Samsung’s all-metal Alpha line has proved to be a popular smartphone range; incorporating a high-quality chassis and great user experience at an affordable mid-range price. Now, Samsung is set to release a new addition to the A line to supplement the A3, A5 and A7; the A8.
Speculation posits that the Galaxy A8 – which was originally slated to be released exclusively in China – will now see a wider international launch.
Samsung registered the Galaxy A6, A8 and A9 trademarks earlier in March this year, and it is expected that the A8 might see a launch at some point in the second semester of 2015.
While the Galaxy A7 is presently Samsung’s thinnest smartphone, rumour posits that the A8 is likely to take the throne, measuring in at just 5.9mm in width. Additionally, the Galaxy A8 is expected to be the first phone in the Alpha line to receive a fingerprint sensor.
Indications are that the A8 will feature a 5.7″ full HD display, and will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core chip (possibly running at 1.7Ghz) and will be accompanied by 2GBs of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage. Battery life is additionally speculated to be impressive, with the A8 possibly sporting a 3050mAh battery.
In terms of cameras, the A8 is expected to arrive sporting an upgrade to the A5 and A7’s cameras, possessing a 16 megapixel primary camera, and a 5 megapixel front-facing camera. The A8 will feature Android 5.0.1 Lollipop out-of-the-box alongside with the latest version of TouchWiz.
Additionally, the A8 is alleged to support theme support found on Samsung’s latest flagships, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.
The present Alpha line – the Galaxy A3, A5, and A7, have received praise as respectably powered handsets at an attractive price. You can see our Galaxy A5 video review here.
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