Information about the brand, model and alternative names of a specific device, if any.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, offered colors, certificates.

Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use.	76.8 mm (millimeters) 7.68 cm (centimeters) 0.25 ft (feet) 3.02 in (inches)
Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use.	158 mm (millimeters) 15.8 cm (centimeters) 0.52 ft (feet) 6.22 in (inches)
Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement.	5.9 mm (millimeters) 0.59 cm (centimeters) 0.02 ft (feet) 0.23 in (inches)
Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement.	151 g (grams) 0.33 lbs (pounds) 5.33 oz (ounces)
Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with a rectangular parallelepiped shape.	71.59 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 4.35 in³ (cubic inches)
Colors Information about the colors in which this device is offered for sale.	The black White Champagne
Materials for the manufacture of the case Materials used for the manufacture of the device body.	Metal

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

GSM GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is designed to replace the analog mobile network (1G). For this reason, GSM is often referred to as a 2G mobile network. It is enhanced by the addition of GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) and later EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) technologies.	GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz
CDMA CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) is a channel access method used in communications in mobile networks. Compared to other 2G and 2.5G standards like GSM and TDMA, it offers more high speeds data transfer and the ability to connect more consumers at the same time.	CDMA 800 MHz
TD-SCDMA TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) is a 3G standard for mobile networks. It is also called UTRA / UMTS-TDD LCR. It was developed as an alternative to the W-CDMA standard in China by the Chinese Academy of Telecommunication Technologies, Datang Telecom and Siemens. TD-SCDMA combines TDMA and CDMA.	TD-SCDMA 1880-1920 MHz TD-SCDMA 2010-2025 MHz
UMTS UMTS stands for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. It is based on the GSM standard and refers to 3G mobile networks. Developed by 3GPP and its biggest advantage is to provide more speed and spectral efficiency thanks to W-CDMA technology.	UMTS 850 MHz UMTS 900 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz
LTE LTE (Long Term Evolution) is defined as a fourth generation (4G) technology. It is developed by 3GPP based on GSM / EDGE and UMTS / HSPA with the aim of increasing the capacity and speed of wireless mobile networks. The subsequent development of technologies is called LTE Advanced.	LTE 1800 MHz LTE 2100 MHz LTE-TDD 1900 MHz (B39) LTE-TDD 2300 MHz (B40) LTE-TDD 2500 MHz (B41) LTE-TDD 2600 MHz (B38)

Mobile technology and data rates

Communication between devices in mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data rates.

Operating system

An operating system is the system software that controls and coordinates the operation of the hardware components on a device.

SoC (System on a Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) integrates all the major hardware components of a mobile device into a single chip.

SoC (System on a Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software required for their operation.	Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939
Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is manufactured. The value in nanometers is half the distance between the elements in the processor.	28 nm (nanometers)
Processor (CPU) The main function of the processor (CPU) of a mobile device is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications.	4x 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A53, 4x 1.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A53
Processor size The bit size of the processor is determined by the size (in bits) of registers, address buses and data buses. 64-bit processors offer better performance than 32-bit processors, which in turn are more efficient than 16-bit processors.	64 bit
Instruction set architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets / controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute.	ARMv8
Level 0 cache (L0) Some processors have L0 (level 0) cache memory, which can be accessed faster than L1, L2, L3, etc. The advantage of having such memory is not only higher performance, but also lower power consumption.	4KB + 4KB (kilobytes)
Level 1 cache (L1) The cache memory is used by the processor to reduce the time it takes to access more frequently used data and instructions. L1 (Level 1) cache is small and is much faster than both system memory and other levels of cache. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for it in the L2 cache. On some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2.	16 KB + 16 KB (kilobytes)
L2 cache L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1, but instead has a larger capacity to cache more data. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for them in L3 cache memory (if available) or in RAM memory.	2048 KB (kilobytes) 2 MB (megabytes)
Number of processor cores The processor core executes program instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to execute in parallel.	8
CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).	1500 MHz (megahertz)
Graphics processing unit (GPU) A graphics processing unit (GPU) handles computation for a variety of 2D / 3D graphics applications. In mobile devices, it is most commonly used by games, consumer interfaces, video applications, and more.	Qualcomm Adreno 405
GPU clock speed Speed ​​is the clock speed of the GPU and is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).	550 MHz (megahertz)
Volume random access memory(RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. The data that is saved in the RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted.	2 GB (gigabytes)
Memory type (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device.	LPDDR3
Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels means higher data rates.	Single channel
RAM frequency The frequency of the RAM determines its speed of operation, more specifically, the speed of reading / writing data.	800 MHz (megahertz)

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) fixed memory.

Memory cards

Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage space for data.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Type / technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the image quality of information directly depends.	Super AMOLED
Diagonal On mobile devices, screen size is expressed in terms of the length of its diagonal, measured in inches.	5.7 in (inches) 144.78 mm (millimeters) 14.48 cm (centimeters)
Width Approximate screen width	2.79 in (inches) 70.98 mm (millimeters) 7.1 cm (centimeters)
Height Approximate screen height	4.97 in (inches) 126.19 mm (millimeters) 12.62 cm (centimeters)
Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of the long side of the screen to its short side	1.778:1 16:9
Resolution Screen resolution indicates the number of pixels horizontally and vertically on the screen. Higher resolution means sharper image detail.	1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be shown on the screen in clearer detail.	386 ppi (pixels per inch) 151 ppcm (pixels per centimeter)
Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors that the screen can display.	24 bit 16777216 flowers
Screen footprint The approximate percentage of the display area on the front of the device.	74.05% (percent)
Other characteristics Information about other functions and features of the screen.	Capacitive Multitouch Scratch resistant
	Corning Gorilla Glass 4

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical metrics into signals that can be recognized by the mobile device.

Rear camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its rear panel and can be combined with one or more additional cameras.

Sensor model Information about the make and model of the sensor used by the camera.	Samsung LS13P3
Sensor type Information about the type of camera sensor. Some of the most widely used types of sensors in mobile cameras are CMOS, BSI, ISOCELL, and others.	ISOCELL
Sensor size Information about the dimensions of the photosensor used in the device. Typically, cameras with a larger sensor and lower pixel density offer higher image quality despite lower resolution.	5.3 x 3 mm (millimeters) 0.24 in (inches)
Pixel size Pixels are usually measured in microns. Larger pixels are capable of capturing more light and therefore provide better low-light performance and a wider dynamic range than smaller pixels. On the other hand, smaller pixels allow for higher resolution while maintaining the same sensor size.	0.998 μm (micrometers) 0.000998 mm (millimeters)
Crop factor The crop factor is the ratio between the size of a full-frame sensor (36 x 24 mm, equivalent to a frame of standard 35 mm film) and the size of the device's photo sensor. The number shown is the ratio of the diagonals of a full-frame sensor (43.3 mm) to that of a particular device's photo sensor.	7.1
Light-strength Aperture (also known as aperture, aperture, or f-number) is a measure of the size of the lens aperture, which determines the amount of light entering the sensor. The lower the f-number, the larger the aperture and the more light reaches the sensor. Usually, the f-number is indicated, which corresponds to the maximum aperture of the aperture.	f / 1.9
Flash type The rear (rear) cameras of mobile devices mainly use LED flashes. They can be configured with one, two or more light sources and vary in shape.	LED
Image Resolution	5312 x 2988 pixels 15.87 MP (megapixels)
Video resolution	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels)
	30 frames / sec (frames per second)
Characteristics Information about additional software and hardware features of the rear (rear) camera.	Autofocus Burst shooting Digital zoom Digital image stabilization Geographic tags Panoramic shooting HDR shooting Touch focus Face recognition Adjusting the white balance ISO setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene selection mode

Front-camera

Smartphones have one or more front cameras of different designs - pop-up camera, PTZ camera, notch or hole in the display, camera under the display.

Image Resolution Resolution is one of the main characteristics of cameras. It represents the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in the image. For convenience, smartphone manufacturers often quote resolutions in megapixels, indicating the approximate number of pixels in millions.	2560 x 1920 pixels 4.92 MP (megapixels)
Video resolution Information about the maximum video resolution that the camera can record.	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels)
Video recording rate (frame rate) Information about the maximum recording rate (frames per second, fps) supported by the camera at maximum resolution. Some of the most basic video recording speeds are 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps.	30 frames / sec (frames per second)

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technology supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Locating

Information about the navigation and positioning technologies supported by the device.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is a technology that enables wireless communication for transferring data over short distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless transfer of data between different types of devices over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, which is also called an audio connector. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by the device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Browser Information about some of the main features and standards supported by the device browser.

Html HTML5 CSS 3

Audio file formats / codecs

Mobile devices support different audio file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode / decode digital audio data.

Video file formats / codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode / decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge required for their function.

