of the price category that the hero of the review claims. The area of the five-inch screen of the Galaxy A5 is not that small, moreover, the screen is made using Pentile technology.
The brightness of the display has manual and automatic adjustment, the latter is based on the operation of the light sensor. There is also a proximity sensor that locks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to handle 10 simultaneous touches. Side bezels around the screen are not impressive: the distance from the edge of the case to the edge of the screen is about 4 mm from the sides, and from the top and bottom - about 14 mm. Unlocking the screen by tapping or any other gesture is not provided, and nothing is said about the possibility of working with the screen with gloves.
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Detailed expertise using measuring instruments conducted the editor of the sections “ Monitors" and " Projectors and TV»Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are not worse than that of the screen Google Nexus 7 (2013)(hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the turned off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Samsung Galaxy A5, then they can be distinguished by their size):
The screen of the Samsung Galaxy A5 is slightly lighter (the brightness in the photos is 101 versus 98 for the Nexus 7) and does not have a pronounced shade. Note that reflections from bright objects on the Samsung Galaxy A5 display have a faint bluish halo slightly more pronounced laterally. The doubling of reflected objects in the Samsung Galaxy A5 screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass-to-air type) with very different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. The outer surface of the Samsung Galaxy A5 screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, noticeably better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are much easier to remove, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of regular glass.
When the white field was displayed on the full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 340 cd / m², the minimum was 4.7 cd / m². You also need to take into account the fact that in this case the smaller the white area on the screen, the lighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. For example, when displaying white on half of the screen, the maximum brightness when manually adjusted increases to 360 cd / m². As a result, readability in the daytime in the sun should be enough good level(there was no opportunity to check the possibilities). The reduced brightness level allows you to use the device without any problems even in complete darkness. Automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (it is located to the right of the slot of the front speaker). You can make adjustments to how this function works by moving the setting slider from -5 to +5 units. Further, for three conditions, we give the screen brightness values for three values of this setting - for −5, 0 and +5. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness decreases to 4.7, 9.6 and 21 cd / m2, respectively (the first is dark, the rest are normal), in an office illuminated with artificial light (about 400 lux), the brightness is set to 62, 147 and 297 cd / m² (darkish - just right - lightish, which corresponds to the specified correction), in a brightly lit environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or slightly more) - increases to 340 cd / m² regardless of the position of the slider. This value is equal to the maximum with manual adjustment. In general, the result of the automatic brightness control function is as expected. Modulation with a frequency of 240 Hz is present only at medium and low brightness levels. The figure below shows the dependence of brightness (vertical axis) on time (horizontal axis) for several values of brightness adjustment:
It can be seen that at the maximum and close to it brightness, the modulation amplitude is minimal and its frequency is 60 Hz (screen refresh rate), as a result, there is no visible flicker. However, with a decrease in brightness (somewhere up to 70% and below), modulation appears with a frequency of 240 Hz and a large relative amplitude. Therefore, the presence of such modulation can already be seen in the test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, such flickering can cause increased fatigue.
This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light-emitting diodes. A full color image is created with subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a micrograph:
For comparison, see photomicrograph gallery screens used in mobile technology.
In the fragment above, you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), while repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without gaps and overlaps. For such matrices, Samsung has introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer considers the screen resolution for green subpixels, for the other two it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this version is close to the case of the screen and some other newer devices from Samsung and not only with AMOLED screens. This version of PenTile RGBG is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and green subpixel stripes. Nevertheless, some uneven contrast borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to the sufficiently high resolution, they have a minimal effect on the image quality.
The screen is characterized by excellent viewing angles, although the white color, even at small angles, acquires a slight blue-green tint, but the black color is just black at all angles. It is so black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. When viewed from a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. For comparison, here are the photos on which the screens of the Samsung Galaxy A5 (profile Basic) and the second comparison participant displayed the same images, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m2, and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K. White field:
Note the excellent uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And the test picture (profile Basic):
The color rendition is good, however, the color balance of the screens is slightly different and the colors of the Samsung Galaxy A5 are slightly more saturated (at least, this is how the image is recorded by the camera). The photo above was taken after selecting a profile Basic in the screen settings, there are four of them. Profile Adaptive display differs in some kind of automatic adjustment to the type of displayed image and the surrounding conditions, which is obtained when the two remaining profiles are selected, shown below.
