Samsung Galaxy A7 vs A5 vs A3 (2016): specs comparison

22comments

The new, 2016 edition of the Samsung's mainstream Galaxy A series has just made its official debut: the new phones are the 5.5" Galaxy A7 (2016), the 5.2" Galaxy A5 (2016), and the 4.7" Galaxy A3 (2016).

This represents an interesting change over last year's A series and their screen sizes, as well as resolutions. Here is how Samsung has changed the display sizes:

  • Galaxy A7 (2016 vs 2015): 5.5" Super AMOLED displays with 1080 x 1920-pixel resolutions on both
  • Galaxy A5 (2016 vs 2015): 5.2" vs 5.0" Super AMOLED displays with 1080 x 1920-pixel resolution on the 2016 model and 720 x 1280-pixel resolution on the 2015 model
  • Galaxy A3 (2016 vs 2015): 4.7" vs 4.5" Super AMOLED displays with 720 x 1280-pixel resolution on the 2016 model and 540 x 960-pixel resolution on the 2015 model
This is quite a significant change for the more affordable Galaxy A5 and A3 models that brings them up to date, as keeping last year's resolutions would have definitely been a critical flaw in today's market.

The other major change is that now all three new phones come with 13-megapixel rear-facing cameras and 5-megapixel selfie cameras, both wide-aperture, f/1.9 lenses. We do suspect that there will be differences in the actual image quality, but it would be interesting to see whether that's in fact true and to what extent.

The other two key areas to look for are processors: the system chips inside the new, 2016 Galaxy A series have been updated, and battery sizes vary between models, so that the A7 has the larger battery (and possibly, the best battery life of the trio). For the rest of the specs and all the details, take a look at the chart below.

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016)

Design

Dimensions
5.96 x 2.92 x 0.29 inches
151.5 x 74.1 x 7.3 mm
5.70 x 2.80 x 0.29 inches
144.8 x 71 x 7.3 mm
5.30 x 2.57 x 0.29 inches
134.5 x 65.2 x 7.3 mm
Weight
5.96 oz (169.0 g) 5.47 oz (155.0 g) 4.66 oz (132.0 g)
Materials
Back: Glass
Frame: Metal
Biometrics
Fingerprint (touch) Fingerprint (touch)
Features
Touch sensitive control keys Touch sensitive control keys
Keys
Left: Volume control; Right: Lock/Unlock key Left: Volume control; Right: Lock/Unlock key Left: Volume control; Right: Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Black, Gold, Pink, White Black, Gold, Pink, White Black, Gold, Pink, White

Display

Size
5.5-inch 5.2-inch 4.7-inch
Resolution
1920x1080px, 401 PPI 1920x1080px, 424 PPI 1280x720px, 312 PPI
Technology
Super AMOLED Super AMOLED Super AMOLED
Screen-to-body
74.27 % 72.39 % 69.30 %
Colors
16 777 216
Features
Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 4), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 4), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 4), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 8939 (28 nm) Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 8939 (28 nm) Samsung Exynos 7 Quad 7578
Processor
Octa-core
1600 MHz
ARM Cortex-A53
Octa-core
1600 MHz
ARM Cortex-A53
Quad-core
1500 MHz
ARM Cortex-A53
GPU
Adreno 405 Adreno 405 Mali-T720 MP2
RAM
3GB 2GB 1.5GB (LPDDR3)
Internal storage
16GB, available to use: 10.5 GB 16GB, available to use: 10.8 GB 16GB, available to use: 10.7 GB
Storage expansion
microSDXC up to 128 GB microSDXC up to 128 GB microSDXC up to 128 GB
OS
Android (5.1 Lollipop) Android (5.1 Lollipop) Android (7.0 Nougat, 5.1 Lollipop)

Battery

Capacity
3300 mAh 2900 mAh 2300 mAh
Type
Li - Ion Li - Ion
Charging
Fast charging Fast charging

Camera

Rear
Single camera Single camera Single camera
Main camera
13 MP (OIS, Autofocus, CMOS image sensor)
Aperture size: F1.9
Focal length: 28 mm
13 MP (OIS, Autofocus, CMOS image sensor)
Aperture size: F1.9
Focal length: 28 mm
13 MP (Autofocus)
Aperture size: F1.9
Flash
LED LED LED
Video recording
1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)
Video calling, Video sharing
1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)
Video calling
1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)
Video calling, Video sharing
Front
5 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) 5 MP 5 MP

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
4.1 4.1 4.1
WLAN
802.11 a,b,g,n,dual-band
Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a,b,g,n,dual-band
Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 b,g,n
Wi-Fi Direct
USB
microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 2.0
HDMI
Yes
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass GPS, A-GPS, Glonass GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
Sensors
Accelerometer, Compass, Hall (for flip covers) Accelerometer, Compass, Hall (for flip covers) Accelerometer, Compass, Hall (for flip covers)
Other
NFC, ANT+, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync NFC, ANT+, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling), Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync NFC, ANT+, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling), Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Loudspeaker Earpiece, Loudspeaker Earpiece, Loudspeaker
Features
Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback
Screen mirroring
Wireless screen share Wireless screen share,MHL Wireless screen share
Radio
FM FM
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation

Cellular

4G (FDD)
Bands 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800 DD) Bands 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800 DD) Bands 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800 DD)
4G (TDD)
Bands 40(2300) Bands 40(2300) Bands 40(2300)
3G
Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100) Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100) Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100)
Data Speed
LTE-A Cat 6 (300/50 Mbit/s), HSPA LTE-A Cat 6 (300/50 Mbit/s), HSPA, HSUPA LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSPA, HSUPA
SIM type
Nano SIM Nano SIM Nano SIM

Phone Features

Notifications
Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone
Other features
Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Dec 24, 2015
FCC ID value: A3LSMA510FD
Measured SAR
Head: 0.23 W/kg
Body: 0.38 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 0.98 W/kg
Wireless Router: 0.77 W/kg

Availability

Officially announced
Dec 02, 2015 Dec 02, 2015 Dec 02, 2015


Grab Surfshark VPN now at more than 50% off and with 3 extra months for free!

Secure your connection now at a bargain price!


We may earn a commission if you make a purchase

Check Out The Offer
Did you enjoy this article?
Еxplore more with a FREE members account.
  • Access members-only articles
  • Join community discussions
  • Share your own device reviews
  • Manage your newsletter choices
Register For Free
Loading Comments...

Latest Discussions

by Doug Fresh 123 • 4

Recommended Stories

FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless