A user tests the functionality and features of Samsung Galaxy A8, which is the thinnest Samsung smartphone ever. (Photo : YouTube / Darkhour)
Samsung's latest attempt to kill the iPhone 6 by Apple could prove as a Galaxy S6 killer too. The Galaxy A8 is big but thin and light and will likely hit the Chinese market first.
According to Phone Arena, the Galaxy A8 body profile, framed in premium metal, weighs only 151 grams with thickness of mere 5.9mm. The device is easily Samsung's thinnest phone and probably one of the slimmest out there.
The slim chassis boasts of a 5.7-inch display in 1080p screen resolution that in paper overwhelms both the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6 but the build and design of the A8 frame, despite being supersized, promises comfortable handling even in one-hand mode, the report added.
Under the hood, the device is fired up by an 8-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon 615 processing chip in 64-bit configuration that Samsung had paired with 2GB of RAM to achieve fast, stable and reliable mobile computing performance. The on-board memory is 16GB but the option to expand storage is available thanks to a microSD slot that can take in up to 128GB of additional space.
The Galaxy A8 camera system is headlined by a 16MP main snapper, backed by a 5MP front cam that will surely satisfy selfie enthusiasts. The power juice is supplied by a 3050mAh battery that ensures decent amount of operating hours in a single charge.
Samsung will deploy the Galaxy A8 with the latest Android Lollipop version, layered as usual by the company's TouchWiz, but as a freshly-minted device it should be among the first to get a taste of Android M in the immediate months after the operating system is unleashed.
Baked in with the A8 is a fingerprint scanner that is accessible via the home button, giving it a capability that is one of the banner features of the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6.
The Galaxy A8 is right in the mid-range smartphone zone but the specs are premium enough to tussle with flagships and not be overpowered. The A8 is also an alternative to the Galaxy Note 4 and Note 5 as it also fits to the phablet segment, specifically the budget kind.
No definite release date and pricing are currently attached with the Galaxy A8 but Samsung is expected to launch the device before or at the same time with the Galaxy S6 Plus. As for the tag price, it should be much lower than the $650 starting price of the Galaxy S6.
