Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)

The Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) is a compact and elegant smartphone within the premium A-series. This is already the third 'A3' and it has some important improvements compared to its predecessor. Exactly which ones we are going to discuss here.

Waterproof and expandable

The 2017-edition of the Galaxy A3 has a slightly more rounded design. This is due to the use of so-called 2.5D glass. This is nicely rounded at the edges and because it has been applied to both the front and the back, the A3 (2017) is extra comfortable to handle. The edges are made of sturdy metal, which immediately gives the A3 a premium feel. Nothing plastic. Also new to the housing is that it is now water resistant. Samsung gives the Galaxy A3 (2017) an IP rating of 68, so that it can be submerged in 1.5 meters for up to half an hour. This is quite a good performance, especially when you consider that there is a drawer on top of the device where you can place a memory card up to 256 GB. Of the 16 GB of storage space, 9.7 GB is free to use, so you'll soon need extra memory space. Fortunately, there is that possibility.

Fast unlock

Also new this year is fingerprint recognition. You'll find the button for it on the front. This is a handy place because if you have the A3 (2017) on the table, for example, how not to pick it up to quickly check if you have any messages. You won't need this function a lot because the Galaxy A3 (2017) is equipped with a so-called Always On Display that always displays the most important information. Even when your device is on standby. Charging is also going to be different this year. For example, the device has the new USB-C. Handy about this is that it doesn't matter how you insert the cable, there is no top or bottom, no right or wrong. It always fits. The only pity is that the battery does not have a quick charge function, which means that it is already largely full after just fifteen minutes. You will have to wait a bit longer.

Main Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) specifications

• Selfiecam 8 megapixel large
• 4.7 inch HD Super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla glass
• Water and dust resistant housing with IP68 certificate
• 4G support for fast mobile internet
• 13 megapixel rear camera with Full HD video recording
• 16GB of storage memory, expandable with microSD card
• Powerful processor at 1.6 GHz assisted by 2 GB of RAM memory

A lot sharper selfies

The predecessor of this Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) had some major camera improvements. This year they are a bit less rigorous, but they are certainly not unimportant. The very first one does not protrude anymore. So you can lay the A3 (2017) flat on the table. Of course you won't shoot more beautiful pictures with it. The new filters can take care of that. There are a total of nine filters plus a special food mode. This will make your meals an even better picture for Instagram or Snapchat. The 13 megapixel camera still has an impressive f/1.9 lens that excels especially in the dark. As a result, you won't have to go back to the flash so quickly. Night shots are always slightly more realistic without flash. Greater improvements can be seen in the selfie camera. There the resolution goes up from 5 to 8 megapixels. That makes for slightly sharper shots. And because there is also an f/1.9 lens on it, you can also shoot selfies in the evening and indoors.

Pro and cons Galaxy A3 (2017)

• Fingerprint unlocking
• Waterproof and dustproof
• Compact design
• Camera sees in the dark

• Battery cannot be fast charged