The Galaxy A80 went on sale yesterday and we got our hands on a unit, which means that we’ve prepared an early video preview to briefly showcase some of the smartphone’s most striking features. As we mention in our preview, the Galaxy A80 is a very interesting device because it tries to play with the big boys even though it’s not technically a flagship.
The most eye-catching feature of the Galaxy A80 is, of course, the sliding rotating camera which you can see in action, up close, in our video preview below. For Samsung, this component represents a unique approach to the idea of creating a full-screen display without notches or punch holes. The rotating camera can be used for both selfie and landscape photography, and this means that the quality of your photos will be the same regardless of which way the camera is facing.
The Galaxy A80 detects when it’s dropped and retracts the camera
There are some concerns surrounding the Galaxy A80, particularly because Samsung is covering new ground with this device. It features a moving part after all, and only the passage of time will tell how the sliding mechanism will hold up over extensive use.
The good news is that Samsung seems to have put some extra effort towards protecting the sliding mechanism. The phone actually detects if it has been dropped, similar to the OnePlus 7 Pro. This allows the mechanism to retract automatically; hopefully by the time the phone hits the ground. We’ll test this feature safely and more thoroughly for our full video review which should go live later this month, so stay tuned to SamMobile TV.
It's not all gravy
The Galaxy A80 does make some sacrifices in a couple of areas that some smartphone users might consider vital to their experience. Specifically, the phone lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack and expandable storage. The latter might not be too big of an issue given that the handset sports 128GB of built-in memory, but the lack of a 3.5mm jack will likely turn off some prospective buyers. And for better or worse, the headphone jack's removal is becoming more of a common theme among Galaxy smartphones.
We’ll be taking a much more detailed look at the Galaxy A80 over the next couple of weeks in preparation of our full video review. Until next time, check out the video preview below and enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKzByhCVu-8&feature=youtu.be
