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The updated version has changed a lot compared to its predecessor. You can say it's perfect new model. New design has become even more attractive, and the case materials are now metal and glass. And for the first time, on the A-series models, a fingerprint sensor appeared. With it, you can not only instantly unlock the device, but also enter a password on sites and gain access to your account.
The smartphone is equipped with the most popular now screen size of 5.2 inches. The display does not look bulky, thanks to the presence of thin frames. The screen is made using Super AMOLED technology, which gives a juicy, contrasting picture. Also, do not forget about the deep black color, excellent viewing angles and several preset profiles, with which everyone can customize the image for themselves. The resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels (FullHD) with a density of 424 ppi. The display brightness margin is enough for working on a bright sunny day, and automatic adjustment will select the optimal backlight level, depending on external conditions. And all this is protected by 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4 with an oleophobic coating that will protect the display not only from scratches, but also from dirt and fingerprints. 
Specifications samsung galaxy A5 (2016) SM-A510F Black allow it to handle both social networking applications and 3D games with ease, even when multitasking. As a processor, the smartphone has an 8-core Samsung Exynos 7580 with a frequency of 1.6 GHz. 2 GB random access memory allow the Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system to run quickly and smoothly. The OS interface has a proprietary shell from the Korean company TouchWiz, which not only changes its appearance, but also has many functions and applications available only for it. Among them - voice assistant S-Voice and Samsung Galaxy Apps store. In it you can find unique themes decorations, gifts and special offers for games and smartphone applications. The built-in storage space for photos, videos and music is 16 GB (10.7 GB is available to the user). And this place can be expanded, there is support for microSD memory cards up to 128 GB. Built-in battery with fast charging function, have a decent amount of 2900 mAh, which allows the device to work on the Internet up to 14 hours, up to 16 hours of talk time and up to 75 hours when listening to music. 
Naturally, all the most modern communication modules are installed in the smartphone. For access to Mobile Internet you can use 4G LTE, which will provide speeds up to 150 Mbps. And support for two SIM cards will open up more options for choosing a tariff for the Internet and calls. The Wi-Fi module works with the most common a/b/g/n protocols and supports WiFi Direct, which will allow you to exchange data between smartphones via Wi-Fi without an access point. Bluetooth has version 4.1 and is equipped with all kinds of connection profiles wireless headsets, other devices and data exchange (A2DP, AVRCP, DI, HFP, HID, HOGP, HSP, etc.). ANT+ will allow you to connect sports equipment such as a heart rate monitor, pedometer, bike computers and more. There is even NFC, which is becoming more and more popular and allows not only to exchange data on short distance, but also make payments, quickly connect other devices and use your smartphone as an electronic ticket. As a navigator, the smartphone is also good, it receives a signal from both GPS satellites and GLONASS satellites. 
Another merit Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) SM-A510F Black are his cameras. The main module has a resolution of 13 megapixels, equipped with a flash, autofocus and optical stabilization. The camera has many settings and the ability to install additional applications, via Samsung Galaxy Apps. Also have HDR support and shooting high-definition video in FullHD resolution. Photos are clear and bright even in low light conditions. Selfie and video call lovers will love it front-camera with a resolution of 5 megapixels.
We analyze the shortcomings of the latest series of Korean smartphones
Samsung has released analogues of the flagships at a low price and without compromise! These phones break stereotypes!” - the authors of reviews of the new Galaxy series (A3, A5, A7) of 2016, especially close to the manufacturer, choke with delight. Come on! We bring you an honest review of the shortcomings of the latest Korean smartphones.
MINUSES WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN REVIEWS AND TESTS
Combined slot for the second SIM-card and memory card
It is difficult to say who first came up with this "brilliant" idea, but it is she who is implemented in the new Samsung devices. You have to choose: either a second SIM or extended memory. The choice is sometimes painful, they write in a review on Hi-tech.mail.ru, since the built-in memory in A-series smartphones is only 16 GB, a good third of which goes to the operating system. So if you want to be always in touch and not lose money while changing SIM-cards, forget about "heavy" games and large files. So, the first compromise is already there.
Photo: i.ytimg.com
Low battery capacity
In this sense, Samsung went to meet users halfway: according to information Hi-tech.mail.ru, in the top Galaxy A7 version of 2015, a 2600 mAh battery was installed, now they put a 3300 mAh battery there. The A3 and A5 have more modest capabilities: 2300 and 2900 mAh, respectively. How to write on w3bsit3-dns.com, if you do not particularly load the Galaxy A5, you can count on a full day of work: 15-20 minutes telephone conversations, the same amount of correspondence via SMS and instant messengers, 2.5-3 hours of surfing the Internet and sitting in in social networks, shooting a couple of dozen photos and two or three videos. In PCMark's battery life test, the smartphone lasted nearly twelve hours. Is this enough? It's not the same for everybody. But games “eat up” the battery quickly: in an hour at half the brightness of the screen, the battery sits down by 32%.
Ambiguous ergonomics
Photo: i.ytimg.com
In terms of design, the new series was conceived very well. The metal shell was supposed to give reliability, glass - grace. As a result, something not quite logical turned out: in the review on S4galaxy.ru it is noted that after processing the surface of the device with a matte composition, the body looks like it is made of plastic. The only plus of this solution is that there are scratches on the case, but it is difficult to detect them if you do not look closely. Having spoiled the "metal" appearance in order, the developers still did not achieve their goal: as stated in the test for Itc.ua, the phone is slippery and often tends to slip out of hands, especially in the cold (we are talking about the A3, but the "senior comrades" suffer the same). At the same time, a fall on a hard surface, according to portal experts w3bsit3-dns.com, for a smartphone will be fatal: cracks on the glass cannot be avoided. So we buy a cover right away and do not save on it.
Galaxy A7, in turn, turned out to be bulky, according to Hi-tech.mail.ru. It is a whole millimeter thicker and immediately 30 grams heavier than its predecessor. At the same time, the volume button has become thinner, hitting it is now not so easy.