Capacity Battery capacity indicates the maximum charge it can store, measured in milliampere-hours.	3050 mAh (milliampere-hours)
A type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, by the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries most commonly used in mobile devices.	Li-Ion (Lithium-ion)
Standby time 2G Standby time in 2G is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network.	304 h (hours) 18240 min (minutes) 12.7 days
3G standby time Standby time in 3G is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network.	304 h (hours) 18240 min (minutes) 12.7 days
Characteristics Information about some additional characteristics of the device's battery.	Non-removable

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

SAR levels refer to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body when using a mobile device.

Head SAR (EU) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device near the ear in a talking position. In Europe, the maximum SAR value for mobile devices is limited to 2 W / kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard was established by the CENELEC committee in accordance with the IEC standards, following the ICNIRP guidelines of 1998.	0.252 W / kg (Watts per kilogram)
Body SAR (EU) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to if the mobile device is held at hip level. The highest SAR value for mobile devices in Europe is 2 W / kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard was established by the CENELEC committee in accordance with ICNIRP guidelines from 1998 and IEC standards.	0.672 W / kg (Watts per kilogram)
Head SAR (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to if the mobile device is held close to the ear. The maximum value used in the United States is 1.6 W / kg per gram of human tissue. US mobile devices are controlled by CTIA and the FCC conducts tests and sets their SAR values.	0.81 W / kg (Watts per kilogram)
Body SAR (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to if the mobile device is held at hip level. The highest SAR value in the United States is 1.6 W / kg per gram of human tissue. This value is set by the FCC and CTIA monitors mobile devices for compliance with this standard.	1.19 W / kg (Watts per kilogram)

Samsung has been confidently competing with large companies in the market for more than one year household appliances and mobile phones proudly holding their positions. Not surprising, because every year not only expensive and productive flagships come out, but also reliable, budget smartphones. Therefore, the popularity of models is growing every year.

In 2018, they decided to please us, as the best manufacturers, by releasing two models of phones, almost flagships - Galaxy A8 and A8 +, completely replacing such popular models as A5 and A7, which were released in 2017. We will talk about their main distinctive features later.

Why are they called almost flagships? The main reason is appearance, made of metal and glass with rounded edges, display almost the entire front panel. In terms of performance, although slightly below the flagship, it is much for high-quality photographs.

In general, the models are able to satisfy the needs of people according to different selection criteria - design, colors, camera, selfie photo, tactile sensations and hardware. Plus can be purchased at a good price.

So we got to the answer to the main question. The models are the same in function, performance and hardware. Even the design is the same except for the size, but the arrangement of the cameras, fingerprint sensor and screen ratio are the same. The difference in battery capacity, dimensions and display diagonal. Therefore, at the same resolution, the pixel density (ppi or pixels per inch) will be different.

Below is a table of similarities and differences between their characteristics:

Functions	Galaxy A8	Galaxy A8 +
Face recognition	Yes	Yes
Screen	Super AMOLED, 5.6 inches, FHD +, 1080 × 2220	Super AMOLED, 6.0 inches, FHD +, 1080 × 2220
Degree of protection	IP68	IP68
Color spectrum	Black, amethyst, blue, gold	Black, amethyst, blue, gold
USB Type C	Yes	Yes
Selfie camera	Double module: 16 Mpx (F1.9) and 8 Mpx (F1.9)	Double module: 16 Mpx (F1.9) and 8 Mpx (F1.9)
Main camera	16 Mpx (F1.7), autofocus	16 Mpx (F1.7), autofocus
Fingerprint scanner	Under the main camera	Under the main camera
Design	2.5D + 3D glass, metal frame	2.5D + 3D glass, metal frame
Charging	3000mAh, fast function charging	3500mAh, fast function charging
Dimensions (mm / g)	149.2 × 70.6 × 8.4 / 172	159.9 × 75.7 × 8.3 / 191

Specifications

According to the similar and distinctive features of the models, the following characteristic is collected:

• OS: Android 7.1.1 Nougat;
• Processor: Exynos 7885 8-core 64-bit
• Two cores: CortexA73, 2.2 GHz;
• Six cores: CortexA53, 1.6 GHz;
• GPU: Mali-G71;
• Memory (Gb): operational - 4, permanent - 32, microSD up to 256;
• Display: diagonal - 5.6 / 6, resolution - 1080 × 2220, pixel density per inch - 440/410 ppi, Super AMOLED;
• Camera (Mpx): main - 16 (f / 1.7), front - 16 (f / 1.9) and 8 (f / 1.9);
• Radio: FM;
• Protection index: IP68;
• Slots: USB Type C, 2 nanoSIM, microSD and headset jack - 3.5 mm;
• Battery: non-removable, 3000/2500 mAh, fast charging available;
• SIM: dual SIM;
• Communication and Internet: 2G, 3G, 4G, Bluetooth 5.0;
• Network: Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac;
• Navigation: GLONASS, Beidou, GPS;
• Available colors: black, gold and amethyst;
• Average price: 34,990 / 37,990 rubles or 159,890 / 164,900 tenge.

Equipment

The device and its component accessories are packed in a sturdy white or blue cardboard box. In the center are written in gray or white: the name of the company, the type and model of the smartphone. The design is clean and minimal. We open it, take out several small brochures with instructions in different languages ​​and a beautiful and shiny candy bar catches the eye. Includes wired headset, cord length - 1 meter, portable charger - EB-PG950 with USB type C cable and Micro USB adapter. And a special key-clip for removing the SIM and SD card tray.

Additionally, it is worth noting an interesting accessory - a case with bypass lighting - Neon Flip Cover. A fairly convenient thing, thanks to which you can see missed calls, SMS and other notifications without including the phone.

One has only to put the phone in the case, and the offer to download a new theme, wallpapers and icons that go with it immediately pops up on the display.

Design

Slim monoblock body - 8.4 / 8.3 mm, with rounded edges. Available in four colors: gold, black, amethyst (lavender or "blue orchid") and blue. But in the CIS countries, for some reason, blue models are absent. According to reviews, the shade "blue orchid" is unusual and attractive. The smartphone is made of materials - metal and glass, front and rear panel Covered with waterproof and dustproof 2.5D and 3D glass and metal frame for durability.

The screen occupies almost the entire front panel, on which there is no small top inscription, in the right corner there are two front camera modules. It is noteworthy that the fingerprint sensor is not located on the side of the lens, but directly under it. In general, this is convenient, but it takes some getting used to. The external speaker is located on the right edge above the power button; it is difficult to cover it with your hand while playing and watching a movie. Trays for SIM and SD are located on the left side. Accordingly, the USB slot is on the bottom, and the headphone jack is on the top.

It is also worth noting the high protection index - IP68 (International Protection Marking). The phone is dustproof and can stay at a depth of more than 1 meter for 30 minutes without disrupting its functions. All connectors are rubberized, and the trays are cut cleanly and fit snugly. For compliance with such small nuances, the model may already occupy a niche in the rating of quality ones.

Display

The models are equipped with limitless unbent screens with virtually no bezels. The display itself with rounded edges looks unusual and beautiful. The super AMOLED (organic light emitting diode) matrix contributes to a rich and contrasting picture. Very rich black color that does not change depending on the viewing angle. And at the moment, only Samsung produces displays with a super AMOLED matrix.

Very convenient setting for 4 filters: basic, adaptive, "photo" and "cinema". Adaptive allows fine settings for brightness and temperature. In the sun, the picture is visible due to the brightness and saturation of the color. At night, the Blue light filter allows you to adjust the intensity of the blue for a comfortable viewing experience. The sensor works fine, but hardly recognizes accidental touches.

The Always On Display function displays the time, calendars, notifications and icons on the screen off. This is very convenient, because there is no need to turn on the device to find out, for example, the time and date. And it saves battery power.

Hardware and functionality

In spite of the fact that the smartphone falls short of the flagship in terms of hardware, the smart processor is not bad for the current active games. The octa-core Cortex processor is split in pairs into: 6-core 1.6 GHz and 2-core 2.2 GHz. We can say that two separate processors are used to solve different problems. Thanks to this, the device does not slow down and does not overheat, power consumption is significantly saved.

Despite the small RAM - 4 GB, the parallelized processor will be able to take on part of the load by quickly solving certain problems. The internal storage in this variant is 32 GB, but can be expanded up to 256 GB thanks to a separate SD card slot. I hope that further new smartphones from Samsung will be released with a separate slot for dualism and SD. When tested for resource-intensive games and applications, the phone practically did not get warm and slowed down. But over time, the filling may no longer be enough. When choosing a device for games for a long period, it is better to think about which model to buy.

The device can be unlocked in two ways:

• Fingerprint sensor (fingerprint sensor) - very fast response, no lag was found;
• Unlock when looking at the screen is a face recognition function, its sensor is located at the top of the front panel and is shifted to the left. To unlock your smartphone in this way, you need to look straight at the screen. It takes a little longer than the fingerprint sensor and can be slow in the dark. Some write in reviews that the module can react to a photo.

