Samsung Galaxy A8+ is a top of the line mid range offering. It is refresh of older A8 lineup after a bit long gap. We used Galaxy A8+ for over a week and we want to share our experience. Our piece was a review unit so there might be slight difference in retail unit though. This phone is a Samsung’s attempt to bring more premium and top line features to mid range in 2018.Starting with the specs, we have have 6” Super AMOLED with 1080×2220 screen resolution and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. It has Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides and the top glass is 2.5D. The back is curved which makes it easy to hold and use. It is a implementation same as Note 8 and Galaxy S8 but with no curved front screen. The screen is beautiful and bright just as other OLEDs from Samsung.
Specs
Internally, we are getiing Exynos 7885 Chipset with octa core processor. One is 2.2 GHz quad core and next is 1.6 GHz quad core chip. GPU is Mali G71 as usual in Exynos systems. There are 4 GB and 6 GB editions but we reviewed the 6 GB RAM variant with 64 GB storage. This is sufficient for moderate users and with SD card support up to 256 GB, storage is no biggie. Galaxy A8+ is being powered by 3.9 Volts 3500 mAh battery which can help it run about 2 days easily on standby. Some of our readers also reported more than 5-6 hours screen on time. AOD uses significant battery so in order to save battery turning it off is better during travel.
Camera
For camera, we have 16 MP f/1.7 sensor at back which can only take videos at 1080p max. We are a bit disappointed with it because many phones at that price range and below it give 4K support. For pictures we do get great looking, saturated and vivid images at very high resolution. Shutter speed is very fast and there are many modes to enjoy as well. Bixyby Vision is available in the camera which we saw in last two flagship smartphones of Samsung.
The front camera is surprisingly dual for first time in company’s history. They are providing one 16 MP f/1.9 sensor and another 8 MP f/1.9 sensor. This set can also only record max at 1080p resolution. One of the main benefit is that users get Live Focus from front camera which looks good like Note 8’s back camera. We would have been happy to see dual cameras at back also but it is what it is. Secondly the camera set also helps in Facial recognition. It is quite fast actually, not as fast as Iris scanner though.
In the settings we see HDR and Video Stabilization which is really good. Also for this new tall aspect ratio, Galaxy A8 plus is featuring 18.5:9 aspect ratio video recording resolution at 2224×1080. This will look great on mobile as it covers whole screen and on other 16:9 screens like computer, this can provide more cinematic look. Both Pro Mode and Hyperlaspe are available but slo-mo is missing.
Features and Refinements
By far the the biggest change is position of fingerprint scanner. Before this, in all other Samsung smartphones, we had scanner at front but now due to new display it is at back. People suggested to place the scanner below camera instead of side of camera. So now the scanner is at a very reachable place below camera.
In our benchmarks we definitely see huge power improvements. In Multi-core performance, Galaxy A8+ is very near to Galaxy S7. For the Compute test, it wins the previous S7 which is very good indication. There is large head room due to 6 GB RAM thus multi tasking is flawless. Games and applications run without any issues.
Game mode, AOD, IP 68 rating and other features are still here. In this new phone, we get alert notification telling SD card/ SIM slot is not properly inserted or sealed if it is taken out. This helps to ensure that everything is tightly and securely placed. The speaker is placed at right side of the phone which is somewhat okay. It would have been amazing to see stereo system like Galaxy S9 or C9 Pro. May be next year we will get those goodies.
Overall, we are getting great screen, powerful processor, huge memory and storage. Just a little upgrade in camera’s recording would make it amazing. Performance wise, thing phone is a power house for all media lovers and mobile gamers. We are happy with newer improvements and wish to see this trend keep up with all their other phones
