Samsung A8

[renfred89]

Soooo confusing. Ill probably assume that local retailers like WhyMobile KasiaMobile RW Mobile etc are all selling the Exynos sets then (although most of them stated SD 615 for local warranty sets).

Sometimes they might have export sets. But from what I know, Samsung experience stores only carry a800f. So I don't think there is any local samsung warranty other than a800f..

 

[kero89]

Soooo confusing. Ill probably assume that local retailers like WhyMobile KasiaMobile RW Mobile etc are all selling the Exynos sets then (although most of them stated SD 615 for local warranty sets).

Plagiarism.

They simply copy paste from gsmarena, your friendly source of info.

 

[kurt111494]

Sometimes they might have export sets. But from what I know, Samsung experience stores only carry a800f. So I don't think there is any local samsung warranty other than a800f..

The stores mostly claim to have the 1 year local warranty from Samsung...should be trustworthy la hor?

http://redwhitemobile.com/

http://kasiamobile.com/

http://www.whymobile.com/home.php

http://mobilesquare.com.sg/en/

 

[kero89]

Hope this clears up the local set APU and model.

 

[renfred89]

The stores mostly claim to have the 1 year local warranty from Samsung...should be trustworthy la hor?

http://redwhitemobile.com/

http://kasiamobile.com/

http://www.whymobile.com/home.php

http://mobilesquare.com.sg/en/

kasia mobile i trust. the rest i don't. kasia don't buy in sealed set from users and then resell them away. kasia gets their own stock from the distributor directly, so the warranty will be by samsung singapore. got a few products from them, all stuck with the A.Mobile sticker..

 

[kurt111494]

kasia mobile i trust. the rest i don't. kasia don't buy in sealed set from users and then resell them away. kasia gets their own stock from the distributor directly, so the warranty will be by samsung singapore. got a few products from them, all stuck with the A.Mobile sticker..

Thanks for your recommendation!

 

[kurt111494]

I'm planning to buy this phone next month for my dad. Sounds good to have performance comparable to SD801 and good battery life.

I have one last worry though. Will 2GB RAM be enough? Nowadays phones getting like 3GB liao >.<

Anyone has tried heavy usage/multi tasking on this phone before? Will it lag a lot or force close apps due to lack of RAM?

 

[thefernwehronin]

I'm planning to buy this phone next month for my dad. Sounds good to have performance comparable to SD801 and good battery life.

I have one last worry though. Will 2GB RAM be enough? Nowadays phones getting like 3GB liao >.<

Anyone has tried heavy usage/multi tasking on this phone before? Will it lag a lot or force close apps due to lack of RAM?

2gb ram is not enough i think.

 

[kurt111494]

2gb ram is not enough i think.

T.T Looks like I might have to buy a note 4 for him instead :/

 

[IcYFl4mEz]

so this phone not recommended for main phone ? if just msg , fb/ social media and some gaming... ok ?

 

[kero89]

A mini review of the A8

The A series lineup have always impressed me since the launch of Alpha. Since then, we saw A3, A5, A7 and the latest A8 launch within a year. Overkill? Not at all since each has their own target group. While the A series have served as a lead up to the flagship launch design language (Alpha was the precursor to Note 4 and the A8 share somewhat similar to the Note 5), it itself is an impressive mid range phone, providing an alternative in the fiercely competed $500~ range of smartphones. No prizes for naming the few culprit - Mi Note 64GB, OnePlus Two, HTC One E9+.

So where does the A8 stand?

✘ 1440P Screen

✘ Latest CPU

✘ 3/4GB Ram

✘ No killer front or rear camera

It's scary to launch a product with a RRP higher than competitors yet trail behind the specs. However, does paper specs translate to real life performance? Here's what I experienced positively on the A8


✓ Insane & incredible battery life

✓ Incredible thin and light weight

✓ Amoled screen colours really pop out/thin bezels at the side

✓ In build radio

✓ Fluid & responsive UI, switching apps

✓ Fast fingerprint recognition

All that seems to justify the price tag it carries, but why should you buy one? Who should buy? How does it compare to the almight Note 5 which is my main phone now?

 

[Bollum]

This phone would have been perfect if not for the weak-ass speakers

And it's not down to the placement either.

 

[kero89]

A mini review of the A8

Who should buy this phone?

✓ You are looking for a backup phone

✓ You only want to spend $500~ (off contract)

✓ You LOVE incredible battery life

✓ You want fast fluid UI

✓ You really want that SD card slot and that 32GB inbuild is ideal

✓ You want dual 4G Sim card slot ready at your disposal

✓ Slim and light phone is all you care

Then yes, you are right looking at the A8 4G+!

