Samsung Galaxy A8: The phone is okay
17.4.2018
Translation: machine translated
The Samsung Galaxy A8 was marketed as the "Olympic phone". Well, the smartphone has lost nothing at the top. But it will still find its audience. Because it really is okay.
A new phone is on my desk. I'm not very enthusiastic about it. Not yet. Because its appearance says it all: completely unspectacular, but okay. A look at the features is anything but exciting. At this point, I have no idea that I will take the phone to my heart after a few weeks of use.
The mid-range phone that has been there before
But from the beginning. The Samsung Galaxy A8 is supposed to be a slimmed-down version of its big brother, the Samsung Galaxy S8. It therefore costs less. But before I can tell you why the price reduction might be worthwhile for you, I would like to clear up a clusterfuck: Samsung already used the product name A8 two years ago, and the complete name of the device I am testing here is therefore "Galaxy A8 2018". Why does the manufacturer from South Korea do this?
No idea, but okay...
You may already know the technical specs. For the sake of completeness, you can find them listed here again.
- Processor: Exynos 7885 with eight cores and a clock speed of 2.20 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Resolution: 2200×1080 pixels (18:9) on 5.6-inch display
- Operating system: Experience 8.5 with Android 7.1.1
- 32 GB internal storage space
- Slot for two nano SIM cards and (not or, thanks @User Gamecube!) a MicroSD card for up to 256 GB
- Plug type: USB-C
- 3.5 mm jack socket available
The scope of delivery includes a Quick Start Guide, a USB charger and USB charging cable.
The first steps with Design-Check
As soon as I take the phone out of its packaging, I realise how good the design is. In other words, it feels good in the hand, doesn't hurt anyone and looks stylish too.
But: "No Infinity Display", I realise.
That doesn't really annoy me. I still haven't got used to the bezel-less things where the display is angled downwards on the side. Nevertheless, I find it strange that Samsung advertises the mobile itself with "large Infinity Display", because there's no question of it being borderless. It not only has a clearly visible frame at the top and bottom, but also on the sides. But okay, apart from that, there's not really anything to criticise. In other words: the screen is okay.
The small block weighs 172 grams, putting it at the upper end of the latest generation of mobiles. It's not even particularly big, but a little too thick for my taste. Then I hold my finger up to the sensor on the back of the phone. The 5.6-inch screen comes to life.
"But hello," I exclaim.
For the first time today, I am amazed to realise that there is something about this mobile that I find more than just okay: its Amoled display. It's love at first sight. The colours look much richer and more saturated than anything I've seen before. I take another look at the Honor 7x that I tested before. The difference in terms of colour reproduction is undeniable. The display on the Chinese smartphone looks downright pale, although I really liked it until a few seconds ago.
I'm slowly warming to the Olympia Phone.
The mid-range in everyday use
The budget Galaxy also serves me well in everyday use. It doesn't run on the latest Exynos processor, and the 4 GB of RAM isn't exactly earth-shattering either. But in normal use - for me, that's a little bit of paddling around on the train in the morning, watching YouTube video blogs or WhatsApping, the same again in the evening and maybe at lunchtime - the Exynos 7885, which is powered by eight cores, is perfectly adequate. Most apps open without a hitch, and even performance-intensive functions such as Spotify or Instagram launch within a reasonable time. Only when I quickly scroll up and down through apps like "20Minuten" or "Facebook" does the Galaxy A8 reach its limits. Nevertheless, the performance is okay.
The battery performance is also okay thanks to the 3000 mAh battery. Not outstanding, but okay. My mobile usually gets through the day without recharging, even with Bluetooth constantly activated, which sucks up power. But I've already realised: the power user won't be happy here. In the evening, I have to hurry to plug the thirsty A8 into the nearest socket, otherwise it becomes an Olympic paperweight. On the other hand, the mobile is quickly recharged with the "Fast Charge" function. Thanks to the USB-C connection, I've had other experiences in the past.
I'm disappointed with the phone's internal storage capacity. Even for me, the 32 GB is quickly filled up with photos and videos. That's not much - far too little. Especially when I think of smartphones like the Diesel Nokia 8, named by us after actor Vin Diesel, or the Huawei P10 Plus: they are in a similar price range, but offer 128 GB of internal storage out of the box. Even the Honor 7x, which costs around two hundred francs less, offers a full 64 GB. Samsung has saved in the wrong place. Fortunately, I can expand the A8 memory by up to 256 GB via microSD card - anything else would have been an imposition. But I still don't think it's okay.
And what about the camera?
In a nutshell, the main and front cameras are okay. The main camera of the Galaxy A8 is located on the back and has a resolution of 16 megapixels if you take photos in 4:3 format. In 16:9 format, it's 12 megapixels. Don't worry: if you don't zoom in too far during a photo shoot, 12 megapixels is easily enough to take great photos and display them on a 4K screen. It's nice that photos can also be taken in 1:1 format - for your own Instagram profile, for example - which the new Nokia phones can't do.
The ƒ/1.70 aperture is quite low for this price category - in other words: okay - which means that you can take photos that don't look blurred even in low light. However, it lacks the "Live Focus", which allows you to take photos of sharp subjects in front of a blurred background. With other manufacturers, this mode is also known as "Bokeh mode" or "Portrait mode".
High resolution and beautiful colour reproduction
Depth of field that is not artificial (bokeh effect)
I find the Pro mode quite okay. If I want, I can adjust the ISO, brightness compensation or white balance myself. Here is an example of where I benefited from Pro mode:
The colours in the photo look relatively cold
In Pro mode I switch the white balance to 5500 K
This photo was taken without a filter
Of course, the phone can't quite keep up with the Pro mode of Huawei's competitors. But the menu is clear and self-explanatory - Nokia's looks much more complicated.
On the front of the phone, Samsung has installed a dual camera with a 16 megapixel and 8 megapixel sensor and ƒ/1.90 aperture. Unlike the main camera, the dual camera does not have autofocus, but you can take photos with an artificial bokeh effect, which Samsung calls Live Focus. This is particularly useful for selfies, although I missed the Live Focus function for taking photos of objects in front of the camera more than once. Beauty mode, filters and funny stickers may not reinvent the selfie wheel, but they are a bit of fun. In this sense: everything is okay.
Conclusion - It's all really okay
I think the phone is okay. Spectacularly unspectacular, but okay. For the price, you actually get an okay overall package:
- The design is okay
- The performance is okay
- The battery life is okay
- The camera is okay
The only thing I didn't like about the Galaxy A8 was the Amoled display. Because it's good. Even better - damn good. The colours are bursting with brightness and I already know that I never want to be without Amoled again. But there is one disadvantage: my photos often look better on my mobile display than they do later on the computer. This always leads me to massively overestimate my abilities as a photographer.
Be that as it may, I'm delighted with the display.
What I really don't like, however, is the smartphone's internal storage capacity. Not that life with an additional microSD card is unreasonable, but the 32 GB is too little for me - hashtag first-world problems.
Cover photo by Dominik Bärlocher
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»
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