The Galaxy A8 is a no-nonsense smartphone. All the goodness of a Samsung Galaxy, without having to pay the top price. At least that's the idea. But does it also come out like that?
Samsung Galaxy A8
Price € 499,-Colors Black, Gray, Gold
OS Android 7.1
Screen 5.6 inches (2220x1080)
Processor 2.2GHz octa-core (Exynos 7885)
RAM 4GB
Storage 32 GB (expandable with memory card)
Battery 3,000 mAh
Camera 16 megapixel (rear), 16 and 8 megapixel dualcam (front)
Connectivity 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, GPS
Format 14.9 x 7 x 0.8 cm
Weight 172 grams
Other: Fingerprint scanner, usb-c, headphone port, waterproof
Website www.samsung.com 7 Score 70
- Pros
- Build quality
- Screen
- front camera
- Negatives
- Price
- bloatware
- Not the latest Android version
The Galaxy A8 looks modest in size and by omitting the fuss of a curved screen, dual camera, heart rate monitor, dedicated physical button for the Bixby assistant, a stylus and price. The device has appeared on the market for about 500 euros. That is still a lot of money, but a lot more reasonable than the less modest devices that in some cases are more than twice as expensive as this Galaxy A8.
For that money you get a smartphone that has the appearance of a Samsung top device, although it is somewhat thicker in comparison. The device is waterproof and of solid build quality, partly thanks to the metal edge around the device. The device has a large screen, but due to the minimal screen edges and the somewhat stretched aspect ratio, the size is not that bad. The A8 is about the same size as the Galaxy S8.
At the bottom of the device we find a USB-C port, to which you can connect a fast charger. There's also just a headphone jack on the bottom. It is strange that there are two slides, one for the memory card and one for the double SIM card. Normally you place two cards in the same slide. But because the A8 can carry two SIM cards and a memory card, the two sliders are necessary.
Screen
As we are used to from Samsung, the screen quality is fine. The Galaxy A8 has a bright and colorful amoled panel with a full-HD resolution. The screen is comfortable to read in almost every situation, but colors are a bit exaggerated.
Inside, there's nothing that really stands out, positively or negatively. An octacore Samsung private label processor with 4GB RAM and 32GB (expandable) storage. That's spacious enough to run heavy apps smoothly. Thanks to the 3,000 mAh battery and economical chips, the battery lasts about a day and a half. The available storage space is a little sparse, more and more smartphones in higher price ranges have twice as much, luckily the space can be expanded with a memory card.
Camera
Samsung has a good reputation when it comes to smartphone cameras, the A8 is not equipped with a dual camera. At least at the back. More and more smartphones have such a double camera on the back, which you use, for example, to zoom in optically, not digitally. With the Note 8, Samsung is also active in this area. But not the A8, this one has a dual camera on the front, so the single camera on the back is less suitable for zooming, but is not inferior in quality. Photos are clear and detailed and, as we are used to from Samsung, the colors of your screen pop. More beautiful, but less natural than, for example, an iPhone camera.
The camera of the Galaxy A8 also shows quite a lot in more difficult lighting conditions. Inevitably there will be some noise, but the details and the colors remain quite visible. Only in these circumstances I did suffer from motion blur. The camera on the back is of acceptable quality, but is somewhat inferior compared to the Galaxy S8.
The Galaxy A8 therefore has more attention for the selfie makers, with a dual camera on the front. Due to its two eyes at the front, the smartphone is better able to estimate depth, so you can take selfies where the background blurs. This function is called Live focus. That already sounds better than 'bokeh effect', as this portrait function is also called. The selfie cameras shoot remarkably good photos. You can also spice up your selfie with childish snapchat-esque stickers if you want.
Android Nougat
In the software area, the Galaxy A8 drops stitches. Samsung is known for quite drastic tinkering with Android. As said, fortunately I didn't notice much of that in the performance. However, the device is full of bloatware. In the app overview it seems to be not too bad because everything is hidden in folders. In the Samsung folder many Samsung duplicates of standard Android applications such as an extra browser, application store and health app. Microsoft has also pre-installed a range of apps, which also impose themselves in the notification panel. There are also Samsung marketing apps present and there is a Device Maintenance tab in the settings, which is nothing more than misleading tools such as a McAfee security scanner and memory optimization. By moving it to the settings, Samsung camouflages this unremovable bloatware.
There is also Samsung's own built-in assistant Bixby. This is incorporated in many places in Android. So far this has not come in handy for me once, Samsung will still have a lot of work to do with Bixby. On the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8, Bixby was even a nuisance, due to a physical button on the left side of the device. When pressed, you immediately summoned Bixby. Even if your device was locked. This button has been omitted. As a result, you no longer accidentally call Bixby and only when you really need it. As a result, the assistant is no longer a nuisance for me in any case. Oddly enough, that's progress.
The last stitch that Samsung drops is the fact that the Galaxy A8 does not run on the most recent Android version, Android 7 instead of Android 8. That is a bit embarrassing, since a competitor like Sony was already able to do this in September. An update to Android 8 (Oreo) will come and Samsung usually supports devices for at least a year and a half, so that you are provided with security patches and updates with the Galaxy A8 until July 2019.
Alternatives
Samsung smartphones drop in price relatively quickly. At the time of writing, the Galaxy A8 has just appeared on the market for 500 euros and the Galaxy S8 is only seven tens more expensive. The A8 is a little hard to justify at this price. If you want more value for money, then those few tens for the S8 are worth the investment in terms of camera, specs and screen. But in the same price range you can also buy a OnePlus 5T, which is more powerful, or a Nokia 8 with a clean, recent Android version. But the price of the A8 is expected to fall relatively quickly, for about 400 euros, the device already stands out a lot more. So if you have found an interesting deal for the Galaxy A8, strike immediately. But for 500 euros you can simply get better at the moment.
Conclusion
Those who are looking for a Samsung smartphone, but find the best devices a bit too expensive, can go to the A8. Yet this device with 500 euros is also priced too high for what you get in return. However, if you see an interesting offer for the A8, then it is a great choice. The waterproof build quality, screen and specifications are very positive. The battery life and camera are also acceptable. Only Android needs an update and a broom.
