A couple of weeks ago we saw screenshots of what was purportedly Android 6.0 Marshmallow running on a T-Mobile Galaxy Note 5. Given the major interface changes seen in those screenshots, we were not exactly fully believing of the fact that that was an actual test build and not a fake. Well, it seems Samsung surely is hoping to make a few changes to how TouchWiz looks on Marshmallow, as similar screenshots of an Android 6.0 build running on a Galaxy S6 have appeared online.
The most notable change in the interface on Marshmallow seems to come in the quick toggles panel in the notification shade, with the toggles now blue in color and looking sleeker. Samsung has also changed the background of the quick toggles panel to white, which was also the case with the regular status bar on the Note 5 screenshots. The latter didn’t exactly look so nice in the previously leaked images, but we’re guessing that won’t be the case when we see it on an actual device. Sadly, Samsung doesn’t seem to be changing the icons for its apps, but we can always hope the company will get around to doing that with the Galaxy S7.
If these images are to be believed, the Galaxy S6 might also obtain shutter speed control in the camera’s Pro mode, a feature we had expected to see with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. They also suggest that Samsung is hard at work on putting Android 6.0 on all its 2015 flagships as quickly as it can, and also on its top-of-the-line handsets from last year.
Check out Marshmallow on the S6 in the images below, and let us know what you think of the visual touches Samsung has added to the software.
Samsung recently opened up its S Health app to non-Galaxy smartphones and tablets, and it has now published an update to the app that brings support for Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Android 6.0 is only running on Google’s Nexus phones and the HTC One A9, but it seems Samsung wants to be prepared to support the new version of Android right from the very beginning (or maybe it’s planning to update its devices to Android 6.0 in the very near future, but let’s not get too hopeful.)
The update brings a couple of new features as well, including automated visual tracking of bedtime and wake-up time based on sleep patterns, the ability to search for Bluetooth and ANT+ accessories, and more convenient route guidance when you’re cycling on a selected path. The Play Store doesn’t seem to be showing the update yet, but this should change soon as the newest version of S Health was published on the Galaxy Apps store two days ago.
Grab the update from the Galaxy Apps store if you’re a Samsung device owner, or wait for Samsung to publish it to the Play Store.
Google’s latest version of Android, Marshmallow, only started rolling out last month. As such, it shouldn’t come as surprise to see that the current adoption numbers for it are extremely low. According to Android’s Platform Distribution rates for the month of November, Marshmallow is running on a mere 0.3 percent of “active” devices. The data is collected from signals sent to the Play Store, which helps identify what Android version is on handsets or tablets. Lollipop (5.0 and 5.1), on the other hand, accounts for nearly 26 percent, while Kit Kat (4.4) is the most popular version with about 38 percent of the total. The slow adoption rates for Marshmallow are by no means Google’s fault, however, since it is often carriers and manufacturers which fail to keep their phones up to date.
Marshmallow further bolsters Android’s existing notification muting features thanks to an enhanced Do Not Disturb feature.
n Android 5.0 Lollipop, Google added some new features that made it easier to silence unwanted notifications while you’re asleep or at work, for example. Android 6.0 Marshmallow builds on Lollipop’s Priority Notifications and Downtime features, and gives these notification management tools a new umbrella name: Do Not Disturb. Let’s take a look at what these expanded notification-silencing features can do.
Turn on Do Not Disturb at any time
Android Marshmallow lets you mute notifications at any time with just a tap. Pull down the Notifications drawer, then swipe down again to get to the Quick Settings tray (or swipe down with two fingers at once). Tap Do not disturb, then choose the sorts of alerts you want to receive while do not disturb is active. You can choose to continue receiving notifications for alarms or priority notifications, or you can opt for total silence. (We’ll discuss priority notifications in-depth here in a moment.)
Finally, choose whether you want to have Do Not Disturb stay on until you say otherwise (“Until you turn this off”) or for a set period of time (“For one hour,” by default). If you choose the latter option, use the “+” and “-“ buttons to set how long you want Do Not Disturb to be active.
Priority interruptions
Android Lollipop introduced the concept of “priority notifications”: These notifications rise to the top of the notifications screen, and you can choose to continue receiving auditory or vibration alerts for these notifications even when you have all other notifications muted.
To choose which notifications you’d like to treat as priority notifications, head on over to your phone’s Settings app, then tap Sound & notification—a one-stop shop of sorts for all things related to notifications and alert sounds. Next, tap Do not disturb, then tap Priority only allows. From this screen, you can choose to limit the sorts of notifications you’ll be alerted to.
First, choose whether you want to give priority to notifications for reminders and calendar events. (The option to silence alarms is grayed out for whatever reason.)
Next, review the priority notifications options for Messages and Phone calls. set your priority preferences by tapping either “Messages” or “Calls.” when you do, a menu pops open with four options:
From anyone: This option allows all notifications through, regardless of who is trying to reach you.
From contacts only: Notifications alerting you to calls or messages from people listed in your Contacts app will get priority status.
From starred contacts only: This setting gives priority to notifications that pertain only to those marked as favorites in the Contacts app. To mark someone as a favorite, go to the Contacts app, tap that person’s name, then tap the star icon in the upper right corner.
None : No call or message notifications will receive priority status.
Once you choose your desired settings for calls and messages, choose whether you want notifications from repeat callers to gain priority by toggling the “Repeat callers” slider to the On position. When this setting is switched on, you’ll receive a notification if someone calls you a second time within a 15-minute period, regardless of whether notifications from that person receive priority status.
Downtime
If you want to allow all notification alerts through most of the time, but want to limit alerts during certain hours (like when you’re sleeping or at the office), Downtime is for you. During Downtime hours, you’ll only be alerted to priority interruptions; your phone will receive all other notifications silently. They’ll be there, waiting for you when you wake up, but your phone will not light up the screen, make a noise, or vibrate.
If you want to use Downtime, you first need to choose the days of the week and times you want to set as notification quiet hours. Go to Settings > Sound & notification > Do not disturb > Automatic rules. Android Marshmallow provides presets you can use for weekends and weeknights, and a preset option for managing notifications during calendar events.
Start by tapping any of these three options—for the sake of this tutorial, I’ll tap Weekend. Next, toggle the on/off switch to the “on” position. Select theDays you want the preset to apply to, then set a Start time and End time.