AMOLED movie:
The saturation and color contrast are noticeably increased, the skin is excessively reddish.
Photo AMOLED:
Saturation is still high, but color contrast is back to normal. Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen (again the profile Basic). White box:
The brightness at an angle on both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid a strong darkening, the shutter speed is doubled in comparison with the previous two photos), but in the case of Samsung, the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness screen samsung The Galaxy A5 looks much brighter visually (compared to LCD screens), as the screen of a mobile device often has to be viewed from at least a slight angle. And the test picture:
It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness at the Samsung angle is noticeably higher. The switching of the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the turn-on front there may be a step 16.7 ms wide (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). For example, this is how the dependence of brightness on time looks like when switching from black to gray and vice versa:
In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to trails trailing behind moving objects, but in normal use these artifacts are difficult to see. Quite the opposite - dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high definition and even some "jerky" movements.
For profiles Photo AMOLED and Basic The gamma curve plotted using 32 points with equal intervals in terms of the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal any blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the exponent of the approximating power function is 2.21-2.23, which is very close to the standard value of 2.2 , while the real gamma curve deviates little from the power-law dependence (the captions in parentheses show the exponent of the approximating power-law function and the coefficient of determination):
For profile AMOLED movie The gamma curve has a slightly S-shaped character, which increases the visible contrast of the image, but in the shadows the distinguishable shades are preserved.
Recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images. As a result, the obtained dependence of brightness on the hue (gamma curve), most likely, does not correspond a little to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential output of shades of gray on almost the entire screen. This dynamic picture is enhanced when the option is selected. Auto tuning. screen brightness... In this case, on the graph of the dependence of the brightness (vertical axis) on time (horizontal axis), when passing from black to white and vice versa, a falling section appears, that is, the brightness of the white field begins to decrease after about 0.3 s:
Color gamut in case of profile AMOLED movie very wide, but does not cover Adobe RGB coverage:
When choosing a profile Photo AMOLED the coverage changes slightly:
When choosing a profile Basic coverage is significantly reduced, almost to the borders of sRGB:
Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:
In case of a profile Basic with maximum correction, the color components are already noticeably mixed with each other:
Note that normal sRGB-optimized images appear unnaturally saturated on screens with wide color gamut without proper color correction. Hence the recommendation - in most cases, watching movies, photos and everything natural is better when choosing a profile. Basic, and only if the photo was taken on the Adobe RGB setting, it makes sense to switch the profile to Photo AMOLED... Profile AMOLED movie, despite the name, the least suitable for watching movies and anything else.
The grayscale balance is imperfect, but generally acceptable. Profile color temperature AMOLED movie above 6500 K, in the other two it is close to 6500 K, while this parameter does not change very much in the significant section of the gray scale. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) for most of the gray scale remains below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, and also changes slightly:
(The darkest areas of the gray scale in most cases can be ignored, since there the color balance does not have of great importance, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
Let's summarize. The screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device, most likely, can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable value. It is permissible to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works quite adequately. The advantages of the screen include a very good oleophobic coating, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB and an acceptable color balance (when choosing the appropriate profiles). At the same time, let's recall the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), excellent uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, a drop in image brightness when viewed from an angle. The disadvantages include modulation of the screen brightness. Users who are particularly sensitive to flicker may experience increased fatigue due to this. However, the overall quality of the screen is very high.
Sound
The device has one main speaker, it emits a loud enough sound, saturated with the entire frequency spectrum. The smartphone sounds nice, the sound is not distorted at the maximum volume level. In the conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable, the conversation is quite comfortable.