Few preset photo modes
Despite the fact that the smartphones of the new line are positioned as almost a complete analogue of the S-series, the camera, say, in the Galaxy A5 is significantly inferior to the one installed in the Galaxy S6. 13 megapixels versus 16, maximum resolution 1080p versus QHD, and so on - it makes no sense to list everything, the cameras are not even close. But this is not so bad, because the prices of the devices are completely different. It's bad that in Galaxy A, as noted on the portal w3bsit3-dns.com, total 6 photo modes: Auto, Pro, Panorama, Continuous shooting, HDR, Night. Few? Then you have to fork out - welcome to the Galaxy Apps online store. Experts also note other problems with the camera of new Samsung devices: if the smartphone takes good pictures during the day, the pictures are clear, the automation in most cases accurately determines the white balance, then in the evening optical stabilization begins to be lacking, the frames often turn out blurry. You have to either hold the gadget super tightly in your hands, or use the “night” mode. On the Itc.ua there are references to the difficulty of autofocusing during macro photography.
MINUSES WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN REVIEWS
No missed events alert
Photo: i.computer-bild.de
Users Galaxy smartphones And in 2016, this fact is especially infuriating: “To insert a penny LED into a device for 40 thousand - is it really difficult?” Indeed, in order to check whether a letter has arrived or track missed calls, you have to wake up the phone (and this is not always and everywhere convenient).
Communication failures in places with a weak signal
Judging by the reviews, the smartphone does not always switch from 4G to 3G in a timely manner in places of poor signal reception. To download a large file or download a “heavy” page on the Internet, sometimes you have to wait until the device stops “freezing” and changes the mode.
Rough flash work
It is clear that the flash in a smartphone is not intended for some great achievements in the field of photography, but the LED in Galaxy A, according to gadget owners, behaves very harshly: it simply overexposes all objects within a meter radius. Flash in small rooms has to be used carefully, carefully choosing the angle for shooting.
Is it all that bad?
Photo: d.christiantoday.com
The new line of smartphones really resembles the flagship ones - and appearance, and body materials, and functionality. By and large, the devices have everything the same as in the "older" models, but on a somewhat limited scale. A quad-core processor in the Galaxy A3 and 8-core processors in the A5 and A7, excellent performance, the ability to work in 4G LTE (and the smartphone's network keeps a five, there are practically no complaints about it). The A5 and A7 support a fingerprint scanner. High contrast screen with excellent color reproduction. It is possible to list the advantages of Galaxy A (2016) smartphones for a long time, but the shortcomings we have described still noticeably limit the circle of users. It makes sense to buy such models if you want to have something similar to flagships. But you need to understand that these will be really "like" flagships. Perfectionists have nothing to catch here.
In the latest version of the smartphone price category The Samsung Galaxy A5's spectacular glass-and-metal design doesn't compromise on performance. All the pros and cons of this 2016 model were found out by Vesti.Hi-tech.
The experiment with the fashion line of Galaxy A smartphones turned out to be quite successful for Samsung. Users, in general, appreciated the fashionable models, especially noting their interesting appearance, however, in the case of the 2015 line, they were not very satisfied with the relatively weak filling. When releasing updated devices, the company decided to keep all the best from its predecessors, while taking into account critical comments. Using the Galaxy A5 (2016) as an example, we decided to check whether the stylish smartphone has become more convenient and functional.
Specifications
- Model: SM-A510F
- Operating system: Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop) with TouchWiz shell
- Display: 5.2 inches, capacitive (up to 5 simultaneous touches), Super AMOLED, resolution 1920x1080 pixels (Full HD), dpi density 424 ppi, protective glass 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4
- Processor: 8-core Samsung Exynos 7580 Octa, 64-bit architecture ARMv8-A, ARM Cortex-A53 (1.6 GHz)
- Graphics: ARM Mali-T720 (600 MHz)
- RAM: 2 GB (2-channel, 32-bit, LPDDR3, 933 MHz)
- Built-in memory: 16 GB (10.7 GB available); microSD/HC/XC memory card (up to 128 GB)
- Camera: Primary - 13 MP, BSI-matrix, aperture f/1.9, autofocus, optical stabilization (OIS), LED flash, video recording [email protected]; frontal - 5 MP, aperture f/1.9
- Communications: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz + 5GHz), HT40, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.1, ANT+, USB 2.0, USB-OTG, NFC, 3.5mm audio
- Communication: GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA, LTE Cat.6 (up to 300/50 Mbps), LTE-FDD: b1 (2100 MHz), b3 (1800 MHz), b5 (850 MHz), b7(2600) , b8 (900 MHz), b20 (800 MHz), LTE-TDD: b40 (2300 MHz)
- Navigation: GLONASS/GPS, A-GPS
- Radio: FM tuner
- Number of SIM cards: 1 (2 in DUOS version)
- SIM card type: nanoSIM (4FF)
- Sensors: accelerometer, proximity and light sensors, Hall sensor, fingerprint scanner
- Battery: non-removable, 2900 mAh, fast charging function
- Dimensions: 144.8x71.0x7.3mm
- Weight: 155 grams
- Colors: black, white, gold, pink
Design, ergonomics
If the first-generation Galaxy A models borrowed much of their glass-to-metal design from, then the exterior of second-generation smartphones is perhaps closer to last year's flagship.
Outwardly, they are brought together not only by the classic proportions and contours of the case, but also by the shape of the metal alloy frame, as well as the tempered glass with a pseudo-volumetric effect smoothly "flowing" to the edges. Recall that the first Galaxy A5 had a metal back panel.
Now it, like the flagship of 2015, is made of glass.
The new generation 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protects the screen and body from minor damage and scratches.
Together with the screen diagonal that has grown by 0.2 inches, the Galaxy A5 (2016), in comparison with the Galaxy A5, has increased not only the dimensions in terms of (144.8x71.0 mm versus 139.3x69.7 mm), but also the thickness (7 .3 mm vs. 6.7 mm) and weight (155 g vs. 123 g).
But next to the 5.2-inch "standard", the "renovator" turned out to be more compact (144.8x71.0x7.3 mm versus 147.0x72.6x7.9 mm), although a little heavier (155 g versus 136 g). Note that the Galaxy A5 (2016) is offered in four colors - black, white, gold and pink. Glamor lovers will definitely appreciate the latter option.
The smartphone in a golden case, which we got for testing, looks very representative.
In the upper part of the front panel of the case, directly above the Samsung logo, a speaker grill was placed, surrounded by light and proximity sensors (left), as well as the front camera lens (right).
It is worth noting the rather narrow bezels on the sides of the screen, protected by 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4 glass with an oleophobic coating.
