Shooting for an A+
> Samsung offers the ultimate in selfie smartphones with the launch of the Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018)
ATA poolside event high above the city of Kuala Lumpur, Samsung Malaysia Electronics launched its champions in the fight to be the ultimate selfie smartphone – the Galaxy A8 (2018), and Galaxy A8+ (2018).
The new Galaxy A8 and A8+ are the first Samsung smartphones to feature a dual front camera system made up of a 16MP sensor with a close-up lens, and an 8MP sensor with a portrait lens.
The result, according to Samsung, is a camera system that can take clear and crisp selfies, with the added features such as Live Focus that were reserved for the brand’s highend flagship phones.
In addition, Samsung does not disappoint with the rear-facing camera, as most selfie-centric phones do. Here, you will find a 16MP sensor with phasedetection autofocus and a larger 1/2.8in sensor.
The launch also marked the first event appearance of Kim Yoonsoo as the new president of Samsung Malaysia Electronics.
“We are delighted to host a pool party to welcome 2018, and at the same time, reveal the new Samsung Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+,” said Kim, before promptly dropping a Samsung Galaxy A8+ into the 1.17-metre-deep pool.
This was to demonstrate how, beyond the dual front-facing camera and the competent rearfacing camera, the new A8 and A8+ are IP68 water- and dustresistance.
Not only can the phones survive an underwater selfie and all that lint in your pocket, they can also stay submerged at a maximum depth of 1.5m underwater for up to 30 minutes.
To further illustrate the durability and the water- resistant capabilities of the new smartphones, Samsung Malaysia Electronics held a pool game, where members of the media dove in for a chance to win one of the phones that were launched that day.
Differences between the Samsung A8 and A8+ are few but significant. Both use an octa-core processor that is made up of two 2.2GHz cores and six 1.6GHz cores.
However, the A8 is fitted with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage, while the A8+ has 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
Both phones feature full-highdefinition-plus displays (FHD+) with 1080 x 2220 resolution. This is your standard Full HD resolution, but for a 2:1 ratio display, or as Samsung calls it, Infinity Display.
This also means that the 6in A8+ screen has a lower pixel density than the 5.6in A8.
The bigger A8+ is also equipped with a bigger battery. While the A8 only has a 3,000mAh battery, the A8+ has a 3,500mAh battery.
It is also worth noting that both phones are using fastcharging USB Type-C connectors, and still retain their 3.5mm audio port.
The Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) are available in Malaysia now for the price of RM1,799 and RM2,499 respectively. They come in a choice of black, gold, and orchid grey colours.
For more, visit the Samsung Malaysia website.