Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has updated its mid-range Galaxy A series phones, with the range now gaining features previously only seen in the flagship Note and S series devices.

The main upgrade to the Galaxy A (2016) phones, which include the 4.7-inch A3, 5.2-inch A5, and the 5.5-inch A7, is support for mobile payments service Samsung Pay, with the A5 and A7 also obtaining a fingerprint scanner for security purposes.

Following the lead of Samsung’s S6 phones, the new range now comes equipped with an enhanced camera system for both brighter and clearer photos and videos, and it includes Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) to prevent image blurring, as well as a front and rear F1.9 lens to allow users to take optimum photos in dark conditions. Of note though: The raw numbers have not changed for the camera count, with the rear camera coming at 13 megapixels and the front “selfie” camera at 5 megapixels, the same as the 2015 Galaxy A models.

The screens specs for the range have improved, be it not by a huge amount, with the Galaxy A3 offering a 4.7-inch 720p (1280 x 720) Super AMOLED display and the Galaxy A5 and A7 coming with Full-HD Super AMOLED panels.

Hardware-wise the Galaxy A3 offers 1.5GB of RAM and is powered by a quad-core SoC clocked at 1.5GHz, while the bigger Galaxy A5 and A7 are powered by an octa-core SoC clocked at 1.6Ghz.

Battery life has also allegedly been improved, with the A3, A5 and A7 now shipping with 2,300 mAh, 2,900 mAh and 3,300 mAh batteries, respectively.

“At Samsung, we are committed to continued innovation, inspired by the feedback and needs of our wide range of consumers,” Chief Executive Officer and Head of Samsung’s IT and Mobile Business JK Shin said in a statement published at the Samsung Newsroom. “With the introduction of the Galaxy A (2016), we took the consumer feedback on our original Galaxy A models and made thoughtful and impactful improvements offering consumers a seamless convergence of style and performance for their everyday lifestyles.”

Room for improvement

The old adage “you get what you pay for” was certainly the case with the first versions of the Galaxy A series released at the beginning of 2015; I wrote a Galaxy A7 review back in March, and while I was initially positive on the phone, describing it as plenty of bang for your buck, nine months later I’m no longer a fan.

Putting aside the fact that the Android update model is broken (despite Samsung releasing Android 5.0 for it, my mobile carrier never made it available), the two most disappointing things with the original A7 were the camera and battery life.

While the rear camera takes reasonable daytime shots, the front camera takes blurry selfies, and both struggle with night time shots; to compare and contrast, my partner has an over two-year-old iPhone 5s, and in every situation her iPhone kills my Galaxy A7 for picture quality.

The battery on the original phone is beyond bad, and nine months later it runs out in half a day if you actually decide to use the phone for its intended purposes.

While the stats for the new range of Galaxy A series phones do look impressive, and Samsung has clearly given the phones a well-needed upgrade, whether it’s enough to make them a phone to recommend is another matter.

The new range goes on sale in China in mid-December, with other countries to follow in January.

Image credit: Samsung