Today, Samsung has unveiled three new Galaxy A smartphones – Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy A5 (2017), and Galaxy A7 (2017) – and they will go on sale early next month. The Galaxy A series has always been about style and premium build. However, Samsung has added a bunch of new and useful features this year including the Always On Display mode and IP68 certification.
The Galaxy A5 (2017) features a newer Exynos 7880 processor with a higher CPU clock speed and a more recent Mali-T830 GPU, more RAM and internal storage, a high-resolution front-facing camera, and Samsung Pay. Let's have a look at a detailed specifications comparison of the Galaxy A5 (2016) and the Galaxy A5 (2017) in the table below. For a more detailed comparison, click here.
| Galaxy A5 (2016) | Galaxy A5 (2017) | |
| Display | 5.2-inch FHD Super AMOLED, 424ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4 | 5.2-inch FHD Super AMOLED, 424ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, Always On Display |
| Processor | Exynos 7580 Octa, 1.6GHz octa-core CPU, and Mali-T720MP2 GPU | Exynos 7880 Octa, 1.9GHz octa-core CPU, and Mali-T830MP3 GPU |
| RAM | 2GB | 3GB |
| Rear Camera | 13-megapixel CMOS, f/1.9, autofocus, OIS, 1080p video recording | 16-megapixel CMOS, f/1.9, autofocus, OIS, 1080p video recording |
| Front camera | 5-megapixel, f/1.9 aperture, 1080p video recording | 16-megapixel, f/1.9 aperture, 1080p video recording |
| Storage | 16GB internal, microSD card slot (up to 128GB) | 32GB internal, microSD 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 | 2,900 mAh, fast wired charging | 3,000 mAh, fast wired charging |
| Other features | Samsung KNOX, Fingerprint sensor, Samsung Pay (NFC model only) | Samsung Pay (NFC and MST), KNOX, fingerprint sensor, IP68 dust and water resistance, and USB Type-C port |