Below the display are two dedicated touch buttons"Back" and "Recent applications" with a proprietary mechanical key "Home" between them. Unlike its predecessor, it now has an integrated fingerprint scanner. Illumination of icons in the settings is not adjustable.
Two separate metal volume keys were placed on the left edge,
And on the right - the power / lock button and a closed slot, which opens with a special paperclip key included in the kit. One tray of this slot is designed to install a subscriber identification module (nanoSIM format), and the other is for a memory card. The smartphone in 2-SIM modification (DUOS) has a second universal tray, that is, it can accept either a second nanoSIM or a microSD card.
On the top end, as before, there is only a hole for the second microphone.
But on the bottom they assembled a 3.5 mm audio headset connector, a microUSB connector for charging and synchronization, a decorative grille for a “multimedia” speaker, and a hole for a “conversational” microphone.
At the top of the glass back (2.5D Gorilla Glass 4), right above another Samsung logo, there are holes for an LED flash and a lens with a metal (slightly protruding) edging for the main camera.
In general, the design of the updated model turned out to be really premium. Outwardly, this device, which successfully combines glass with metal, looks quite like a flagship.
Relatively small, by today's standards, the dimensions of the case make it easy to handle the Galaxy A5 (2016) even with one hand. The frame without sharp edges does not create unpleasant sensations when holding this smartphone in the palm of your hand.
However, it is worth considering that glass is a rather slippery material, so the chance of the device slipping out of your hands is quite high. Although the protective glass Gorilla Glass 4 "survives" twice as often as Gorilla Glass 3 when dropped, you should not rely on it too much.
Screen, camera, sound
As already noted, the diagonal of the Super AMOLED display of the updated model has grown from 5.0 to 5.2 inches, while at the same time the resolution has also increased - from HD (1280x720 pixels) to Full HD (1920x1080 pixels). Thus, the density of pixels per inch has changed upwards - from 294 ppi to 424 ppi. Recall that in Super AMOLED displays, which differ, in particular, in a scheme with two subpixels (PenTile RGBG), there is no air gap between the touch layer and the matrix. This allows you to increase the brightness, reduce the reflection of light, and also reduce the already economical (due to the lack of a separate backlight) power consumption.
The capacitive screen of the Galaxy A5 (2016) supports multi-touch, while the AntTuTu Tester confirmed that only up to five simultaneous taps are recognized. To correct color reproduction, which may seem too "acid" to some, the following profiles are available in the screen settings: "Basic", "AMOLED Photo", "AMOLED Movie" and "Adaptive Display". In the latter case (this mode is set by default), the color range, saturation and sharpness of a rather "cold"-looking image are automatically optimized. True, at the same time, the manufacturer honestly warns about possible incompatibility with third-party programs. More "warm", calm, the image is obtained in the "Basic" mode. The purpose of the two remaining profiles is already clear from their names - "AMOLED Photo" and "AMOLED Movie".
Good anti-glare properties of the screen are complemented by a decent margin of brightness, which makes it possible to comfortably use the smartphone, including even in sunlight. The brightness level is proposed to be adjusted either manually, or use it automatic tuning by light sensor (option "Auto"). The Smart Power Off function, by detecting the user's face through the front camera, prevents the screen from turning off. Other advantages of the display, in addition to its protection with a new generation of Gorilla Glass 4, should also include a good oleophobic coating.
The main 13-megapixel sensor is located on the BSI-matrix, while the lens aperture is equal to f / 1.9, so the camera feels quite confident in low light conditions. The mandatory set also includes an optical stabilization system (OIS), autofocus and an LED flash. The maximum possible image resolution is 4128x3096 pixels (13 MP) with a classic aspect ratio (4:3) and 4128x2322 pixels (9.6 MP) for a widescreen frame (16:9). Similar parameters for the front camera with a 5-megapixel sensor are 2576x1932 pixels (5 MP, 4:3) and 2560x1440 pixels (3.7 MP, 16:9). Both cameras can record video with Full HD resolution (1920x1080 pixels) and a frame rate of 30 fps, while the content is stored in MP4 container files (AVC - video, AAC - sound). In addition, video quality is also available - HD (1280x720 pixels) and VGA (640x480 pixels). Examples of photos from the main camera can be viewed.
The Camera application is launched from the desktop, from the application menu, and from the lock screen. But for him shortcut you need to press the mechanical home key twice. The main camera, in addition to "Auto", provides the following shooting modes - "Pro", "Panorama", "Continuous shooting", "Rich tones" (HDR) and "Night". Five more (at the time of testing) additional scenes from the Galaxy Apps store were available for download via the Internet - these are Sound & shot, Sports shot, Beauty face, Animated GIF and Rear-cam selfie. In turn, the front camera is limited to the modes "Self-portrait", "Group selfie", "Continuous shooting" and "Night".
In addition to choosing the desired image size and video resolution, in the "Pro" mode, you can also decide on the white balance, ISO value and exposure, as well as the method of measuring the latter (center-weighted, matrix, spot). In addition, filters are available in the settings, including such as "Posterization", "Grayscale", "Sepia" and "Negative". To take photos and videos, you are prompted to use a voice command (for example, "Take a picture" and "Record video"). The volume buttons can easily be assigned to release the shutter, start video recording, or digital zoom.
The "multimedia" speaker on the bottom of the Galaxy A5 (2016) sounds pretty nice and clear, but it doesn't have that much headroom. In the smartphone settings, it became possible to optimize the sound for the connected headphones. As a result of a not very long procedure, it is really possible to hear the difference in the sound of "before" and "after". In addition, when connecting headphones or Bluetooth headsets the SoundAlive+ option becomes available, recreating the effect of surround sound and/or " Tube amplifier", which emulates the characteristic timbre coloring. The branded player "Music" without installing additional codecs allows you to listen to sound files without loss of quality (lossless) with the FLAC extension. It also offers the option to auto-off after a fixed (15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, etc.) or customizable time interval. In addition, it is easy to vary the playback speed here (from 0.5 to 2 times). But the "Smart Volume" function automatically adjusts the sound level of all songs to the same level. In turn, the SoundAlive option offers a 7-band equalizer with six presets and a customizable mode. In addition to the "Voice recorder" application (with the "Standard" and "Voice memo" profiles), the smartphone also has the "Radio" program for the built-in FM tuner with RDS and recording capability. In this case, the wires of the headphones or headset should act as a short-wave antenna.