Finally, select the kinds of alerts you’d like to allow through. You can choose between Alarms only (allows alarms to sound but silences all other notifications), Priority only (allows only priority notifications), or Total silence(which mutes all notifications).
Take a peek at the Event preset as well, and choose whether you want to silence notifications from going off during events listed on your calendar—useful for preventing your phone from going off in the middle of a staff meetings. Switch the rule on, select the calendar and reply status you want it to use, then choose what kind of notifications—if any—you want to receive during calendar events.
You can create additional rules for notifications as well: For example, you can set one to allow only priority notifications while you’re at the office. TapAdd rule, enter a name, choose whether you want a Time rule (you enter specific times and dates) or an Event rule (one based on calendar events), then tap OK. At this point, you can set up your new rule: Doing so is pretty straightforward—it works just like the presets mentioned above.
You can delete a rule at any time by tapping its name, then tapping the trash can icon in the upper right corner. You can also choose to temporarily stop observing a rule by toggling the on/off switch to the “off” position.
App notifications
Android Marshmallow, like Lollipop before it, also lets you choose to block apps from sending notifications entirely, or to mark notifications from certain apps as priority notifications.
First, head back to Settings > Sound & notification. Next, scroll to the bottom and tap App notifications, then tap on the app for which you want to adjust notification settings. Toggle the Block all slider to the “on” position to stop receiving notifications from that app. Toggle the Treat as Priority slider to “on” if you want notifications from that app to be considered Priority notifications.
While you’re here, you can toggle whether you want to view the larger “heads-up” notifications for the app in question using the Allow peeking setting.
You can also get to this screen any time an app’s notification appears by pressing and holding on the notification until you see the little info button (it looks like a lowercase “i” in a circle) appear. Tap on that, and you’ll go straight to the notification settings for that app.
Once you’re done, exit the Settings app and enjoy your newfound mastery of Android Marshmallow’s notification system.
Android 14’s latest beta paves the way for a full launch sometime next month, but it’s still hinting at more features to come. One of those upcoming changes might be a warning when you try to sideload Google apps on Android 14.
Android Police reports that Android 14 adds the ability for app stores on your device to claim “update ownership” over select apps. This essentially just adds another step to sideloading, as a warning message will appear that states where updates normally come from, and reiterates the risk of sideloading. You can simply ignore the warning and continue on.
Apparently, Google apps are where we’ll see this first. A brief demo seen below shows Android 14’s new sideloading warning which says that updates are “normally” from the Play Store. In this case, Google Play Services was having an update installed via APK Mirror’s Installer app.
This app normally receives updates from Google Play Store. By updating from a different source, you may receive future updates from any source on your phone. App functionality may change.
This isn’t the only example of Google cracking down somewhat on apps in Android 14. Earlier this year, our Kyle Bradshaw and Dylan Roussel reported that Android 14 would also block the installation of “outdated” Android apps, whether they come from sideloading or an app store.
Android 14 set to block certain outdated apps from being installed
To help reduce the potential for malware, Android 14 will begin fully blocking the installation of apps that target outdated versions of Android.
For years now, the guidelines for the Google Play Store have ensured that Android developers keep their apps updated to use the latest features and safety measures of the Android platform. Just this month, the guidelines were updated, requiring newly listed Play Store apps to target Android 12 at a minimum.
Up to this point, these minimum API level requirements have only applied to apps that are intended for the Google Play Store. Should a developer wish to create an app for an older version, they can do so and simply ask their users to sideload the APK file manually. Similarly, if an Android app hasn’t been updated since the guidelines changed, the Play Store will continue serving the app to those who have installed it once before.
According to a newly posted code change, Android 14 is set to make API requirements stricter, entirely blocking the installation of outdated apps. This change would block users from sideloading specific APK files and also block app stores from installing those same apps.
Initially, Android 14 devices will only block apps that target especially old Android versions. Over time though, the plan is to increase the threshold to Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), with Google having a mechanism to “progressively ramp [it] up.” That said, it will likely still be up to each device maker to decide the threshold for outdated apps or whether to enable it at all.
If the minimum installable SDK version enforcement is enabled, block the install of apps using a lower target SDK version than required. This helps improve security and privacy as malware can target older SDK versions to avoid enforcement of new API behavior.
By blocking these outdated apps, Google intends to curb the spread of malware apps on Android. The developer responsible for the change notes that some malware apps have intentionally targeted older versions of Android to bypass certain protections only enforced on newer apps.
That said, if for whatever reason you want or need to install an outdated application, it will still be possible through a command shell, by using a new flag. Given the extra steps required, it’s less likely that someone would do this by mistake and inadvertently install malware.
How to install the Android 14 Beta on Google Pixel
After a few early developer previews, the Android 14 Beta program has officially arrived. Here’s how to get Android 14 on your Google Pixel smartphone.
What Pixel devices can install the Android 14 Beta?
Android 14 will drop another set of Pixel smartphones out of active support, but several will still be eligible. The following Pixel devices will be eligible for the Android 14 Beta program.
Pixel 4a 5G
Pixel 5
Pixel 5a
Pixel 6
Pixel 6 Pro
Pixel 6a
Pixel 7
Pixel 7 Pro
Pixel 7a
Pixel Fold
Pixel Tablet
While Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, and Pixel Tablet joined the party late, they’re all eligible to test out Android 14 at this point.
What’s the latest Android 14 Beta build?
As of July 11, 2023, Google has just opened the fourth beta release of Android 14, one of the last big releases before the final release.
Google has scheduled a total of five beta releases through May, June, and July, with the final release likely to arrive in August.
Beta 1 (April): Initial beta-quality release, over-the-air update to early adopters who enroll in Android Beta.
Beta 2 (May): Incremental Beta-quality release.
Beta 3 (June): First Platform Stability milestone, including final APIs and behaviors. Play publishing also opens.
Beta 4 (July): Near-final builds for final testing.
Beta 5 (July): Near-final builds for final testing.
Final release: Android 14 release to AOSP and ecosystem.
This adds one additional beta compared to Android 13’s release schedule, which only had four beta releases.
Notably, some users have noticed that the first two beta releases of Android 14 have been a bit more erratic compared to previous years. We’d certainly advise caution if you plan to try the beta on a daily device. As usual, proceed at your own risk.
