Samsung has recently launched Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) in India for Rs 28,990. Here we compare the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) with a popular smartphone – OnePlus 3T which is currently retailing in India at Rs 29,999 for 6GB RAM with 64 GB internal storage variant. There is also a 6GB RAM with 128GB variant of OnePlus 3T which is available for Rs 34,999.
Both the devices come with a strong set of specs, but which one edges it for value? Can the new Galaxy A5 (2017) stand against the best smartphone of 2016 – OnePlus 3T? Let’s find out.
Design and Display
Starting with the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017), the device comes in a glass design with a metal frame around the edges. To give a symmetrical feel and look, Samsung has given a 2.5D curved glass both at the front and back of the device. The also features a fingerprint sensor at the back. the power button lies on the right along with the speaker grill while the volume rockers sit on the left side of the device. The device comes with two SIM slots, one located on the left and one located at the top which also has a microSD compartment. The USB Type-C port, 3.5 mm Headphone jack and the primary microphone is located at the bottom of the device while at the back we get the primary camera along with a LED flash. Up front, we get the earpiece up top with some sensors and the front camera sensor and just below the display is where Samsung’s trademark physical home button lies which also acts as a fingerprint scanner. In terms of display, the Galaxy A5 (2017) comes with a 5.2-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) Super AMOLED Display which is also 2.5D curved.
On the other hand, OnePlus 3T comes with an identical design as the OnePlus 3. The metal unibody construction curved around the edges offer a premium look and feel in hands. Barring the camera hump at the back of the device, OnePlus played safe in terms of the design. The power button is located on the right with the SIM tray and the volume rockers placed on the left side with the famous ‘Alert Slider’. There is nothing on top while the bottom of the device houses the USB Type-C Port, 3.5mm headphone jack, speaker grill and the primary microphone. Regarding the display, the OnePlus 3T sports the 5.5 inch Full HD display but the on the 3T is an Optic-AMOLED display.
Processor and Memory
The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) comes with a 1.9 GHz Octa-Core Exynos 7880 Chipset coupled with Mali-T830MP3 GPU. Moreover, we get 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage which is expandable upto 256GB via a dedicated micro SD card.
The other side of the picture i.e. the OnePlus 3T is powered by a 64-bit 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset with Adreno 530 GPU and 6GB RAM. It comes with two options 64 GB and 128 GB internal storage which is non-expandable. However, the device does come with Dual SIM functionality which can hold two Nano SIMs. On paper, OnePlus 3T is a clear winner here because of its higher RAM configuration and Snapdragon 821 SoC.
Both the devices run on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with Samsung’s on Touch UI skin on top on the Galaxy A5 (2017) and Oxygen OS 3.5.1 on the OnePlus 3T. OnePlus 3T is already upgradable to Android 7.0 Nougat with OxygenOS 4.0 up top. Compared to Samsung’s UI skin, OxygenOS is much lighter and will offer a better response.
Camera
In terms of optics, the two smartphones come really close at least in terms of the megapixels. OnePlus 3T features a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, OIS, and LED flash. The rear camera lens also comes with Sapphire glass protection. On the front, you get a bumped up selfie camera of 16-megapixels as well with f/2.0 aperture.
We have reviewed OnePlus 3T and found the rear camera taking really good photos, especially in good lighting conditions. The camera takes care of the dynamic range, exposure and details in most of the pictures. It is also very quick to focus. However, as soon as we move into low-lighting conditions, it struggles. However, it does manage to dig out the commendable amount of details here as well. Further, while the HDR mode does a fabulous job in daylighting, it does tend to make photos noisier in low-light conditions.
Like OnePlus 3T, Samsung has also given 16-megapixel sensors both at the front and back of the device with f/1.9 Aperture and LED flash at the back and no 4K video recording as we get maximum 1080p video recording on the device from both the cameras. One of the nifty little features which Samsung has included in this year’s Galaxy A series is a floating capture button for easy selfies. This option would basically allow you to click selfies from any location on the viewfinder. Apart from this, Samsung has also given in gestures inside the viewfinder which would enable you to navigate between different modes with just a single swipe. The front-facing 16-megapixel camera also looked decent even though we tested it out in low lighting.
Although we have not reviewed the Galaxy A5 (2017), but since the device has 16-megapixel rear camera, we expect it to offer good camera output.
Still, we would recommend you to hold on for our review of the Galaxy A5 (2017) whereas you can check out our review for the OnePlus 3T, here.
Battery and Connectivity
Battery life is is fast becoming a decisive factor in smartphone buys. The Galaxy A5 comes with a 3000 mAh battery with fast charging technology which should last you through the day. The OnePlus 3T, on the other hand, comes with a bigger 3400 mAh non-removable battery with Dash Charging technology. During our Review, the device lasted about 1.5 days and even 2 days on some days with an average Screen On Time (SOT) of just over 6 hours. While with heavy usage, the device easily lasted a full day with an average SOT of about 5.5 hours. OnePlus claims that with Dash Charge one can reach up to 60% of battery level in just over 20 minutes.
In the battery department, OnePlus 3T clearly has an EDGE with more battery capacity over the Galaxy A5 2017. Also, note that OnePlus 3T’s Dash charging technology is much faster than fast charging technology. Connectivity options are almost same on both the devices with built-in Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS with A-GPS, NFC and USB Type-C v2.0. So not much thinking here.
Wrapping Up
Now it’s time to decide which one is worth your hard earned money. This is quite a close contest. The two devices have a price difference of Rs 1,000 and are vary a lot in terms of design but in some key specs, they offer the same menu
At its price, the OnePlus 3T offers much better processor, higher RAM configuration, a bigger battery and a bigger screen display. On the other hand, Galaxy A5 2017 would be liked by the brand name lovers. though One Plus fans would point to its fast rising brand salience as a match to Samsung’s legendary legacy.
If Value for Money comes into consideration then OnePlus 3T surely wins here. Don’t get us wrong, we think that OnePlus 3T is one of the strongest Android competitors to Galaxy A5 2017. All in all, if we had an option to choose, we would go for OnePlus 3T for its sheer value for money and equally high performance. But irrespective of your choice a great smartphone experience is quite certain.