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

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

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.
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|
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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 |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) vs Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) vs Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) specs comparison
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