Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018), A8+(2018) now official: Feature Infinity Display, dual front cameras

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and A8 Plus (2018), the two new mid-range flagship phones featuring the Infinity Display with 18:9 aspect ratio and dual front cameras, are now official. Samsung’s Galaxy A series is usually next in line after the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series in terms of features and pricing, and it is not surprising to see the Infinity Display being extended to the Galaxy A8 (2018) smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and A8 Plus (2018) have officially been announced in the South Korean market. The India pricing and release date is yet not out. The selfie camera on the front is now 16MP + 8MP with f/1.9 aperture on both the sensors. Samsung’s Galaxy A8 will allow users to take portrait shots as well from the front camera. There is also the Live Focus feature to adjust the bokeh effect before or after the selfie has been taken as seen in the Galaxy Note 8, which has dual rear cameras.

On the back, the Galaxy A8 2018 series continues with a single camera, and this one is 16MP with f/1.7 aperture. Samsung is also bringing stickers to the selfie camera on the Galaxy A8 2018 and will also add a food mode for the rear camera, which it had previously introduced in the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 smartphones. The other big change on the camera front is the addition of video digital image stabilisation (VDis) and a new hyperlapse feature for Galaxy A8 2018 users.

Coming to the display, both Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8 Plus (2018) feature the Infinity Display with screen sporting an 18:9 aspect ratio display. The Galaxy A8 2018 series continues with the curved glass design on the back and front; it has a metal frame on the side. The Galaxy A8(2018) and A8 Plus (2018) will launch in four colours — black, orchid grey, gold and blue.

“With the release of the Galaxy A8(2018) and A8+(2018), we’re bringing our customers’ favorite features from our flagship smartphones, such as the Infinity Display and our first Dual Front Camera with Live Focus, to our Galaxy A series, which is already known for its premium design,” Junho Park, Vice President of Global Product Planning, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronic said in a press statement.

Both devices also sport the Always On Display, and come with support for Samsung Pay. They both have Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) and Near Field Communication (NFC) on board as well. The fingerprint scanner is placed below camera module on the Galaxy A8 series. The phones are also IP68 water and dust resistance and come with a microSD card slot with 256GB capacity. The Galaxy A8 (2018) is the first in the A series to support Samsung Gear VR headset as well.

Specifications of Galaxy A8 (2018) are: 5.6-inch FHD+ resolution (2220 x 1080 pixels) SAMOLED display with 18:9 aspect ratio, octa-core processor, 4GB RAM coupled with 32GB/64GB storage. The bigger Samsung Galaxy A8+(2018) 6.0-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with 2220 x 1080 pixels resolution. The processor and RAM/Storage combination is the same.

The Galaxy A8 has a 3000 mAh battery on board, while the bigger phone has a 3500 mAh battery. The two phones sport identical rear and front cameras. Dimensions of the Galaxy A8 (2018) are 149.2 x 70.6 x 8.4 mm and it weighs 172g while the bigger Plus version has the following dimensions: 159.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm and this weighs 191 g.

Both phones also support fast charging and have a USB Type-C port. Sadly the phones are still running on Android 7.1.1. In terms of connectivity, there is NFC, MST for payments, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+. Sensors on board the Galaxy A8 series for 2018 are: Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint, Gyro, Geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, Proximity sensor and RGB Light sensor.