Surprise, surprise! Samsung today took the wraps off the Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) — much earlier than the expected CES 2018 announcement.
Both smartphones will be tasked with bringing some key features of current Galaxy flagships to a wider audience when they arrive in select markets from January 2018, according to Samsung’s press statement.
It’s unclear if the Philippines will be one of those markets, but the Korean hardware company has been quite keen to introduce new models to the local market as of late. It’s likely that at least one of these new phones will land here early next year.
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) specs. Can’t see them well? You may also want to check them out in our Device Finder. Click on this to see the full specs of the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and this for the complete specs of the Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018).
So what are we looking at? The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) both ship with taller, 18.5:9 screens, just like the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Note 8. And for the first time ever, the manufacturer introduces dual front-facing cameras for selfies with background blur. Samsung says that you can adjust the bokeh effect either before or after a photo is taken.
The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) both feature taller, 18.5:9 screens, just like the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Note 8. And for the first time ever, the company introduces dual front-facing cameras for selfies with background blur.
Another headline feature is the single rear camera with a fast aperture, making it suited to indoor and low-light use.
The Plus version obviously gets a larger display — in this case, one spanning 6 inches — though it’s not much larger than the 5.6-inch Galaxy A8. The screens feature curved edges that taper inward toward a metal frame for a comfortable grip. The glass on the rear is likewise curved for comfort.
SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy J7+, J7 Pro, and J7 Core specs and price comparison
It’s also worth mentioning that the Galaxy A8 (218) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) benefit from IP68 water and dust resistance and are the first A series devices to support Samsung’s Galaxy Gear VR headset.
In terms of computing heft, you’ve got an octa-core processor with 4GB or 6GB of RAM (in the Galaxy A8+) and up to 64GB of base storage. Other mooted details include a rear-mounted fingerprint reader; 3,000mAh (Galaxy A8) and 3,500mAh (Galaxy A8+) batteries; and Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The latter is just about the only disappointing aspect to this otherwise promising pair.
This leaked Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) preview video, which we wrote about here, turned out to be correct
Screen grabs from the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) preview video
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