How to get Android 14 with the Android Beta Program
The easiest way to get Android 14 on your Google Pixel device today is through the Android Beta Program.
This automated program allows you to “opt-in” to Android beta updates and install them as you would a normal system update. There’s no computer or fancy tools required, and you can roll back to Android 13 any time you’d like by simply opting out.
How to sideload Android 14 Beta on Google Pixel
By far, the fastest way to get a new version of Android on your Pixel is to sideload it. It’s a relatively easy process, but you’ll need to get set up to do it. Here’s how.
Download the needed files.
Boot into Recovery mode.
Navigate to ADB sideload.
Connect the handset to a computer with ADB tools installed.
Enter the sideload command.
Reboot your phone.
1. Download Android 14 Beta files
To get started, you’ll first need to download the files needed to actually put the Android 14 Beta on your Pixel. There are two ways to do so. First, you can install a Factory Image, which wipes your phone and starts everything from scratch. Alternatively, and the way we’ll detail here, there’s an OTA file, which installs over your current version of Android without wiping your phone.
You can download the beta OTA file from Google’s Full OTA Image hosting site. That site contains OTA downloads for sideloading different updates, including the Android 14 Beta, on every Pixel and Nexus device, so you’ll need to scroll down to ensure you are downloading the file that associates with your device. OTA downloads are available here.
For the Android 14 Beta, only Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5a, Pixel 5, Pixel 6/Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7/Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, and Pixel Tablet are available.
You won’t be able to install it on the original Pixel/XL, Pixel 2/XL, Pixel 3/XL, Pixel 3a/XL, Pixel 4/XL, or Pixel 4a.
Note: This process (using OTA) won’t wipe your device, but it’s good practice to back up any irreplaceable data in case something goes wrong.
2. Boot into Recovery mode
Next, you’ll boot your Pixel into Recovery mode. To do this, fully power down your handset. Then hold down on the Power button and the Volume down button at the same time until you get to the Bootloader page. You will know you’re in the right place when you see an Android figure lying down on the screen.
Using your volume buttons, scroll down to Recovery mode. Select this by clicking the power button. Alternatively, if you’re already connected to a computer with ADB, you can use the reboot recovery command.
Now, you should see a smaller Android lying down with an exclamation mark over it. From here, press the Power button and the Volume up button for about a second to fully enter Recovery mode. Releasing the Volume up button will send you into Recovery.
3. Navigate to ADB sideload
Using the volume buttons, scroll down to Apply update from ADB and select it with the power button. This will launch a mostly blank screen with text near the bottom directing you on how to sideload an OTA, such as this one for the Android 12L Beta.
4. Connect the handset to a computer with ADB tools installed
This step is important as it’s the only way to transfer the downloaded OTA file to your handset. You’ll need to have ADB and Fastboot tools in a handy place. You can download ADB tools from the Android Developers website. You can also use the Universal ADB Drivers from ClockWorkMod, which can make the process a bit easier on Windows devices.
5. Enter the sideload command
As long as everything is in place, you can now sideload the OTA file. On Windows, ensure your Command Prompt is directed to the ADB tools folder and type in adb sideload. If you’re on macOS or Linux, do the same thing in Terminal (use “cd” and “ls” commands to make sure your Terminal is pointed at the right folder – Google it if you need help) but type in ./adb sideload. You’ll then need to insert the file name of the .zip folder you downloaded from Google and hit enter to start the process.
If everything is working properly, you should see some dialog on your computer and handset that shows the process of the sideload and installation process.
6. Reboot your phone
Once the OTA is done installing, you will be taken back to Recovery Mode. The last step to jump into the new update is to select the Reboot now option with your power button.
Android 14 Beta tweaks and widens the share sheet
In recent weeks, the Android 14 Beta has steadily tweaked the share sheet to look cleaner and show more options.
Despite being a central component of Android, the share sheet has long been one of the weaker points of Google’s mobile operating system. The share sheet has gone through numerous iterations over the years, each one aiming to make it faster or better in some way, though sharing on Android still remains surprisingly slow.
Over the course of the Android 14 Beta, Google has made some changes to the share sheet. One more noticeable change, arriving with Beta 3, is that the share sheet is now five icons wide (up from four) on typical phones. This makes more options visible on screen at a time and is a shift toward more density rather than the extra blank space that some Material You designs have opted to take. As always, you can scroll the sheet to view the full list of available share targets.
Meanwhile, another tweak arrived with this week’s Android 14 Beta 4 release. The sheet now also includes a title that explains what you’d actually be doing. For example, if you choose to share a website from Chrome, you’ll see “Sharing a link” with the actual URL below it.
If you’re sharing any text, a shortcut to copy it to your clipboard will appear on the right-hand side. Similarly, when sharing an image, you’ll be offered an option (pencil icon) to first edit it in Markup.
Android 14 Beta 4 changes ‘Muted’ status icon design
Android 14 Beta 4 is here and small tidbits and changes are surfacing as we dig through the new OS version. One such change is a completely new design for the “Muted” status, leaving behind the familiar bell icon for a more modern look.
Most Android devices have three sound states: sound on, vibrate, and silent. While each person has their preference as to which they leave their phone set to, only one of those displays a status icon in the top bar, next to the WiFi and battery readouts.
In Android 14 Beta 4, a Pixel phone or other device set to silent or “muted” will now display a small yet very familiar speaker icon. This switch replaces the bell icon we’ve seen in past Android builds. The change makes a little bit of sense, as the bell could be seen as confusing to some, though it’s a very small adjustment.
In Android 14 Beta 4, no other sound states offer a status icon. The “muted” state remains the only one to reflect in the status bar, though a status icon for vibrate and sound on would be nice.
Another spot the icon is updated with the speaker silhouette is in the slider that appears when pressing the volume rockers. Instead of a ball icon and another with a slash through it, there is now one speaker icon and another with a slash, representing mute.
This change to the mute icon in Android 14 is anything but huge, but it’s notable nonetheless and offers a little insight into the changes being made between versions. Be sure to stay tuned for more Android 14 news as it’s uncovered.
Last year, Android 11 introduced a clever privacy feature that removes permissions granted to “unused apps” that haven’t been opened in some time. Google is now bringing this auto-reset to older phones and tablets via Play services over the coming months.