Filling, performance
The Samsung Exynos 7580 Octa single-chip system, created in compliance with 28 nm design standards, is used as the base for the Galaxy A5 (2016). It was first introduced with the Galaxy S5 Neo smartphone at the beginning of last year. Recall that the predecessor of the updated model was satisfied with the 64-bit Qualcomm processor Snapdragon 410 (MSM8916) Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A53 (1.2GHz)
The Exynos 7580 Octa already has eight 64-bit ARMv8-based Cortex-A53 processor cores that can run at a maximum clock speed of 1.6GHz. At the same time, the graphics operations are taken over by the Mali-T720 accelerator (600 MHz) with support for OpenGL ES 3.1 and OpenCL 1.1. The base platform of the updated smartphone is complemented by 2 GB of RAM 2-channel 32-bit LPDDR3 memory (933 MHz), controlled by the corresponding controller. It is believed that the performance of the Exynos 7580 Octa is not inferior, in particular, to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 and Mediatek MT6752, which are also aimed at mid-range devices.
On synthetic tests AnTuTu Benchmark, as well as when evaluating the amount of "horsepower" and the efficiency of using processor cores (Vellamo, Geekbench 3), the updated smartphone predictably took its place in the middle group.
On the Epic Citadel visual test with variable settings High Performance and High Quality (performance at the expense of quality and vice versa), the average frame rate at a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels did not differ in values even after the decimal point (58 fps). But changing the setting to Ultra High Quality reduced the value of this parameter quite significantly (29.3 fps).
On the universal gaming benchmark 3DMark, where the smartphone was tested on the recommended set of Sling Shot (ES 3.0), a result corresponding to the level of the platform was recorded - 336 points.
But total number points earned by the Galaxy A5 (2016) on the Base Mark OS II cross-platform benchmark was 807.
The updated smartphone also has 16 GB of internal memory, of which approximately 10.7 GB is initially available. You can expand the built-in storage using microSD / HC / XC cards up to 128 GB (the predecessor had 64 GB). Thanks to USB-OTG technologies You can easily connect USB drives to your smartphone.
The cellular modem in the Galaxy A5 (2016) is designed for fourth-generation LTE Cat.6 networks (up to 300 Mbps), including the "Russian" LTE-FDD frequency bands (b3, b7 and b20). Recall that the predecessor (Galaxy A5) could boast only LTE Cat.4 (up to 150 Mbps). Among other wireless communications of the tested smartphone, we note Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz) and NFC.
Despite the presence of the NFC interface, unfortunately, it will not be possible to use a smartphone to read the Troika card (for example, using the My Travel Card application from the Bank of Moscow). Recall that the Mifare Classic technology (NXP Semiconductors) used in transport cards is licensed, so not all NFC controllers support it. You can check the absence of such support, for example, using the NFC Check application.
Used for positioning and navigation satellite systems GPS and GLONASS, which is confirmed by the test program AndroiTS GPS Test. A-GPS option is also available.
The Galaxy A5 (2016) smartphone has increased the capacity of the non-removable battery from 2300 mAh to 2900 mAh compared to its predecessor. At the same time, the built-in battery received the fast charging function (Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging). According to the manufacturer, this mode allows you to fill the battery of your smartphone to 100% in about 105 minutes. Since we got the device for the test without a power adapter at all, we could not verify this statement. Of the declared specifications devices, in particular, it follows that on a single charge you can talk on the 3G network up to 16 hours, surf the Internet via 3G / LTE / Wi-Fi, respectively, 14/14/16 hours, listen to music up to 75 hours or up to 14 hours watch the video.
On the AnTuTu Tester battery benchmark, the device showed a very good result of 8,696 points. Each hour of playing test videos in MP4 format (hardware decoding) and Full HD quality at maximum brightness reduced battery power by about 9%.
AT Galaxy settings A5 (2016) "Energy saving" and "Extreme power saving" modes are available. The first one reduces the speed of the processor, limits the screen brightness and frame rate, turns off the backlight of the keys, etc. You can activate "Energy Saver" immediately or when the battery level is 5%, 15%, 20% and 50%, respectively. In turn, the extreme power saving mode saves battery power by using a simplified grayscale home screen theme and limiting the number of available applications.
Peculiarities software
The Galaxy A5 (2016) smartphone runs on the Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop) operating system with the proprietary TouchWiz launcher. The update to Android 6.x (Marshmallow) has not yet reached this model.
The set of pre-installed programs, as usual for devices from this manufacturer, is quite wide. In addition to the branded "Music", "Video", "My Files", S Planner, S Health, etc., on board was office suite from Microsoft with OneDrive and Skype joining it. To replenish the collection of programs is offered from the Galaxy Apps store. In addition, you should pay attention to "Gifts from Samsung", which contains special offers for the Galaxy A5 (2016).
Fingerprints obtained using a fingerprint scanner, whose work, by the way, did not cause any complaints, are proposed to be used not only to unlock the device, but also to enter websites (only through the Internet browser) and Samsung account.
"Easy" mode makes the device easier to use by using larger fonts and bigger icons. In the settings, you can also activate gestures for smart notifications, mute and capture the screen with the palm of your hand. But to change the backlight time for the icons of the "Back" and "Recent applications" buttons in the range from 1 to 10 seconds (default 1.5 seconds), from Google Play need to download Galaxy app Button Lights.
Purchase, conclusions
With a more striking appearance thanks to the glass back, the updated Galaxy A5 (2016) surpassed its predecessor in terms of filling. In particular, the size (5.2 inches vs. 5 inches) and screen resolution (Full HD vs. HD), the parameters of the main camera (optical stabilization, aperture f / 1.9 vs. f / 2.0), processor power (Exynos 7580 Octa vs. Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 ), the maximum capacity of an additional memory card (128 GB versus 64 GB), battery capacity (2900 mAh versus 2300 mAh). It is also worth noting the presence of a fingerprint scanner and improved communication capabilities(LTE Cat.6 vs. LTE Cat.4) of the new device.
Despite the increased processor power, the main limitation of the updated Galaxy A5 (2016) is still its average performance, which, however, is quite enough for most applications. It is unfortunate that the device lacks a charging/notification LED indicator. Well, in the 2-SIM (DUOS) version of the smartphone, the alternative installation of the second subscriber identification module (nanoSIM-card) and a memory card should also be attributed to the disadvantages.
