The primary difference is that the A-series models have metal bodies while the E-series are made of polycarbonate. Unlike the convention established with Samsung's popular Galaxy S lineup, the number at the end of each model name does not correspond to when it was launched.

All eyes may be on Samsung's new flagship flotilla, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge , but don't be fooled into thinking they're the be all and end all of mobile phones today. The S6 Edge, in particular, is a design tour de force: but the remarkable stuff might well be happening at the other end of...

Samsung was a prime culprit in the growth of smartphone screen sizes, but back in 2014 it tried something different with the Galaxy Alpha - it offered a high-end phone in a small scale body. We feel that the Galaxy A3 is the Alpha's spiritual successor and we're here to look at the third iteration.

Aside from a few downsides, the Galaxy A3 (2016) managed to put in such a convincing performance last year it easily became a signature mid-range device. Samsung is hoping to repeat the experience, and so is looking again to release a new version of its Galaxy A3.

The Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017 edition) is a compact and slim smartphone with a stunning unibody design. With a decent processor, excellent screen and good camera, only the battery life is below average. The price has now fallen considerably, making it excellent value for money.

It's a smaller phone, which is what I wanted; Good display, fast, excellent interface; I really like this phone

Apps moved to SD card disappear after a day and claim not to be installed; Plenty of phone space though; Battery life isn't as good as my older phone but is not bad; Newer phones are like this, especially with WiFi or Bluetooth on

ImageTagInstance gallery-0ca0c1e6-69a1-496a-846f-bddbeca86430 IntroductionFor a third time in a row, Samsung starts the year by releasing three new mid-range phones of the Galaxy A series, and the 2017 edition of the lineup is the most impressive yet. Samsung has made three phones that have an exceptional look and feel, just like its most expensive phones, and the new HTMLTagInstance html-tag-fad222c0-a30f-49a1-802e-7c2533a6d3c8 Galaxy A3 (2017) is the most compact, the most affordable and the cutest of the three.The new A3 (2017) is a 4.7-inch phone with a Super AMOLED display and a look nearly identical to that of the HTMLTagInstance html-tag-f1b6c1a5-74b6-4e80-99da-9eee7f07f8c8 Galaxy S7 with the same stylish glass and metal construction, and even the same high water protection rating, a first in a phone in this price class.Clearly, Samsung has taken some shortcuts: the new A3 uses a less powerful chip than the top dogs, features less storage and makes some other compromises, but ca...

The Samsung Galaxy A3 gets the S7's sleek design & waterproofing as well as plenty of updates over its predecessor.

Overall, the A3's improvements for 2017 are pretty significant and make this nice-size, reasonably priced phone even more appealing for those who like the idea of the Galaxy S7 but can't quite stretch their budget that far.

There is little to no need for an upgrade for those who already own last year's Galaxy A3 (2016) . With its similar build quality, this year's model does have a few advantages, though. First of all the Galaxy A3 (2017) is now IP68 dust- and waterproof.

high-quality workmanship; water and dustproof (IP68; USB Type-C port with USB-OTG; LTE; NFC; 802.11 ac Wi-Fi; very bright well-adjusted AMOLED display; decent camera; decent performance; stays cool; good speaker; very good battery life

smooth and slick back side, only LTE Cat; 4, no Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL, no dual SIM, no optical image stabilization, PWM-flicker