Software and interface

The operating system installed on the smart is Android 7.1.1 Nougat with Samsung shell. The design is no different from the S8. I was pleasantly surprised by the application that allows you to automatically control wi fi, if you forgot to turn off the wireless network, it will turn itself off as soon as the device is out of the radius. When you buy a smartphone, you get 15 GB of Samsung cloud storage as a gift.

Two active sim cards allow you to create clones of applications and create multiple accounts. You don't have to make the switch yourself. This function is very convenient, it allows you to streamline your personal and work life.

You can pay with a smartphone like a plastic card. The payment process is as follows: the cashier enters the amount, you substitute your smartphone to the terminal. Then you can activate it with your fingerprint or enter the password in the terminal, of your choice. To use this function, first register in the Samsung pay application, enter your card payment information, a password for payment and draw a signature.

Camera

We can say with confidence that the device will appeal primarily to selfie lovers due to the dual front camera module. The first lens with a resolution of 16 Mpx and an aperture of 1.9 and a viewing angle of 76 degrees, the second with the same aperture, but a resolution of 8 Mpx and a viewing angle of 85. The second camera makes a good group selfie, no one is cut off. The pictures are of high quality, good detail and color saturation. Not every smart can afford it. But a small flaw is that detail, sharpness and focusing deteriorate at night, the pictures are a little blurry.

Rear camera with good parameters –16 Mpx, F1.7. As he takes pictures during the day, you don't even have to brag. Pictures are high-quality, volumetric, perfect detail and light transmission. Poor lighting or lack of light practically does not affect the quality of the pictures. Thanks to its good aperture and Tetra-cell function. Autofocus works fine.

An example of a daytime photo:

How to take pictures at night:

There are also no problems in video shooting, good color rendition and detailing at any time of the day. Due to good stabilization.

Sound and headset

Smart is equipped with an external powerful speaker. The sound is smooth, soft and without abrupt transitions of upper and lower boundaries. Sound is not distorted at maximum volume.

A good equalizer helps to adjust the bass, upper and lower limits as clearly and pleasantly as possible. The headset sounds good, but not loud either. If you want to immerse yourself in music, it's better to get separate headphones.

Autonomy

The battery capacity of the A8 model is 3000 mAh, and the A8 + is 3500. There is no particular difference in charging time and costs. At full load, the autonomy is about a day, in normal mode - two days. Charges 100% in about an hour and a half.

Price

How much does such a phone cost? In terms of characteristics and quality, both devices are inexpensive, but they differ in price: A8 - RUB 34,990 / 159 890 tenge, A8 + costs 37 990/164 900.

But sometimes, in honor of different holidays, their subscribers are offered various discounts or credit on good terms. Therefore, it is up to you to decide where it is profitable to buy.

Samsung Galaxy A8

Advantages and disadvantages

Before choosing a smartphone, you need to consider its strengths and weak sides, the main qualities will be listed below:

• Nice and high-quality screen with a super AMOLED matrix;
• Fast response of the fingerprint sensor;
• Presentable appearance;
• High-quality day and night shooting;
• High-quality selfie;
• High protection index: IP68;
• Clear sound and loud enough;
• Autonomous work.

• Marked case;
• Small fingerprint sensor;
• It is inconvenient to hold in a small hand;
• Small amount of RAM.

On this review Samsung line A8 and A8 + are coming to an end. There is no fundamental difference between the models, as you understand. It depends on preference. Someone wants a bigger screen, someone will like 5.6 inches.

Summarize. The model is perfect for photographers and bloggers, due to a good main camera and selfie. Thanks to stabilization, videos are not bouncing, which is very important. You can play the phone while it still supports new and heavy games, then there may be minor difficulties.

Impressive appearance and high level of protection and water resistance. You can not be afraid of the rain, and it is not scary if the phone will fall into a puddle. Rubberized connectors provide added protection.

I also really liked the function of protecting data and files, which can only be hidden and unlocked with a fingerprint. It's a shame that in many cities the function of payment for Samsung help pay is not yet available. But they promise to turn it on soon, which will be very convenient.

Therefore, before figuring out which company is better to buy a phone, it is better to go through the characteristics and descriptions completely and compare.

You might also like:

Review of the best mobile processors of 2019

Looking for a mid-range smartphone with flagship manners? Then pay attention to our review Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)... This device is not a successor to a specific device from the A series, as the manufacturer decided to make it a budget version of the Galaxy S8. This can be seen in the design, display and even the name itself - A8. Or maybe the company just wants to make us believe it?

In fact, Samsung is changing its naming policy for mid-range devices again. If earlier it was possible to understand the size of the phone / display by the number. Now the company draws an analogy with the S and Note lines. Thus, we have before us the eighth generation Galaxy A. However, there is still a predecessor - Galaxy A5 (2017)... The novelty is better than it in all respects, except, perhaps, the main camera.

The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) seems like a smart alternative to the flagship S8. The first took over from its brother almost all the recognizable features - the appearance, the large display and even the rear placement of the fingerprint scanner. Although there were some innovations. The front has a dual front camera with trendy chips. Well, if you are interested, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with full overview below.

Design

The Galaxy A8 (2018) is likely to fix the company's most ridiculous design decision on the S8. Namely, the location of the fingerprint scanner to the right of the camera. Finally, the balance has been restored. Now the sensor is located under the camera and blends harmoniously with the entire appearance of the back of the phone. From the point of view of use, it is still fast and reliable. The novelty has become somewhat larger and heavier than the Samsung Galaxy S8. The bezels are also thicker than the A8's signature shots ( obvious photomontage).

The main feature of the device is a slightly curved AMOLED display with Full HD + resolution and aspect ratio 18,5:9 ... For reference, the S8 has a 1440p screen. Despite the clear difference in resolutions, both displays have rounded edges and are nearly the same size. However, the pressure-sensitive home button remains exclusive to the Galaxy S8. Let's take a quick look at what's on top. Here we have a 3.5mm headphone jack, dual front camera and LED indicator. The lower part of the device is devoid of any elements.

All smartphones in the series are certified according to the standard IP68 since 2017. Simply put, the novelty is completely protected from water and dust penetration. The dedicated tray for microSD and a dual SIM card slot. The user does not have to donate one of the SIM cards if he decides to expand internal memory... The location of the speaker has not changed - on the right side, above the power button. Of course, it looked very strange before. But after the release of new devices from the J line, users had to get used to (the same arrangement).

Display

Screen with trending aspect ratio ( 18,5:9 ) Is the first bridge between the two Galaxy lines. Naturally, the company must satisfy the requirements of users, so the new representative of the A series, like the S8, has “ endless”AMOLED display. To make the phone fit the line, the resolution was reduced to 1080 × 2220 pixels. But thanks to a matrix like Diamond PenTile and good pixel density, the image is perfectly clear.

Smartphone	Brightness
	Black cd / m2	White cd / m2	Contrast
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)	0	390	~
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) (max auto)	0	590	~
OnePlus 5T	0	437	~
Apple iPhone X	0	679	~
Samsung Galaxy S8	0	440	~
Samsung Galaxy S8 (max auto)	0	618	~

As always, we ran a couple of tests that showed the A8's display performance is on par with the J7 Pro. The maximum brightness in manual mode is 390 nits... Not bad, but switch to auto mode and you get whole 590 nits... Here I would like to note a decent contrast ratio in the sun - 3.842 ... However, any latest device from Samsung can boast of this.

• Apple iPhone X - 5.013
• OnePlus 5T - 4.789
• Samsung Galaxy S8 - 4.768
• Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) - 3.842

And finally, the color rendition. The Korean company is a master in this matter. There are three different but very accurate color profiles in the display options settings. These are sRGB (AMOLED Basic), Adobe RGB (AMOLED Photo), DCI-P3 (AMOLED Cinema). Note that adaptive mode is enabled by default. It has the widest color gamut and is calibrated for vibrant colors. The average DeltaE is 6.1 ... Simply put, flagship display.

Autonomy

Galaxy A8 (2018) received a battery with a capacity 3000 mAh... This is quite enough, since we have an economical AMOLED display and an energy efficient 14nm chipset at our disposal. Samsung uses its own fast charging technology, simply referred to as Fast Charge. However, in practice it is common Quick Charge 2.0 from Qualcomm. It charges the battery up to 40% about in half an hour... It might not be as fast as the Snapdragon competitors, but it's still better than nothing.

• Autonomy rating - 92 h
• 3G calls - 22:46 h
• Surfing the net - 11:25 h
• Video playback - 16:59 h

Despite the fast charging position, the battery life is excellent. Smartphone withstood 16 hours and 59 minutes video playback, which is almost five hours more than that. As a result, the autonomy of the device is rated at 92 hours... Please note that this figure would be significantly lower with the function enabled. Always-On Display... We turned it off to reduce standby battery consumption. Even the included AMOLED display drains the battery pretty well.

