For some reason, there is an opinion among buyers that buying a smartphone in the mid-price category deprives them of many of the opportunities that they could get by purchasing a flagship of a similar brand. Samsung has tried to break this stereotype with its new A line.

On the agenda - review Samsung Galaxy A7 2017. Unlike some, this model is protected from moisture and dust, supports Samsung Pay, has a cool camera and a high-quality display with the Always On function. But first things first.

Price and main characteristics

A7 is more expensive than other smartphones in this model line. You will have to pay about $580 for the device.


Specifications:

• display: 5.7″ Super AMOLED, Full HD 1920*1080 px, 386ppi;
• processor: Samsung Exynos 7880 (1.9 GHz) + Mali-T830 MP3 video accelerator;
• RAM: 3 GB;
• internal memory: 32 GB + microSDXC flash cards up to 256 GB;
• camera: main – 16 MP, front – 16 MP;
• communication: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, GLONASS, LTE;
• battery: 3600 mAh;
• dimensions: 156.8 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm;
• Weight: 186 g

IN model range Galaxy A 2017 A7 is the largest smartphone, so the choice of all users who want to purchase a phablet from the Korean company one way or another comes down to this model.

Equipment and appearance

Compared to last year's model, the A7's packaging remains virtually unchanged. The only difference is the 2017 designation in the upper right corner of the box. The main ones are highlighted at the back specifications devices.

The smartphone comes with a solid set of accessories: an in-ear headset, a charger, a Type-C cable and an OTG adapter. To ensure that owners of old microUSB cords are not left behind, a TypeC-MicroUSB adapter was also included in the box.


By tradition, A series phones adopt the features Samsung flagships last generation. This time, the look of the A7 is almost copied from the Galaxy S7. Compared to last year's A7, the edges of the smartphone have acquired a slightly more rounded shape, and the metal frame around the body is now painted in the main color of the device.


In Russia, only three color options are currently available: black, milky blue and gold. They may be joined by a pink version, which should hit shelves soon.


The back and front panels of the phone are covered with glass. Its edges are smoothly rounded towards the aluminum frame. The design is monolithic, there are no gaps between individual materials.


Under the 5.7-inch display on the front plane there is a familiar mechanical “Home” key with a built-in fingerprint scanner. On the right and left there are two touch pads: “Back” and “Switching applications”.


The Samsung brand designation immediately catches the eye. It is located just below the earpiece strip above the screen. Here you can also see a proximity sensor and a 16-megapixel front camera.


At the top there is a perforation for a microphone, as well as a slot for SIM and MicroSD cards. One of the indisputable advantages of the A7 is full support for two SIM cards and a memory card.


The place for the second SIM card is located on the left side of the A7. Just above the slot there is a volume rocker.


The screen activation button and multimedia speaker are located on the right side of the smartphone.


There is a port on the bottom edge of the device USB Type-C, conversational microphone and 3.5 mm headphone jack. If you look closely, you can see two thin stripes - these are plastic antenna posts.


Behind the 3D glass on the back panel there is a built-in 16-megapixel main camera with LED flash. Even lower is the Samsung logo. The 2017 A7 has a slightly different camera design. It has shrunk and now does not protrude above the body at all, which is why back panel looks a little empty.


During use, the relatively large size of the smartphone constantly makes itself felt. It can sometimes be difficult to operate it on the go with one hand, and because of the glass coating on both sides, the device tends to slip out of your hands every now and then.


A7 2017 is certified according to the IP68 waterproof standard, thanks to which it is reliably protected from dust or water getting inside. The A7 can withstand a half-hour dive to a depth of 1.5 meters.

Screen

Since the A7 is the older model in the line, it is equipped with the largest 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920*1080 pixels. Traditionally, pixels are placed using PenTile technology, but the looseness of fonts and pixelation of the image are absolutely not noticeable during standard use of the smartphone. Multi-touch supports up to 10 touches.


The quality of the smartphone display, as always in older Samsungs, is at the highest level. Colors are not distorted and do not lose brightness when viewing angles change, the picture is contrasty, rich and rich.


Screen color reproduction can be adjusted by changing preset modes. In the settings, “Adaptive screen”, “Cinema AMOLED” or “Photo AMOLED” are activated. Modes change colors from bright and saturated to more natural. There is also a blue light filter to reduce eye strain.


The AlwaysOn Dispay function, first tested on flagship devices, has now appeared in the A line. The smartphone can display the date, time, battery charge and other basic information on the switched off display. AlwaysOn Display has virtually no effect on time battery life devices.

Performance

The Galaxy A7 is equipped with an octa-core Exynos 7880 processor, Mali T830MP3 graphics and 3GB LPDDR3 RAM. For applications and multimedia, there is 32 GB of internal memory, which can be expanded with microSD cards.

The smartphone's hardware platform copes well with regular applications, smooth interface animations and most modern games. In WoT Blitz at maximum settings, we got a stable 35 frames per second in the most dynamic scenes. Results in AnTuTu:

Of course, the A7 is not a gaming device. However, the smartphone is able to satisfy the needs of the vast majority of users. The Grace UX shell based on Android 6.0.1 works without lags or freezes, and the fingerprint scanner almost instantly recognizes the owner’s finger.

Camera

A-series smartphones are positioned as devices for active young people who regularly use the multimedia capabilities of their gadgets. The A7 relies on two 16-megapixel modules on the rear and front panels.


The main camera is equipped with phase detection autofocus and LED flash. The optics have an aperture of f/1.9, but in terms of night photography this is far from the flagships. First of all, the lack of optical stabilization affects it. Samsung solution not introducing this feature looks doubly strange considering that last year's A7 had it.

During the day, you can take excellent photos in automatic and HDR modes. The second one copes well with shots against the sun, significantly expanding the dynamic range. There is a panoramic shooting mode.

The front camera module is slightly inferior to the main one. However, it still shoots better than most other smartphones. Overall, the A7 is roughly in line with the S6 flagship launched two years ago.

Video examples:

In the native camera application, navigation is carried out mainly by swipes. Even a beginner can understand how to change a mode or some parameter thanks to the intuitive interface. For example, to go to a selfie, just swipe from top to bottom. Available shooting modes “roll out” when you swipe from left to right.

