Samsung have a number of different Android smartphone families, signified by the prefix in front of the number. For example, the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note signify that the device is a flagship. For 2015, this means a combination of premium design and hardware components. The E-series signifies a lesser model in the range; here this means a low to mid-range device. And there’s also the A-series, which signifies that the devices in question have lower to mid-range hardware, but a premium build quality (here, this means metal). We’ve seen the original Samsung Galaxy Alpha followed by a number of devices such as the A3, A5 and A7, but the 2016 we are expecting a revised and improved range of Galaxy A-series smartphones. Today’s post covers a rumor and screenshot showing the battery capacity of the new Galaxy A7, which we’ve recently seen going through the FCC.
Here, the screenshot in question appears to be from the United States of America’s FCC, Federal Communications Commission, where the device is tested and certified. The image shows that the device has a battery capacity of 3,300 mAh, which is up from the 2015 Galaxy A7’s 2,600 mAh. Hopefully, the new higher capacity battery will help improve the A7’s battery life despite the improved device specification. The documentation from the FCC shows that the device is already certified. We also believe the new A7 will come with a metal premium design, not so dissimilar from the 2015 flagship Galaxy S6 family, together with a fingerprint scanner. Other details previously seen when the device went through the Chinese regulator, TENNA, include a 5.5-inch, 1080p resolution Samsung AMOLED panel and the device will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 System-on-Chip, with is an eight core, mid-range processor. The A7 is set to include 3 GB of RAM as well, giving the device upper mid-range specification. Rumors to date suggest that the newer generation A7 will be slightly thicker than the current A7, at 6.9mm rather than 6.3mm thick.
The A7’s specifications appear to be somewhere close to a 2014 flagship device, except running newer software and with a more capable System-on-Chip and with more RAM. Samsung, like the rest of the industry, is hoping that additional hardware features will lure customers into upgrading their device – where the 2014 flagship is almost certainly at the “good enough” specification for 2016. The high capacity battery and fingerprint scanner, plus that the A7 will be released on at least Android Lollipop and should hopefully receive an upgrade to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, may be enough to encourage customers to upgrade. However, until Samsung makes the device official, we will have to wait and see what other details are present in the new generation Samsung Galaxy A7.