Android 11 (and newer) can automatically remove permissions from “unused apps” to limit access to sensitive personal data, including location, camera, contacts, files, microphone, and phone. This does not get in the way of day-to-day usage as you have to go at least three months without using an application before Android automatically removes permissions.
Google is now bringing permission auto-reset to “billions more devices” running Android 6.0 Marshmallow to Android 10. This is made possible with Google Play services.
Once rolled out, auto-reset will be enabled by default for apps targeting Android 11 (API level 30) and later. To prevent issues and unintended experiences, resets will not apply to older applications still targeting API levels 23-29 unless manually enabled by end users. Additionally:
Some apps and permissions are automatically exempted from revocation, like active Device Administrator apps used by enterprises, and permissions fixed by enterprise policy.
Meanwhile, developers can ask users to “prevent the system from resetting their app’s permissions.”
This is useful in situations where users expect the app to work primarily in the background, even without interacting with it. The main use cases are listed here.
Next month, Google will make the cross-platform auto-reset APIs available with Jetpack Core 1.7.0, while the company today issued guidance on how developers can prepare.
Android’s auto-reset feature will begin gradually rolling out in December and be fully available in Q1 2022. Once live, users will get a new auto-reset settings page to enable/disable the behavior for specific applications. A few weeks after that, Google will start resetting permissions from unused apps.
Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe is a much better Android phone than its predecessor thanks to its full metal body design and, for the price, leading specs, including 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a 23MP camera. It also now has the Android Oreo update.
FOR
6GB of RAM onboard
Slick antenna-less metal design
Starts at 64GB of storage
AGAINST
Hidden cost: Snapdragon 821 version
1080p display unfit for VR
Single, bottom-firing speaker
Zenfone 3 Deluxe represents a major upgrade to Asus‘ spelling-challenged smartphone series with a component design and specs you won’t find on many other Android phones at this price range.
Update: Although the Asus Zenfone V is the newest Asus phone you can buy, the you can still find the Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe on Amazon for cheap, and it’s been updated with Google’s new Android Oreo software. Here’s our updated Zenfone 3 Deluxe review.
The smartphone is made a name for itself at Computex 2016 with 6GB of RAM. All but one (the OnePlus 3T) of our best phones ended 2016 with 4GB of RAM, which prevents slowdown with multiple apps open.
This phone also debuted the Snapdragon 821 chipset worldwide (though the Google Pixel and Pixel XL launched with the chip first in the West) and starts with 64GB of internal storage (going up to 256GB).
Of course, there’s also a more reasonably priced Snapdragon 820 version – the one we tested – but you wouldn’t know that from Asus’s 821-touting product page. The 820 is in fine print.
The Zenfone 3 Deluxe camera puts big numbers on the specs sheet, too, with a 23MP sensor, and so does the 5.7-inch display and it dual SIM/microSD card unlocked phoned capabilities.
But do these specs compute into anything meaningful now that it runs Android Oreo? Let’s explore this ‘fone.’
the design of this all-metal, 5.7-inch phone. Asus has done some clever engineering to hide the antenna lines and the result is a clean-looking metal device. The phone’s display is bright and vibrant. As for the Deluxe‘s charging lifespan, I’m pleased to report the embedded 3,000mAh battery is more than sufficient to last you a full day’s use and then some. In our video looping tests, the phone lasted 13 hours 55 minutes.
Now for the negatives. While the diagnostic benchmark scores were pretty good — thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor — actual day-to-day performance can be laggy. My best guess is that bloatware (a lot of preloaded apps) uses up precious memory and slows everything down, especially keeping all those apps updated in the background. In addition, I find the keyboard unwieldy. It keeps the settings button where the number switch key is usually located, and also has the worst autocorrect feature I’ve come across. You’re better off downloading and installing Google’s keyboard (which I did, after struggling for 2 hours with the Asus keyboard).
The rear 23-megapixel camera does a wonderful job snapping pictures when there’s enough light, but low-light situations are a bit hit and miss. The default auto mode keeps the shutter open longer for a brighter image, but if your subjects are constantly moving (like my cat), then all you get is a bright but blurry shot. Check out the test shots gallery below for a more in-depth look at the camera.
Laser/phase detection autofocus, OIS (4-axis), fingerprint doubles as shutter button
Notifications toggle, dual-SIM, Dash Charging
Price off-contract (USD)
$500
$249
$439 (16GB), $479 (128GB)
Price (GBP)
Converts to £410
Converts to £170
£399 (16GB), £439 (128GB)
Price (AUD)
AU$735
Converts to AU$350
Converts to AU$590 (16GB), AU$650 (128GB)
The GoodAll-metal body looks premium; sleek design feels great. Has a whopping 6GB of RAM. Battery life is fantastic.
The BadRear camera can be sluggish in low light. Performance can be laggy. The cluttered user interface and bloatware make it a pain to use.
The Bottom LineThe Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe has a luxurious build that’s overshadowed by bloatware and poor performance — you’re better off with the OnePlus 3T or a cheaper ZenFone 3.
A 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display, 14nm Exynos chipset, a body made out of a glass/metal combo, IP68 certification, 16MP f/1.9 cameras front and back – it sure sounds like Samsung’s next flagship. Only it’s not the flagship we’re talking about, but the Galaxy A5 (2017) premium mid-ranger.
Of course, we are guilty of hand-picking that selection of specs to prove a point, and there are other fields in that spec sheet that would give away the A5’s lower position in the Galaxy universe. Display resolution is one (1080p), and the chipset is another (Exynos 7880). Even though it’s made on a cutting-edge 14nm fabrication process, it’s still only mainstream Cortex-A53 cores inside and not hard-hitting Mongooses or Kryos. And then the cameras lack OIS and 4K video recording, even if they both offer higher resolution than the Galaxy S7.
Connectivity: nano SIM (dual SIM version available); LTE (Cat. 6); Wi-Fi ac; Bluetooth 4.2; FM Radio; USB Type-C; 3.5mm jack
Battery: 3,000mAh
Misc: Fingerprint reader, IP68 certification for dust and water resistance, Samsung Pay
Main shortcomings
Somewhat expensive – the Galaxy S6 can be had for less, the S7 is slightly pricier, but will certainly dip in a couple of months when the S8 comes out.
Android is still Marshmallow, though an update is coming.
No 4K video recording at a price point, where you can find plenty of phones that support it.