I am using the Note 5, yet the moment i started using A8 a month ago, it impresses me so much that I have been thinking the economics behind phone. Should we pay much more for premium flagship phone? Or is that hype overkill since after all, what I do is surf net, gaming and messaging? Or the bragging rights it carry to own a premium smartphone?

Nonetheless, we look at how the A8 stands up to the Note 5 in an epic dimension shootout.



A8 over the Note 5

✓ Similar height and width!

✓ Extremely light and thin

✓ Standard matt gold colour

✓ Hardy metal design that should stand up to the test of time compared to glass

Note 5 over the A8

✓ The platinum gold is a looker

✓ Come on its a Note 5

Yes I heard you! Is 1080p screen really a step back in current competition? Yes no maybe so?

Here's a photo for you to decide if your mighty eyes can decipher the millions of pixels.

 

[kero89]

A mini review of the A8 - All out battery affair

In the age of smartphone, battery probably is my biggest concern. Akin to driving a Ferrari with 1L petrol left or driving a Toyota on full tank and your destination is 100km away with no petrol station nearby, you know the answer.

Here's where the A8 4G+ stands out. Choosing the right component to put into a phone is like finding the right wife. Someone who is too pacy when you prefer country side lifestyle is a no-no. Putting that 1080P screen and coupled with a enormous battery seems to work out just fine! Consumers dream of 4K screens, but it is clearly screen technology purely outpace battery tech even for 2K screen.

The A8 shines.

✓ Non rooted phone

✓ Auto sync is off

✓ Hangouts is the commonly used chat messaging system

✓ Singtel 4G+ data always on



Simply the battery screams No. 1

So I thought that was a one off incident... Decided to drain it even faster and whacking it under a day (which I failed because it is too good)



There you go. 7 hours screen on time. 4G+. What say you?

But as a user myself, can I believe it is that good without a third try? Seeing that this phone primarily serve as my internet browsing phone, I tested to see how long the screen last and how much 4G+ data did it consumed.



450mb down/320mb up of 4G+ data. That is insane. My Note 5 has already gone into its grave.

Conclusion.


✓ Perfect sleep, almost no standby drain even on 4G+

✓ 7 Hours SOT

✓ It is ready for 4G+.

 

[kero89]

A mini review of the A8 - What review sites don't say

If you read from the start, it is all rosy for the A8 4G+. This is usually the case for paid reviews. Bad parts, does not cover well.

Here I am to tell you what is bad about it. This annoying thing has been bugging me, and you ought to know. It concerns the 2GB ram.



From my testing, it seems that the system defined 300+ mb of RAM as the minimum to keep things smooth. The phone is really smooth! But when the ram hits 300+ mb, it suspend the already opened apps.

I cleared the phone ram and got 660mb~. I fired up HWZ, loaded a page with 10+ images (from my own post ), fired up instagram and saw the ram dropped to 403 mb.

Next was the killer moment. I fired up Qoo10 and bams, the Internet app goes into suspend mode. Internet has to reload the page and remember I said 10+ images? Yes it has to reload all of them and it sucks your data.

How do I rate this issue I face? Not too much of a problem, but yes you have to practice more self conservation but exiting out apps that when reload, sucks your data. But the RAM management probably play a part which contribute to the excellent battery life

 

[kero89]

A mini review of the A8 - Concluding

There you have it. An excellent phone, competed fiercely in the mid range market.

The value proposition may not appeal to consumers at the start, but the user experience it provide tells another story.

What I can conclude for this mini review as follow:

✓ Excellent battery life, 7 hours SOT

✓ 32GB with MicroSD support

✓ Dual SIM, 4G ready (only 1 can be active 4G, if used mSD only 1 SIM card can be used)

✓ Slim design, light and incredibly thin bezel

✓ Camera may not be killer feature like the Note 5, it does well.

Lastly, did i mention it has this...

 

[dc7176]

I luv A8 too but the price now, $582. N5 32G at $845. $250 diff nia, might as well get N5 rite?? Headache sia!

Sent from Vertu using GAGT

 

[dc7176]

Btw kero89 thx for the review.

Sent from Vertu using GAGT

 

[kero89]

I luv A8 too but the price now, $582. N5 32G at $845. $250 diff nia, might as well get N5 rite?? Headache sia!

Sent from Vertu using GAGT

Yes I gotta agree the pricing proposition is not at all slurpy.

But if they re adjust the price downwards, it might be the next best selling mid range phone.

What if I tell you... This coming Sitex...

 

[swgj86]

Yes I gotta agree the pricing proposition is not at all slurpy.

But if they re adjust the price downwards, it might be the next best selling mid range phone.

What if I tell you... This coming Sitex...

i hope the price could be lower .. then .. will be the perfect midrange phone.

good review writeup, thanks!