Speaker, sound quality

The multimedia speaker is located on the right side of the smartphone, which is why the sound does not overlap in a vertical or horizontal position. The sound itself is a little muffled due to the moisture-proof membrane in the speaker. Samsung decided to sacrifice this component to protect the device.


But the music sounds great in headphones. The standard headset delivers soft bass and clear highs. Individual parameters can be adjusted in the equalizer. There are UHQ upscalle and SoundAlive audio effects. Using Adapt Sound technology, the A7 adjusts the sound to the characteristics of the owner's hearing aid, so those who like to play with the equalizer will not be disappointed.

Battery

The A7 combines a 3600 mAh battery with an energy-efficient processor and a SuperAMOLED screen, which provides the phone with about 2 days of battery life in normal mode and 10 hours in a stress test (Wi-Fi on, maximum screen brightness, watching videos).


You can charge your smartphone using either a new cable or miniUSB. The kit includes an adapter for the new USB Type-C standard. Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging is supported, which fully charges the device in an hour and a half.

Communication and Internet

The Wi-Fi module of the smartphone operates using a\b\g\n\ac protocols. Using MIMO technology, you can significantly speed up the data exchange process. In this mode, the device simultaneously uses both antennas. Supports Bluetooth 4.2 with low power consumption technology.

You can pay with your smartphone using Samsung Pay. To do this, the A7 was equipped with an NFC module that simulates bank card. The connection between the device and satellites works flawlessly; the connection occurs in just a few seconds. GPS and GLONASS are used here.

Video review of Samsung Galaxy A7

Competitors, conclusion

• Good build quality
• Waterproof IP68
• Always On Display
• Great camera
• Long battery life

• No optical stabilization
• The sound quality of the speaker is degraded due to the moisture-proof membrane

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) is a solid competitor to many smartphones in the mid-price segment. It pleases with its excellent design, good battery life, high-quality screen, protection from moisture and a bunch of new functions that have migrated from the flagship to a cheaper model.

In 2014, Samsung lovers gave up. The Galaxy S5 came out in plastic, stylized as leather, which was stuffed with needles. Panic, hysteria, millions of angry posts, offensive comments addressed to the designer and curses on the entire Korean family. It seems that all this feedback shocked the company so much that the guys collectively tensed up and released a device that is now unanimously called a “masterpiece”, the Galaxy S6 and S6 EDGE, to put it simply. Meanwhile, in mid-2014, the A line of phones was introduced - smartphones in a non-separable metal tray. To appease those who suffered without metal.

The first metal swallow that we had a chance to touch was Samsung A3. Max Vatralik was half satisfied with it, and we, as a whole editorial team, suggested that what came next would be better. We somehow passed on the Samsung A5 and immediately turned to the A7, the flagship of the mid-budget all-metal line. Let's start with the main thing - I have a gold-colored copy. Yulka has come to success!

Samsung A7 video review

Design and ergonomics

The most main characteristic The entire A line and A7 are no exception - metal. The entire body of the phone is made of metal, a kind of seamless bath with cut edges like a diamond cut. It is this feature that makes a phone even with the most basic technical specifications more expensive and premium. It’s not that I want to compare this device with Vertu, but the essence of my comparison is clear - even a push-button dialer, “wrapped” in something more expensive than shiny plastic, is already more impressive in itself.

Our gadget is a little unusual in this regard. Because it really is metal from all sides, but this can only be understood by its edges. The cut speaks loudly about this, and so does the fingernail tapping test. But the back of the lid is covered with some kind of material. Both from the tactile sensations and from the same tapping, it looks more like plastic than metal. But that's exactly him. The cover is cold (until you load the phone with games, but more on that later), very pleasant to the touch. I can’t say that it’s very tenacious, there are still no notches, the surface is even and smooth, but the device did not fall out of my hand and lay confidently. In general, the entire structure is very monolithic, nothing creaks anywhere and the Lyapota test passes 10 out of 10. Whatever one may say, nothing moved anywhere.

The front of the A7 is covered with glass, but there are metal sides that run almost flush with the display. At the bottom there is a single mechanical “Home” control button, next to it there are two touch ones. The backlight time can be adjusted in the settings. Near the speaker on top there are light, proximity and front-camera. The first of two innovative upgrades – the notification indicator was cut out. Here he was and now he was gone. Humble yourself.

The second innovation was found in one of the two SIM card slots on the right side. In addition to the power button with a clear action, there is one slot for nanoSIM, and a second for your taste - either for nanoSIM, which must be installed vertically, or for microSD up to 64 GB, which is installed traditional way. On the one hand, why be indignant at such an outlandish move, other metal flagships rarely have a slot for additional memory, I’m generally silent about the second card, but here you are given the right to choose. In fact, there are people who enjoyed using all three privileges (two SIM cards, a memory card, and all this in metal case), and it’s a shame that everything turned out that way. Apparently, some kind of Asian creative virus. ASUS puts a gadget in a gadget, and Samsung puts a slot in a slot.

All other elements are located traditionally: on the bottom edge there is a volume rocker with a distinct high stroke, on the top edge there is a microphone, on the bottom there is another microphone, microUSB and a 3.5 mm audio jack. On the back cover there is a flash and a protruding camera module, which serves as a stand for the speaker, located here. The small mesh does not produce a particularly outstanding sound; the phone will not work as a speaker at a picnic, and even if you place it on the grass or a blanket, you will muffle the sound. The call can always be heard well, even if you throw the phone at the bottom of the bag. But vibration can even wake up the dead; the minimum level can cause a tsunami, but this is from a different area.

To be honest, the A7's design point is the biggest in this review for a reason. Samsung A7 is like a peacock – it is its appearance that attracts hundreds of buyers. Strict, looks expensive, metal inspires confidence, cool body without seams or removable parts, the style is very correct. There is a choice of white pearlescent, business blue or this gold, super pretentious one. And thanks to the small dots (or too small polka dots) on the front under the glass at the top and bottom of the display, the thinness of the 6.3 mm body and the weight of 141 grams, the device is also suitable for girls. In short, when you take it in your hand for the first time, you immediately like it and don’t want to give it away.

