More affordable A6+ packs in tech

ONE of the perks of being a technology scribe is that I get to spend quality time with gadgets I’d never normally get within touching distance of if I’d had to cough up the dosh to buy them. But it does raise the question of why I should even bother to write about devices most of my readers can’t afford.

There are several answers to this. One is that columns like this still need to serve a small but significant audience who do have the means to acquire high-end tech. For example, many mobile professionals demand the best laptops or smartphones, often bankrolled by their corporate masters.

Another reason I write about the latest, greatest gear is that people undoubtedly like reading about this stuff. If you saw my car, you’d know I’m not in the market for a luxury SUV or performance sedan, let alone a sports car, but I still enjoy reading about them.

Finally, many of the cuttingedge technologies and innovations that make their debut in flagship devices trickle down to more affordable mid-range and, eventually, budget products. Which brings me to the subject of this column, the Galaxy A6+ from Samsung Electronics.

At a recommended retail price of R6499, the new A6+ is positioned squarely in the mid-range. But a quick glance at the specs sheet reveals it shares a surprising number of features of its far pricier siblings, the S9 and S9+.

Craige Fleischer, vice-president of integrated mobility, Samsung South Africa, explained the rationale behind this: “At Samsung we are committed to providing our consumers with the best smartphone experience while meeting their practical needs. The Galaxy A6+ draws on Samsung’s smartphone heritage to combine everyday convenience with an impressive camera that lets you capture, personalise and share moments, in a way that lets you uniquely express yourself.”

Let’s look at that camera, starting at the front of the phone which boasts a flagship-slaying 24-megapixel snapper. Combined with the front LED flash, which is fully adjustable, it promises to capture impressive selfies, whatever the lighting conditions.

Flip the phone over and you’ll see that it has a dual rear camera, another innovation that’s becoming available on more mid-range devices. The A6+’s version – a combo of 16-megapixel AF (F1.7) and 5-megapixel FF (F1.9) lenses – has Live Focus mode, which lets you control the depth of field and bokeh effect before or even after the shot is taken. If you want further customisation, you can add background blur patterns in a range of shapes, including hearts and stars.

One drawback of adding high-end camera features to midrange phones is that enthusiastic snappers often run out of space to store all their images. With 32GB of built-in storage, the A6+ is borderline in this regard.

But I was pleased to hear that customers who buy this phone will also receive a complimentary 64GB memory card, which should provide plenty of space, as Samsung puts it, “for those delicately composed Instagram shots or gorgeously-lit selfies”.

Build quality, looks and the screen often suffer in lower-priced devices. Not so with the A6+ which looks and feels like a premium smartphone thanks to Samsung’s signature edge-to-edge Infinity Display and tall, narrow 18.5:9 screen ratio. This combined with its smooth curves and slim metal design make for a comfortable onehanded grip, no mean feat given the phone’s 6-inch full-hd Super Amoled display.

Another compromise phone manufacturers often make when it comes to non-flagship devices is sound quality. Again, the A6+ is a pleasing exception with speakers supported by Dolby Atmosoptimised audio, the same tech used by many cinemas to provide an immersive audio experience, only shrunk down to pocket size.

Other popular features from Samsung’s flagship phones include face recognition and fingerprint scanning to unlock the device.

Multitasking is made fast and easy with App Pair, fully using the Galaxy A6+’s large screen by allowing you to pair two apps, opening both at the same time.

With the always-on display, information is available at a glance without unlocking the phone, saving time and battery life.

The Galaxy A6+ also supports Bixby Vision, which lets you point the camera at a foreign sign for instant translation, at an historical landmark for information about it or for others like it nearby.

I’ve had mixed results from this feature on the Galaxy S9, but I’m sure it’ll get better over time as the artificial intelligence behind Samsung’s quirkily-named voice assistant evolves and improves.

All in all, it’s an attractive package and a fantastic example of how quickly once-exclusive topend technology is filtering down to more affordable phones.

The new Galaxy A6+ is available now from most cellular outlets in black, gold and lavender.

Follow Alan Cooper on Twitter @alanqcooper.