Earlier today, Samsung took the wraps off three new handsets as part of its Galaxy A series — the Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017). They're all essentially revamped versions of last year's models and will go on sale next month. But how to they compare to their predecessors? We've already pitted the Galaxy A5 (2016) against the Galaxy A5 (2017), and now we're doing the same for the Galaxy A3 (2016) and Galaxy A3 (2017).
The Galaxy A3 (2017) sports a slew of upgraded internals, including an Exynos 7870 Octa CPU with a 1.6GHz clock speed, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage with support for 256GB memory cards, an 8MP front-facing camera, IP68 dust/water resistance and a 2,350mAh battery. It also ships running Android 6.0.1 (upgradable to Android 7.0 upon release) as opposed to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and has compatibility for Samsung Pay.
A detailed comparison of the Galaxy A3 (2016) and Galaxy A3 (2017) can be seen in the table below. For more specifics on the handset's internals, click here.
| Galaxy A3 (2016) | Galaxy A3 (2016) | |
| Display | 4.7-inch Super AMOLED (720 x 1280 pixels), 312 PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 4 | 4.7-inch Super AMOLED (720 x 1280 pixels), 312 PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, Always On Display |
| Processor | Exynos 7578, 1.5GHz quad-core CPU, and MaliT720MP2 GPU | Exynos 7870 Octa, 1.6GHz octa-core CPU, and Mali-T830MP3 GPU |
| RAM | 1.5GB | 2GB |
| Rear Camera | 13-megapixel CMOS, f/1.9, autofocus, OIS, 1080p video recording | 13-megapixel CMOS, f/1.9, autofocus, OIS, 1080p video recording |
| Front Camera | 5-megapixel, f/1.9, 1090p video recording | 8-megapixel, f/1.9, 1090p video recording |
| Storage | 16GB internal, microSD card slot (up to 128GB) | 16GB internal, microSD card slot (up to 256GB) |
| Software | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, upgradable to Android 7.0 | Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, upgradable to Android 7.0 |
| Connectivity | Dual-SIM, LTE, FM Radio, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS, microUSB v2.0 with OTG | Dual-SIM, LTE, FM Radio, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, USB Type-C with OTG |
| Battery | 2,300mAh, regular charging | 2,350mAh, fast wired charging |
| Other Features | S-Voice | Samsung Pay (NFC and MST), KNOX, fingerprint sensor, IP68 dust and water resistance |