Display

The display is in my favorite tradition - 5.5 inches, wide and big as a shovel. As usual, a very rich AMOLED matrix is ​​installed, which means that the colors are a little brighter than in your wildest dreams, the contrast is great and although the brightness level is far from IPS ideals, everything is clearly visible with what we have. True, in direct sunlight the picture becomes less readable than on smartphones with the same IPS matrix, and the white color at an angle can shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow, like a puddle of gasoline, but I still really liked it. For such a diagonal, the resolution is FullHD, which is a density of 401 ppi. Protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 4. That is, in theory, it is very difficult to scratch. Without hesitation, I put the phone in the same pocket with the keys and you know - nothing. The little crash tester in me is indignant. I also liked the quality of the oleophobic coating - it’s pleasant to touch the display. Fingerprints remain, but are very easily erased.

If, unlike me, this range of colors eats away at your retina, go to the display settings. Here you can select not only themes, fonts and brightness, but also “Screen Mode”. My favorite is “Adaptive,” because it automatically optimizes color range, sharpness, brightness, and contrast for the most popular applications. Film mode makes the screen a little brighter, Photo mode makes the screen yellower, and Basic mode is somewhere between Photo and Movie.

I’m not from the PenTile witness club, it’s not easy to notice at all, but there are those who see these subpixels. I’m saying that the thinnest fonts are easy to read and that’s enough.

And to sum it up, the display is really very, very good. It’s nice to touch it, it’s nice to watch movies, and it’s easy to customize to suit any taste. Great!

Cameras

Very good, but only in good lighting. The 13 MP main camera takes excellent pictures, very clear, with good detail and natural colors. In daylight, it focuses very quickly and produces amazing results. Autofocus, flash, launch from the lock screen, video in FullHD mode, exposure by tapping on the display does not change - everything is fine until dusk. The less light, the longer it takes to focus, the blurrier the images, the less detail, the more noise. In short, evening = watercolor.

The same goes for the front camera. 5 MP is the key to taking awesome selfies during the day, even if you take photos with your passport, but in the evening or under yellow lamp light - good luck. In the face shooting mode, there are “beauty enhancement” functions, where you can enlarge your eyes and remove pores, and start a timer when you open your palm. You have three seconds to make the appropriate duck expression. There are “Group self-portrait” modes, where you need to move the phone like in a panorama, “Night”, “GIF animation” and the ability to download “Sports shot” and “Sound & Shot”. I think it’s great, since they removed a million modes and gave the opportunity to download all this leapfrog to those who need it. Because the majority of people don’t need so many super duper gadgets.

The main camera has “Self-portrait”, “Panorama”, “Night”, “GIF-animation” modes with the ability to download the same two free modes. You can also find hidden “Retouching”, “Post Effect”, “Continuous” (apparently “continuous”) and “Saturated Tones” in the “Manage Modes” menu to add them to the main set. Here, too, there is a timer for open palms, no fists. In the settings you can choose the format, size, exposure, ISO and all that stuff. Even set up voice control, which works great, even takes video on command.

Specifications

Under the hood, our metal horse has a Snapdragon 615, built on the bigLITTLE principle, with 8 Cortex-A53 cores, but 4 of them operate at a frequency of 1 GHz, and another 4 at 1.6 GHz. There is also an Adreno 405 video accelerator and 2 GB of RAM. The memory is 16 GB, of which about 12 GB are available, and the SD card seems to be sorted out already. There is also an Exynos version of the smartphone, it does not support two SIM cards, but I haven’t found it on sale here. Thanks to the filling, the Smart gains a fabulous 27 thousand parrots. This is a fairly average figure, but I did set up races and tanks to drive. You won’t squeal with delight, the graphics are average and there may be slight slowdowns, but there is a reflection in the mirrors in Real Racing 3. The device heats up noticeably, so I advise you to always keep the tanks open in winter so as not to freeze your fingers on the body.

In general, such characteristics should be enough for cloudless control of the gadget. It should be enough for the interface to work and for the stable operation of applications. But for some reason not in my copy. I specifically talked to the kids who got tested with A7 earlier than I did. Everyone says that the gadget works quickly, there are no problems with toys or opening applications. I complain about the lag of the shell, although it is all so upgraded and beautiful, you can even choose themes, just like the older flagships, but something is clearly wrong with it. Elementary applications could fall out, nothing would be installed from the Play Market, only after the third reset everything went back to normal. In addition, false touches occurred on the back touch button. That is, I press it once, the device freezes, I don’t touch it, and I feel the vibration that the button is triggered again. After a long tap, the multi-window side menu appears and you understand that I want to go to the previous menu, and the phone gets me an additional one. You have to wait for the context menu for almost 3 seconds, and this is if the touch worked, and if it worked correctly. And the mechanical “Home” button works every other time and does not work if you press it not in the center, but from the side. Judging by how many complaints I have, but none of them were confirmed by any of the other guys, I’m sure that I have a crap copy and you’re unlikely to come across one. So let it be just my troubles.

• Dimensions: 151 x 76.2 x 6.3 mm.
• Weight: 141 g.
• Operating system: Android 4.4.4, TouchWiz shell.
• Processor: eight-core Snapdragon 615, four Cortex-A53 cores, frequency up to 1.5 GHz + four Cortex-A53 cores up to 1 GHz / Exynos 5 Octa 5430, four Cortex-A15 cores up to 1.8 GHz, 4 Cortex-A7 cores up to 1.3 GHz, Mali T628.
• Graphics: Adreno 405.
• Display: 5.5 inches, 1920×1080 pixels, 401 ppi, SuperAMOLED.
• Memory: 16 GB, microSD (or NanoSIM) memory card slot.
• RAM: 2 GB.
• Camera: main - 13 MP, video recording in 1080p, front - 5 MP.
• Wireless technologies: Bluetooth 4.0 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, NFC.
• Interface connectors: 3.5 mm headphone jack, MicroUSB 2.0.
• Battery: Li-Pol battery 2600 mAh.