It’s not exactly what you call a bargain, the A5 (2017), unfortunately. Its price tag makes a pretty solid case for the Galaxy S6, and why not even the S7 when the time is right? It’s also not looking good that Samsung is putting out a new premium product with good ol’ Marshmallow, and no shiny fresh Grace UX can make up for that.
None of that means we don’t like the premise of a premium full-featured (or thereabout) smartphone positioned a notch below the flagships – quite the opposite. We’ll be looking into just how much the A5 (2017) deserves its place in the world on the following pages, starting (not unusually) with a hardware overview.
The Galaxy A5 (2017) measures 146.1 x 71.4 x 7.9 mm which is standard for a 5.2-inch phone – most other devices with the same diagonal are within a millimeter in each direction
As for weight, the A5 (2017) is on the heavy side of average. Its 157g aren’t really an issue, but the similarly sized Huawei P9, for example, tips the scales at just 144g. The brand new HTC U Play is even a notch lighter at 143g, though admittedly it is severely battery-deprived (2,500mAh).
Hardware overview
If there’s one area where the Galaxy A5 (2017) can stand up to flagship-grade scrutiny it’s build and looks. To a non-discerning eye the A5 can easily pass for an S7 – the aluminum frame, the dual-glass sandwich, the shapes and proportions – it’s all top-shelf material.
What’s been missing on the A-series for a while now and hasn’t made an appearance on the Galaxy A5 (2017) either is a notification LED. That one seems to be a flagship-only feature as of late. The top bezel of the midranger does contain all the other usual stuff though – earpiece, proximity/ambient light sensors, and selfie camera.
More importantly, and unlike any previous non-flagship or non-rugged phone, the A-series for this year have IP68 certification for dust and water resistance.
We do tend to compare the Galaxy A5 (2017) to both the existing S7 and the projected S8 and while the S7 is so last year with its 3.5mm jack, the S8 may be one of the trendsetters to lose it. So there – the Galaxy A5 (2017) is on par with the current top model in this respect, and possibly better than the upcoming one.
The Galaxy A5 (2017)‘s wired interface is in fact more up-to-date than the current flagship S7. The Type-C USB port only made it on a Samsung phone with the Note7, but we all know how that ended. Other than a somewhat obscure C9 Pro, the A-series remain the only Samsung handsets with a Type-C port. Beat that, S7.
One odd design decision sees the loudspeaker placed on the right side of the phone, right above the power button. For ringtones that’s as good as any other position and in a way it’s better for video viewing when holding the display in landscape orientation than the prevalent bottom placement. There are no stereo speakers, but there aren’t any on Samsung flagships either. Not yet, at least.
As with a few other previous A-series models, the A5 (2017) has a couple of card slots. The one on the side accommodates one nanoSIM, while the slot on top takes a microSD card. The latter can also fit an additional nanoSIM card on dual SIM versions of the A5 (2017) and in this case the microSD slot remains available – it’s a dedicated solution and not a hybrid one and we can’t stress enough just how much we prefer it this way.
On the back, the S-series have been having all sorts of sensors, but not the A’s – it’s the bare minimum here with just the camera module and the LED flash.
Your palms will undoubtedly appreciate the curves on the back, which make the A5 a joy to handle. Some people tend to complain that glass is slippery, but we’ve had more issues in this respect with satin-finished aluminum on some phones, so it’s probably down to the individual’s skin properties. What’s not debatable is that on glass backs smudges reign.
Display
The Galaxy A5 (2017) like all self-respecting Galaxies packs a Super AMOLED display. The A5 in particular is smack in the middle between the 4.7-inch A3 (2017) and the 5.7-inch A7 (2017) in terms of diagonal, and its 5.2-inch panel has FullHD resolution. That amounts to a 424ppi density but the Diamond Pixel arrangement makes that less sharp than a competing LCD with equal number of subpixels for each color. It’s still plenty sharp though.
The display can give you that AMOLED punch that’s become synonymous with the tech, at the expense of color accuracy. In Adaptive mode average DeltaE is 5.3 with Red waaay off at 11.2, but also quite inaccurate whites. Switch to basic mode, however, and you’re treated to an excellently calibrated display with an average DeltaE of just 2.0 and a maximum of 3.2. Cinema and Photo modes are somewhere in between – whatever floats your boat.
Maximum brightness is excellent, particularly if you engage the Auto mode, in which case the display gets a healthy boost in bright conditions. That said, last year’s model could pump out more nits in Auto mode. Even so, the A5 (2017)‘s numbers are right up there with the S7 flagship – excellent. Contrast is infinite, it’s Super AMOLED’s treat for you. With a minimum brightness of just 1.8 nits night-time scrolling sessions won’t strain your eyes either.
Display test
100% brightness
Black, cd/m2
White, cd/m2
Contrast ratio
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
0
421
∞
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) max auto
0
601
∞
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
0
413
∞
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) max auto
0
559
∞
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
0
408
∞
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) max auto
0
518
∞
Samsung Galaxy S7
0
391
∞
Samsung Galaxy S7 max auto
0
563
∞
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
0
392
∞
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge max auto
0
610
∞
Samsung Galaxy S6
0
363
∞
Samsung Galaxy S6 max auto
0
619
∞
Huawei Honor 8
0.34
374
1101
Huawei Honor 8 (Max auto)
0.34
395
1161
Honor 8
0.37
460
1243
Huawei nova
0.25
385
1540
Huawei P9
0.46
500
1094
OnePlus 3
0
433
∞
OnePlus 3T
0
447
∞
As for sunlight legibility, the AMOLED A5 for 2017 is on par with last year’s model, and slightly better than the A3 (2017), but none of them is a match for this or last year’s flagships. In fact, the A5 (2017) sunlight contrast ratio is virtually identical to the budget J7 (2016) – sounds great from that phone’s perspective, not as flattering from the A5’s. That said, only top-of-the-line LCD-equipped phones can post such results (the likes of the iPhone 7 and Xperia XZ), and it’s not them that the A5 is facing, pricey as it may be.
Connectivity
The Galaxy A5 (2017) is well-stocked on connectivity options. Samsung specifies Cat.6 LTE (300Mbps downlink, 50Mbps uplink), with a disclaimer that it may vary by region and carrier, and since the Exynos 7880 itself supports Cat.7 you may want to check locally if the 100Mbps DL speed is of such crucial importance to you (you know who you are).