Sound

While reviewing the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018), we tested the speaker and sound quality through the headphones. The first is located above the power button. In theory, it should prevent the hand from overlapping the speaker, but in reality this happens quite often. According to its characteristics, we rated it as “ a great“. In other words, the sound played through the speaker is quite rich and spacious. It is vital for music lovers to have quality sound through headphones. Samsung is catered to here as well, featuring very clear sound with a negligible percentage of distortion.

Smartphone	Voice, dB	Music, dB	Ringing, dB	Assessment
Sony Xperia XA1	61.7	69.7	71.8	3
Samsung Galaxy S8	66.2	70.5	72.5	4
OnePlus 5T	68.4	73.2	69.9	4
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)	69.2	70.6	81.6	5
Xiaomi Mi A1	74.0	73.9	90.4	5+

User interface

Galaxy A8 (2018) running Android 7.1.1(Nougat) with company branded shell Samsung Experience 8.5... With the release of Oreo, the phone received a long-awaited update to the operating system and the shell itself. The desktop, lock screen and even the notification curtain have not undergone any significant changes. Therefore, if you used the S8, Note 8 or J7, then you will not find anything new for yourself.

Like any other galaxy, the A8's arsenal is full of exclusive features and customization paths. We have our own store for themes that will pleasantly transform the look of the UI. Not without Game launcher... A dedicated application aimed at improving the user's gaming experience. All installed games are placed in separate folder on your desktop so that their icons don't get lost among other applications.

The Game Launcher settings allow you to turn off notifications during the game, remove on-screen buttons, take a screenshot or record a video. But despite the fresh version of the shell, GL lacks a choice of display resolution. I would like to be able to run games in 720p to increase FPS in heavy titles. Otherwise, we were satisfied. The interface is stable and fast even under heavy loads.

Performance

The manufacturer's proprietary SoC acts as a mobile platform Exynos 7885... This is a fairly common mid-range chipset with two performance cores and six energy efficiency cores. Let's just say that 7885 is inferior in terms of graphics processing. Therefore, we advise game lovers to consider phones with this particular chipset (and higher). However, we are grateful for the two Cortex-A73 without which the UI would not be so smooth.

Geekbench 4.1 results:

• Samsung Galaxy S8 - 1991/6656
• OnePlus 5T - 1960/6701
• Oppo R11s - 1614/5907
• Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) - 1532/4418
• Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro - 735/3768

Compared to its predecessor (Exynos 7880), the installed chip has got a new graphics processor. Mali-G71 MP2 versus Mali-T830 MP3. In fact, the G71 is used in the Huawei P10 and Samsung Galaxy S8. The difference between the latter lies only in the number of cores. For clarity, we ran a series of tests in popular benchmarks. The results are not flagship, but decent for a mid-range device.

Smartphone	GFX 3.1 Man. on	GFX 3.1 Man. off	AnTuTu 6
OnePlus 5T	41	35	179 790
Samsung Galaxy S8	36	23	174 435
Huawei P10	22	30	126 629
Oppo R11s	15	15	121 638
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)	9.9	8.7	85 389

Yes, the GPU is not powerful enough to run all the latest games at high graphics levels without any problems. But don't jump to conclusions. Regular titles show stable frame rates and work flawlessly. In more demanding games ( PUBG) you will have to lower the graphics quality to medium. This will avoid multiple lags and achieve a comfortable FPS. And thanks to 14nm process technology The SoC does not overheat.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) is equipped with 16 megapixel main camera with an aperture of f / 1.7. Frontalka, that's what attracts attention. It represents as many as two sensors on 16 and 8 megapixels respectively. Aperture - f / 1.9. Their other features are PDAF and LED flash, no optical stabilization. The camera interface is simplified with gestures, there are many filters and shooting modes. Oddly enough, HDR (auto / on / off) is hidden from the modes and is in the settings.

Photo

The quality of the photos is pretty good - the noise level is low, the picture is full of details and faithfully reproduces the colors. The latter, by the way, are very rich, but not above the norm. HDR you do not need to turn it on, since without it the camera copes well with dark areas in the picture. If you do decide to use it, then don't expect magic. It works mediocre, therefore, the difference between on / off is almost negligible.

Wide aperture ( f / 1.7) of the main camera, the A8 takes decent pictures in the dark. You can adjust the shutter speed for an even better picture. But the existing noise and some blurring of details remind which segment the desired smartphone belongs to. Panoramic photos look decent - the quality is good, the details are enough, the dynamic range and the “stitching” algorithm work perfectly.

The front camera with its two sensors seems more interesting than the main one. There is no autofocus here as the focus is fixed. Although there is a very interesting feature called Live Focus... With its help, the user can set the desired focus before or after shooting, which will achieve the desired result. Selfie quality is great. The blur is achieved with the same Live Focus.

Video

Alas, the Galaxy A8 (2018) is capable of capturing 4K video. The chipset used is to blame. Although the quality selection list in addition to 1080p / 30fps there is also another permission - 2220 × 1080... Such videos will look natural only on your galaxy or any other device with the specified display resolution. Of course, there is no optical image stabilization, but there is a certain analogue of EIS. For Full HD, the bitrate is normal - 17 Mbps... But the sound is recorded in stereo with the flow rate 256 kbps... 1080p looks great, and sound quality is surprisingly good.

Outcomes

The original price tag of the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) was way beyond reason. With the same success, the buyer could purchase OnePlus 5T... But the company changed its mind in time and lowered the price, making its device more demanded by buyers. The A8 was designed as a stripped-down version of the S8, but it exceeded all expectations. We really appreciated the beautiful design, flagship display, good sound and good cameras. The front camera was especially distinguished. Yes, this is not a smartphone for gamers. But if you need reliable, inexpensive device

Autonomy

Sound

UI

Iron

Camera

Live photos

Specifications

• Android 7.1.1 (updated to Android 8 in Q1 2018), Samsung Experience 8.5 (KNOX 2.9);
• Display 5.6-inch FHD + SuperAMOLED, 1080x2220, 441 ppi (Galaxy A8), 6.0-inch FHD + SuperAMOLED, 1080x2220, 411 ppi (Galaxy A8 +), automatic brightness control, adaptive and other operating modes, picture enhancement for video and photo, night mode - both screens are flat, geometry 18.5: 9, AlwaysOn Display;
• Exynos 7885 chipset (2.2 GHz Dual + 1.6 GHz Hexa), Mali-G71 GPU;
• 4/32 GB (in Russian supplies so far only such options), for Asia - 4/64 GB for A8, 6/64 GB for A8 +, microSD memory cards up to 256 GB, a separate slot;
• Two nanoSIM cards, one radio module;
• Dual front camera, 16 and 8 megapixels (f / 1.9), background blur;
• Main camera 16 megapixels, LED flash, f / 1.7, PDAF, various effects, OIS;
• Bixby camera, AR navigation;
• IP68;
• Battery 3000 mAh (A8), 3500 mAh (A8 +), fast charging is supported (included), video playback time at maximum brightness - up to 16 hours, mixed mode operation - from one to two days (screen - from 5 to 6.5 hours at 50% brightness and automatic adjustment);
• GPS / GLONASS;
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 / 5GHz), VHT80, 256QAM, Bluetooth® v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT +, USB Type-C, NFC;
• Samsung Pay (NFC / MST);
• LTE cat. 11, frequency aggregation;
• Accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint scanner (on the back), gyroscope, geometry sensor, Hall sensor, proximity sensor, RGB sensor;
• Unlock by face recognition;
• FM radio;
• Gear VR support;
• Colors - black, gray, gold and dark blue;
• Dimensions - 149.2 x 70.6 x 8.4mm, 172g (A8), 159.9 x 75.7 x 8.3mm, 191g (A8 +).

Contents of delivery

• Smartphone
• Charger(fast charging)
• USB Type C cable
• Wired stereo headset
• A clip for removing the SIM tray
• Instructions

Positioning

The A-series already had the A8 model, but this device was not sold in Russia, it was supplied only to the Asian markets, it was distinguished by its larger memory capacity and screen diagonal. For Samsung, the entire A-series has become successful in most markets where it is presented, the ideology of the devices is simple: to give the same body materials as in the flagships, but give up some individual functions. For example, in Russia, the A-series is invariably in high demand, and such a model as the A5 is consistently among the top ten best-selling smartphones, as it is interesting in terms of price / quality ratio.

The popularity of the A-series played a cruel joke with this model line, Samsung could not abandon the devices of 2017, and therefore we see not an update of those smartphones that we are familiar with, but the expansion of the line with two new devices - A8 / A8 +. Based on the number, it is clear that these are the flagships of the line, but also, if we abandon the A-series, then they can be called everyday flagships, replacing the S8 / S8 +, that is, simplified versions of these particular models.