To play melodies, a proprietary player with the maximum number of settings is used as standard. All sound effects are combined with a technology called SoundAlive - although some of them are available only with headphones connected. The same goes for the sound optimization function. There are a lot of various virtual effects, visually they are combined into a matrix of squares.
There is an FM radio in the standard configuration of the smartphone, and a dictaphone was also found. The dictaphone is simple, unlike the top-end Samsung smartphones, there is no such variety of recording modes, everything is standard. Radio without connected as external antenna headphones will not work, but can record programs. The device cannot record telephone conversations from the line.
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The main rear 13-megapixel camera has an f / 2.0 aperture, autofocus and LED flash. The settings menu is clear and intuitive, it is divided into equivalent cells, each of which is always visible and interactive. In addition, each of the cells can be pulled up and made a shortcut from it for quick access in a separate top line. The drawing of the icons is distinct, everything is perfectly visible even in the brightest sunlight, and in general the implementation of the camera control menu in the latest Samsung devices is one of the best on the market.
However, the camera itself is far from being as rich in capabilities as the cameras of flagship devices: there is no intelligent optical stabilization (Smart OIS) function and selective focusing mode for blurring the background, there is no slow-motion or fast-motion video shooting, and there is no possibility to shoot video in 4K or at a speed of 60 fps. From the shooting modes - only traditional panoramic, portrait, night.
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Video Samsung camera Galaxy A5 can shoot at maximum Full resolution HD 1920 × 1080 (30 fps); 4K resolution and 60 fps are not supported here. The quality of video recording can be judged by the test clips below.
- Movie number 1(42 MB, 1920 × 1080 @ 30fps)
- Movie number 2(46 MB, 1920 × 1080 @ 30fps)
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The attention to detail quickly fades as the shot is removed, but overall the sharpness is not bad. |
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The branches are well worked out. In the lower left corner, you can see a large area of confusion. |
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Despite the hard work of noise reduction, the house looks good, and the inscriptions are worked out well. |
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In the center there is excellent sharpness on all shots, but the left side of the image spoils the whole picture. |
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Another confirmation that it is better not to put important details on the left side of the frame when composing - all the plans are good on the right. |
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“Smeared” noises are visible on the asphalt. |
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Sometimes the noise reduction works quite smoothly with monochromatic surfaces. |
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But he does not always succeed. |
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The camera copes with macro photography. |
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On close-ups much more attention is paid to small details than general ones. |
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In poor lighting conditions, there is a high likelihood of smearing. Exposure 1/33 second. |
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The text is very blurry, and it's not about the sharpness, but the long exposure (1/25 second). It is best to shoot text indoors with a flash. |
Well, everything is quite expected here. Samsung has put into the smartphone not weak, but also not the best camera, which corresponds to the positioning of the device. And in some places the feeling that the camera could shoot better, but it seems to have not been specially modified, so as not to stand out against the background of the surrounding "hardware" does not leave.
However, the camera itself is quite good. WITH software processing here they did not stand on ceremony - they just took what is simpler and better, and one cannot say that this is a bad option. Sharping is noticeable, but very mild, and occurs only in places. The details in the background are not given much attention by the camera, but it does not spoil them with attempts to improve them. Shumodav is quite working and quite neat, but can afford radical measures in the form of banal "smearing" of noise on monophonic surfaces. There are areas of blur in the corners, but in the center the sharpness is decent. However, in low light the camera resorts to relatively long (1/33 s) shutter speeds, and images when shooting handheld come out blurry.
You shouldn't use a camera for artistic photography, but it will cope with documentary photography very well.
Telephone part and communications
The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and there is also support for fourth-generation LTE Cat4 networks with a maximum possible speed of up to 150 Mbit / s for reception. In practice, with the SIM-card of the domestic operator MTS, the smartphone confidently recognizes and works with 4G networks.
Networking is modestly implemented: support is available NFC technology, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, as a standard, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. But unlike the flagship brothers, there is no 2 × 2 MIMO mode, no support for the Wi-Fi 802.11ac standard, no ANT + and DLNA. Also, the connection of external devices to the USB port in OTG mode is not supported, and there is no support for MHL either.
