Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016 edition) unboxing and first look

posted by Victor H. / Jan 26, 2016, 9:36 AM

The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016 edition) has made its way to our office and we're eager to share our first impressions and unboxing of the new member in Samsung's galactic family.

A 5.2-inch phone, the Galaxy A5 (2016) is shockingly well made: sturdy metal frame, beautiful glazed glass (Gorilla Glass 4 at that) on the back and front (with pleasingly rounded edges), very compact size with minimal side bezels, all features we're used to seeing in more expensive phones.

Samsung has also added a fingerprint scanner, a welcome security feature that is now more and more often seen on affordable phones.

Here is a quick refresh on the Galaxy A5 (2016) important specs: it has a Super AMOLED display, a 13-megapixel main camera with wide, f/1.9 aperture and optical stabilization (OIS), a 5-megapixel seflie shooter is on the front, while under the hood there is 16GB of internal storage (that you can top up using microSD cards). The phone features a 2,900mAh battery, larger than most phones of the same size, and yes, it's got quick charging as well.

Stay tuned for our full Galaxy A5 (2016) review coming up very soon, but as an appetizer, take a look at our unboxing of the phone, as well as at some first hand impressions and pictures.

What's in the box?

User manual
Sim ejector tool
White Samsung earbuds
microUSB to USB cable
Adaptive Fast Charging wall charger (9.0V, 1.67A or 5.0V, 2.0A)

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016 edition)

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12 Comments

1. lbblock

Posts: 34; Member since: Apr 20, 2015

In my region, at this moment in time, this phone is similar in price to the 32GB S6. Why would I choose it over the S6? :)

posted on Jan 26, 2016, 9:59 AM 1

2. manojmcn

Posts: 634; Member since: Jul 16, 2015

Seriously? It could be A7 and not A5

posted on Jan 26, 2016, 10:29 AM 0

4. Tooluka

Posts: 66; Member since: Nov 27, 2014

In my country cheapest S6 is 16k (in national currency), A7 new is 12k, A5 is 10k and A3 is 8k. And S5 is around 11-12k. If you don't want to buy Chinese flagships for various reasons then these modes are a reasonable choice. PS: my Mi4 worked flawlessly for half a year and then display just died (no external damage). Now I'm not sure whether to buy another phone from them or not. Or just buy one of these A-series phones.

posted on Jan 26, 2016, 10:51 AM 0

5. Ray.S

Posts: 460; Member since: Jul 19, 2011

This new A5 is only now popping up at stores, so it's normal it comes off as a tad too expensive right now. In 1-2 months it's going to be considerably cheaper than S6.

posted on Jan 26, 2016, 12:01 PM 2

11. techietech

Posts: 29; Member since: Jan 24, 2016

In my region, S6 is 30k while A5 is 20k. Quite a difference. Though I'll save up for an S6. Samsung has a bad reputation when updating midrange devices. Smh

posted on Jan 26, 2016, 7:18 PM 1

12. lbblock

I'm actually fine with the specs, but I care about weight and the S6 is 10g lighter, and the S6 still feels more premium in the hand. I'd be fine if the new A5's weight is lower like the first-gen A5.

posted on Jan 27, 2016, 3:20 AM 0

3. ryq24

Posts: 875; Member since: Oct 17, 2011

This phone does not have led notification light? Why is that?

posted on Jan 26, 2016, 10:48 AM 0

9. SenorThrottles

Posts: 284; Member since: Dec 23, 2015

Probably to try and keep the price of the phone as low as possible.

posted on Jan 26, 2016, 3:25 PM 0

6. sebstin

Posts: 193; Member since: Dec 03, 2015

Seems like a nice phone.. Why Samsung not releasing soon in US?. May be it might sell well with most US prepaid carriers...

posted on Jan 26, 2016, 12:38 PM 0

7. CraftyBoyGT

Posts: 19; Member since: Apr 21, 2015

I know! I saw the specs on the A5 and everything was almost perfect for what I wanted in a mid-ranged phone. There needs to be better mid-ranged phones in the U.S. LG released their tribute 5 with a SD210, from a 400. Wth? There a lot of very nice budget friendly phones in Asia-Pacific regions, why can't we have them? It's like a teaser when you see an awesome phone for very cheap from like Xiaomi or Huawei, but you know you can't have it. >:c

posted on Jan 26, 2016, 2:02 PM 0

8. CraftyBoyGT

You see the them on the home page of PhoneArena, Android Authority, etc...

posted on Jan 26, 2016, 2:04 PM 0

10. cheetah2k

Posts: 2294; Member since: Jan 16, 2011

Blame Apple and their patent trolling for slow phone releases.. Samsung has go through every phone with a fine tooth comb to ensure 1. they don't use IP that Apple holds in the market which might add to their billions in payments, and 2. to decide whether its worth it to pony up all the $$ for Apple IP in order to enter the US market with that particular handset... Apple has essentially made the US market untenable for most handset manufacturers, so don't blame Samsung (or HTC, or Sony, or LG, etc for that matter) for choosing to enter the US market late..... You guys only have yourselves to blame with your poor Patent system.