According to Yandex.Market, for the Galaxy A5 (2016) at the time of testing they asked for about 25 thousand rubles. For the existing filling, this may be a bit much, but here you should take into account the stylish, and in the pink case - just glamorous, appearance of the updated device, which is not inferior to the flagship one. By the way, the 5.2-inch "standard" is estimated at about the same range. But he, losing the lack of support for microSD memory cards and a smaller battery capacity (2,900 mAh versus 2,300 mAh), is clearly inferior to the Galaxy A5 (2016) with its modest plastic exterior.
Review results Samsung smartphone Galaxy A5 (2016)
Pros:
- Striking case design
- Bright Super AMOLED screen, now in Full HD resolution
- Camera with optical stabilization
- Good autonomy
- Availability of LTE Cat. 6
- Fingerprint scanner
- fast charging
Minuses:
- Average performance
- Alternative installation of a second SIM card and memory card
- Missing led indicator charging/notifications
Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 I was able to show myself mostly on the positive side, although there were some minor flaws. So, the device has an eight-core processor of 1600 MHz for each core in total with 2 GB of RAM, the smartphone works quite quickly, although the processor is not the most powerful. Of the positive, it is worth highlighting: a high-quality matrix (albeit quite fragile); comfortable shell; fast work fingerprint scanner; positive reviews; sound; cameras. Of the minuses: support of the company. Generally, Samsung Galaxy A5 2016- this is a pretty good option for the declared cost, so we will recommend it.
Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 Features and price
Os - Android 6.0;
Screen - 5.2 inches;
Resolution -1920*1080;
Camera - 13 MP;
Front - 5 MP;
Processor - 8 cores at 1600 MHz;
Built-in memory - 16 GB;
RAM - 2 GB;
Battery - 2900 units;
Price - about $ 300;
Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 Reviews
A huge number of reviews on the Internet. The smartphone is very popular among users;
Modern design;
Pretty roomy battery;
fast charging;
Hybrid tray for SIM card and memory card;
Of the minuses, it is worth highlighting the fragile screen, so, along with a smartphone, it is necessary to purchase a protective glass;
- Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 has an adequate cost;
Very bad user support, and there are not always spare parts for this smartphone, especially for the matrix;
Modern design;
High functionality of the phone;
Decent cameras;
Pleasant sound in headphones;
No moisture protection;
No vibration feedback from the keyboard;
It will be good to lie in the hand;
Support 4G;
Quick search for navigation satellites;
Constant operating system updates, up to this point at least;
When charging, the smartphone starts to warm up;
Inconvenient auto-brightness adjustment;
High quality matrix;
- Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 has support for Samsung Pay;
It is inconvenient to work with one hand;
A large number of accessories specifically for this model;
Glove support in winter;
Convenient shell from Samsung;
The presence of a fingerprint scanner;
Quality assembly;
Upgrade to version 7 of android;
Conclusion
Generally, Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 this is one of the most best smartphones in the market for your money
Score 8 /10
High functionality;
Positive reviews;
Fast work;
Stylish but underperforming
A year ago, Samsung released a completely new line smartphones Galaxy A, including models A3, A5 and A7. Unlike the flagship Galaxy S line, the emphasis here was not on performance and functionality, but on design. At the same time, the price Galaxy models A was lower than the Galaxy S line. At the beginning of 2016, the tradition was continued with the release of three new models. With the name, we decided not to philosophize and simply added the designation of the year - 2016.
Of the three models in the line, the average device looks the most interesting: Galaxy A5 2016. The fact is that it combines a spectacular design, a screen with the most versatile size (5.2 inches) and a low price (about 26 thousand rubles at the time of writing, which much more attractive than the 2016 A7, not to mention the current S-series smartphones).
We studied the device and tried to figure out what compromises the user will have to make for the sake of an attractive design and a low price.
Let's take a look at the characteristics of the novelty.
Specifications Samsung Galaxy A5 2016
- SoC Exynos 7580 Octa
- CPU Cortex-A53 @1.6GHz (8 cores)
- GPU Mali-T720MP2 @650 MHz
- operating room android system 5.1
- Touch display 5.2″ AMOLED, 1920 × 1080, 424 ppi
- Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB
- Persistent memory: 16 GB
- Support for microSD memory cards up to 128 GB
- SIM cards: 2 × Nano-SIM
- Communication GSM/GPRS/EDGE/3G/LTE
- Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/A-GPS
- WiFi 802.11b/g/n
- GPS with A-GPS, Glonass
- Cameras: 5 MP (front) and 13 MP (rear) with LED flash and autofocus, f/1.9, Full HD video recording
- Battery: lithium polymer 2900 mAh, non-removable
- Dimensions 144.8×71×7.3mm
- Weight 155 g
For clarity, we decided to make a table with the characteristics of two competing models from other manufacturers, as well as the first generation Samsung Galaxy A5 model, in order to visualize the difference between it and the new product.
| Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 | Samsung Galaxy A5 | LG Nexus 5X | Huawei Honor 5X | |
| Screen | 5.2″ AMOLED, 1920×1080, 424ppi | 5″ AMOLED, 720×1280, 294ppi | 5.2″ IPS, 1920×1080, 424ppi | 5.5″, IPS, 1920×1152, 401 ppi |
| SoC (processor) | Exynos 7580 Octa (8x Cortex-A53 @1.6GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (4x Cortex-A53 @1.2GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (2x Cortex-A57 @1.8GHz + 4x [email protected].5 GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (8 ARM Cortex-A53 @1.5GHz) |
| GPU | Mali-T720MP2 | Adreno 306 | Adreno 418 | Adreno 405 |
| Flash memory | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16/32 GB | 16 GB |
| Connectors | Micro-USB (OTG capable), 3.5mm headphone jack | USB type C (OTG enabled), 3.5mm headphone jack | Micro-USB, 3.5mm headphone jack | |
| Memory card support | microSD | microSD | No | microSD |
| RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2/3 GB |
| cameras | rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP) | rear (12.3 MP; video 4K), front (5 MP) | rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP) | |
| LTE support | there is | there is | there is | there is |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 2900 | 2300 | 2700 | 3000 |
| Operating system | Google Android 5.1 | Google Android 4.4 (upgradable to 5.0) | Google Android 6.0 | Google Android 5.1 |
| Dimensions (mm)* | 145×71×7.3 | 139×70×6.7 mm | 147×73×7.9 mm | 151×76×8.1 |
| Weight (g) | 155 | 123 | 136 | 158 |
| average price | T-13188751 | T-12323116 | T-12911710 | T-13054761 |
| Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 Retail Deals | L-13188751-10 | |||
*according to manufacturer's official data
The progress of the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 compared to last year's model is clear: a higher display resolution, a newer OS version, a more powerful SoC. However, against the background of competitors, the novelty does not look so attractive. For about the same money, you can buy the LG Nexus 5X, which offers more powerful hardware, USB Type C, 4K video recording and the latest android version. Or - much cheaper Huawei Honor 5X, the characteristics of which are generally the same level, while the price is much lower (about 17 thousand rubles at the time of writing).