Each smartphone is created with an eye on the nearest devices, in the case of the A8 / A8 + they looked not at the A7 2017 at all, but at the S8 / S8 +, since they have high sales and good potential for a long life cycle. For some consumers, curved screens seem uncomfortable; they want ordinary, flat displays. Inside, Samsung was considering creating a simplified version of the S8 / S8 +, which appeared in the face of the A8 / A8 +. But these devices were ideologically very different from the A3 / A5 / A7 of 2018, which were also created in parallel. There was a need either to withdraw the old line from the market, or to change the price drastically, which was also impossible, since the line in the J-series began to pour out. By pulling the string, Samsung actually destroyed its own concept of the product line, disrupting the harmony of positioning. The way out was found in the cancellation of three new models of the A-series, creating an alternative for the flagships, these devices clearly fit into the concept of everyday flagships and inherit the best features of the S8 / S8 +.

Compared to the company's flagships, the A-series always offered an average quality of the main camera, it was outperformed by the S-series, this was a deliberate step to keep the difference in perception of the devices. In the A8 / A8 +, the camera was noticeably improved, but the dual main camera was abandoned, placing it as the front one. The decision, at first glance, is controversial, but the same S9 + receives a dual camera by analogy with Note 8, positioning becomes clearer, as well as the difference in price between S9 and S9 + increases (55 and 70 thousand rubles in March, approximate price). Based on these prices, it turns out that the A8 / A8 + fall exactly in the middle, they cost almost half the price of the flagships of 2018, which are released in March. Of course, a comparison with the S8 is necessary, since for many, especially at the beginning of sales, the choice will be between these devices, since the price is relatively close. But we will deal with this later, but for now let's get back to why Samsung's A8 / A8 + is needed.

We can say that these two paired models with the same set of capabilities are not just an expansion of the model range, it is an expansion of the ecosystem. So, they have already added support for Gear VR, which has never been in the A-series. Prototypes worked with the DeX station, but in commercial samples, such support will probably be removed so that corporate clients are guided by the S8 / S9 / Note.

To summarize the above, the A8 / A8 + looks like everyday flagships that provide a number of advantages over the S-line (FM radio, flat screen, longer operating time, two SIM cards and a memory card at the same time), but they are deprived of functions that are not needed by everyone (DeX, wireless charger, dual main camera, AKG headphones included). In many respects, this is a reasonable economy for those who do not require all the latest chips from the device, but approach the choice rationally, and not at all emotionally. Let's take a look at what the 2018 A-series flagships are offering to users.

Design, dimensions, controls

The fact that the A8 / A8 + is difficult to distinguish from the current flagships of the company from afar, obviously, they are made in the same colors, look the same, and you need to look closely to understand which smartphone is in front of you. Perhaps this is bad for the flagships, but good for the A-series, since it seems that in front of you is a smartphone that is more expensive than it really is.

The colors are as follows: black, gray, gold and dark blue.

All color solutions will be presented in Russia, but first there will be black and gold, a little later - two other colors. From current models, we know that the cases have aluminum frames (7000 series), the front and back surfaces are made of glass, this is Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Despite the presence of an oleophobic coating, the surface is quickly covered with prints, especially noticeable outdoors or in bright office lighting ... The disadvantage of any smartphone with a glass back, there is nothing you can do about it.

Unlike the older models, the metal here has no gloss, it is matte. The surface is well finished, I wore devices with keys, I did not experience any problems. Scratches do not appear, nothing is abraded.

On the top there is a tray for a nanoSIM card and a memory card, on the left side there is another tray for a second SIM card. The flagships have one tray, and it is combined, you will have to choose between a second SIM-card and a memory card, but here everything is done more correctly.

The microphones are located at the ends, there are two of them - there is a noise reduction system, it works quite well, cuts off external noises. At the bottom you can see a USB Type C connector for charging and a 3.5 mm output for a headset or headphones. The volume rocker is located on the left side surface, the on / off button is on the right. Also on the right side there is a hole for the only speaker, the location is unusual for flagships (there is a speaker on the bottom end), but this does not cause problems - the ringtone volume is enough to hear the device in any conditions.

The IP68 protection standard assumes that you can heat your smartphone, but you do not need to do this on purpose, after water it is best to dry it (not with a hairdryer, not on a battery). If you bathed it in seawater, rinse with fresh water to remove the salt from the membranes, for example, the earpiece and microphones.

Let me remind you that all Samsung flagships with bezelless screens have an emulation of a physical key on the screen, when you press in standby mode, when AlwaysOn Display works, you feel vibration, in A8 / A8 + this was abandoned and the design was lightened. You can simply press this softkey, but you will not feel vibration and response. In this case, pressing any other on-screen keys has a vibration response (disabled in the settings).

The difference between A8 and A8 + is only in size and weight - 149.2 x 70.6 x 8.4 mm, 172 g (A8), 159.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm, 191 g (A8 +). The devices are quite compact for their capabilities and screens, the younger one is similar to the S8, the older one is comparable to the S8 + / Note 8 in size.

Compared to Galaxy Note 8

Compared to Galaxy S8

The fingerprint sensor is on the back, but under the camera, this arrangement is much more convenient. The area is highlighted, it is easier to find the sensor than in the S8 and other models, where it is on the side of the camera. An important point: both the main camera module and the fingerprint sensor are recessed into the body, they do not protrude. For many manufacturers, everything is exactly the opposite, and the camera module protrudes strongly from the body, here they worked on it. It is also worth noting that the heart rate sensor disappeared from the devices, it remained the prerogative of the flagships, here it was abandoned.

The device has face recognition (there is no iris scanner), recognition is carried out by the front cameras, it is quite fast and safe.

Back to the front panel, there is a small LED indicator to the left of the earpiece, it blinks if you have missed events. With AlwaysOn Display, this indicator is not so important, but perhaps someone will consider it necessary.

The ergonomics of smartphones are not as good as in Samsung's flagships, where the body is rounded on both the back and the front. The bend makes it possible to make the devices fit in the hand like a glove, in the A8 / A8 + the presence of only a beveled back surface is felt instantly, the phone is not in the hand. And here we can say that A8 / A8 + fits in the hand, like all other smartphones from third-party manufacturers, it is rather a nod to the flagships, which have achieved much better ergonomics.

No Samsung inscriptions on the front surface, which annoyed many people for so long. For example, the LG G6 still has this designation, albeit not very bright and annoying.

All devices with this kind of screens are similar to each other, as the screens shape the look of a smartphone. It is impossible to consider this as copying, this is something that is set at the component level, and each manufacturer tries to diversify the appearance so that it is recognizable. Samsung managed to do it, the devices are unambiguously associated with the company and its flagships.

Display

The difference between the devices is only in the screen diagonal, in the A8 it is 5.6 inches (441 ppi), in the A8 + 6 inches (411 ppi). Resolution - 1080x2220 pixels (FullHD +), screen geometry - 18.5: 9, Samsung calls it Infinity Display. The type of screen is SuperAMOLED, which differs from the flagships not only in resolution, but also in maximum brightness. On the other hand, this is noticeable only in direct comparison, in everyday life the quality of these screens is enough for the eyes. For some, it will be a pleasant discovery that the screens are flat, there are no curves.

Naturally, the SuperAMOLED mode is supported, as in the Note 8, a separate chip is responsible for its operation, which has a positive effect on energy consumption, it is rather small (12 hours of operation takes 300 mAh).

There are different modes of screen operation, fine-tuning for yourself, everything is familiar to other devices of the company, there is an automatic adjustment of the screen brightness.

I had no complaints about how the screen works, it shows itself perfectly in all situations. A very high-quality matrix, which also due to its quality draws out the photographs taken by the device, on the screen they look many times better than on a computer.

The screen resolution is not so good for the Gear VR virtual reality glasses, the picture with noticeable pixels, after all, older models are more interesting in this aspect. Also, unlike flagships, you do not have the opportunity to change the screen resolution, it is rigidly fixed in the settings. In theory, it was possible to set the HD + resolution (1480x720 pixels, but they did not fool with it).

Battery

The A8 has a 3000 mAh battery, the A8 + 3500 mAh. I want to make a reservation right away that I tried to work with two devices and, with the exception of the charging time, I got almost identical results, so everything that is said below applies to two models. The included quick charger charges the A8 in 1 hour 10 minutes, while the A8 + takes 1 hour and 20 minutes to fully charge.

Time of continuous video playback at maximum brightness (HD-movie, MX Player) - about 16.5 hours.

Both devices easily work for a full day under high load, and this is about 600-700 MB of data in a 4G network, 6-7.5 hours of screen operation (50%, automatic brightness control). With less work, you get two days of confident work.

Of the minuses, I note that some applications, for example, Facebook, have a negative effect on the battery and begin to consume it before our eyes. With Facebook updates turned on, the battery melted instantly, it only lasted until 7 pm, although there was no other load. The solution was the forced disabling of all notifications from Facebook, the prohibition of working in the background - this corrected the situation.

Traditionally, there is a maximum power saving mode, in which background processes are turned off, the screen turns black.

