Samsung Galaxy A3 First Look: Samsung's Slimmest Smartphone is Elegant and Stylish

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha has created enough buzz since the device got launched in India and globally. For Samsung, the Galaxy Alpha will remain an important device regardless of its sales and critical response.

That's because the Galaxy Alpha is Samsung's first handset using a metal-body. Well, Samsung has already started to take its critics seriously. In the meanwhile, the Galaxy Alpha is a premium device, and it may cost you nothing less than Rs. 38,000.

If you've missed the news: Samsung recently started selling the Galaxy A3 with a stylish design, and yes, it has a unibody metallic design. So is Samsung ready for a change?

Today, we'll be looking a close look at the Samsung's first affordable smartphone with metallic design- the Galaxy A3. We recently got a preview of the phone at CES 2015. Here our first impressions of the hotly anticipated Galaxy A3.

PROS

• Metal Body
• Elegant Design
• Adorable Display

CONS

• Non-removable Battery
• Steep Pricing

Samsung Galaxy A3: Form Factor, Design, Display and Operating System

Naturally, the metallic-bodied Galaxy A3 looks unfamiliar and is a bit vague if have been using a Samsung-made Galaxy phone. The Galaxy A3 does look premium, and that's where the device emerged in a victorious manner.

Basically, the A series consists of a lower-range phones from Samsung that's being designed keeping energetic youth in mind. This is the same group of people who currently adore the Xiaomi Mi3 and the OnePlus One. So it's safe to say that Samsung has slowly yet steadily started to identify its core group of users.

Coming back to the Galaxy A3 design, the phone is very easy to handle with one hand, which is a new experience for us as a reviewer. The premium metal-bodied design unapologetically gave us a sense of excitement and thunder at first glance.

The device is light and the 4.5-inch screen seemed to offer natural colors and good viewing angles. As mentioned earlier, the handset is fully crafted out of metal, just like the HTC One (M8). On the back of the phone is the camera and an LED flash. Since the battery is non-removable, there is no back cover.

Another highlight of the Galaxy A3 is its slimness. The phone measures less than 7.0 mm in terms of thickness, giving the Galaxy A3 a differentiated look.

The Samsung Galaxy A3 comes with a screen size of 4.5-inches with a resolution of 540 x 960-pixels. Despite having a low resolution display, the screen seemed to have crisp color and great viewing angles. Samsung has always been a front runner in the display department, and theGalaxy A3 is no exception, so you'll have a great time enjoying videos and movies while travelling.

When it comes to the software, the Galaxy A3 runs Android 4.4.4 Kitkat with the TouchWiz UI on top. The UI is very straight forward, but the OS will take a lot of space on the handset. Basically, in terms of features and software experience, the Galaxy A3 is similar to any Samsung-made handset.

Samsung Galaxy A3: Processor and Connectivity

The Galaxy A3 isn't going to beat the Galaxy Note 4; however the Snapdragon 410 processor does a great job of providing a responsive and fluid user interface. The processor clocks at 1.2GHz coupled with 1GB of RAM and Adreno 306 for graphics. The 64-bit processor seemed to be fair in terms of performance. We didn't get time to test gaming, though.

There is an expandable storage (16GB) available on-board; plus, the internal memory can be further expanded via a microSD card. Connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 and more.

Samsung Galaxy A3: Camera and processor

The Galaxy A3 features an 8MP rear-facing shooter with an LED flash. It may not be the high-end sensor that Samsung has ever used, but we found it respectable in terms of performance.

The 5MP front-facing camera had captivated our mind. It's easily one of the best handset to take selfies we've used in a while.

Further tests will be conducted once we get the handset for full review. The camera, meanwhile, is capable of shooting videos in 1080p and 720p HD formats. The quality of recorded videos fared better than rival devices.

Samsung Galaxy A3: Battery and Early Verdict

The phone comes fitted with a 2,300mAh battery. The smaller battery remains a challenge for those who solely depend upon on their handset for everything. We need to test the Galaxy A3's battery to determine accurate results.

The Galaxy A3 is now available in India for Rs. 20,500, while the Galaxy A5 comes at a price of Rs. 25,000.

The Galaxy A3 is basically the Galaxy Alpha in a full metal casing, offering the same user experience that you'd get with the premium device. If you are looking for a cheap way to get a differentiated experience from a top-notch brand then the Samsung Galaxy A3 is worth considering.

Stay tuned to GizBot for more updates!