The Samsung Galaxy A5 and A5 Duos are the inbetweeners of the new metallic Alpha lineup. They aren’t quite good enough to be considered high range, but they’ve got a little bit more to say than the lower tiered A3. But does the A5 compare well to other mid-range smartphones in 2015?

We’ll be taking a look in our review. You can now Unlock The Samsung Galaxy A5 here!

Build Design

Besides from the nice metallic frame and metallic highlights to various features on the A5, this device probably feels the most like a true Galaxy phone.

Whilst the device looks fairly square at a distance, the edges have been rounded to give it a much comfier feel than older iPhone devices gave, and Samsung have done a great job at bringing a metallic touch to their device range that just seems perfectly fit for our hands.

Whilst the A5 is a considerable amount taller than the A3, it still has near enough the same width, which helps it to feel less monstrous despite it’s large display size. Are you a Samsung fan? Learn here how to unlock your Samsung phone!

Display

This is where the A5 outperforms the A3 in every way. The display on the A5 is a 5.0 inch Super AMOLED display that has a nice resolution of 1280x720.

It’s not as high definition as one might hope, but it’s ppi is just shy of 300, at 294ppi. This gives it a higher pixel density than the A3, despite being a larger display.

The contrast on the 5 inch display is nearly unbeatable, and the colors are presented effortlessly. Viewing angles are top notch, and even natural light seems to do very little to ruin the A5 user’s viewing experience.

Battery Life

The A5 and A5 Duos have a nice 2,300 mAh battery capacity. Whilst it can’t be removed like Galaxy S devices, it will still lend users a decent 73-75 hour standby time. If you use the dual SIM functionality, the standby time will drop to just under 70 hours, as expected.

It’s expected at this point that Samsung’s lineup manages to last pretty well on batteries with under 2,500mAh capacity, and unless you’re playing games or chatting for hours you’ll easily get through every day on a single charge.

UI

There isn’t much to talk about in regards to the UI on the Galaxy A5. Everything here is as expected. The device is running Android 4.4.4 KitKat, and the TouchWiz interface is as familiar as you can expect it to be.

Stock Apps

There is very little bloatware on the A5 and A5 Duos, and both devices follow the same TouchWiz design cues that saw a lot of appraisal on the Note 4 and Note Edge. The interface is very colorful, yet it feels easy to navigate and the perfected feel of TouchWiz that Samsung have mastered over the years is seen throughout.

You are given a choice of two browsers - Google Chrome and the Samsung Stock web browser. You can also access a variety of Samsung branded apps, including S Planner, S Memo, and S Health.

Expect to find a great range of basic tools and functionality, including file browsers, alarm clocks and more in the app screen. All of the extra settings and features developer over the last few years have been neatly tucked away into various settings menus.

The A5 has a Snapdragon 410, which does struggle a little at times with the constant bright and colorful animations of TouchWiz UX, and it could have done with a little upgrade if we’re honest. It will perform perfectly fine, but it won’t have that extra oomph required for vast multi-tasking or ultra intensive apps.

Besides from this, the A5 is a nice little device that offers a mid range experience. Unfortunately the price tag of this smartphone may not feel as mid-ranged as we’d hope to see.

Related news:

• Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 - Review & Technical Specs
• Galaxy S7 Hands On Review
• Galaxy S7 Edge Hands On Review
• Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Vs Samsung Galaxy S6
• Galaxy S6 Edge Plus Review
• Galaxy Note 5 vs Galaxy S6 Edge Plus