TouchWiz

I'm not a fan of the gurgling interface at all. It always seemed too... oversaturated to me. There’s a lot in it, but you can’t change something as basic as the theme. Now the shell has been significantly redesigned; the bulbs in it can be replaced with something else. You immediately feel that Samsung is still new to these matters, it looks a little strange and ascetic, and then bam! – and that’s how I ended up on the Chinese souvenir market, but everyone started somewhere at some point.

In terms of programs and opportunities, this place is simply paradise on earth:

• screenshot with the palm of your hand (or if using buttons, then as in iOS - on and “Home”) and other “smart gestures”;

• multi-window, where a dozen programs can be launched in a small window on top of other applications or collapsed into balls on top of everything that is important - this is not only standard applications, but also VK, and telegram, and whatever else comes into your head;

• customizable notification panel;

Specifications

• Android 4.4.4, TouchWiz shell
• Screen 5.5 inches, SuperAMOLED, 1920x1080 pixels, 401 ppi, light and proximity sensor
• Metal, non-separable body
• Supports two SIM cards, one radio module (A700F)
• Front camera 5 megapixels, main camera 13 megapixels with autofocus, video recording 1080p (30 frames per second)
• Chipset Snapdragon 615 – MSM8939, four cores A53 64 bit, frequency up to 1.5 GHz, plus four cores up to 1 GHz, Adreno 405 – model A700F with two SIM cards
• Exynos 5 Octa 5430 chipset – eight cores, 4 Cortex A15 cores up to 1.8 GHz, 4 Cortex A7 cores up to 1.3 GHz, Mali T628 MP6
• RAM 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB, memory card up to 64 GB
• LTE cat. 4, GPS/A-GPS/Glonass
• BT 4.0 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, USB 2.0, microUSB, NFC
• FM radio, supports all audio and video codecs out of the box
• Battery Li-Ion 2600 mAh
• Dimensions – 151x76.2x6.3 mm, weight – 141 grams
• Color options - Pearl White, Midnight Black, Champagne Gold

Contents of delivery

• Telephone
• Charger with USB cable
• Instructions
• Pin for opening the SIM card tray
• Wired stereo headset

Positioning

In our review of the Samsung A3, we looked at the reasons for the appearance of this line of devices, its positioning within Samsung, and why it can be considered created to compete with the iPhone of previous generations. I see no point in repeating myself; I refer you to the appropriate section of the review.

With the positioning of the A7, Samsung turns out to be more interesting than the younger models. On the one hand, this is a senior A-series device, as a result, it has the most powerful chipsets for this class of devices, but it does not live up to the flagships, and this is a conscious decision. On the other hand, the A7 should act as one of the phablets that will flood the market before the fall of 2015 and will overshadow the existing Note 4, which remains the flagship without any discounts and the most interesting model in its class. But it so happens that not all people need top-end characteristics, the presence of a stylus and additional features - for many, pleasant design, body materials, and an adequate price come to the fore, and any cost lower than that of flagships, with formally similar characteristics, is considered as such.

Among the models of large manufacturers represented in retail chains throughout the country, it is the A7 that can lay claim to being a fashion device with a lower cost than the flagship. It came as a complete surprise to me that both readers and potential buyers showed such interest in the previous A5 model. But they paid much less attention to the A3. It is completely unclear what will happen with the A7, since in Russian realities there was a cheap Note 3 from MegaFon, and it certainly confused all Samsung cards. But since the fall of last year it has not been on sale, and the changes that have taken place on the market do not allow us to say that any new model will be perceived well, especially taking into account the new price level. The release of the A7 for Russia will take place at a bad time for the market, so assessing any sales, prospects and the like for this model before the beginning of summer is a pointless exercise.

From the point of view of positioning and selection of this device, I advise you to look at it as a phablet version without a stylus, with a camera typical in its class and a certain image charge. This is by no means the most cost-effective offer; you can find similar solutions from other companies for less money, however, we’ll talk about this at the end of the review.

Design, dimensions, control elements

The design of all A-series devices is absolutely the same, there is no difference. There are no complaints about the build quality and materials.

A metal frame goes around the body, everything here is similar to the Samsung Alpha or Note 4, the edges are exactly the same, they play in the light the same way. But the entire back panel is made of metal, although it is painted in the color of the body. It has several recesses for antennas, but they are not visible due to uniform painting. This is a conscious decision, since the same iPhone uses either a plastic insert (like the iPhone 6) or an insert on the back panel (like the iPhone 5/5s), which stands out from the design of the device. Samsung thought that the appearance of the device should be uniform, and they achieved this with this approach.

The colors for the A7 are typical: white, black and gold.

White color It has a pearlescent tint, it is not matte, it plays well in the light. An attempt to deliberately scratch it shows that scratches appear, but they are not visible unless you look closely.

The control elements are located traditionally, the paired volume key is on the left side, and the on/off button is on the right. There are also two slots for nanoSIM cards, one slot also has a combined holder for a microSD card. The device has two microphones, they are located at the ends. At the bottom end there is a regular microUSB connector, as well as a 3.5 mm jack for a headset or headphones.

The front camera is located above the screen, and there is also a light sensor and a proximity sensor. Below the screen there are two touch buttons and one mechanical button.

The phone dimensions are 151x76.2x6.3 mm, weight is 141 grams. Quite thin, fits well in the hand, a little smaller than the same Note 4. This format of device is convenient for me because of my large hand, but you’ll have to try it. But I note that you get used to the large screen almost instantly, and the thin body makes the model convenient for everyday use.

Display

Screen with a diagonal of 5.5 inches and FullHD resolution (401 ppi), superAMOLED. There are all modes for adjusting colors on the screen, as on older models.

If you compare the picture quality with the same Note 4 (below), you will not see much of a difference; it is felt in the fonts, but is invisible to the eye, unless, of course, you have built-in microscopes.

An excellent screen from all points of view, a maximum number of settings for every taste. If you want to get bright colors, you can do it; if you want more natural colors, this is possible. Good screen behavior in the sun. In its segment, this device has one of the highest quality screens, and for the current generation of devices its capabilities are sufficient, plus there is a reserve for several years. The same QHD screen in the Note 4 is redundant, although pleasant. The transition from the screen in the A7 to the Note 4 will not be as noticeable an improvement as the company would like to show.

Battery

The Li-Ion battery built into the case has a capacity of 2600 mAh, which is relatively small. Video playback time is about 8.5 hours (in A5 - 12.5 hours), Samsung usually targets 10 hours. This indicator confused me, I thought that the total operating time would be noticeably shorter, but the reality turned out to be completely different - the phone lasts a long time (we tested the Qualcomm version).

With actual use of the phone, you can achieve two days of reliable operation with an hour of calls, two dozen messages, and a couple of hours of listening to music. Under a very heavy load, the device will only work for one day, but for example, under the same load, the S5 will run out by about one o'clock in the afternoon. The use of an optimized chipset makes itself felt; this is a new generation device in terms of improved operating time. Although it all depends on what and how you use it, how you configured all the parameters.

Full time Charging the battery takes a little less than two hours. Technology fast charging, as in Note 4, is not supported here.

The phone has a proprietary technology for maximum energy saving, when the screen switches to displaying shades of gray, and this way the device can work much longer.

Memory, RAM, chipset and performance

The phone is available in two versions, on the Qualcomm chipset and on the Exynos. Snapdragon 615 chipset – MSM8939, four A53 64-bit cores, frequency up to 1.5 GHz plus four cores up to 1 GHz, Adreno 405 – model A700F with two SIM cards. Exynos 5 Octa 5430 chipset – eight cores, 4 Cortex A15 cores up to 1.8 GHz, 4 Cortex A7 cores up to 1.3 GHz, Mali T628 MP6. Users will not have a choice of model options as such; each market will have one or the other modification, but not both. The question of which is better remains open - for example, the operating time on the Qualcomm chipset in mixed mode is a little longer (by about 10 percent), but the performance on Exynos is higher.

The amount of RAM is 2 GB, built-in memory is 16 GB, of which approximately 12 GB is available to the user. Memory cards are supported up to 64 GB, which will be enough for most.

The A-series devices are unusual in that it is impossible to use two SIM cards and a memory card at the same time. The second slot can accommodate either a memory card or a SIM card, but not both at the same time. Therefore, you will have to determine what is more important to you - this should be kept in mind when you choose a device.

In synthetic tests, the device has typical performance for its class. At the same time, you won’t see any brakes in the menu.

Communication capabilities

Everything is quite typical, USB version 2, there is support for NFC, Ant+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, the built-in LTE modem supports LTE Advanced Cat.4.

Camera

The front camera does not have autofocus, but has a resolution of 5 megapixels, which is not bad.

The main camera is 13-megapixel, its characteristics are similar to the cameras that were in last year’s flagships, it produces good picture quality, as you can see for yourself. But in the dark, the camera, like previous models, does not shoot very well.

Software

The device has the latest version of Android 4.4.4, with the TouchWiz shell, it also latest version, as on the company's flagships. There are almost no differences from the same S5, so I refer you to the corresponding part of the review.

Unlike top models, there is a built-in FM radio, which looks like a nice bonus.

Samsung always has a lot of different, but outwardly almost identical smartphones. Every year, Koreans offer more and more new solutions, which in fact are old ideas in a new wrapper. The culprit of our review is the flagship of the A line from Samsung - the Galaxy A7. Let's find out how it differs from other representatives of the segment?

Equipment

Following the trend of minimalism, the packaging is much smaller in size than you would expect. The smartphone lies very comfortably in it. When you open the partition, we see a standard set of accessories: charger adapter (5 V and 1.55 A output), USB cable-> MicroUSB, headset and a couple of warranty cards.

The smartphone itself is carefully wrapped in protective films on the front and back sides of the case. Traditionally, the front film contains the main technical information and describes the capabilities and key functions of the smartphone.

Design and ergonomics

Before I tell you all the advantages and disadvantages of the case, I want to draw your attention to the fact that before using this Samsung, I had an iPhone 5S. Therefore, further there will be a certain amount of criticism, which will seem unconstructive and absurd to owners of lampshades with large screens.

So, let's go. The dimensions of the device are, of course, impressive: 76.20 x 151 x 6.30 mm, the lion's share of the area on the front side is occupied by a 5.5-inch screen. I don’t know about you, but I personally have doubts about the appropriateness of such diagonals. Of course, such phones are convenient for people with poor vision, but due to the increase in screen size, you have to sacrifice form factor size and thickness. However, here only the convenience of the lampshade is sacrificed.

It does not lie very comfortably in the hand and during everyday use it can cause a lot of inconvenience. For example, you are walking home from the store, a bag of groceries in one hand, and then you receive a message from a friend. To read it you need to take it out of your pocket and unlock it. This is where the first trap lies: if you value the security of your data, you will definitely set a password or pattern to unlock it. If you don't have long fingers, entering a password or quickly making a graphic drawing with one hand will not be an easy task. And everything like that.

For such cases, the developers have proposed a function for adapting the screen size to one-handed control: you need to swipe from the edge of the screen to the middle. This action will reduce the picture to the size of a 4-inch display. There is one drawback to this function: it does not always work. You need to make 3-4 swipes for a miracle to happen and the interface to shrink. By the way, to find this function, you will have to rummage through the settings.

The same inconvenience awaits you when typing a response to a message. After two weeks of use, I found the most convenient way for me to type messages while holding the smartphone with both hands. This way, there will be no problems with typing text, formatting it, and correcting errors.

The thickness of the device is 6.8 mm, which is an impressive figure. However, in my opinion, Samsung went a little overboard with it. This screen size will already make you feel like a hobbit with small hands, and because of this thickness, ease of use is greatly impaired. The device strives to escape from your hands towards the asphalt.

The body is made from a single piece of aluminum. No plastic, only metal. The back wall is matte due to the thick paint coating. There are small chamfers on the edges that expose the metal. A good design decision, because this way the body becomes more rounded and the metal elements add a premium feel appearance. The coating resists scratches well and is difficult to stain.