However, the trump card of the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 is the design, so we'll talk about it in more detail.
Design
The smartphone came to us without packaging, so we won’t talk about the packaging and go straight to the design of the device. The appearance of the smartphone really makes a good impression. It has a metal chassis and a glass back. It looks stylish, although it brings to mind the Sony Xperia Z line of devices. However, compared to Sony, the edges here are not straight, but slightly rounded, as a result of which the smartphone lies more comfortably in the hand than Sony devices with sharp edges.
The solution with a back glass cover has a minus. It is quite easily soiled, which is why after a few minutes of use the device does not look so attractive. Fingerprints (especially when exposed to direct light) are immediately visible on the back cover. Of course, you can wipe them off, but you won’t do it all the time!
An important design advantage of the Galaxy A5 2016 is the very narrow bezels around the screen. In this parameter, the smartphone significantly surpasses, for example, the iPhone 6s Plus, which, with a screen area only slightly larger than the Galaxy A5 2016, looks much more bulky.
Unlike its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 is equipped with a fingerprint scanner. It is located in the "Home" button. We compared the speed of its work with the iPhone 6s Plus and came to the conclusion that the fingerprint sensor of the iPhone 6s Plus is still faster.
Continuing the comparison with the iPhone, we note that in both smartphones, the camera eye protrudes noticeably above the level of the back cover. And with Samsung, this is much more noticeable, since the camera module itself is larger. As for the consequences for use, the disadvantage of such a solution (with a protruding camera) is that if the smartphone is placed on the table, it will not lie tightly, but rise a little in the upper part, since the camera is placed under it.
The location of connectors and slots is standard. On the right side there is a power button and a slot for Nano-SIM and microSD cards. The slot is combined, you can use either one Nano-SIM and one microSD, or two Nano-SIMs.
On the left side are the volume buttons. All buttons are metal, as are the edges. Press moderately hard.
On the bottom edge there is a speaker grille, a microphone, a 3.5 mm headset jack and a Micro-USB connector. And now - with OTG support (there was no OTG in last year's model).
The upper face contains only a hole for another microphone.
In general, the smartphone has a spectacular and pleasant design, fits comfortably in the hand and deserves the status of fashion. The problem is only in the soiling of the back surface. This can seriously spoil the impression.
Screen
Compared to last year's model, the screen size of the Galaxy A5 has grown from 5 to 5.2 inches; The resolution has also increased from HD to Full HD. Perhaps this is the most balanced combination, because the benefits of more high definition with such a diagonal are ambiguous, but the disadvantages (reducing the duration battery life, the need for increased performance...) are undeniable. However, the resolution and screen size are not all the parameters that deserve attention. Detailed testing of the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 display was carried out by Alexey Kudryavtsev, editor of the Projectors and TV section. Below is his conclusion.
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 no worse than those of the screen of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Samsung Galaxy A5, then they can be distinguished by size):
The screen of the Samsung Galaxy A5 is only slightly lighter (the average brightness in the photos is 114 versus 109 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the screen of the Samsung Galaxy A5 is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of borders (glass/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 external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the Samsung Galaxy A5 screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, better than Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.
When displaying a white field in full screen and when manual control brightness, its maximum value was 395 cd / m², the minimum - 1.8 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. As a result, readability during the day in the sun should be at a fairly good level. 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 left of the front speaker slot). You can make adjustments to how this function works by moving the adjustment slider. Next, for the three conditions, we present the screen brightness values for the three values of this setting - for 0%, 50% and 100%. In total darkness in automatic mode the brightness is reduced to 1.8, 7.9 and 16 cd/m² respectively (the first and second are too dark, the third is normal), in an artificially lit office (approximately 400 lux), the brightness is set to 37, 125 and 300 cd/ m² (dark - just right - a bit bright, which corresponds to the specified correction), in a brightly lit environment (corresponds to a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) - rises to 520 cd / m² regardless of position slider. This value is greater than the maximum for manual adjustment. If you increase the brightness of ambient light (near the light sensor) somewhere up to hundreds of thousands of lux (corresponds to direct sunlight), then the screen brightness rises a little more - up to 525 cd / m². Such brightness should definitely be enough to ensure that the image on the screen is well distinguished in any natural conditions. In general, the result of the function automatic adjustment brightness is as expected. At any level of brightness there is a significant modulation with a frequency of approximately 60 or 240 Hz. The figure below shows brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for several brightness settings:
It can be seen that at maximum and close to it, the modulation amplitude is not very large, and as a result, there is no visible flicker. However, as the brightness decreases, modulation with a large relative amplitude appears. Therefore, the presence of such modulation can already be seen in the test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with a 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 using 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 microphoto:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
On 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 overlap. For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer considers the screen resolution based on green subpixels, on the other two it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this variant 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 stripes of green subpixels. However, some uneven contrasting borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to the very high resolution, they have minimal effect on image quality.
The screen is characterized by excellent viewing angles, although the white color, when deviated even at small angles, alternately acquires a light blue-green and pinkish tint, but the black color is just black at any angle. So black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is good. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Samsung Galaxy A5 and the second comparison participant, 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:
We note a good, although in this case clearly imperfect, uniformity of brightness and color tone white field. And a test picture (profile Basic):
According to the visual assessment, the tested screen has a good color reproduction, the colors are moderately saturated, the color balance of the screens is slightly different. Recall that the photo can not serve as a reliable source of information about color quality and is provided for illustrative purposes only. In this case, apparently, due to the peculiarities of the emission spectrum of the AMOLED screen, the color balance in the photo differs markedly from what is visible to the eye and is determined by the spectrophotometer. The photo above was obtained after choosing 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 environmental conditions, which is obtained by selecting the two remaining profiles shown below.
