[Review] Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) – The Premium Midrange Performer

Battery Life
The Galaxy A7 comes with a 3,600mAh battery with fast charging support. When used as a primary phone for the duration of a week and under the battery sapping ordeal of a major all-day media conference, the A7 did not falter. During the course of a week of moderate use at full tilt without power saving turned on, it had sufficient juice to last through the whole day with calls, texts, social media use and light gaming with enough to leg it home on the one-hour commute and with a bit to spare. On D-day at an all-day media conference from dawn to dusk where it was used extensively for video capture, writing news coverage and multiple social media posts, it managed to tackle most of it though it needed a top-up by early evening with a power bank. If you’re away from the mains, you can fiddle about with power saving mode that clocks down the CPU, minimises brightness and prevents background network use to maximise battery life by quite a bit. Even at 70% remaining battery power, maximum power saving mode offers a whopping 120 hours of standby time,making it quite a trouper.

Conclusion & Price
The Galaxy A7 (2017) has a lot going for it. For a price tag that places it at just under RM1,900, the Galaxy A7 offers a sweet spot in terms of performance, battery life and a solid front and rear camera. The revamped Grace UX user interface is elegantly restrained and swift, offering a relatively smooth experience getting about the menus and the provision of Samsung Pay support makes it a very compelling proposition. It’s a bit on the pricey side for a midrange phone but if you’re looking to get something akin to a Galaxy S7 but don’t want to pay a bomb for it, this is as close as you can get.

WHAT WE LIKED Great rear front and rear camera, excellent build quality, dedicated microSD card slot, Samsung Pay support,
WHAT WE DIDN’T Finish is a fingerprint magnet, slippery to hold, manual mode on the camera needs more options
WE SAY An immensely capable workhorse that is water resistant with decent front and rear cameras. A fetching looking finish makes it a desirable option for those seeking a premium offering at midrange prices from the marque

Specifications
Price RM1,899
Display 5.7-inch Super AMOLED,
Processor Exynos 7880 1.9GHz octacore 386ppi
OS Android Marshmallow 6.0
Memory 3GB RAM/32GB storage +microSD card (256GB)
Camera 16-MP w/ LED flash, F/1.9 and OIS (rear) + 16-MP w/ F/1.9 (front)
Battery  3,600mAh
Size/Weight 156.8 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm/186g
*Review unit courtesy of Samsung Malaysia