So, let's make a circle around the body:

On the front, nothing special or unusual. Large screen and small home button. To the right and left of it there are touch buttons: back and running applications. If there is no backlight, these buttons are not visible at all. That is, you need to randomly click on empty spaces near the “home” button. Next is a 5.5-inch touch display, with a light and proximity sensor on top. The front of the device is covered with fourth-generation Gorilla Glass. There is also an oleophobic coating, so you don’t have to worry about dirt and fingerprints.

On the left side there is a volume rocker. It must be said that the buttons are a little hard and require some force to press them. Such rigidity negatively affects the reliability of the buttons themselves and after long use there is a high probability that they will fail.

On the right side there is a power/lock button and 2 trays: for two SIM cards and a memory card (MicroSD). And here lies the biggest, in my opinion, mistake of Samsung engineers: the tray for the second SIM card is also a slot for a memory card. In other words, we are dealing with the SM-A700FD version Duos. The user will have to choose: either expand the memory on the phone, or use a second SIM card. It should be noted that the first SIM card is in Nano SIM format, and the second is Micro, so if you have two phones and decide to switch to Galaxy, you will have to replace operator cards.

That is, buying this smartphone for more money, you still have to make compromises.

There is nothing interesting on top, only holes for the microphone for the camera. Below we have a 3.5 inch audio jack, a MicroUSB input for connecting the supplied (or not so supplied) cable and a hole for a microphone.

On the back side we have a camera eye protruding 2 mm above the body (I wonder where this one came from original idea?) and symmetrically located between the single-diode flash and the speaker. Due to the protruding chamber, the device cannot lie flat on a flat surface. However, personally, I don’t see anything wrong with this, since thanks to the slight elevation of the upper part of the body, it is convenient to pick up the smartphone, say, from a table, without the danger of slipping out.

Summing up the appearance of the smartphone, I can conclude that Samsung, as usual, was in a hurry and tried to release a new product the faster the better. This is evidenced by small gaps between the glass and the side walls of the case and a small gap in the glass in this place.

Having experience in releasing devices with big screen Samsung does not consider it necessary to competently adapt the competitive advantages of its smartphones and churns them out one after another, as if according to a pattern.

Display

The phablet has a 5.5-inch screen with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a pixel density of 401 ppi. The display turned out to be not of its own production, but of PenTile. The screen is in many ways reminiscent of the Galaxy S5, but with small caveats: due to the increased diagonal, the pixel density has dropped, and due to the peculiarities of the production process and matrix design, it is slightly inferior to competitors with FullHD and QuadHD. However, if you don’t go into such details, the Super AMOLED matrix does its job perfectly well, without any problems. Pixels are not visible even to the naked eye, except when displaying texts. If you look closely at the font, you'll notice faintly illuminated subpixels, but nothing to worry about. Almost all modern smartphones have this problem. In my opinion, the screen in this phablet is not much different from other Samsung devices. They consider these screens their pride and, I must say, they have something to be proud of.

As with many Samsung smartphones, the screen sensitivity here is a little too high. With normal sensitivity, the sensor works even if you don’t touch the screen, and when you turn on the “glove” mode, you can move your finger 2 mm closer to the screen to make it come to life. Unfortunately, this increases the likelihood of false positives, which will negatively affect your nerves. This applies to all touch elements on the front panel of the smartphone.

Below are sample photos of the A7 display compared to the iPhone 6 Plus (bottom). As you can see, color rendition in both devices is at an excellent level, with the exception of a slight shift to a green tint in the Samsung smartphone. There are also no problems with viewing angles.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy A7 SM-A700FD

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939 with a frequency of 1.5 GHz (4 Cortex-A53 1.5 GHz cores and 4 Cortex-A54 1 GHz cores);
• Graphics: Adreno 405 with a frequency of 550 MHz;
• Screen: Super AMOLED 5.5”, Full HD 1920 x 1080, 480 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, Multitouch;
• RAM: 2 GB (available after reset;
• Storage: 16 GB (10 GB available for user);
• Supports MicroSD cards up to 64 GB;
• Front camera: 5 MP (photo resolution 2576 x 1932), real-time effects, gesture control;
• Main camera: 12.8 MP (maximum image resolution 4128 x 3096), autofocus, manual mode, gesture control;
• Battery: non-removable Li-ion 2600 mAh;
• Sensors: accelerometer, proximity and light sensor, digital compass, barometer;
• Wireless interfaces: Bluetooth 4.0 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Micro USB 2.0 (OTG protocol supported), NFC, GPS/A-GPS/Glonass;
• OS: Android KitKat 4.4
• Dimensions: 151 x 76.2 x 6.3 mm;
• Weight: 141 grams;

• EDGE/GPRS/GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz);
• HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz);
• LTE, Dual-SIM;
• LTE cat. 4;

Performance

The smartphone has an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939 processor. To save battery, the device is configured so that when using functions that do not require large computing power, only low-power 4 cores of 1 GHz are used, and when running heavy applications, such as games, all 8 cores are activated.

The proprietary interface works smoothly, without any brakes, even if there are many open applications in the memory. The clutter of widgets and live shortcuts never made the firmware slow down. Apparently, thanks for this we must thank the high-speed RAM of 2 GB.

On Youtube you can find a video where pure Android KitKat without a proprietary shell was installed on this smartphone. At the same time, he began to “fly” even faster and the speed of the system reached a completely new level.

To test performance, I installed several powerful games: the popular racer Real Racing 3, the puzzle game Monument Valley, and the increasingly popular runner Crossy Road.

I can say one thing about the first: with 100% battery, you will be able to play for about 3 hours before the requirement to connect your smartphone to charging appears. The picture is smooth, but after a long game it starts to lose frames per second (FPS). The Adreno 405 GPU handles the rest perfectly. It’s strange, but during long-term operation, the device barely heated up, which indicates good heat dissipation efficiency in the case design.

The rest of the games worked without lags or problems.

I discovered an interesting point during operation: without launching productive games and without using 4 powerful processors, a smartphone lasts about one and a half to two days. And when used at full capacity – a few hours at best.

Cameras

The front camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels and is capable of taking pictures measuring 2576 x 1932. Unfortunately, there is no autofocus here, but there are several dubious, but still interesting features.