AMOLED movie:
Saturation and color contrast are markedly increased.
Photo AMOLED:
The saturation is almost as high, but the color contrast is closer to normal. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen (profile Basic). White field:
The brightness at an angle on both screens has noticeably decreased (in order to avoid severe dimming, the shutter speed is increased compared to previous photos), but in the case of the AMOLED screen, the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness samsung screen The Galaxy A5 visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), as the screen of a mobile device often has to be viewed at least from a slight angle. And a test picture:
It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of Samsung at an angle is noticeably higher. Switching the state of the elements of the matrix is \u200b\u200balmost instantaneous, but there may be a step width of about 17 ms at the on front (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of about 60 Hz). For example, the dependence of brightness on time looks like this when moving from black to white and vice versa:
In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing behind moving objects. However, dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high definition and even some “twitchy” movements.
For profiles Photo AMOLED and Basic the gamma curve built on 32 points with equal intervals according to 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 2.11-2.13, which is slightly lower than the standard value of 2.2, at the same time, the real gamma curve deviates little from the power dependence (in the captions in parentheses are the exponent of the approximating power function and the coefficient of determination, which shows the proximity of the gamma curve to the power dependence):
For profile AMOLED movie the gamma curve has a pronounced S-shaped character, which increases the apparent contrast of the image, but in the shadows the distinguishability of shades is 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 images that are generally bright. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve), most likely, slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve static image, since the measurements were carried out with a sequential output of shades of gray almost on the entire screen.
Color gamut in profile case AMOLED movie very wide, it almost covers Adobe RGB coverage:
When choosing a profile Photo AMOLED coverage is pressed to the borders of Adobe RGB:
When choosing a profile Basic coverage is already compressed to the sRGB borders:
Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:
In the case of a profile Basic with the maximum correction, the color components are already noticeably mixed with each other:
Note that on screens with a wide color gamut without proper color correction, normal images optimized for sRGB devices look unnaturally saturated. 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 installing Adobe RGB, it makes sense to switch the profile to Photo AMOLED. Profile AMOLED movie, despite the name, is the least suitable for watching movies and anything else.
The balance of shades on the gray scale is good. Profile color temperature AMOLED movie above 6500 K, in the remaining two it is close to 6500 K, while in a significant part of the gray scale this parameter does not change very much, which improves the visual perception of the color balance. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) remains below 10 units for most of the gray scale, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, and also does not change very much:
(The darkest areas of the gray scale can in most cases be ignored, as there the color balance does not of great importance, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is acceptable (but in bright light it is necessary) 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 (if you select the appropriate profiles). At the same time, let's recall the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected on the screen), a noticeably smaller drop in image brightness when viewed from an angle than an LCD. The disadvantages include modulation of the screen brightness. Users who are particularly sensitive to flicker may experience fatigue as a result. However, overall the screen quality is very high.
Operating system and software
The operating system is installed on the smartphone Google system Android 5.1.1. It is reported that the update to Android 6.0 will be available for the Galaxy A5 2016, but it has not yet been released.
The appearance of the OS interface is typical for mobile devices Samsung.
As for the software, here it is worth paying attention to the fact that the smartphone has Microsoft applications(Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, Skype), as well as a gift catalog.
In this catalog you can find in-game currency for popular games (for example, Cut The Rope 2), Navitel cards, LitRes books, 3 months subscription to the ivi.ru online cinema and other nice bonuses.
Performance
The smartphone runs on SoC Exynos 7580 Octa. This is far from the top-end solution that Samsung previously used in the Galaxy S5 Neo (a later modification of the Galaxy S5, which differs only in SoC and camera) and the Galaxy J7 tablet phone. This SoC is not found in any really popular model. However, along with the Galaxy A5 2016, it is also installed in the Galaxy A7 2016. The SoC is created using the 28 nm process technology and includes eight Cortex-A53 processor cores with a frequency of 1.6 GHz, as well as the Mali-T720MP2 GPU.
Note that both A5 2016 and A7 2016 exist in the version with Qualcomm Snapdragon 615. Also, frankly, not a flagship chip, but still much more common than the Exynos 7580 Octa. But we had a model specifically on Exynos 7580 Octa, so we will study its performance.
Let's start with browser tests: SunSpider 1.0.2, Octane Benchmark and Kraken Benchmark. We also add to our standard set- a new browser benchmark recommended by the creators of SunSpider as a replacement for it. On all devices we used Chrome browser. If there is a dash in the field of the table, then the corresponding smartphone has not been tested in this benchmark (or in this version of this benchmark).
In browser tests, the overall picture becomes clear: the Galaxy A5 2016 significantly outperforms its predecessor and generally maintains parity with the Huawei Honor 5X, but loses a lot to the LG Nexus 5X.
Now let's see how the gadget performs in complex benchmarks - AnTuTu 6 and Geekbench 3.
Unfortunately, we don't have AnTuTu 6 results for the previous Samsung Galaxy A5 and LG Nexus 5X, because we tested them in the fifth version of the benchmark, which was radically different in terms of scoring principles, so it's not correct to compare the results. You have to be content with what you have.
In this group of benchmarks, the picture is generally similar, but the Exynos 7580 performed better than in browser benchmarks, narrowing the gap with the leader and widening the lead over other competitors. Obviously, this is due to the number of cores (eight) and the ability of benchmarks to use all of them. Of course, this does not mean that conventional software will also be capable of this.
The last group of benchmarks is dedicated to testing GPU performance. We used 3DMark, GFXBench, Epic Citadel and Bonsai Benchmark. All of them demonstrate real 3D scenes and allow you to visually see how devices cope with them.
Let's start with GFXBench. Recall that Offscreen tests are a display of a 1080p image on the screen, regardless of the actual screen resolution. And Onscreen tests are the output of a picture in the resolution that corresponds to the screen resolution of the device. That is, Offscreen tests are indicative in terms of the abstract performance of the SoC, and Onscreen tests are indicative of the comfort of playing on a specific device.
| Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 (Samsung Exynos 7580 Octa) |
Samsung Galaxy A5 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 410) |
Google Nexus 5X (Qualcomm Snapdragon 808) |
Huawei Honor 5X (Qualcomm Snapdragon 615) |
|
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan (Onscreen) | 4.8 fps | 3.9 fps | — | 5.9 fps |
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan (1080p Offscreen) | 4.8 fps | 1.8 fps | — | 5.6 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex (Onscreen) | 14 fps | 9.6 fps | — | 15 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex (1080p Offscreen) | 14 fps | 5.4 fps | — | 14 fps |
The picture is depressing. None of the devices will be able to play games of the level corresponding to the scenes of T-Rex and Manhattan. As for the results of smartphones relative to each other, here the alignment is similar to what we saw in previous benchmarks.