The navigation module works with both GPS and the domestic Glonass system, and also sees the satellites of the Chinese Beidou (BDS). There are no complaints about the navigation module, the satellites are located very quickly.
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The drawing of letters and numbers of virtual keyboards is quite large, it is also possible to change the size of the entire desktop, or you can separately reduce the block of the virtual keyboard and even move it to any place on the screen. The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing phone number the search is immediately carried out by the first letters in the contacts. For fans of Swype, there is a method of continuous input with a stroke from letter to letter, for this you need to enable the T9 service in the settings.
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The smartphone supports work with two SIM-cards, and in general, the work with them in the menu is organized according to the familiar principle: you can designate any of the SIM-cards as the main one for organizing voice calls, transferring data or sending SMS messages. When dialing a number, you can also select the desired card by calling the context menu from the notification menu. A SIM card in any slot can work with 3G (LTE) networks, but only one of the cards can work in this mode at the same time (the second will work only in 2G). There is only one radio module installed in the device, but a standard one for all models is implemented here. Samsung Duos the so-called "Active mode", which allows you to receive a call to the second SIM card when the first is busy. This is done by setting up cross-forwarding of the numbers of both cards to each other. The operation of the active mode of two SIM-cards is based on such operator services cellular like call forwarding and call waiting / holding. After turning on the mode, the device prompts you to manually enter two numbers that will be forwarded to each other. For the function to work, the call forwarding service must be activated on both SIM-cards. You can read more about the implementation of the "Active mode" on the manufacturer's website.
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OS and software
Samsung Galaxy A5 even after the official release of the fifth version of Android OS goes on sale and runs initially on the Google software platform Android version 4.4.4, update to version 5.x is promised later. On top of the OS interface, a proprietary graphical user interface is traditionally installed here. TouchWiz interface... The rendering of all elements, the internal arrangement of the shell, the location of menu items, settings sections and pop-up contextual submenus - everything is familiar and very similar to what is implemented in the same Galaxy S5 or Galaxy Alpha, with the exception of some flagship features that are missing in the new smartphone. For example, the Galaxy A5 has a very limited supported set of gestures.
The hardware and software complex of the hero of the review, unlike even the non-flagship Samsung Galaxy S5 mini, is simplified beyond recognition. There is no fingerprint scanner built into the front button, no infrared transmitter on the top, and no familiar heart rate sensor usually found on the back of Samsung's top devices.
Accordingly, even the favorite of the developers is not preinstalled among the applications. Samsung program for tracking your own health called S Health, which could measure pulse and stress resistance. The energy-saving mode, privacy mode, the ability to work simultaneously in two windows remained in place. Added a news panel Briefing, called on the left with a side swipe - similar to HTC Blinkfeed.
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Performance
Like Huawei Ascend G7, the hero of the review is one of the few mid-range mobile devices whose work is organized on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 platform. The platform is quite new, 64-bit, but this is far from a top-end chip - rather, an entry-level solution, which produces a very low performance. The central processor here has 4 Cortex-A53 cores, operating at a frequency of 1.2 GHz. Graphics processing is handled by the Adreno 306 video processor with a core frequency of 400 MHz. Random access memory the device has 2 GB. The smartphone does not have a lot of built-in memory - out of the nominal 16 GB internal memory the user has about 11. The possibility of expanding the built-in memory is provided: you can install microSD card, but then the second SIM will have to be removed. But the device does not support the mode of connecting external devices to the USB port (USB Host, USB OTG) - an external flash drive cannot be connected.
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According to the test results, if we compare the performance of the new 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 platform with the previous 32-bit SoC Snapdragon 400, then there is no particularly noticeable increase. Of course, there is a difference, but against the background of the results of higher-level platforms, the significance of such an increase is leveled. Here, all the same modest results (up to 20K) in AnTuTu against the background of 45K and higher in the top models and 30-35K in the models of a confident mid-range. The graphics accelerator of the novelty looks especially sad in comparison with competitors. Even humble Asus Zenfone 5 on Intel platform Atom Z2560, which even after the price increase costs only 10 thousand rubles, confidently bypasses Snapdragon 410 with its Adreno 306 in all graphics tests.
So, devices based on the Snapdragon 410 platform, albeit 64-bit, can only be called "middling", their hardware performance is below average.
Testing in latest versions complex tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:
All the results obtained by us when testing the smartphone in the most recent versions of popular benchmarks, we have summarized for convenience in tables. Several other devices from various segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain "behind the scenes" - due to the fact that they once passed the "obstacle course" on previous versions test programs.
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Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark gaming tests,GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:
When testing in 3DMark for the most productive smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).
| Samsung Galaxy A5 |
Huawei Ascend G7 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 / Adreno 306) |
Sony Xperia C3 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 / Adreno 305) |
LG L Bello |
Acer liquid jade (Mediatek MT6582 / Mali-400MP) |
Asus Zenfone 5 (Intel Atom Z2560 / PowerVR SGX 544MP) |
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| 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better) |
2624 | 2620 | 2855 | 2127 | 2050 | 3596 |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better) |
4386 | 4452 | 4668 | 2881 | 2817 | 5697 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen) | 9.6 fps | 9.8 fps | 4.0 fps | 9.8 fps | 7.2 fps | 12.4 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen) | 5.4 fps | 5.3 fps | — | 4.2 fps | 4.1 fps | 7.0 fps |
| Bonsai benchmark | 1726 (25 fps) | 1707 (24 fps) | 1290 (18 fps) | 2112 (30 fps) | 1290 (18 fps) | 3321 (47 fps) |
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Browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can be truly correct only on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
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Video playback
We used most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that it is important for mobile devices to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.
According to the test results, the subject was not provided with full support for all the necessary decoders, in this case, audio ones. To fully play most of the most common files on the network, you will have to resort to using a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, in it, you will first have to change the settings, switching from hardware decoding to software or to new regime entitled Hardware +(not supported by all smartphones). By the way, in the latest versions of the program, unfortunately, due to licensing problems, support for the AC3 audio codec, used in the vast majority of video content on the Internet, was removed, so users lost sound when watching their favorite TV series and movies. But there is a way out of this situation: you need to manually connect the codec downloaded for specific model processor in the smartphone by the user. Here is a quick guide for those who have encountered this problem:
In the MX player settings, select the "Decoder" → "Download custom codec" section (the bottom line). After that, a page should open in the browser with a proposal to select and download the desired codec for your phone (the player itself will tell you which version to choose). After downloading, we return to the MX player settings, again go to the "Decoder" section, only now we select the penultimate item "Select custom codec", a list of internal folders will open, from which you need to select the folder where you downloaded the codec. We choose it and confirm our choice. The sound will reappear.
| Format | Container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Native video player |
| DVDRip | AVI, XviD 720 × 400 2200 Kbps, MP3 + AC3 | reproduced normally | reproduced normally |
| Web-DL SD | AVI, XviD 720 × 400 1400 Kbps, MP3 + AC3 | reproduced normally | reproduced normally |
| Web-DL HD | MKV, H.264 1280 × 720 3000Kbps, AC3 | played without sound | |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280 × 720 4000 Kbps, AC3 | plays fine with custom codec | played without sound |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920 × 1080 8000Kbps, AC3 | plays fine with custom codec | played without sound |
Testing of video output features was carried out Alexey Kudryavtsev.
We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “ Testing technique for video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)"). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped to determine the nature of the frame output of video files with different parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and the frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). with). In our tests we used the MX Player video player in the "Hardware +" mode. The test results are summarized in the table:
Note: If both columns Uniformity and Skips green ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and skipping of frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the respective files.