Firstly, this is a gesture shot. Everything is simple here: stand in a pose and raise your palm so that it covers the entire screen. Next, a timer will appear on the screen and after 3 seconds a photo will be taken. The function works poorly, it works about 4 times. The logic of the palm is also not completely clear, since in order to start the timer, you need to completely close the screen, thereby losing the settings for the appearance and facial expression that you are striving for. It often happens that the user does not have time to remove his palm in time, thereby getting a selfie of his hand. Adding a sound signal for turning on the timer would be nice.

Secondly, standard for the front camera, there is a face recognition function and a set of tools for face correction in real time: retouching, thin face and eye enlargement. If you turn them all up to maximum, the camera will turn you into a character from an anime cartoon. In fact, they are useless functions that do not work well enough to be used on a daily basis. On the other hand, in South Korea this function came in handy.

Do you know what the most popular gift parents give their girls when they graduate from school? Plastic surgery by increasing the shape of the eyes. And the guys from Samsung give people the opportunity to save on an expensive operation. Bravo!

Regular selfie

Selfie with eye magnification effect

The main camera has a resolution of 12.8 megapixels. It shoots at the level of last year’s flagships, that is, not bad, but not great either. In low light, noise is noticeable, which even with manual ISO adjustment is not removed. Below I suggest looking at a composite image of many photographs with different matrix sensitivity settings.

And on top of that, the camera app has so many buttons and levers that the person you’re photographing will very quickly get tired of posing for you.

One of the interesting features of the camera is the creation of GIF animations. You just need to select the appropriate mode and hold down the shutter button. And at the end we will get a finished animation that we can send to friends.

There are really a lot of settings and to understand them you will need to set aside a whole evening for this. Samsung decided to give the HDR mode its name “Rich Tones”, apparently to make it easier to find. As with many cameras, it is this mode that saves, from frame to frame, the deteriorating impression of the camera. Here the colors become richer, the light is softer and warmer, the shades acquire a natural color. As an example, here are the pictures I got:

The original photographs for detailed study can be downloaded in one archive from here.

Autonomous operation

The smartphone has a 2600 mAh Li-Ion battery. As I said earlier, with average use, the battery lasts about one and a half to two days. By average use, I mean a constant connection to either Wi-Fi or LTE, periodic replies to messages on VKontakte and viewing your Instagram feed, and 15-20 minutes of talk time, that is, without games. But when you turn on the game, get ready for the frantic gluttony of the processor and all the accompanying chips.

The smartphone has an extreme power saving mode. Its essence is that all unnecessary wireless interfaces and system services will be disabled, and the functionality is limited to the clock, calendar, alarm clock and browser. The list of applications for working in this mode can be customized.

The second most gluttonous “organ” – the screen – is also subject to restrictions. It becomes black and gray, the brightness of the backlight decreases and bright colors disappear.

According to the manufacturer, in this mode with 10% battery, the smartphone can last 7-9 hours. But it would be necessary to clarify that such time is achieved only if you do not touch it at all.

As a result, I can say one thing about battery life: it could have been worse, but it couldn’t.

Pros and cons of purchasing the Samsung Galaxy A7

• Large and colorful screen;
• Not top-end, but still powerful filling;
• Balanced battery life;

Against:

• An incredible number of settings that are difficult to quickly understand (this is not an iPhone!);
• The form factor is not convenient for everyone;
• Average retail price ~ 30,000 rub.

Bottom line

What we have: a beautiful picture supported by powerful hardware with a battery life slightly above average in its class. On the other hand, the size of the form factor will make you wince with inconvenience when you climb the steps, and the smartphone is in your front jeans pocket, and the camera could take better pictures for the money.

And now the answer to the question: “Is it worth it? buy?", - I think not. You see, Samsung, in light of recent events, has significantly raised prices for its products. Moreover, it increased by an order of magnitude more than that of competitors. 30,000 rubles is still a lot, even for a device made entirely of metal, which it is Samsung Galaxy A7 SM-A700FD.

After two weeks of using this lamp and returning to my iPhone 5S, I was surprised to find that I was missing a big screen! Apparently this is how Samsung decided to lure away Apple lovers.

Already on sale Price: 30,000 rubles

In 2017, the famous South Korean technology manufacturer Samsung decided to update its line of mid-range smartphones. It turned out quite well for them, I must say. Phones that previously quite reliably occupied the middle niche in the mobile technology market, after the update, began to claim the role of budget flagships of a higher level. Let's see what characteristics are offered by the so-called senior A-series model - Samsung Galaxy A7 2017.

Main characteristics

First of all, it is worth noting that the older model assumes the greatest and best technological “package”. However, the developers did not spoil us too much. The equipment of the 2017 A7 model is very slightly superior to its younger colleague - the updated Samsung Galaxy A5. The main differences are the battery capacity and, of course, the screen size. Well, what else, exactly, should smartphones measure against?

Frame

It is quite noticeable that the Koreans sought to bring the A-line as close as possible to their more luxurious S-series relatives. The design of the updated A7 is in many ways similar to the Samsung Galaxy S7 - rounded edges, glass upholstery, minimalism, identical layout of keys and speakers. However, such imitation does not harm the appearance of the phone at all, but, on the contrary, gives it a more elegant and stylish look.

• The body of the updated model is covered with glass on both sides. The front is protected by 2.5D glass, while the back is protected by 3D coating. The edges are framed by an elegant metal rim.
• The phone measures 156.8 x 77.6mm and is almost 7.9mm thick. Weight is 144 g.
• The phone is available in several color variations: standard black, elegant gold, soft blue and pale pink.

Technical stuffing

Of course, even the updated A7 cannot compete with the luxury analogue of the Samsung Galaxy S7 in performance. However, you just have to remember for what niche the smartphone was developed. Galaxy A7 2017 is a good candidate for the title of flagship among mid-class phones, so its technical characteristics are quite decent.

It has a more powerful eight-core Exynos 7880 processor with a clock frequency of 1.9 GHz compared to the version of that year. The graphics rest on the “shoulders” of the three-core Mali-T830 chip.