There are single SIM and dual SIM versions, each of them with two card slots. In each case there’s a dedicated microSD slot as well – on single SIM models (such as the one we had) there’s no cutout for the second SIM in the top slot (presumably, no contacts and hardware, maybe?).
There is also dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v4.2 (but no detail on aptX for high-quality audio), NFC and MST (for Samsung Pay, where available), and an FM radio receiver. There is no IR transmitter, though.
A Type-C port is in charge of charging, but only adheres to USB 2.0 spec, so you’re limited to a ‘measly’ 480Mbps theoretical maximum transfer speeds. USB OTG is supported for attaching peripherals, but there’s no MHL support for wired video output. Thankfully, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) battery life
The Galaxy A5 (2017) is powered by a 3,000mAh battery – oh, look, it’s the same capacity as the Galaxy S7. And this one has fewer pixels to render, plus a chipset that should be more frugal than the thirsty flagship number-crunchers.
Well, indeed it is. The Galaxy A5 (2017) only fell short of the S7’s time in the voice call test, and just by an hour and a quarter. At close to 22h its result is still perfectly acceptable.
It gets better in the screen-on disciplines. It takes 14 and a half hours of our Wi-Fi web browsing test to deplete the A5’s battery – a remarkable feat, even if the smaller A3 (2017) does outlast it by an hour. The S7, on the other hand, can’t even make it to 10h.
In video playback the A5 crosses the 16-hour mark before calling it quits – another superb performance. The flagship is closer here, but still falls short by an hour and a half.
As for standby, we’ve tested the phone both with the Always On Display feature engaged and then turned off. While it does take a massive toll on standby time (and consequently on the overall endurance rating), you should bear in mind that our testing can’t account for the phone turning off the display completely when it’s in a pocket, for example. So, presumably, actual real-world standby with the AOD on should be much better.
The overall endurance rating of 95h is an excellent result and is a testament to the inherent benefits of having a 14nm chipset on board – be it an Exynos or a Snapdragon.
Software
Remember the Note7? The Galaxy flagship phablet (that wasn’t meant to be) introduced a redesigned Samsung user interface called Grace UX. The Note7 being absent, the 2017 A-series are the only phones to come with the updated Android overlay out of the box, but it is also being seeded as we speak with the Nougat update for the S7 and S7 edge. Mind you, in the A5 (2017)‘s case it’s on top of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, though a bump to Android 7 is in the works.
This generation of A-series is the first to feature Always On Display (AOD). Three main views are available – Clock, Calendar and Image, with some customization available. Notifications from third-party apps show up (something that didn’t work when the S7 launched, but was added later).
The Always On Display dims when ambient light is low and will shut off when the Galaxy A5 is in your pocket. This saves energy, but you can be more explicit about it and put AOD on a schedule (or it may just be that you don’t like the extra light while you sleep).
The lockscreen can be secured with the fingerprint reader. It’s not the fastest we’ve seen, but it’s no slower than the readers that flagship Samsungs use.
The fingerprint reader can do more than that. Web sign-in remembers the passwords you use for sites and can automatically fill them in when you touch the fingerprint reader. You can also secure your Samsung account (more on that in a bit).
The Homescreen has the Briefing pane on the left (which you can disable) and supports themes and icon packs. More interestingly, it supports sort of a 3D Touch feature, not unlike the one found on the Google Pixel phones – you tap and hold on an app and a contextual menu appears. However, it offers just basic app handling actions and is not tied to the actual functionality of app.
The notification area should be quite familiar as well. A line of quick toggles is available above the notifications. Pulling the shade further down reveals all toggles, a brightness slider and a handy search field (Google prefers to put the search field on the homescreen instead).
We like the idea of the Block notifications button, it allows you to quickly mute notifications from pushy apps (games are often guilty of crying for attention when you haven’t played them in a while). Still, we don’t like the aesthetics of it.
The app switcher is the usual rolodex, but unlike the A3 here it offers split-screen multitasking (standard on Nougat, but this is Samsung’s implementation in Marshmallow). The apps that can go in multi-window have an icon next to the X, and that’s one way of doing it – the other is to hold the task switcher capacitive key.
The App drawer has a search field that looks through the apps you have installed, but also suggests apps from Galaxy Apps (you can search the Play Store if you prefer).
Being a somewhat larger phone than the A3, the A5 also gets a one-handed operation mode. It’s part of the Advanced features menu where you can also enable other actions like double press on the Home button to launch the camera and screenshot capture with a palm swipe.
Secure folder creates a separate zone so sensitive files (photos, documents, etc.) and apps can be locked away from prying eyes. Once you enter the Secure folder, taking a photo with the camera or snapping a screenshot places the file in the Secure folder. To access those from the regular gallery, you’ll first have to move them.
The reason you want to secure your Samsung account with your fingerprint is that you get 15GB of cloud storage for free. Everything from contacts to photos can be synced and you get to choose which files are synced over LTE and which are left for when Wi-Fi is available (contacts, calendar and notes don’t use much data, but photos do).
Camera
The Galaxy A5 (2017)‘s primary camera is based on a 16MP sensor that sits behind a 27mm-equiv. lens with an f/1.9 aperture. It’s lost the optical stabilization, unfortunately – last year’s model had that. Autofocus is also contrast-detect only – or at least no phase detection is being advertised. There is a single-LED flash, but that’s been Samsung’s treatments of its flagships, so why should the A-series be any better.
The camera interface has not received substantial changes. Grace UX has brought only minor refinements like swipe gestures.
As usual for Samsung smartphones, you can launch the camera with a quick double press on the Home key. The viewfinder greets you with only a flash mode toggle and a shortcut to settings.
From here you can swipe down to switch between the front and rear cameras, which is much appreciated even if not very original (LG says hi!). Swiping to the left gives you a panel with color filters, while in the other pane you get access to the shooting modes.
That’s where HDR mode resides – there is no Auto HDR like on flagships and the HDR mode is a swipe and a tap away, instead of just a tap. A Pro mode is present too, though that’s clearly a huge overstatement – you get control over exposure compensation, ISO and white balance presents, plus a metering mode selector, but no manual focus and no manual shutter speed. We gather the ‘pro’ could pass for ‘program’, but not ‘professional’, really.
