Samsung Galaxy A3
Specifications
Price comparison
Average of 16 scores (from 23 reviews)
Reviews for the Samsung Galaxy A3
A small metal gadget. Samsung uses a slim metal casing for its Galaxy A lineup and had really impressed us with the Galaxy A5, even though the voice quality was not that good. In this report we will see why the Galaxy A3 is good, but not a bargain.
Source: Tech Advisor
Archive.org versionSamsung’s RRP is £239, but you can buy the Galaxy A3 SIM-free for around £190 if you search around online. If you do want it on contract, there should be no up-front cost. But as we’ve said, it’s possible to get a phone with similar specifications for a lot less, so it’s hard to justify spending the extra on the A3 for its cameras or even Samsung’s software.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 07/21/2015
Rating: Total score: 60% price: 60% performance: 70% features: 60% workmanship: 90%
Source: Trusted Reviews
Archive.org versionThe A3 is a attractive-looking £250 smartphone, but like many of Samsung's cheap phones it doesn't really break the mould. For the same amount of money or less, you can get a better screen and a more streamlined Android experience. If it was £100 cheaper then I could be a little more forgiving about some of the compromises.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 05/12/2015
Source: Expert Reviews
Archive.org versionThere's certainly a lot to like about the Galaxy A3 and it's great to see Samsung introducing more of its top-end features further down the range. As you'd expect, a full metal unibody doesn't come cheap, as the Galaxy A3 is currently on sale in the UK for £230 SIM-free or free on a £18-per-month contract, putting it firmly in mid-range smartphone territory.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 03/03/2015
Source: Recombu
Archive.org versionThe Galaxy Alpha got things started, but the A Series shows that Samsung is now well and truly into its stride. Bringing premium metal design work down to humble mid-rangers like the Samsung Galaxy A3 helps the company standout and should up their reputation for the target buyers.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 02/24/2015
Rating: Total score: 90%
Source: Laptop Media
Archive.org versionSamsung has definately put some more effort into making the Galaxy A3 and it’s nice for a change to see that the comapny has finally started using metal in their design. The device isn’t entirely made out of aluminum, but still features a good plastic non-removable back cover. It is quite different from most of the material used in recent Galaxy devices and we liked the finish used too.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 02/24/2015
Source: Android Authority
Archive.org versionThe Galaxy A3 isn’t available in the US from any network operator, but can be picked up from Amazon for $320. This is quite steep for a device with such specifications, especially when you consider the slew of budget-friendly options available that offer a similar experience, and sometimes better, if you can manage to get yourself an invite for the OnePlus One.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 02/01/2015
Rating: Total score: 85%
Source: GSM Arena
Archive.org versionIt's hard not to like the Samsung Galaxy A3. And there's more to like about it than what is on the outside. Even so, let's take one final moment to appreciate Samsung's creation. They crafted a 6.9mm thick smartphone with an aluminum frame and targeted it straight at the mid-range market. It's also very compact and comfortably pocketable.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 01/23/2015
Source: Under KG
Archive.org versionvideo review
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 01/12/2015
Foreign Reviews
Source: Chip.de
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/27/2016
Rating: Total score: 68% price: 85% performance: 78% features: 52% display: 81% mobility: 65%
Source: Stiftung Warentest - Heft 7/2015
Single Review, , Length Unknown, Date: 06/01/2015
Rating: Total score: 87%
Source: Tom's Hardware
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/06/2015
Source: Notebookinfo
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/13/2015
Rating: Total score: 91% performance: 85% display: 85% mobility: 95% workmanship: 100% ergonomy: 95% emissions: 95%
Source: Allround-PC.com
DE→EN Archive.org versionComparison, online available, Short, Date: 03/04/2015
Source: Computerbild - Heft 5/2015
Single Review, , Length Unknown, Date: 02/16/2015
Rating: Total score: 84%
Source: Mobicroco
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Short, Date: 02/14/2015
Rating: Total score: 90% features: 83% workmanship: 95% ergonomy: 87%
Source: Netzwelt
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 02/12/2015
Rating: Total score: 70% features: 70% mobility: 50% workmanship: 80%
Source: Mobicroco
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 02/06/2015
Rating: Total score: 90% features: 80% workmanship: 95% ergonomy: 87%
Source: Inside Handy
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 02/01/2015
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Connect - Heft 3/2015
Single Review, , Length Unknown, Date: 02/01/2015
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: e-media - Heft 4/2015
Single Review, , Length Unknown, Date: 01/16/2015
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Android Pit - Heft 2/2015
Single Review, , Length Unknown, Date: 01/01/2015
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: 01Net
FR→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 03/20/2015
Rating: Total score: 80%
Comment
Model: After a considerable amount of mobile device models and numerous cries from loyal fans, Samsung have finally started using premium materials in their smartphones' construction. The Samsung Galaxy A3 is a full-metal body device that feels luxurious yet keeping that familiar Samsung look may it be good or bad. The edges are curved and the smartphone feels extremely good in hand with an option of 6 colors; pearl white, midnight black, platinum silver, soft pink, light blue and champagne gold.
Display on the Samsung Galaxy A3 is a stunning 4.5 inch qHD Super AMOLED panel protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 4. Colors are vivid and there is clarity with 245 ppi pixel density. The Android 4.4.4 KitKat smartphone comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, 1 GB or 1.5 GB RAM depending on the variant, Adreno 306 GPU and 16 GB of internal storage. Users can up the storage with a microSD card.
There is an 8 MP autofocus with LED flash camera at the rear and a 5 mega-pixel secondary front facing shooter. Other features include Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, RM radio, NFC on the LTE model and dual-SIM capability. The Samsung Galaxy A3 weighs at 110 g with a built in Li-Ion battery rated at 1900 mAh for good battery life.
Qualcomm Adreno 306: Integrated mid-range graphics card in the Snapdragon 410 SoCs that supports OpenGL ES 3.0 and features unified shaders.
These graphics cards are not suited for Windows 3D games. Office and Internet surfing however is possible.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
410 MSM8916: 64-Bit Cortex-A53 Quad-Core with an Adreno 306 GPU manufactured in 28nm» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
4.50":
This display is tiny. You will probably see very little on the screen and be able to use mini-resolutions.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.Samsung: Samsung Group is the largest South Korean conglomerate and was founded in 1938. Samsung Group employed 489,000 people in 2014 and is one of the world's largest companies in terms of revenue and market strength. The name Samsung means "Three Stars" in Korean and represents the three sons of the company's founder. The company was founded in 1938 as a grocery store. With its subsidiary Samsung Electronics, founded in 1969, Samsung took up the production of electrotechnical items, focusing on consumer electronics and household appliances at an early stage. Other branches in which the large corporation is active include mechanical engineering, automobiles (Hyundai), insurance, wholesale, real estate and leisure. Samsung manufactures a wide range of electronic products, including smartphones, televisions, home appliances and semiconductors. The company's Galaxy line of smartphones is one of the most popular in the world. Samsung is also a major player in the semiconductor industry, making memory chips and processors for many other electronics manufacturers.
80.06%: This rating is slightly above average, there are somewhat more devices with worse ratings. However, clear purchase recommendations look different.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.