Surprisingly, in comparison with the S8 / S8 +, you will notice a clear increase in the operating time, and you need to thank the other chipset that is used in these models for this.

Chipset, memory, performance

It uses the Exynos 7885 chipset (2x2.2 GHz Cortex A73 + 6x1.6 GHz Cortex A53), the Mali-G71 GPU, these are the first models to use it. This chipset is manufactured using the 14 nm process technology (LPP FinFET). The fact that the chipset has only two high-performance cores and six regular ones does not affect the speed in any way either in games or in everyday tasks, everything is pretty smart, you will not see any problems. Flagships are subjectively faster, which is also proved by synthetic tests, but here you just need to compare them head-on, which often no one does.

Models are supplied to Russia in a 4/32 GB configuration, which is enough for ordinary users, but obviously not enough for advanced buyers (there are flagships for them, this model is definitely not for them). In Asia, there is a version of the older model for 6/64 GB, it looks more interesting with a small difference in cost.

Memory cards are supported up to 256 GB, there is a separate slot for them.

Look at the results of synthetic tests, they are not maximum and are very different in synthetics in comparison with the flagships, but this is to be expected.

Communication capabilities

It supports USB 3.0 (Type C), OTG, there is support for Bluetooth 5.0, there is aptX and other codecs for sound.

There is an LTE cat. 11, frequency aggregation is supported. From the point of view of wireless interfaces, there are Wi-Fi improvements, new algorithms are used. The Wi-Fi repeater function has not disappeared anywhere, it is present in this device. It's nice that the Wi-Fi is dual band.

Cameras

There is a fad in the world for high-quality selfie cameras, and these devices received a bunch of two modules, 16 and 8 megapixels (f / 1.9), they allow you to blur the background. The front camera shoots normally, there are various beautifiers that allow you to remove skin imperfections, lighting, or add some kind of mask to your face. Everything is familiar, and the only difference is the blurring of the background, which is hardly necessary for most.

Main camera 16 megapixels, LED flash, f / 1.7, PDAF, various effects, OIS. The camera interface and settings are familiar to other models.

On the smartphone screen, the resulting photos look plus or minus comparable to the S8 +, which for many people will be proof that the cameras are the same.

It's a pity, but on the computer you can see that the camera module in the A8 / A8 + is very different from the S8. This is the level of Chinese flagships, but not at all the level of Samsung's flagships, the difference is too great. However, take a look at the comparative pictures.

Video recording is supported only in FullHD-resolution, this is also an artificial limitation, since it is believed that more is not needed for the average consumer.

Bixby camera - picture analysis, useful and harmful properties

Despite the fact that the device does not have a Bixby button, a swipe to the left opens a screen with tips and reminders, which you can use or not use. In the absence of a Russian voice assistant it's not very interesting, but you can build your hints in English as well.

I want to dwell on the capabilities of the Bixby camera, since it allows you to take a picture and immediately recognize the text, and then even translate it into another language (using the translation service from Google). This is an extremely useful feature that came from the Note line, where it has been around for a long time.

One of the ideas of the Bixby camera is that you can take a photo of an object and immediately find out everything about it, for example, see its value. Here Yandex acts as a search provider, and it copes with visual search extremely poorly, for example, a photo of a Gear S3 watch from Samsung gives search results that have nothing to do with Samsung even remotely.

In short, this is still a toy that is not very efficient, and few people use Bixby. There is no doubt that there will be a period of evolution, but the question is how long Bixby will improve and at what point it will become digestible. So far, this is a toy for geeks, not a tool for everyday use. But the good thing is that no one forces you to use this service.

Software features

At the moment, this device runs on Android 7.1.1, but at the beginning of the year an update to Android 8 will be released, the exact date is still unknown. Samsung version Experience 8.5. These devices are as similar as possible to the flagships in everything, there are no special differences. Describe typical Android capabilities I won't, it doesn't make any sense.

The kit comes with regular headphones, while the flagships come with ears labeled AKG, they sound noticeably better.

The device has an FM-radio with the ability to record airtime, the headset plays the role of an antenna.

The multimedia capabilities of the device are usual, it has practically everything that one could wish from such a device. Voice recorder with interview mode, file manager with built-in archiver and many other useful utilities. I will not describe each one, since this is a standard model from Samsung.

Impression

There are no complaints about the quality of the connection, the call volume is slightly above average, I would like it to be louder, but you can hear it anyway. The vibration alert is good and noticeable. The quality of the devices, materials - all this reminds the flagships from Samsung, and outwardly they are similar. Positioning as everyday flagships has a foundation, since not everyone needs top-end solutions.

The price of the Galaxy A8 at the start of sales on January 1 is 34,990 rubles, for the A8 + you will have to pay 37,990 rubles. Against the background of the cost of the gray Galaxy S8, which can be bought for 40 thousand rubles, it seems that such a purchase makes no sense. But the comparison between small and soft looks strange in many ways, since the official retail price of the S8 is 49,990 rubles, and most will see just such a difference on the shelf. Moreover, the S8 should be compared with the A8, but the S8 + with the A8 +, if we start from the diagonal of the screen.

One more remark regarding the cost of these devices - it should be remembered that the prices for Samsung smartphones are changing quite dynamically, which allows you to buy them for less money over time. There is no reason to believe that this will not happen with the Galaxy A8 / A8 +, these are exactly the same models as others in this aspect.

The choice between the models is simpler than ever, they are identical, and the only difference is in the diagonal of the screen and, accordingly, in size. Whoever likes it more will take the "plus", for the rest - the basic model, which looks quite large.

Of the competitors in terms of cost and brand positioning, one can recall only one model from Apple - the 32 GB iPhone 6s (the official price is 35,990 rubles, but the model can be found cheaper). This is a device of a completely different aesthetics, small and pleasant. As for me, people who buy such iPhones and purchase Galaxy do not overlap in any way. In Apple's case, you take the brand and deny the need for a large, high-quality screen and other features. It's good that Apple knows how to sell such old models for that kind of money. But it is impossible to compare these devices, the model from Apple is completely different and does not know much.

An interesting alternative to the older model can be LG G6 (32 GB version), this device has a slightly smaller screen, but its resolution (QHD) is higher, however, it is IPS. The main camera is dual and clearly better than the Galaxy A8 / A8 +. The battery is 3300 mAh, there is fast charging, but due to the old Qualcomm 821 chipset, the device does not last too long, this is its disadvantage. At a price of 37,990 rubles, the conclusion suggests itself that this is a direct competitor to the A8 +. LG G6 has its advantages, but the model turned out to be not very balanced, I cannot recommend it (I don't like the chipset, IPS screen, but the main thing is the short battery life compared to the A8 +).

Surprisingly, we often hear that we need to compare these devices with models from Huawei, which have the same screen geometry (for example, Nova 2i, Honor 7x, and so on). But these are models of a completely different class. You can and should compare with the Honor View 10 (V10), which is about the same price group.

Comparison of models based only on the geometry of the screen is doomed to failure, since the market will soon be flooded with different models with 18.5: 9 displays, and their cost will start from 7 thousand rubles. While the Galaxy A8 / A8 + is a variant of simplified flagships, which is not suitable for everyone, but for many, those who rationally choose a device and for some reason do not like curved displays. These devices are far from being for everyone, they cannot be mass-produced as they operate in the segment above 35 thousand rubles, but they will have confident sales. The 2017 model A7 appeared a year ago at a cost of 29,990 rubles, and there were many comments that, against the background of the cost of S7, it would not have sales, that is, the situation is mirror-like today. As we already know, the A7 2017 sold and is on sale very well, and the same S7 did not prevent it from doing so.

The Galaxy A8 previously existed, but was produced primarily for China and other Asian markets. Its hallmarks were the increased size of the display and RAM to compete in the mid-price segment with devices from Oppo, Meizu and Xiaomi.

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) did not appear by chance and came out for all countries. It will likely be the only model in the A-line released in 2018. In the previous two years, Samsung and other manufacturers, as it were, pulled up their mid-range and entry-level lines to the flagships, the blessing of innovation was largely related to the design and materials used. So Galaxy A got glass cases, like Galaxy S, and less dear Galaxy J - metal.

As a result, Samung Galaxy A began to look very attractive, with a claim to premium, which was not slow to affect sales. The line was sold very well, as it made it possible to get a cool device for relatively little money, although at the same time the devices could be inferior in performance and functionality to less eminent brands.

In 2017, the main trends in the market were phones with bezel-less displays, as well as the proliferation of dual cameras in the middle price range. If you add all these options to the Galaxy A3 / A5 / A7, then they clearly hit the Galaxy S8, and even compete with the Galaxy S9. After all, breakthrough technologies in the new flagship are not yet expected, and new materials for the case have not yet appeared.

Among Samsung features On the Galaxy A8 (2018), we will first of all note the face recognition function, the dual front camera and the asymmetrical processor clusters, and now let's talk about everything in order.

