Putting in more cameras in the smartphone is the new trend. As it stands, it's a great way to overcome the limitations of smartphones while giving you more camera features. Huawei had the first triple camera phone (the premium P20 Pro) but Samsung is now offering a triple camera setup.
The triple cameras are vertically stacked along with a LED flash. You get a 24MP primary sensor with f1.7 aperture, 5MP f2.2 depth sensor and an 8MP f2.4 ultrawide sensor. The camera takes excellent pictures in daylight – good details, rich colors and great dynamic range. Even in lowlight, the images captured had good details and suffered from minimal visible noise. We also loved the bokeh mode – edge detection is great and so is the amount of bokeh in photos. One of the things you get is ultrawide – a 120-degree field of view.
This really expands what you can do with your smartphone camera. It's a lot like an action camera – you do not have to use the panorama mode. But like any ultrawide lens, images have a visible distortion (curve effect) on both sides of the frame. The ultrawide lens is also fixed focus, which means no tap to focus. We found this article in the wrong way because it was not enough to get 8 out of 10 times. In theory, the triple camera does not work anymore. Front camera works great in daylight and more in soften details. It also has a selfie focus feature for bokeh effect in selfies which delivers good results – keep it in mind
The A7 is powered by Samsung's Exynos 7885 octa core processor which is roughly at 635 in with Snapdragon in overall performance.
Being a mid-range device, the A7 follows the premium design style of Samsung phones we have seen in 2018. It has a metal frame with glass on the front and back – while this gives the device a premium feel and appearance it also makes it a fingerprint and dust magnet. Within a week of use we could see tiny scratches on the edges of the phone One thing we did not like the design of the fingerprint scanner (integrated with the power button on the side). For starters, this position makes it very uncomfortable for left handed users. Even for right handed user, front or rear placement is more ergonomic.
The phone has a 6-inch super amoled display with a resolution of 2220 x 1080 pixels in an 18.5: 9 aspect ratio. As always, we were very impressed by the screen – it has excellent brightness, punchy colors and wide viewing angles. It also has the Always on Display feature to show you notifications and other widgets.
The A7 is powered by Samsung's Exynos 7885 octa core processor which is roughly at 635 in with Snapdragon in overall performance. Combined with 4GB RAM, the phone works smoothly for most day-to-day tasks and even runs. However, we did notice that there are several apps running in the background, the phone tends to start becoming sluggish. Battery life is as expected – the 3,300mAh battery lasts from 9am to 9pm with around 15% battery to spare.
Android 4.0 out of the box which is disappointing. You also have a look at this feature at your fingertips. Even after few days of use, it did not improve. That makes it unreliable as a primary option in our opinion.
For a mid-range offering, the Samsung Galaxy A7 stands out of the crowd with a triple camera setup. Camera enthusiast will love the ultrawide lens even though it is not worth using in low light. If you're not interested in ultrawide, there are better options available from Xiaomi (Mi A2), Vivo (V11 Pro) and Oppo (F9 Pro) that you can consider for roughly the same price.
Oppo Find X, Xiaomi Mi 8 & Other Upcoming Worth Phones Getting Excited About
The Smartphones Of The Season
Jul 4, 2018
July is turning out to be one of the most interesting months for launches smartphone. We're going to see a lot of action across segments segments says Karan Bajaj, he does a round-up of the most interesting ones.
In Pic: Oppo Find X (L) and Xiaomi Mi 8 (R).
Oppo Find X
Jul 4, 2018
The Find X was launched just a few weeks ago and India is expected to be among the first batch of countries to get it. The Find X has a beautiful glass body with a motorized camera module. The front has a 6.4-inch curved Amoled display (without a notch) giving it a screento-body ratio of 93%. Inside is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 8GB RAM, 128 / 256GB storage and a 3,730mAh battery. The motorized camera module hides a 16MP + 20MP dual rear camera and a 25MP front camera. It also has a 3D face scan face feature (with infrared emitters, similar to the X iPhone) and VOOC fast charge support. Other features include dual SIM slots, USB Type-C port and Android 8.1.
Expected Price: Rs 60,000 onwards
(Image: oppo.com)
Asus Zenfone 5Z
Jul 4, 2018
The Zenfone 5Z will be the second smartphone to be available in India with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. It has a 6.2-inch IPS display in 19: 9 aspect ratio with a resolution of 2246 x 1080 pixels. The phone is expected to be launched with 6 / 8GB RAM and 64/128 / 256GB storage options. In the camera department, it has a 12MP + 8MP dual camera setup with OIS on the rear and a 8MP front camera. Other features include 3,300mAh battery with fast charging support, Hybrid dual SIM slot, expandable storage, rear fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C port, and Android 8.0 with Face unlock. Asus seems to be poised to take on One more and we expect them to undercut One Snapdragon 845 phones around.
Price: Rs 29,999 onwards
(Image: asus.com)
Vivo NEX
Jul 4, 2018
NEX is the other single phone expected to arrive in India this month. Doing away with the screen, the phone has an 8MP selfie camera module that pops out on top. It has a 6.59-inch amoled display giving it a screen to body ratio of 91%. NEX A and NEX S – we expect NEX S in India because they're gunning for the premium market. The NEX S runs a Snapdragon 845 processor, 8GB RAM, 128 / 256GB storage and has a 4,000mAh battery with fast charge support. It also has under screen fingerprint scanner, 12MP + 5MP dual rear camera with OIS, dual SIM slot, USB Type-C port and Android 8.1.
Expected Price: Rs 50,000 onwards
Xiaomi Mi 8
Jul 4, 2018
Xiaomi's previous premium device in India was the Mi Mix 2, launched last year. The company has announced the Mi 8 in China as their new flagship and it is expected that the phone will launch in India this month. The Mi 8 features a notched 6.2-inch amoled display in 19: 9 aspect ratio and a 7000 series aluminum frame. It comes with a 3D Face unlocked similar to the iPhone X (with infrared), rear fingerprint scanner, dual SIM support and runs the latest MiUI 10 based on Android 8.1. Hardware includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 6GB RAM, 64/128 // 256GB storage and a 3,400mAh battery with Quick Charge 4.0 support. It has a 12MP + 12MP dual camera setup with OIS and dual pixel phase autofocus detection on the front of the 20MP selfie shooter. The Mi 8 is also the first phone in the world with dual-band GPS (purported improved accuracy of 3 to 5 times).
