Buzz
The Galaxy A80 stands out as Samsung's most unique smartphone to date, boasting a configuration and camera that deliver an impressive experience for users.
1. Comprehensive Review of the Samsung Galaxy A80
Breaking away from the trend of borderless screens and distinctive pop-up cameras, Samsung introduces the Infinity-Display technology, offering significant value and differentiation for users. Despite not following the notch trend, Samsung's Galaxy A series continues to experiment with new technologies. After the success of the Infinity-U display, the company has now introduced a unique product that provides an immersive experience for users — the Samsung Galaxy A80.
Featuring a large, borderless display, a unique rotating slide mechanism for the camera, and harnessing the full power of the rear camera for selfies, the Galaxy A80 offers reliable performance for gaming and an elegant design. It's a highly recommended choice for users in the upper mid-range segment.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy A80 stands out as the most unique device of 2019. In a departure from the trend of pop-up selfie cameras seen in Chinese smartphones, Samsung introduces a rotating flip camera mechanism, garnering significant attention.
Being Samsung's first phone to break away from the Infinity-U display trend, the Galaxy A80 opts for a rotating flip mechanism to unleash the full power of its rear camera for selfies. This innovation equips the A80 with three front cameras, delivering versatile features from background blur to wide-angle shots for selfies.
While this camera setup adds thickness and weight, Samsung employs meticulous mechanical details to ensure durability. Overall, when Samsung designs a product, whether it's unique or unconventional, users can be confident in its robust build.
At first glance, users will be impressed by the screen occupying the entire front, leaving no wasted space except for the bottom chin due to connectivity limitations. The front screen ratio is 20:9, with a 6.7-inch size. Despite the optimized display, the device's size may still be unwieldy for female users' hands. The A80's screen has only 2.5D curved corners, not the full curved edges like the Galaxy S series, providing a better touch experience without accidental touches.
To enhance the design, Samsung incorporates an in-screen optical fingerprint sensor for the Galaxy A80, similar to other high-end models in the Galaxy A series like the Galaxy A70 and A50. This highly responsive fingerprint sensor complements the premium feel of the Samsung Galaxy A80.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A80 exudes elegance and luxury with its dual glass panels and glossy finish on the metal frame. It's challenging to find a product that is as beautiful, unique, and sophisticated as the Galaxy A80. Additionally, Samsung ensures durability with Corning-manufactured glass on both sides, featuring Gorilla Glass 6 on the front and Gorilla Glass 3 on the back. Note that the A80 doesn't have a traditional earpiece; instead, it employs a vibration feedback mechanism under the screen for excellent audio quality, hiding the sensors beneath the display.
Display and Audio
Both phones feature a 6.7-inch screen, but the Galaxy A80 distinguishes itself by offering a seamless experience with no compromises. It boasts a Full HD+ resolution, a 20:9 aspect ratio, and a pixel density of 393ppi. The maximum brightness reaches 405 nits in manual mode and automatically adjusts to 607 nits in bright lighting conditions. Similar to the Galaxy A70, the A80's specifications are nearly identical, suggesting that the A80 is a redesigned version of the A70 in terms of design and display. Samsung provides two preset options: vibrant and natural, along with manual adjustments for color tones to suit individual preferences.
According to various tech experts, the absence of a notch makes the Galaxy A80 the best screen smartphone in the Galaxy A series to date. The only drawback hindering accessibility is its size; the 6.7-inch display may not be suitable for individuals with smaller hands, despite Samsung's inclusion of a one-handed mode.
Overall, gaming, entertainment, and regular tasks on the Galaxy A80 are excellent, offering high contrast and deep black colors. However, some opinions suggest that the black color representation is not perfect due to noticeable light leakage. This issue may be attributed to the quality of the source material, as compressed video files may not be accurately presented. One highlight
Due to the edge-to-edge display at the top, the Galaxy A80 has only a single speaker at the bottom. Additionally, Samsung has, for the first time, removed the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. In exchange, the sound quality from the single speaker is impressive—loud, distortion-free, clear, and crisp. Samsung also includes Type-C earphones for users.
Performance and Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy A80 employs the Snapdragon 730 processor – the latest and most powerful mid-range processor from Qualcomm, standing right behind the flagship Snapdragon 800 series. The processor is manufactured on an 8nm process, featuring 8 cores with 2 Kryo 470 Gold cores and 6 Kryo 470 Silver cores clocked at 1.8Ghz, coupled with an Adreno 618 GPU. The device boasts 7GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. Although some might consider the price high for the current configuration of the Galaxy A80, it's undeniably a unique product in terms of user experience.
