While its Galaxy S line of smartphones represent the very best that Samsung Electronics has to offer, the company has a number of other lineups that are positioned in the middle and entry-level segments of the market. The Galaxy A is one such lineup that has a number of affordably-priced devices, and the Galaxy A8 (2016) is expected to be the next addition to the series. The device has already been certified by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and the Bluetooth SIG over the past few weeks. It also popped up on GFXBench a couple of months ago as well as on AnTuTu earlier this month, giving us somewhat of an idea about what to expect from the upcoming mid-ranger in terms of its hardware specifications.
The smartphone’s user manual has now been uploaded to the official Samsung website, giving us further insight into some of the design elements and software features of the upcoming handset. If the new document is anything to go by, the refreshed Galaxy A8 (2016) will have glass on its rear panel instead of the metal that was found on the back of the first-gen Galaxy A8 that was launched last year. On the software side of things, the device will come with pre-installed Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, but with enhanced features, thanks to the presence of the Grace UX that was first seen on the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7. What that means is that much like Samsung’s flagship phablet, the Galaxy A8 (2016) will also have features like Multi Window, Wide Selfie, Ultra Power Saving Mode, Game Tools and Smart Manager.
The Galaxy A8 (2016) will be an almost flagship-quality device not just in terms of its software, but also in terms of the hardware that it will have under its hood. According to GFXBench, the device will feature a 5.7-inch 1080p display and will be powered by the Exynos 7420 SoC, which is designed and manufactured in-house by Samsung Electronics. The smartphone is also expected to come with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 16-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and a 3,500 mAh battery. The device will also come with an NFC chip and support Samsung Pay.