Video review Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018), like the previous devices in the series, looks very cool. He has a high-quality case. Due to the frameless display, the outlines of the device have changed slightly. Watch our video.

Design

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) is built in comparison with devices of the Galaxy A line (2017). The smartphone has an elongated display. Like the flagships of 2017, it is practically devoid of bezels on the sides. There are small frames at the top and bottom of the smartphone.

It should be noted that the Galaxy A8 (2018) does not have active display sides. It is covered with so-called 2.5D glass, which at a glance refers to the Edge features of flagship smartphones.

In general, the apparatus seems narrower. It is very comfortable in the hand. We noted the same in the case of and. The smartphone, like the flagships, received an aluminum chassis. It is made matte and protrudes on the sidewalls.

Both surfaces are covered with Gorilla Corning Glass 5. The device has an oleophobic coating, but we have seen more high quality... The back side collects fingerprints quickly enough. Glass has another drawback: the smartphone is a little slippery, especially for people with very dry hands. As a result, it is better to use a cover.

Externally, the body lines have become more strict than those of the Galaxy S8. If I may say so, the Galaxy A8 (2018) has got sharper corners, if that definition applies to modern smartphones.

Due to the absence of buttons and frameless display, the device is practically devoid of visual dominants. The exception is Samsung logos.

The smartphone has several colors, including black, gold, gray and navy blue. Samsung has kept its principle for the A series: to look the same as the S, but cost less. The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) can easily be confused with both the Galaxy S8 and the Note 8. The only difference between them is the size of the display.

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) received an IP68-protected case. This means that it can be up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 meters. However, Samsung honestly warns that the smartphone does not have a guarantee of protection against a shower.

Connectors and controls

The connectors and controls on the Galaxy A8 (2018) are generally located in a standard way for devices with bezel-less displays, but there are some peculiarities.

On the front panel, as you might guess, there are no buttons. At the same time, in the Galaxy A8 (2018), Samsung has gone further than in flagship smartphones 2017. Clicking at the bottom of the screen on the virtual Home button the apparatus vibrated. Galaxy A8 (2018) lacks this feature. It's hard to say if this is good or bad.

Also on the front panel you can find two eyes of the front camera, an earpiece.

On the back we find the main camera, which is single. There is a flash next to it, and under it is a fingerprint scanner. Samsung has corrected the bugs and placed the scanner under the camera. Now it is easier to find it, although the sensor area remains small in our opinion. But this is still better than wandering your finger along the back cover in search of a scanner.

On the right side there is a button to turn on the display, as well as a speakerphone. The location of the speaker is somewhat unusual, but if you remember that the Galaxy A8 (2018) has an elongated display and body, while there is no stereo, then this position is even better than, as usual, at the end.

On the left side there are volume rockers. Perhaps some will have to reach for them, but the device does not look wide. There is also a compartment for a SIM card next to it. Also on the Galaxy A8 (2018) there is no dedicated button for the Bixby assistant. Its functionality seems to be limited.

At the top we find a microphone hole and another compartment.

You can insert a second SIM card and a microSD card into it. You can see how this is done in our video:

Finally, at the bottom, we found an audio jack, microphone and USB Type-C port. The port works only in UBS 2.0 mode. Sadly, the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 already have USB 3.0 support.

If the top Galaxy supported three types of biometric authentication, then the Galaxy A8 (2018) has only two: face and fingerprint recognition.

With the dual camera, Samsung has slightly improved the speed and quality of face recognition. The procedure is standard. As with the fingerprint, you must first select alternative way protection: password, PIN or pattern. Then take a smartphone and look into it like in a mirror from a distance of 20-50 cm. The face should fall into the circle drawn on the display. As soon as the smartphone remembers it, the option will turn on.

Just in case, we suggest watching a video of how the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) recognizes faces:

With a fingerprint, the procedure has already been described several times. We also start with a PIN or password. Then we put our finger on the scanner. Given its small footprint, you will have to touch the sensor several times. Finally, the fingerprint is registered. Now you can use it to unlock your smartphone, as well as confirm payments in Samsung Pay and authorize using Samsing Pass. One more video will show how this is done:

Face recognition is only used to unlock the smartphone. Also a fingerprint scanner finger samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) supports gestures. You can open the notification panel and perform some other actions.

Case for Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)

Buying a case or cover for the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) will not be difficult. So, one such even fell into our hands:

At the time of this writing, Samsung has not yet offered branded cases for the Galaxy A8 (2018) in stores, but such a plastic case does not cost much. We are confident that flip covers and other options will also be released for the Galaxy A8 (2018).

Galaxy A8 (2018) screen

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) has a 5.6-inch display. This is the largest screen in the A series. It is made with SuperAMOLED technology. At least in this part, Samsung did not cut the device down, transferring it to LCD. However, the screen resolution turned out to be lower than that of the S8 and Note 8. It corresponds to Galaxy resolution A 2017 adjusted for other display proportions.

In total, the Galaxy A8 (2018) has 1080x2220 pixels, which can be interpreted as Full HD. The pixel density of the smartphone is 441 ppi, which is not a record, but quite a lot, which means the display will be clear.

Color rendition, as usual with AMOLED, is excellent. The display as a whole makes an excellent impression. It is no worse than the Galaxy S8 and Note 8.

As well as top smartphones The Galaxy A8 (2018) supports the Always On screen feature. The user can customize the display of the clock, some other information, even notifications on the off display. Since OLED screens light up each pixel separately and there is no gluttonous backlight frame, Always On consumes relatively little, but still, if the user is configured for maximum autonomy, then he should abandon the function.

There are several templates for the Always On screen: analog and digital clocks, calendar, etc.

For each template, you can customize the appearance, including using non-standard colors, not only black and white are available.

The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) screen also has additional settings. Firstly, the brightness of the display can be adjusted right in the notification panel, and there you can also enable or disable automatic brightness adjustment. In addition, the display has several preset settings that are adapted for photos, videos, etc. You can separately make the color gamut more or less cold, and finally, it is possible to adjust each color channel separately.

The display brightness of the Galaxy A8 (2018) was 523.57 cd / m2. For comparison, for the Note 8, we intend 355.51 cd / m2. And the Note 8's screen did not give us any problems in bright sunlight, so the Galaxy A8 (2018) will see the display even better. It should also be noted that taking into account the absolutely black in OLED technology, the contrast is also "absolute".

We measured the color temperature of the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) display for two profiles. In general, the graphs are not very smooth. The main profile is very close to the natural 6500K, the adaptive one is just above 7000K. At the same time, at maximum brightness, the temperature rises. Overall, the results are very good.

The color gamut of both profiles is larger than the sRGB range. Moreover, in the adaptive it is wider than in the main, both in the cold and in the warm parts of the spectrum.

Gamma curves in both modes deviate from the standard more than we expected, and for the adaptive one they do dance at all, which corresponds to the color temperature.

The display supports 10 touches. It could not be otherwise.

Galaxy A8 (2018) camera

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) received two cameras. Front and main have a resolution of 16 megapixels. At the same time, Samsung went for an interesting experiment. The main camera is single, and the front camera is dual. It has an additional module with a resolution of 8 megapixels.

The company does not reveal the secrets of the technology, however, it can be assumed that the front module works in the same way as the Leica module for one of the Chinese manufacturers. The second sensor is not used for optical zoom, as in the Note 8, but only for measuring the depth of field. With its help, the effect of a blurred background is created. At the same time, the main module of the front camera, judging by the pictures, has a hard focus: it is adjusted to the selfie distance.

It is also likely that the stereo camera allowed Samsung to improve the quality and speed of face recognition for authorization. As a result, the solution turned out to be clearly cheaper than the dual camera of the Note 8, but at the same time it was relevant and in demand. We are still living in the era of the selfie.

Both cameras can only record Full HD video - a reasonable limitation compared to the flagship.

The camera interface of the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) has not changed fundamentally. The controls are no different from other Samsung models, just a lot more functions.

So, in one part of the screen we, as usual, have a shutter button, as well as a video recording button and a photo preview. On the other hand, we see buttons for changing the camera, full screen mode, turning on the flash, and settings.

Also, the Galaxy A8 (2018) has swipes. The right one calls up a choice of modes, the left one - filters. By default, the main modes are available: Pro, Food, Sports, etc. The left pile brings up a preview window for various filters.

The interface also contains new features introduced in 2017 with the Note 8 and Galaxy S8. The Bixby camera connects artificial intelligence to image processing. She is able to read a QR code and open a page. She can also recognize the item and send a query about it to Google, for example, to compare prices.

AI allows you to put funny stickers on your pictures. These can be signatures or, for example, ears drawn on.

The front-facing camera interface is slightly different. Here, on the left half of the display, there is another icon that is somewhat reminiscent of an eye. This is the Live Focus feature. It is for this that the second camera module is used. Using the slider, you can adjust the amount of background blur and achieve a beautiful effect.