The fact that in Bonsai Benchmark new smartphone Samsung showed more than 30 fps - a reason to rejoice. But otherwise, of course, the picture is depressing. In Epic Citadel, made on the Unreal engine ( Dark games Meadow, Horn and others), it was already impossible to reach 30 fps, but in 3DMark the loss of LG Nexus 5X turned out to be huge (with parity with Huawei Honor 5X).
In general, benchmarks allow us to draw the following conclusions regarding Samsung performance Galaxy A5 2016. First, compared to last year's Galaxy A5, there is progress, and very significant. Secondly, by today's standards, this is still a very average level, which does not allow you to comfortably play many 3D games even two or three years ago. Thirdly, if you find a version of a smartphone with Snapdragon 615, you won’t get a significant gain - the picture as a whole will be similar.
However, for everyday use and undemanding to performance GPU operations a smartphone is quite suitable, since the amount of RAM is more important here. And the model has enough of it - 2 GB. Of course, this is not a record, but it is quite normal that even with a large number of open applications, the smartphone does not slow down.
Video playback
MHL interface (yes, branded and expensive samsung adapters now you can safely throw it away), like Mobility DisplayPort, we are in this smartphone were not found, 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 “Methodology for testing video signal playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped to determine the nature of the output frames of video files with various parameters: resolution (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps) varied. With). In tests, we used the MX Player video player in Hardware mode. The test results are summarized in the table:
Note: If both columns Uniformity and Passes green ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven interleaving and dropping frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the respective files.
According to the criterion for displaying frames, the quality of video files playback on the screen of the device itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be displayed with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without frame drops. True, it’s not that UHD files in general, but even Full HD with a frame rate of more than 30 fps, the smartphone does not play, which is strange by modern standards. We also note that the screen refresh rate is slightly less than the typical 60 Hz, but in the case of files with 60 fps, frame drops may not be, apparently, they are played a little slower. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly on the border of the screen. The clarity of the picture is high, the output is one to one by pixels, but the features of PenTile appear: the vertical world is pixel-by-pixel into the grid, and the horizontal one is slightly greenish. However, this is noticeable only on test worlds, and the described artifacts are absent on real images. 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 in the highlights, all gradations of shades are displayed.
Autonomous operation, heating and communication
The smartphone has a fairly capacious battery (by the standards of relatively compact smartphones). In particular, its capacity is greater than its predecessor and even than the Nexus 5X.
Of course, this had a positive effect on battery life - especially in those modes that are not associated with a heavy load. So, the smartphone is able to play video from the network for more than 10 hours, and in read mode, the work is even longer.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D game mode | |
| Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 | 2900 mAh | 12:50 p.m. | 10:30 | 3h 40m |
| LG Nexus 5X | 2700 mAh | 2:30 p.m. | 6 a.m. | 4 a.m. |
| Zuk Z1 | 4100 mAh | 21:00 | 16h 40m | 6:50 a.m. |
| Honor 7 | 3000 mAh | 13:00 | 10:40 | 3h 50m |
| One Plus 2 | 3300 mAh | 14:00 | 11:20 | 4h 30m |
| LeTV One | 3000 mAh | 10:30 | 8h 20m | 3h 50m |
| HTC One M9 | 2840 mAh | 11:00 a.m. | 8h 20m | 3h 50m |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 | 2550 mAh | 20:00 | 12:00 p.m. | 4 a.m. |
| Google Nexus 6 | 3220 mAh | 18:00 | 10:30 | 3h 40m |
| Meizu MX5 | 3150 mAh | 15:00 | 11:00 a.m. | 4h 10m |
But as soon as it comes to applications that seriously load the SoC, battery life drops sharply. In the Epic Citadel test, the smartphone lasted less than four hours.
Below is a thermal image of the back surface taken after 10 minutes of running the GFXBenchmark battery test:
Heating is localized in the upper part closer to the upper right (when viewed from the front) corner, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 38 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), this is not very much.
As far as communication capabilities are concerned, everything is in order with the smartphone. Supports LTE Advanced, NFC, you can use two SIM-cards. To the voice quality cellular communication no complaints. The only parameter by which the smartphone falls short of the top level is the lack of support Wi-Fi standard 802.11ac. But in real life, you can hardly feel it.
Camera
The smartphone is equipped with two cameras. The front has a resolution of 5 megapixels and can be used for selfies and video calls. The rear camera is characterized by a resolution of 13 megapixels, which by today's standards is an average level. In addition, it cannot shoot 4K video (maximum 1080p at 30 fps). The quality of photographs on the rear camera analyzed Anton Solovyov
Good sharpness across the field of the frame, it falls a little to the right edge.
With a lack of lighting, the camera copes, but the result is far from desirable.
The camera turned out pretty good. It is far from flagship, but not budget either. Weak but noticeable sharpening, not very accurate noise reduction, and even small areas of blur walking around the frame - all this is typical Samsung devices middle segment. Although these shortcomings do not spoil the overall picture. In general, the camera will cope well with documentary, and sometimes artistic shooting.
conclusions
Of course, the main disadvantage of the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 (apart from the price) is a very weak hardware platform. For everyday use and undemanding games, its capabilities are enough, for serious 3D games it is already not enough. However, do so many people really regularly play top games on smartphones? Still, for most, battery life, design and screen quality, communication capabilities and nothing to slow down during normal use (mail, social networks, instant messengers, browser, maps ...) are much more important. Well, plus, preferably, a good camera. This Samsung requirements Galaxy A5 2016 is quite responsible. Yes, it does not set records for any of these indicators, but it provides a level that is comfortable for 95% of users.
Simply put, if the Galaxy S line of smartphones is for IT reviewers, fans of spectacular technological innovations and those who want to have a flagship device without fail, then the Galaxy A line is made for ordinary people. Which, however, are ready to overpay for the brand and the confidence that they will get a really balanced and beautiful device for their money.
In conclusion, we suggest watching our video review of the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 smartphone: