Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 release date confirmed for February

Samsung has announced that the first phones in its Galaxy A series, the A3 and A5, will be available to buy in UK stores from the 12th February. These are Samsung’s slimmest phones yet, with the Galaxy A3 measuring a mere 6.9mm thick and the Galaxy A5 measuring 6.7mm thick. Both of them have an all-metal chassis as well, but unlike the rest of Samsung’s metal portfolio, though, such as the Note 4 and Galaxy Alpha, the Galaxy A3 and A5 are both entry-level handsets that Samsung hopes will be more affordable and more stylish than its current crop of cheap smartphones.

That said, Samsung hasn’t revealed the exact pricing of each phone, but both phones will have pretty decent specs, so we wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up costing somewhere in the region of £150-250 SIM-free. The Galaxy A3 will have a smaller 4.5in 960×540 resolution display while the Galaxy A5 will have a larger 5in 1,280×720 resolution display, but both will use one of Samsung’s Super AMOLED panels, so colour accuracy is likely to be high. 

Both phones will also be powered by a quad-core 1.2GHz processor and will have 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 64GB via microSD card, a front-facing 5-megapixel camera and the 4G versions will support NFC. As for rear-facing cameras, the Galaxy A3 will have an 8-megapixel sensor with LED flash while the Galaxy A5 will have a 13-megapixel sensor with LED flash. 

As with previous Samsung phones, they’ll be available in a range of colours, including pearl white and midnight black and will be available from Carphone Warehouse, EE and O2. Customers will also be able to pre-order the phones from Samsung Experience Stores and through the Samsung online shop from the 28th January. 

“At Samsung, we recognise the demand for premium looking, great quality smartphones with useful features at an achievable price point, which is why we’re launching the Galaxy A-Series,’’ said Ines van Gennip, Marketing Director for Samsung UK & Ireland’s IT & Mobile Division.

“Combining a stunning full metal body, superior technology and a host of innovative features, the Galaxy A3 and A5 offer exceptional performance without compromising on style. This is a very exciting time for the mid-range market and we’re delighted to introduce the Galaxy A-Series to UK customers today.”