Finder makes money from featured partners, but editorial opinions are our own.

Samsung confirms Galaxy A release for Australia

Posted: 4 January 2017 1:28 pm

News

Samsung’s mid-range phone line will be released in Australia in 2017.

Like its competitors, the days leading up to CES 2017 has seen a flurry of announcements from Samsung, ranging from wireless speakers to smart fridges and even encompassing a washing machine system that can wash two loads of clothes at the same time.

Amongst these announcements was also the announcement of new phones in the Samsung Galaxy A range. Like LG with its range of five mid-range devices launching at CES, Samsung has its own take on what a mid-range phone should be.

Previous generations of Galaxy A devices have been released in Australia, and Samsung Australia has confirmed that it intends to release the new A series phones in Australia this calendar year.

In a statement, Richard Fink, vice president mobile division for Samsung Australia said: "We believe the Galaxy A Series sets a new standard for what Australians should expect from a mid-range smartphone. The range further broadens our smartphone offering, providing Samsung’s innovative design and technology at a range of price points for our customers.”

Which isn’t the same thing as stating what the new Galaxy A phones would cost, or when they’ll be available. In classic Samsung style, it has stated that it will announce those details closer to actual Australian availability.

So what do you get with the new Galaxy A phones? The focus is very much on affordability, with the Galaxy A3, Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 all expected to sell at mid-range prices. Russia is the initial launch market, where they’ll go on sale in mid-January.

The A3 features a 4.7 inch display, while the A5 sports a 5.2 inch display. The Galaxy A7 tops out the sizing list at 5.7 inches. All three phones use Super AMOLED displays, and all run on Android 6.0.16 (“Marshmallow”). Given their mid-range status it feels unlikely that they’ll see many if any software updates, but it’s a little disappointing for new phones to launch a full Android version behind the times.

Also, if you were curious, that dual-clean washing machine? Samsung says it's "exploring ways it could deliver the FlexWash laundry system" to Australia. It probably won't get any operating system updates either.