Image quality is quite good, with low noise and minimal signs of noise reduction. Colors are pleasingly vivid too, without being over the top – in this weather it’s mostly the iPhone graffiti in the second image that can testify to that, but it’s enough (also the Photo compare tool down below). Dynamic range is good, though in extreme cases like the 4th and 5th sample you’re bound to end up with blown highlights.
HDR needs to be engaged manually, there’s no Auto and certainly no live preview like on the flagships. In high-contrast scenarios you might be wise to take a shot in normal and HDR mode, just in case. It does what it promises without much drama – shadows get a modest boost, and some detail in the highlights is salvaged, adding up to a very natural-looking image. Some might prefer a little less subtlety here.
We’ve seen better panoramas than the ones coming out of the Galaxy A5 (2017), but then again, we’ve seen better weather too, though certainly not lately. Anyway, the A5’s panoramas are about 1,800px tall, detail is about average, and stitching is very good, of course provided there are no moving objects.
Selfie camera
The selfie camera on the Galaxy A5 (2017) is another 16MP f/1.9 unit, though naturally not of the same caliber as the rear one with the same numbers. For one, the front-facer lacks autofocus, and you’d think that’s a non-issue for a cam used almost exclusively at arm’s length. It would have been, had the focus distance been tuned to arm’s length shooting, and that’s not the case.
Which is sad, because at the proper distance the results are superb, only that means just your face is in the frame, and presumes some serious interest in your pores. At arm’s length everything’s a blur.
The evenly matched pixel count prompted us to make a comparison between the front and rear cameras, and… well… makes you wonder just how crucial composition needs to be for it to make such a trade-off in quality worth it.
Video camera
The Galaxy A5 (2017) captures video up to 1080p/30fps, so no 4K recording out of this one. We’ve sort of grown used to expecting a phone in this price range to be able to do it – damn you, OnePlus 3.
The A5’s videos are encoded with a 17Mbps bitrate, the usual number, while audio gets a generous 256Kbps, stereo.
The FullHD video output is good, with nice levels of detail and low noise. Colors are rendered quite well too, though once again you’re better off looking at the Video compare tool to get a better idea. Audio, by the way, is surprisingly clear, and it can’t be down to just the bitrate.
Final words
One thing is clear from this review – Samsung has got the alphabet wrong. A has never been as close to S as it is with the A (2017) series. The Galaxy A5 (2017) carries more than a passing resemblance to the reigning Galaxy S7 flagship – let’s just say that if the S7 were to stumble into the A5, they’d take a selfie together.
It’s hard to split the two for looks and build quality, and that includes the IP68 certification. Only now making it outside of a select group of flagship or rugged Samsungs, the dust and water proofing is shared across the entire ‘A’ lineup this year. Same for the Home button with a fingerprint reader, complete with Samsung Pay capabilities, but that’s old news – it was already available on last year’s As.
Another thing to trickle down into the upper midrange is the cutting-edge internals. The 14nm chipset at the heart of the A5 (2017) may not outperform the top-end silicon of the day, but its efficiency is immediately evident – the battery life of the A5 is just marvelous.
The 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display is equally great – gone are the days of dim AMOLEDs with colors all over the place. This one is bright, it can be accurate if you want it to be, and it is well visible in the sun. Flagships retain the QHD resolution as a trump card, but the A5 is perfectly okay with its FullHD.
16MP cameras front and back – we can see smiles lighting up the faces of Samsung’s marketing team. The front cam can be super-detailed, only you need to keep the phone a foot away from your face, and that barely fits our grown-up mugs. We don’t know about you, but that’s not how we like our selfies. The rear camera is a lot more balanced and a capable overall performer. Its images are detailed and exhibit mature detail rendering, pleasing colors, and dynamic range is quite wide.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) key test findings
Build quality and materials are flagship-grade (IP68 rating, too), but the glass back is inevitably prone to fingerprints.
The high-quality Super AMOLED display has excellent maximum brightness and infinite contrast and can put out punchy or spot-on colors depending on your preference. Sunlight legibility is not quite up there with the best, but it’s still better than any LCD.
Battery life is superb – the phone’s endurance rating is 95h, and it posted excellent numbers in all our individual tests.
Grace UX or TouchWiz, Samsung’s interface is functional and feature-rich, now also sleeker. It’s still based on Android Marshmallow, which is less than ideal in 2017.
The Exynos 7880 performs great if you take into account its efficiency. In absolute terms, it’s an average midrange SoC that’s not greatly suited to the most demanding tasks. Then again, Game launcher could help you alleviate that by lowering the resolution at which games are rendered so you get all the special effects.
The loudspeaker posts a Good rating for loudness, it’s nice and clear at maximum volume too.
Image quality from the main camera is good – there’s sufficient detail, colors are nicely saturated, and dynamic range is pretty wide.
1080p video quality is very good, so is the audio that accompanies it.
The 16MP selfie camera produces spectacular results, but its focus is fixed way too close, so you’re forced to choose between narrow coverage or images that are simply not in focus.
The Galaxy A5 (2017) may look like the (still) current flagship S7, but it is the S6 that it will give it the hardest time. The previous-gen top model boasts a higher-grade camera with 4K video recording and OIS, a higher-res display and a superior chipset. We’d even cautiously suggest that the much more versatile 5MP selfie shooter of the S6 wins over the 16MP one of the A5. The A5 (2017) fights back with its IP68 rating (the S6 carries none), a microSD slot, a FM radio and longer battery life, plus a Type-C port if that’s a decider for you.
Oh, we almost forgot – the S6 is one of the best choices if you want to take advantage of Samsung’s Gear VR platform. The A5 (2017) stays quietly in the corner when the big boys talk VR.
Then there are the other As from this year. Maybe you’re eyeing the A3 (2017) for its pocketability, just beware that it’s got a lower-res (and lower pixel density) display, a slower chipset, less RAM and storage and lower-res cameras. It does keep a lot of the important stuff like the microSD slot (though hybrid on the dual-SIM version), IP68 rating, and superb display and battery life. It’s also cheaper, duh.
Or, you could go one up and pick the 5.7-inch Galaxy A7 (2017) if that’s available near you. Much fewer trade-offs here – the hardware is almost identical, only you’d be paying a little more for a larger diagonal and more battery (so possibly better battery life). The one caveat – Samsung won’t be selling the A7 in Europe – a decision which is beyond us.
