Samsung tempts the selfie market with A5 and A3 smartphones

Samsung has taken the wraps off two new high-end smartphones, the Galaxy A5 and A3, which it hopes will attract a younger, selfie-loving audience.

The devices are its slimmest yet, according to Samsung, at 6.9mm and 6.7mm thin respectively, and are the first to have an all metal chassis.

With a 5in screen, the A5 is the larger of the pair and it also has higher specs, including 2GB RAM and 2,300mAh battery.

Galaxy A3

The A3 on the other hand has a 4.5in screen, 1GB RAM, and a 1,900mAh battery.

Both phones have 16GB storage, Bluetooth 4, super AMOLED displays, microSD slots for cards up to 64GB, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and run on Android 4.4 KitKat.

Samsung claims the phones are “optimised for social networking” and has designed its front and rear cameras accordingly.

On the front, both the A3 and A5 have a 5-megapixel camera that makes “taking vivid selfies … easier than ever before”. This includes the ability to put the camera into wide angle mode for group selfies and the ability to make an animated GIF.

There are also “Palm Selfie” and “Beaty Face Features” settings, although Samsung hasn’t explained what exactly these settings do.

Galaxy A5 selfie

The main, rear-facing 13-megapixel camera can also be used for taking selfies with “Rear Selfie” mode. You can also use it to take high resolution photos of things other than your own face, should you wish.

In terms of connectivity, both the A3 and A5 are 3G and 4G enabled, with the 4G versions also having NFC. All versions also support GPS and Wi-Fi.

“The Galaxy A5 and A3 offer a beautifully crafted full metal unibody, slim design, superior hardware and the best possible social media experience,” said JK Shin, head of IT & mobile communication at Samsung.

“These devices make our advanced Galaxy experience even more accessible to young and trend conscious consumers,” he added.

Both new Galaxy phones will be launching in “selected markets including China” in November. PC Pro contacted Samsung to find out when the devices are likely to make their way to the UK, but hadn’t received a reply at the time of publication.

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