Samsung Galaxy A7 Review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

Name: Samsung Galaxy A7
Brand: Samsung

Nick Broughall

Last updated: Apr 11, 2019

It's not the most powerful phone. However, it's a perfectly capable device for anyone who just watches the odd video, browses Facebook or Twitter and sends and receives email.

Premium construction
That IP68 rating
Somewhat successful selfies
Solid battery life
USB C port and fast charging

Middle-of-the-road performance
Only Android 6.0
Quiet speaker

5.7 inches

Display size

1080 x 1920px

32GB

Internal storage

16 MP

Rear camera

3,600 mAh

Battery size

Finder rated as Average vs similar phones

Display

Display Size

5.7 inches

Resolution

1080 x 1920px

Pixels per inch (PPI)

386 ppi

Camera

Rear camera megapixels

16MP

Rear camera aperture size

f/1.9

Video recording

1080p

Front camera megapixels

16MP

Front camera aperture size

f/1.9

Physical Dimensions

Dimensions

156.8mm x 77.6mm x 7.9mm

Weight

186g

Connectivity

NFC

Yes

Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

Network category speed

Category 6

Power, storage and battery

Processor

Exynos 7880

RAM

3GB

Operating system

Android 6

Internal storage

32GB

External storage support

Up to 512GB

Battery capacity

3,600mAh

Device features

Headphone jack

Yes

Fingerprint sensor

Yes

Water resistance rating

IP68

Wireless charging

Launch price (RRP)	$704.99
Launch date	2017-02

Nick Broughall

Nick Broughall is a global group publisher across shopping, travel, tech, streaming and reviews at Finder. An award-winning journalist with over 15 years' experience writing about technology, Nick has edited leading tech publications, including Gizmodo, TechRadar and T3 Magazine, as well as contributing to CNET, the Sydney Morning Herald, Lifehacker, news.com.au and many more. In 2016 he was awarded the Best Reviewer title at the 14th Annual IT Journalism Awards and has been a finalist for Best Reviewer, Best Consumer Technology Journalist and Best News Journalist on multiple occasions. Nick has a Bachelor of Media and finds joy in solving problems with technology.

Finder score: 3 How we score our reviews

Where to buy

What's in this review?

Design
Camera
Performance
Battery life
Verdict
Pricing and availability
Specifications

While the geeks of the world tend to gravitate towards the latest entry in Samsung's Galaxy S series, the Korean company also manufactures a line of mid-range devices bearing the Galaxy A moniker.

Just prior to the launch of the Galaxy S8, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy A7 and its smaller sibling the Galaxy A5, both of which utilise technology that was considered cutting edge when it debuted in Samsung's premium Galaxy S family just a couple of years prior. That includes features like support for Samsung Pay, as well as an IP68 water resistance rating, dual front and rear 16MP cameras and an always-on display.

The Galaxy A7 is the larger of the two devices, rocking a 5.7-inch full HD display and a 3,600mAh battery. While the octa-core processor is capable of keeping up with general tasks, it's not on par with the CPU inside the Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge. That's okay though, because this phone is targeting general users.

Design

The metal and glass design lends the A7 a premium feel
IP68 water-resistance rating provides excellent protection from the elements

At 186 grams, the Galaxy A7 is definitely on the hefty side of the smartphone scale, but that weight lends the phone a truly solid build quality. It's not quite as sleek as the metallic Galaxy S7, but the premium metal frame with glass back gives the A7 the feeling of quality Samsung has built its brand on over the past few years. Throw in the fact the A7 is IP68 rated and it's clear the A7 is a well-designed phone.
Speaking of that IP68 rating, having a waterproof body isn't a new thing for today's smartphones, but it does seem to come and go as design whims change. The Galaxy A7 has doubled down on the waterproof aspect, with its IP68 rating meaning it can be submerged in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes. While we'd never suggest you take the A7 for a swim, at least you can feel safe should something terrible happen, like dropping it in the toilet.
Despite Google launching its Android 7.0 operating system (otherwise known as Nougat) alongside the Pixel and Pixel XL months prior to the Galaxy A7's release, Samsung opted to launch the Galaxy A phones with the older Marshmallow OS. It wasn't until six months later that the company finally started rolling out the Nougat update for the Galaxy A7 and A5.
High-quality audio speakers aren't a common feature on smartphones, especially those at the more affordable end of the spectrum. Even so, the speaker on the Galaxy A7 is pretty disappointing. Samsung has shifted it to the side, just above the power button. Unfortunately, it's a quiet speaker, even at full volume, with a tinny output and complete lack of bass. While you can always plug in some headphones or pair a Bluetooth speaker, those who don't have that luxury will be underwhelmed by the A7's inbuilt offering.

Camera

16MP front-facing camera is a big plus for selfie fans
Support for HDR, panoramas and time-lapse photography lends the rear-facing camera plenty of versatility

It's hard to review a selfie camera if you fundamentally dislike taking them, but there are a couple of smart features Samsung has added to the Galaxy A7's 16MP front-facing camera. The first is a free-floating shutter button, which you can drag to any spot you want on screen in order to make snapping the photo easy and comfortable. There's also a wide selfie mode for those group shots and night selfie for better portraits in low light situations.
The rear camera offers a full manual mode and HDR shooting, as well as panoramas and hyperlapse modes. I'm not convinced beauty mode should be a thing, artificially softening the skin and making your eyes bigger, but there seems to be a market for it. In any case, the end results from both the front and rear cameras are crisp and clear.

Performance

Decent performance in day-to-day tasks like email and web browsing
Lacks the grunt to handle more complex tasks like 3D gaming

The Octa Core Exynos 7880 that powers the Galaxy A7 was designed as a mid-range processor. While it means the phone is capable of handling basic tasks like email and simple web browsing, don't expect high performance.