In Pro mode, the front camera not only has the ability to adjust all shooting parameters, but also to quickly crop, as well as activate the Bixby camera.

The maximum resolution of the main camera is 16 megapixels, while the aspect ratio is only 4: 3.

The main camera takes generally good pictures. Best camera Samsung still has the Galaxy Note 8, but this one makes a good impression too.

The main camera can shoot Full HD video.

The video is great.

The front camera can also take a 16-megapixel photo and it will also be 4: 3.

Despite the presence of two sensors, the front camera gives a worse result than the main one. However, it can be attributed to the fact that we took test shots not quite in the style for which it was designed. The camera is clearly adapted for selfies and has a very close focus.

The front camera allows you to shoot Full HD, just like the main one.

The video itself is slightly worse than that of the main camera. Poor focusing speed is noticeable.

Galaxy A8 (2018) specifications

The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) specs are noticeably better than the 2017 Galaxy A, but they are inferior to the Galaxy S8 and other flagships.

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) was announced in December 2017, so it soon closes the lineup last year than this one opens. This can be seen by comparing its specifications with the Galaxy S8. In most positions, the device is closer to the 2017 A-line.

The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) processor received another top five in the number. The Exynos 7885 Octa is an interesting chip. Galaxy A 2017 used an Exynos 7880 based on 8 Cortex-A53 cores. In the new chip, the manufacturer did not just increase their frequency, but added two more efficient Cortex-A73 cores. An asymmetric version of big.LITTLE with two clusters for 2 and 6 cores is first encountered in Samsung's arsenal. The first two cores run at 2.2 GHz, while the rest of the six run at 1.6 GHz.

The company also updated the graphics. Instead of the relatively old Mali-T830, the latest Mali-G71 line is used. ARM has redesigned the accelerator architecture, which promises significant performance gains.

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) received an increased amount of RAM. The A Series now has 4GB storage options. According to rumors, the Chinese versions of the device can even get 6 GB. The storage capacity has also increased. Now there is an option not only for 32, but also for 64 GB.

The device received the most latest versions wireless communications. We are talking about both Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.0. The Galaxy A5 (2017) only had Bluetooth 4.2. However, this difference is not so fundamental. More importantly, the Galaxy A8 (2018) has Cat 11 LTE support, which means doubling the data rate to 600 Mbps.

Formally, the display of the Galaxy A5 (2017) has a higher definition, judging by the PPI, but the Galaxy A8 (2018) is simply larger, and the pixel density differs slightly.

We have already written about the camera. Let's just note once again that making a double frontal is a strong move.

The battery capacity of both gadgets is 3000 mAh. I wonder if any optimizations have been made, since the Galaxy A8 (2018) has both a higher performance cluster frequency and a video module. True, the economical Cortex-A53 unit, which uses most of the time, judging by the frequency, is not so gluttonous.

Performance testing

As it is already clear, we will compare the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) with the more popular device of the 2017 line - Galaxy A5 (2017). We expect that the novelty will have an advantage in all tests, but at the expense of autonomy there are doubts about the victory.

In the Basemark benchmarks, the novelty is much faster than Galaxy A5 (2017). The advantage is especially great in the Basemark X graphics subtest.

The browser rendering test shows that the Galaxy A8 (2018) is faster in this discipline as well.

In the universal PC Mark test, the advantage of the novelty is not so dramatic.

Here comes the surprise. In 3D Mark, the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) is faster, but not as much as you'd expect from the specs. The test may not work quite correctly with a 2 + 6 core configuration.

Samsung Galaxy Galaxy A8 (2018) at AntuTu

In Antutu, Galaxy A8 (2018) earns more points, but the difference is not multiple, within 10-15%.

There were doubts that the Galaxy A8 (2018) will show the best results in the autonomy test. But there's a newer one on his side Android version and also the fact that the Cortex-A53 cluster has a lower frequency than that of the rival.

After the test, the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) has 83% of the charge left, while the Galaxy A5 (0217) has 80%. The difference is not very big, but the optimization still worked. As a result, the Galaxy A8 (2018) takes first place in the lineup by right.

Bezel-less OLED displays still deal a serious blow to battery life. They consume a lot in read mode. As usual, the leaders are graphics. Note that the Galaxy A8 (2018) has fairly good connectivity and standby performance.

Energy saving management is carried out in the Optimization item of the smartphone settings menu. Everything here is pretty common for Samsung devices. There are consumption statistics, on the basis of which the battery life is predicted. There are also several modes of savings. Battery saving is achieved by lowering the screen brightness, limiting the processor speed.

Games for Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)

In gaming, we expect the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) to get exceptionally high marks.

• Riptide GP2: excellent, everything flies;

• Asphalt 7: excellent, everything flies;

• Asphalt 8: excellent, everything flies;

• Modern combat 5: excellent, everything flies;

• DeadTrigger: excellent, everything flies;

• DeadTrigger 2: excellent, everything flies;

• RealRacing 3: excellent, everything flies;

• Need For Speed: No Limits: excellent, everything flies;

• Shadowgun: DeadZone: excellent, everything flies;
• Frontline Commando: Normandy: did not start;

• Frontline commando 2: excellent, everything flies;
• Eternity warriors 2: did not start;

• Eternity warriors 4: excellent, everything flies;

• Trial Xtreme 3: excellent, everything flies;

• Trial Xtreme 4: excellent, everything flies;

• Dead effect: excellent, everything flies;

• Dead effect 2: excellent, everything flies;

• Plants vs Zombies 2: excellent, everything flies;

• Dead target: excellent, everything flies;

• Injustice: excellent, everything flies.

• Injustice 2: excellent, everything flies.

The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) coped with all games except two that failed to launch. However, in recent tests, they are launched less and less. This is probably the developer's fault.

BY

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) received Android 7.1.1 and Samsung Expreience 8.5 interface. The smartphone does not have an Edge or a stylus, so a number of functions are not available, but standard set Samsung is present, including a working Bixby assistant.

The number of home screens and their appearance on the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) can be adjusted.

The main applications are brought to the home screen. Bixby Assistant can be invoked by swiping from left to right. It has a separate display.

The application menu is quite modest. It is possible that the versions that will go on sale will have preinstalled software.

By default, there are Samsung, Office and Google application folders. There are very few programs in the Samsung folder: file manager, support voice search and Samsung branded app store. Google and Microsoft have nothing new. The set is standard and reviewed many times.

IN file manager My files draws attention to the link not only to OneDrive, but also to Samsung's own cloud. The rest is a regular file manager.

S Health is a familiar fitness tracker with elements of social network that supports compatible devices and apps.

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) also supports windowed applications. Due to its greater height, one display can comfortably accommodate two applications. It is gratifying that the mode allows you to combine applications with system settings.

The Galaxy A8 (2018) runs Android 7.1 out of the box. Obviously, he will receive Android 8, and most likely also Android 9.0.

Output

The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) is a great device. It is not devoid of an original approach to design and functionality. The device does an excellent job of marketing. It provides the basic functions of top-end phones at a fraction of the cost.

However, the price of a smartphone is still quite high. It may not be the optimal choice due to the lack of some of the advanced features of last year's flagships.

Samsung's positioning still has some work to do. It is possible that in the event of a market failure of the Galaxy A8 (2018), the company will release other versions of the A line to the market. It is known that the Galaxy A5 (2018) and other models were being developed.

As a result, our hearts are of course attached to the Galaxy A8 (2018), but the wallet requires the Galaxy A5 (2018).

Price Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)

You can buy the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) for 34,990 rubles, or half the price of the Galaxy Note 8.

Let's take a look at the competitors. The offer of bezelless smartphones is already quite large, but it does not cover all segments yet. Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is an obvious contender. The device has the thinnest bezel on the market. The diagonal of the display is almost 6 inches, the resolution is 1080x2160. The smartphone is built on the basis of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, has 6 GB of RAM. It does not have dual cameras, and the resolution is lower: 12 and 5 megapixels, but the main one records 4K video. The device is offered at a price of 35,000 rubles.

The Huawei Mate 10 is also an obvious competitor. The smartphone was presented recently, it also has a large bezel-less display. Here, the 5.9-inch display has a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. There is a dual main camera, but the front one is a regular 8-megapixel one. The smartphone is based on HiSilicon Kirin 970 and has 4 GB of RAM. It costs from 40 thousand rubles.

And one more Huawei. The Mate 10 lite is one of the few handsets to feature a dual front camera. True, it also comes with a dual main camera. The Mate 10 lite has a 5.9-inch display with comparable resolution to the Galaxy A8, but with a weaker processor. However, the Mate 10 lite costs about 25 thousand.

pros:

• stylish design;
• moisture protection according to the IP68 standard;
• high-quality Super AMOLED screen;
• Always-On display function;
• good enough performance;
• Bixby machine vision;
• waterproof case;
• face recognition;
• it is possible to install two SIM-cards and a memory card;
• dual front camera.

Minuses:

• not low enough price;
• single main camera;
• slippery body.