Samsung Galaxy A8 Review

I am receiving complements recently about the quality of the photos I am sharing here and in my social media channels. Some even asked me what camera I'm using and I answered them frankly:  "I'm using my smartphone". That's for real! As of now, I can't afford to purchase a good quality camera because of my expenses. Since I am addicted to smartphones, I've decided to make a review of my current favorite.

Disclaimer: I am not that techie or some sort of phone expert or whatever you wanna call those amazing tech wizards. I am just an ordinary user and I am writing this review based on my personal experience and opinion.

What?
Samsung Galaxy a8

The Galaxy A8 is the biggest of the A series with 5.7" Super AMOLED screen. It is also known as the Samsung's slimmest smartphone.

Specifications:

• 5.9mm slim metal chassis; Corning Gorilla Glass 4 front, plastic back
• 5.7" 1080 x 1920px Super AMOLED display with 386ppi
• 64-bit Snapdragon 615 chipset; octa-core CPU (quad A53 at 1.8GHz + quad A53 at 1.3GHz), Adreno 405 GPU; 2GB of LPDDR4 RAM
• 32GB of flash memory; microSD card slot
• Optional dual-SIM (microSD goes into SIM2 slot)
• Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with TouchWiz UX
• 16MP camera with f/1.9 aperture; 1080p video capture
• 5MP/1080p front-facing camera, f/1.9 aperture
• Cat. 6 LTE network support; Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz); GPS, GLONASS; Bluetooth 4.1; microUSB 2.0 with OTG
• 3,050mAh non-removable battery
• Fingerprint scanner
• FM radio with broadcast recording

How much?
P24,500

Where to buy?
Samsung Stores or Abenson

It is really slim that I am sometimes afraid to put it in my pocket and sit down because it might break into pieces hehe. It has a thin and slim metal frame which I think adding elegance to its appearance. I am enjoying the full HD Super AMOLED display of this phone. Watching movies, playing mobile games and internet browsing are surely something that won't disappoint you. The camera I must say is superb, the photos looks vibrant and crisp. It saves me time trying to enhance some photos as there's no much editing needed. Here are some raw sample pictures:

I am not into gaming so I never tried it on mobile games but I bet it'll surely deliver because of its 2GB RAM. Moreover, I love that it remains fast and stable even if I have multiple apps open. Browsing is also a great experience because of its super wide screen. (You can even chop your favorite meat on the screen hahah no! Don't do that 😂). I sometimes write my blog posts using this phone and I didn't encounter any problem so far. By the way, I also have the forerunner of this product which is the Samsung Galaxy a7 and I am also very satisfied with it. I'm using A7 for my everyday office and other transactions. Let's talk about now the pros and cons. Ready?

Pros:

• Sleek and sophisticated design
• Camera
• Speed (performance)
• Wide screen
• Battery life
• Fast charging
• Nice sounds
• Full HD Display
• Corning Gorilla Glass 4
• Fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity and compass


Cons:

• Heats easily
• Not so handy
• A bit expensive for a mid-range phone
• Main camera is so bold
• Limited cases available

By the way, the videos I've captured are sometimes not playing or showing. I am only hearing the audio but the screen remains blank. It also happened on my A7 and I restarted them both and they're working perfectly fine. I've read lots of the same complaints.

I am really enjoying this phone and so far I am satisfied with it. I love that the things I like about this phone are dominating the things I don't like. By that, you and I can definitely tell that this phone is worth your money.

I know this review is a bit late already but then I believe that sharing thoughts is worth anytime. 😊  I hope this review can help you decide if you're eyeing to buy the same unit. 😊