Samsung Galaxy A7
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
Samsung’s Galaxy A series debuted in 2015 as a line of midrange smartphones, but since then, the line between it and Samsung’s flagship S series has blurred.
This year’s A series smartphones are closer than ever to flagship level, with a stunning metal and glass design that looks and feel just as premium as Samsung’s flagship phones. In fact, the thin bezels, metal frame and curved glass back make the A7 look very similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S7. And just like the S7, the A7 is IP68 dust and water resistant, meaning it can survive underwater for 30 minutes at depths of up to 1.5m.
The new A7 has a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display at 1,920 x 1,080 pixels resolution (386ppi). As with all of Samsung’s Super AMOLED displays, colors on the A7 are vivid and life-like, and the contrast is excellent, with deep blacks. A new addition to the A series display is always-on functionality. This feature works exactly like it does on the S7, showing the date, time, and battery percentage when the display is in standby mode. It’s also capable of displaying notifications, which you can double tap to view full screen.
Below the display there’s a physical home button that doubles as a fingerprint sensor. On either side of the home button are backlit navigation keys. Samsung has actually improved the fingerprint sensor since the S7. On the S7, you had to click the Home button once to wake the screen up, and then keep your finger on the button to authenticate your fingerprint. For the A7, you just place your finger on the button and the phone wakes up and unlocks at the same time. It’s more convenient and saves a bit of time.
Another improvement on the S7’s design is the speaker placement. On the S7 it was on the bottom edge, but on the A7 you’ll find it on the right side above the power button. The new speaker position may seem strange, but once you turn the phone into landscape orientation you’ll see that it makes perfect sense. In this orientation, you can either position the speaker to fire down or up depending on your preference and there’s no risk of covering it up with your hand.