No money for the ‘extremely’ high-end Samsung S8 or S9 but still want a Samsung device which is very similar but at a much lower cost?
Look no further than the Samsung Galaxy A8.
Featuring some of the best features touted by their high-end devices and then some for under ₦130k, this could be what you are in the market for.
Let’s look at what the device has to offer.
Quick Details
- Network: 2G / 3G / 4G
- Display: 5.6 inches, Super AMOLED Touchscreen display — (1080 x 2220 pixels (18.5:9))
- Software: Android 7.1.1 (Nougat)
- Processor: Octa-core CPU: 2×2.2 GHz + 6×1.6 GHz (Samsung Exynos 7885 Octa)
- Memory: 4GB RAM | 32/64 GB ROM
- Cameras: Front — Dual Setup: 16 MP (f/1.9) + 8 MP (f/1.9), 1080p video | Rear — 16 MP (f/1.7), PDAF, LED flash, 1080p@30fps video
- Battery: 3000 mAh
Software, Design, Display
As you would expect, the Samsung Galaxy A8 is an LTE-enabled Android smartphone with dual-SIM support running on the Nougat flavor of the operating system out of the box.
If you’re worried that the Android version of the device is a tad outdated, you need not be as the device will get updated to Oreo via an OTA (over the air) update.
Design-wise the device features a similar glass + Aluminum sandwich as found on the S8 and S9 wherein the front and back are made of glass and are housed in an aluminum frame which wraps around the device.
Build similarities end there, though, as the Galaxy A8 even with a tall ‘infinity’ display, does not have its display wrapping around the edges like its senior brothers.
The display itself is a 5.6-inch super AMOLED panel with a 1080p resolution and an ‘insane’ 18.5 by 9 aspect ratio.
Further, the display and back glass is protected by an unspecified version of Corning’s Gorilla Glass, and the device is IP-rated for dust and water resistance (IP68).
Performance, Hardware, Cameras
Situated within the glass sandwich, ‘running things’ from within is Samsung’s own Exynos 7885 Octa chipset.
The Samsung Galaxy A8 therefore, by virtue of its SoC, is an Octa-core smartphone having two CPU clusters; A dual-core cluster with a CPU frequency clocked at 2.2GHz and an Hexa-core cluster clocked at 1.6GHz.
For fluid multitasking, the device comes loaded with 4GB of RAM and you’d be open to the option of a 32GB or 64GB ROM device on the internal memory front.
For selfies, snaps and video calls, the Galaxy A8 sports a dual front-facing camera setup.
This setup consists two f/1.9 wide lenses with the primary one having a megapixel count of 16MP and the secondary, half that.
The rear-facing shooter, on the other hand, is a single 16MP lens with an aperture width of f/1.7, phase detection autofocus support and the ability to shoot 1080p videos at a frame rate of 30fps.
Powering all these is the non-removable 3000 mAh Li-Ion battery embedded within the device which supports fast charging.
Asides all of those, other features worth pointing out include:
- The Bluetooth version is 5.0 (yep, it’s a big deal).
- Wifi is dual-band
- USB C
- It has a headphone jack (a luxury, these days)
- Always-on display
- Fingerprint reader
- Samsung Pay (for those who care)
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 Price in Nigeria
| Store/Model | Price |
|---|---|
| Online Stores | From ₦125,000 |
| Offline Stores | From ₦135,000 |
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 Full Device Specifications
Here are the full essential details about the device…
Network and Software
| 2G | Yes |
| 3G | Yes |
| 4G | Yes |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| Operating System | Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) |
Design and Display
| Dimensions | 149.2 x 70.6 x 8.4 mm |
| Weight | 172g |
| Build | Front/back glass with Aluminum frame, Dust and Water Resistance (IP68) |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Orchid Gray |
| Display Size | 5.6 inches |
| Display Type | Super AMOLED Touchscreen |
| Display Resolution | 1080 x 2220 pixels (18.5:9) |
| Display Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass |
Performance and Hardware
| Processor Name | Samsung Exynos 7885 Octa |
| Processor Type | Octa-core CPU: 2×2.2 GHz + 6×1.6 GHz |
| GPU | Mali-G71 |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Internal Memory | 32/64 GB |
| SD Card Support | Yes (up to 256GB) |
Cameras
| Front Camera | Dual Setup: 16 MP (f/1.9) + 8 MP (f/1.9), 1080p video |
| Rear Camera | 16 MP (f/1.7), PDAF, LED flash, 1080p@30fps video |
Battery
| Battery Capacity | 3000 mAh |
| Type | Li-Ion |
| Fast Charging | Yes |
Connectivity and Multimedia
| Bluetooth | Yes (5.0) |
| WiFi | Yes (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band) |
| GPS | Yes |
| USB | Type C |
| OTG | Yes |
| Music Player | Yes |
| Video Player | Yes |
| FM Radio | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes |
| Headphone Jack | Yes |
Other Features
| Fingerprint Reader | Yes |
| Extras | Samsung Pay, Always-on Display |