There’s yet another option that needs to be mentioned, and it’s none other than the Galaxy S7. Of course, it’s considerably more expensive right now, but it’s due for replacement in three months, so if you could wait, the S7 will certainly be a much better deal then. The A5 (2017) has nothing on the flagship – all the advantages over the S6 vanish (alright, there’s the FM radio), and the S7 is hands-down the better phone altogether.
The Xperia X Performance goes for Galaxy A5 (2017) money in most markets. It’s a model that’s close to being a year old if you count from the announcement or half that if you consider the actual launch.
The X Performance is among a select few devices to offer an IP68 rating for dust and water protection, so the A5 has found its match on this front. Not regarding battery life, though – the Sony is nowhere near. It does boast a Snapdragon 820 chipset, which it chooses not to use for UHD video, but its advantages for mobile gaming remain – it’s much better suited to the task than the A5’s Exynos 7880.
Huawei has a couple of phones to compete with the A5 (2017) for your affection. Another flagship due for replacement, the P9 is a bit pricier but has a lovely dual 12MP camera (color+monochrome) on its back and a more powerful chipset (that still doesn’t support 4K video recording, mind you). The A5 is dust and water resistant, though, and makes much better use of its 3,000mAh battery than the P9.
Going for the Huawei nova instead, you’d save a few notes, but still get a premium midranger – this one made of metal. Unlike the P9, the nova has a single rear camera (but then so does the A5), only it can record 4K video. Battery life isn’t half bad, but it’s no match for the marathon runner that the A5 is and the Samsung handset’s display is superior in all respects. Did we mention the A5’s IP68 rating? Well, now we have.
Priced identically to the Galaxy A5 (2017), the OnePlus 3T deserves a spot here. Sure, you can’t find it in a store, and claiming a warranty might be a minor pain in the…hassle, but it’s hard to beat it in bang-for-buck ratio. Packing one of the most powerful chipsets available, the 3T also comes with more RAM and storage. The latest from OnePlus packs 2x16MP cameras too, and both are arguably slightly better than the A5’s, plus the main one can capture 2160p video.
The A5 has its strengths – the 32GB of memory may look modest next to OnePlus’ 64GB or 128GB (has anyone actually gotten one of those), but a 256GB microSD card can easily dwarf that, as the 3T offers no option for expansion. Perhaps you’re tired of reading about the A5’s water-resistance and excellent battery life, but that’s only because no other phone manages to match it on both of those counts, most not even on one. The OnePlus 3T certainly can’t.
Going through the numbers that define the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) it’s all too easy to focus on the negative stuff. No 2160p video recording. £400/€430. Android 6.0.1. Even that name is a bit too much – A5 (2017).
Those numbers can easily be countered with a few others that ring much more nicely, but let’s not get so hung up on the digits. The facts are that the Galaxy A5 (2017) is beautifully-built; it will live through a downpour; it packs a screen that’s only bested by flagships, and has battery life to spare. Of course, it’s not ideal, and it’s not cheap, but you’re also unlikely to find a better match for the description in the previous sentence. Well, not unless you dig even deeper into your pocket.
The Honor 7X seems to have overdone its own benchmarks in a good way. This is the smartphone Huawei should be proud of. Here’s the spec sheet to prove it.
Battery
The Huawei Honor 7X have a monster of a battery. 3340mAh Li-Po, non-removable battery. If you want two days of battery life, then get this phone.
Android Nougat
Huawei Honor 7X have native support for Android Marshmallow under the Emotion UI skin. It looks great but probably needs some getting used to.
Bigger Storage Options
Internal storage options for the Huawei Honor 7X are as follows:
32GB/64GB with 4GB of RAM
64GB with 4GB of RAM
Amazing Camera
Huawei Honor 7X has a 16 MP primary camera with f/2.2 aperture, phase detection autofocus, and dual-LED (dual tone) flash. Secondary camera comes with 8 MP, a f/2.0 aperture and can record 1080p@30fps.
IPS LCD Display
Although the Huawei Honor 7X just have an IPS LCD display, the 1080×1920 resolution makes up for a truly sharp rendering of fonts and pictures. It won’t be as good looking as a full HD display but it gives more battery life for the already huge 3340mAh battery.
High Build Quality
A premium thin profile of 156.5 x 75.3 x 7.6 mm, Huawei Honor 7X also comes very light in just 165 grams.
Faster Processor
The latest Octa-core (4×2.36 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53) processor is the one that powers the Huawei Honor 7X. The GPU is a Mali-T830 MP2 for a smooth processing power for gaming.
Sensors
You get the following inside the Huawei Mate 8 to keep the phone working smoothly in its tasks: Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, and compass.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Go to the Huawei Repair page for news and updates for the Huawei Honor 7X.
The Honor 7 seems to have overdone its own benchmarks in a good way. This is the smartphone Huawei should be proud of. Here’s the spec sheet to prove it.
Battery
The Huawei Honor 7 have a monster of a battery. 3100mAh Li-Po, non-removable battery. If you want two days of battery life, then get this phone.
Android Marshmallow
Huawei Honor 7 have native support for Android Marshmallow under the Emotion UI skin. It looks great but probably needs some getting used to.
Bigger Storage Options
Internal storage options for the Huawei Honor 7 are as follows:
32GB with 3GB of RAM
Amazing Camera
Huawei Honor 7 has a 20 MP primary camera with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus, and dual-LED (dual tone) flash. Secondary camera comes with 8 MP, a f/2.4 aperture and can record 1080p@30fps.
IPS LCD Display
Although the Huawei Honor 7 just have an IPS NEO LCD display, the 1080×1920 resolution makes up for a truly sharp rendering of fonts and pictures. It won’t be as good looking as a quad HD display but it gives more battery life for the already huge 3100mAh battery.
High Build Quality
A premium thin profile of 143.2 x 71.9 x 8.5 mm, Huawei Honor 7 also comes very light in just 157 grams.
Faster Processor
The latest Octa-core (4×2.2 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.5 GHz Cortex-A53) processor is the one that powers the Huawei Honor 7. The GPU is a Mali-T628 MP4 for a smooth processing power for gaming.
Sensors
You get the following inside the Huawei Honor 7 to keep the phone working smoothly in its tasks: Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, and compass.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Go to the Huawei Repair page for news and updates for the Huawei Honor 7.