According to the criterion for outputting frames, the quality of video files playback on the screen of the device itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without frame drops. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (720p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the edge of the screen, one to one pixel by pixel, that is, in the original resolution. The worlds show PenTile features - the vertical world through the pixel looks like a grid, but the horizontal world with stripes through the pixel does not have the typical greenishness. The brightness range displayed on the screen actually corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows only a couple of shades merge with black, but all the shades are displayed in the highlights.
Battery life
The capacity of the lithium-ion battery installed in the Samsung Galaxy A5 is not the largest - only a modest 2300 mAh. However, the smartphone proved to be quite worthy when tested in traditional load modes, which, in general, is not surprising - after all, there is neither a powerful productive platform, nor an energy-intensive screen with high resolution... The novelty does not break records of autonomy, but everything is at a very decent level.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D Game Mode | |
| Samsung Galaxy A5 | 2300 mAh | 14h 00m | 11h 00m | 4h 20m |
| Huawei Ascend G7 | 3000 mAh | 20 h 00 m | 13h 30m | 6h 30m |
| Sony Xperia C3 | 2500 mAh | 14h 30m | 9h 30m | 5h 50m |
| LG L Bello | 2540 mAh | 14h 00m | 10h 20m | 4h 50m |
| LG L Fino | 1900 mAh | 10h 00m | 7h 00m | 4h 10m |
| LG L90 | 2540 mAh | 15h 20m | 10h 00m | 4h 50m |
| Acer liquid jade | 2100 mAh | 13h 20m | 8h 40m | 4h 30m |
| Wexler Zen 5+ | 2000 mAh | 8h 10m | 5h 30m | 3h 00m |
| Alcatel Idol 2 mini S | 2000 mAh | 15h 50m | 9h 00m | 4h 00m |
| Huawei P6 | 2000 mAh | 14h 50m | 7h 10m | 4h 00m |
| Asus Padfone E | 1820 mAh | 15h 20m | 7h 10m | 3h 50m |
| Samsung S4 mini | 1900 mAh | 16h 40m | 10h 30m | 4h 40m |
| LG G2 mini | 2440 mAh | 16h 00m | 10h 00m | 5h 00m |
| Motorola Moto G | 2070 mAh | 15h 20m | 8h 00m | 4h 20m |
| ZTE nubia Z5 mini | 2300 mAh | 11h 05m | 8h 00m | 3h 50m |
Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at the minimum comfortable brightness level (the brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted about 14 hours until the battery was completely discharged. When you continuously watch HD (720p) video at the same brightness level over your home Wi-Fi network the device lasted 11 hours. In the 3D games mode, the device worked for almost 4.5 hours. A full charge takes just over 2 hours.
Outcome
Something strange is going on with marketing at Samsung, and it looks like it is due to declining revenues and increased competition with hardened Chinese manufacturers stepping on their heels. The Koreans have released a smartphone that is completely simplified on all fronts, cutting out everything that is possible from it, and now they are trying to sell it at the price of a full-fledged flagship. Do not Samsung seriously think that only due to the appearance of metal in the case, users have to come to terms with poor performance, screen resolution, far from the flagship, docked user interface, and take 24 thousand rubles to the cashier for this? And this despite the fact that, even unlike the cheaper brother, the Galaxy S5 mini model, the hero of the review has neither a fingerprint sensor, nor a heart rate sensor, nor an infrared transmitter, nor moisture protection. It's not even up to mentioning that the smartphone lacks a lot of such fundamentally useful little things as an LED event indicator, a flashlight, support for USB OTG and the second Wi-Fi band (5 GHz), etc., etc. competitors do not even have to say: for the same 24 thousand, an excellent, the most full of functions and capabilities true flagship, HTC Desire Eye, was presented almost simultaneously, and even for a much smaller amount you can still buy twice as powerful Lenovo Vibe X2 with Full screen HD. Smartphone Samsung Galaxy A5, albeit made of high-quality materials with the inherent in the company high level execution, nevertheless, in its capabilities and characteristics, is very simple, and its place is in a completely different price category.
