Samsung unveils Galaxy A5 & A3 mid-range smartphones with full metal design, 5MP selfie cameras & more

After rumours about it doing the rounds for some time, Samsung has finally taken the wraps off its Galaxy A series of smartphones. The company has unveiled two new devices targeted at the mid-price range segment of the market- Galaxy A5 and A3. Both of them run on the Android KitKat operating system, and feature 5MP front-facing cameras for improved selfies.

According to the company, Galaxy A5 and A3 are its slimmest smartphones till date, featuring full metal unibody designs that are 6.7mm and 6.9mm in thickness respectively. While the company is yet to reveal exact pricing for the smartphones, they will be available for purchase in select markets starting next month.

"The Galaxy A5 and A3 offer a full metal unibody, slim design, superior hardware and the best possible social media experience. These devices make our Galaxy experience even more accessible to young and trend conscious consumers," said JK Shin, CEO and head of IT and mobile communication at Samsung Electronics.

Galaxy A5

The smartphone has a 5 inch HD Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display (1280×720 pixels resolution) and runs on the Android 4.4 KitKat OS. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and has 2GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 16GB that can be further expanded up to 64GB with a microSD card.

It sports a 13 megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED Flash that can also record full HD videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second, and a 5MP front facing camera for video calling. Additional features of the camera include wide selfie, rear-cam selfie, beauty face, animated GIF, and palm selfie, among others.

On the connectivity front, the smartphone has Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G LTE (depending on the region), as well as a microUSB port and a microSD card slot. The dimensions of the device are 139.3mm x 69.7mm x 6.7mm and its weight is 123gm. Samsung has provided a 2,300 mAh battery in the smartphone, which also comes with GPS (with A-GPS support) and Near Field Communication (LTE model only).

Galaxy A3

This one sports a slightly smaller 4.7 inch qHD Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display (960×540 pixels resolution) and runs on the Android 4.4 KitKat OS. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and has 1GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 16GB that can be further expanded up to 64GB with a microSD card.

Galaxy A3 offers an 8MP autofocus rear camera with LED Flash that can also record videos, and a 5MP front facing camera for video calling. Additional features of the camera include wide selfie, rear-cam selfie, beauty face, animated GIF, and palm selfie, among others.

On the connectivity front, the smartphone has Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G LTE (depending on the region), as well as a microUSB port and a microSD card slot. The dimensions of the device are 130mm x 65.5mm x 6.9mm and its weight is 110.3gm. Samsung has provided a 1,900 mAh battery in the smartphone, which also comes with GPS (with A-GPS support) and NFC (LTE model only).

Both the smartphones come with Ultra Power Saving Mode and changeable themes (natural, classic, casual, and romantic). In addition, Galaxy A5 also offers features like private mode, multiscreen, and quick connect. These smartphones will be available in a number of colour options that include pearl white, midnight black, platinum silver, soft pink, light blue and champagne gold.