Initially, the phone is installed with Android version 6.0 Marshmallow, but the developers guarantee to update the software to the next “sweetie” - Android 7.0 Nougat.

The user interface of the local sixth android uses the Grace UI graphical shell. Which, as you know, promises its users the ability to work in multi-window mode.

The processor of the new Galaxy A7 shows relatively good data when working with almost all tasks However, for resource-intensive programs, for example, for demanding games, the settings will have to be launched with lower graphics parameters
The GPU test shows very good results The results of the performance test of the updated processor are at the same level.
On other tests the device produces similar numbers

Screen

The 2017 version of the Samsung Galaxy A7 pleases us with an expanded Super AMOLED screen of 5.7 inches. The display resolution is 1080 x 1920 pixels per inch. Agree, a very standard characteristic for modern smartphones. However, the big plus is that the screen takes up about two-thirds of the entire front of the phone. The rest of the minimum is the mechanical “Home” control button, the “Return” and “Applications” invisible touchscreens, as well as the speaker, front camera, proximity sensor and the famous Samsung inscription.

It is important to note that the Samsung Galaxy A7 2017 has a screen calibration menu with a specific set of modes. Each of them demonstrates an impressive 100% color space coverage. Temperature, gamma and backlight also show extremely pleasing results.

The developers have taken care of optimizing the use of SIM cards

Now the smartphone has separate slots for both SIM cards and a memory card, which is very convenient

Memory

As for the available space on the phone, here too the updated version has undergone some changes. The phone's RAM remained at the same level - 3 GB, but the built-in memory has doubled and is now 32 GB versus 16 GB in last year's version. If we take into account the space occupied by system files, the available space in general will, of course, be several gigabytes less. However, in this case you can use microSD. Now the fresh Samsung Galaxy A7 2017 supports flash cards up to 256 GB instead of last year’s 128 GB. So even the most kilobyte-intensive users will not be offended.

Battery

Now the latest brainchild of the South Korean developer also has a more powerful Li-Po battery - 3600 mAh versus last year’s 3300 mAh. In addition, the phone has Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging. Due to it, the manufacturer promises to reduce the time spent on battery restoration to one and a half hours.

In offline mode, your phone will work for as much as 380 hours (which, in terms of a day, promises us an incredible almost 16 days). The device will work for 18 hours in talk mode, listening to music can last up to 48 hours, and watching videos - up to 9. But the phone still does not have wireless charging. Even though this is the older model of the line.

Other "goodies"

The smartphone also supports the Always On Display function, which means that notifications, clock and date are displayed on its screen even in inactive mode.

There is no longer a need to endlessly turn on your phone and check notifications. Now all important notifications (as well as the clock, calendar, etc.) are visible even in offline mode

Energy this option consumes little and looks quite stylish

Updated line Samsung smartphones This year's Galaxy A can also boast that its case is made according to the IP68 standard and is now reliably protected from moisture and dust. You can absolutely easily get your phone wet in the pouring rain or even drop it into huge one and a half meter puddles. Yes, yes, this is not a joke. The latest version of the Galaxy A7 can withstand up to 30 minutes at a depth of up to 1.5 meters.

But once upon a time, such photos could only be taken in Photoshop.

This year's models also feature a modern, reversible USB Type-C port. Now you don’t need to waste time and nerves on endless attempts to get the right side into the charger connector. You can successfully insert the USB cable into the socket almost with your eyes closed and in complete darkness.

Two-way USB input seems like an incredible convenience, doesn't it?

One-handed operation is one of the assistant options that make using the phone easier and making this process more comfortable. This feature allows you to triple-click the Home button to activate one-handed control mode, in which active windows are shifted to one side of the display.

Perfect for both right-handers and left-handers (and even more so for ambidextrous people)

Smart Capture is another similar feature that makes it easier to work with screenshots.

Fingerprint's scanner. However, we advise you to be careful with this option, since, despite the fact that the sensor itself is quite responsive, it requires quite careful configuration. Don't be discouraged if your device doesn't recognize all touches at first, and just try calibrating the scanner again.

In general, the applications and functions installed in this version largely duplicate the sets of other Samsung models: standard Galaxy Apps, S Health fitness program, Samsung Members online support service, of course. voice assistant S Voice and much more. So, if you have already had experience with other versions of South Korean phones, many things will seem very familiar to you.

The main and front cameras are another nice feature

The smartphone camera gives its users a strong 16 megapixels in both the main camera and the front one. Yes, yes, the front camera on the Galaxy A7 2017 is no worse than the main lens. The aperture on both sides is F/1.9, the focal length is 27 mm. The lens is equipped with autofocus and, of course, a flash. Compared to the model of that year, the current camera produces a larger number of working pixels, but the smartphone has lost a rather important option - optical image stabilization. This quite noticeably leads to a small problem: during the day you can easily take quite good pictures with excellent light sensitivity and detail, but in the evening, when natural light gives way to artificial light, noise and noticeable blurriness appear. The deterioration of the image is accompanied by an increasing focusing time.

Taking a picture at night, even with the “Night” mode set on the phone, produces far from the best results

But selfies indoors come out quite decent. The matrix resolution of the front camera is not inferior to the main lens - the same 16 megapixels. However, its tasks are much simpler: portrait photography at close range. In addition, the front camera, like the rear camera, has its own flash. The creators of the updated version of the Galaxy A7 decided to use soft white lighting from the phone screen.

Thanks to the soft lighting from the phone screen, selfies even in a dim room turn out detailed and not blurry.

True, some users complain that the front camera greatly blurs everything that is more than one meter from it. Those. Taking a selfie against the backdrop of something far away or large will initially be difficult for you.

Among other things, the video here is recorded in Full HD resolution. And now we must remember that even last year’s version of the luxury Galaxy S7 had the ability to shoot videos in 4K resolution. And optical stabilization was available on the outdated Galaxy A7 2016. This suggests that despite the improved parameters of the processor, memory, battery and other things, the camera, on the contrary, began to perform worse. The number of pixels has increased, but this cannot compensate for the lack of optical stabilization. And if during the day the camera produces quite decent picture quality, then in the evening and even more so at night, it is better to replace the phone with its analogue from last year.