In fact, the GeekBench 4 benchmarks place the Galaxy A7 as one of the worst smartphones of 2017 for single-core performance, though its multi-core performance was significantly better.

Handset	Geekbench 4 CPU Single Core (higher is better)	Geekbench 4 CPU Multi Core (higher is better)
Apple iPhone 7	3452	5599
Apple iPhone 7 Plus	3374	5649
Apple iPhone 6s	2465	4052
Apple iPhone SE	2449	4171
Huawei Mate 9	1925	6068
ZTE Axon 7	1721	4089
Sony Xperia XZ	1636	3604
Google Pixel XL	1629	4051
Motorola Moto Z	1477	3853
Samsung Galaxy S7	1378	4718
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	1359	5333
Motorola Moto X Force	1352	3581
Google Nexus 6P	1293	3594
Sony Xperia X	1122	2626
Oppo R9s	843	3119
Huawei Nova Plus	843	2985
Motorola Moto Z Play	799	2648
Samsung Galaxy A7	771	3998
LG X Power	554	1482

When it comes to using the Galaxy A7 for gaming, it's a similar story. The 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited test came up with a comparatively low score for the mid-range phone.

Handset	3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Result
Apple iPhone 7 Plus	37956
Apple iPhone 7	37717
LG G5	29597
Apple iPhone SE	29276
Samsung Galaxy S7	28903
Huawei Mate 9	28457
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	28402
Apple iPhone 6s	28171
HTC 10	27392
Sony Xperia XZ	26279
Sony Xperia X Performance	26125
ZTE Axon 7	23955
Sony Xperia Z5	19197
HTC One X9	16877
Sony Xperia X	16648
Huawei Nova Plus	13969
Motorola Moto Z Play	13958
Samsung Galaxy A7	13629
Sony Xperia XA	11173
Oppo R9	11053
LG X Power	4953

That's not to say the phone is incapable of performing. In general daily use the phone was fine, and simple games were generally okay to enjoy.

However, graphically intensive games like Need for Speed: No Limits were slow to load, with the sporadic jagged frame rate drops. If you use your phone for gaming as much as social media, you might want to consider jumping up a tier at the Galaxy S family of devices.

Battery life

Great battery life, even considering Samsung's impressive track record
Will see you through a full day with little issue

I ran the Geekbench 3 battery life tests on the Galaxy A7 at the same time as the ZTE Axon 7, and it was striking at just how much longer the Samsung's battery lasted. At 3,600mAh it is a little larger than the ZTE's battery, and combined with a less demanding processor and screen it makes sense that the Samsung lasts longer, but it also manages to hold its own against some of the better phones on the market right now.

Handset	Geekbench 3 Battery Test Duration	Geekbench 3 Battery Score
Huawei Nova Plus	13:21:20	8013
Samsung Galaxy A7	12:40:30	7603
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	11:55:00	7150
Apple iPhone 7 Plus	11:11:20	6713
Huawei Mate 8	11:14:40	6659
Sony Xperia X	10:40:40	6406
Samsung Galaxy S7	10:01:20	6013
LG X Power	14:50:30	5714
Google Pixel XL	9:14:20	5543
Huawei Mate 9	9:00:30	5330
Sony Xperia XZ	8:24:20	5042
Huawei P9	8:26:30	4948
ZTE Axon 7	7:56:20	4763
Apple iPhone 7	7:50:10	4701
LG G5	7:36:10	4561
HTC 10	6:54:30	4145
Moto Z	6:38:10	3981
HTC One X9	7:03:10	3971
Motorola Moto X Force	9:46:50	3914

The results see the A7 receive the second-best battery score, and the third-longest test duration. That's an impressive feat, even for Samsung, which has always performed well in our tests.

If the impressive battery life wasn't enough, the Galaxy A7 also features a USB C charging port, which is also able to fast-charge your device. Basically, battery life wasn't really a concern when it came to using the Galaxy A7 on a daily basis. It still needed charging at regular intervals, but it was a lot less a concern than even using last year's Galaxy S7 Edge.

Verdict

A strong mid-range smartphone for everyday use

Users looking for a robust handset that will get them through the day should consider the Galaxy A7. It's not the most powerful phone, so mobile gamers or video editors will be underwhelmed. However, it's a perfectly capable device for anyone who just watches the odd video, browses Facebook or Twitter and sends and receives email.
Of course for roughly the same price, you could get the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge, which offers better performance at the expense of battery life. There are also flagships from cheaper brands like the ZTE Axon 7 or the Huawei Mate 9 worth considering as well.

Pricing and availability

Price: ~$400 - $600
Where to buy: eBay | Amazon

Specifications

Display

Display Size

5.7 inches

Resolution

1080 x 1920px

Pixels per inch (PPI)

386 ppi

Camera

Rear camera megapixels

16MP

Rear camera aperture size

f/1.9

Video recording

1080p

Front camera megapixels

16MP

Front camera aperture size

f/1.9

Physical Dimensions

Dimensions

156.8mm x 77.6mm x 7.9mm

Weight

186g

Connectivity

NFC

Yes

Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

Network category speed

Category 6

Power, storage and battery

Processor

Exynos 7880

RAM

3GB

Operating system

Android 6

Internal storage

32GB

External storage support

Up to 512GB

Battery capacity

3,600mAh

Device features

Headphone jack

Yes

Fingerprint sensor

Yes

Water resistance rating

IP68

Wireless charging

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Samsung Galaxy A7 Review: Plans | Pricing | Specs