The Samsung Galaxy A80 demonstrates notable CPU performance compared to popular mid-range chips like the Snapdragon 675 or Snapdragon 710. However, expecting the Snapdragon 730 to rival the likes of Snapdragon 855 or Kirin 980 is unrealistic. In terms of graphics, the Galaxy A80 is the most powerful mid-range device with a 3D processing score of 63,000 according to Antutu. While theoretically sufficient for playing popular games at Full HD+ resolution, practical optimization with the new processor seems lacking. GameBench Pro testing revealed less than impressive frame rates on the Galaxy A80.
Specifically, when playing Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, the device achieves a stable 30fps frame rate at the highest settings, with no stuttering. Asphalt 9 reaches up to 38fps, a commendable figure. In PUBG Mobile VNG, a game widely popular at the moment, the device achieves a frame rate of 40. Overall, the Galaxy A80 is not yet an optimal gaming smartphone, but future game updates tailored for the Snapdragon 730 may enhance the user experience.
The Samsung Galaxy A80 is equipped with a 3700mAh battery, which is not small in the market but slightly below the 4500mAh in the Galaxy A70. This is understandable as the rotating camera mechanism takes up a significant portion inside, limiting the battery size. Despite the excellent power-saving capabilities of the Super AMOLED screen, the Galaxy A80 may leave some users wanting more in terms of battery life.
Continuous YouTube streaming over WiFi at 70% brightness yields a result of 9 hours and 41 minutes, while continuous PUBG Mobile gameplay achieves 4 hours and 38 minutes, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang surpasses 6 hours. These figures may not impress when compared to the Galaxy A70, but they are acceptable for a unique device like the Galaxy A80. For regular usage needs, the Galaxy A80 provides enough power for a full day.
Camera: 'Front and rear as one'
Samsung aimed to create a smartphone with a unique camera mechanism, avoiding a separate module for the front camera and leveraging the power of the rear camera cluster. The successful outcome was the Galaxy A80. Featuring a trio of cameras, including a 48MP main sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and a 1/2” sensor size without OIS support, an 8MP wide-angle sensor with an f/2.2 aperture, and a TOF 3D sensor with an f/1.2 aperture and 30mm focal length. Additionally, it incorporates a laser sensor for depth measurement, enhancing its video Live Focus capabilities similar to the Galaxy S10 5G. One distinguishing feature of the Galaxy A80 within the Galaxy A lineup this year is its low-light photography capability, a feature recently introduced in Samsung's flagship phones.
Moreover, the Professional mode is straightforward, allowing the selection of ISO between 100-800, exposure compensation in the range of -2 to +2 EV, white balance adjustment, and manual control over shutter speed and focus. During daytime shooting, the Samsung Galaxy A80 delivers outstanding photos with excellent contrast and vibrant colors. The integration of AI through scene recognition subtly adjusts the colors for harmony rather than excessive vibrancy, a notable departure from the trend in most smartphones today. This demonstrates confidence in the quality of the Galaxy A80's sensor. The 48MP resolution is excellent for detailed photos, although at times unnecessary due to the device's relatively slow processing speed and the resulting larger image size.
The ultra-wide camera essentially produces visually appealing photos, capturing more subjects, but the 8MP resolution may fall short for detailed shots. Nevertheless, the wide-angle camera is an advantage and almost an essential feature for a phone. It expands the limits of photo shooting, providing an eye-catching curved effect. It's a bit regrettable that there is no telephoto sensor, which would make the Galaxy A80 even more versatile.
In low-light conditions, the Galaxy A80 captures good photos with accurate colors but sacrifices some details and introduces noticeable noise. In such situations, the night mode helps the device produce more pleasing and brighter photos. As for the wide-angle camera, there's nothing particularly outstanding to mention in low-light conditions; the image quality is not good, with significant noise and loss of detail.
Regarding portrait photos, the use of the TOF sensor with a large aperture effectively separates the subject perfectly. Additionally, this TOF camera does not distinguish whether the subject is a person or an object. Therefore, in any situation, to achieve an attractive bokeh effect, one just needs to select Live Focus and choose an appropriate frame.
During the testing phase, the Galaxy A80 excelled in various scenarios, showcasing its versatility in photography. It successfully integrates innovative features while maintaining the high standards expected from the Galaxy A series. Samsung's commitment to pushing the boundaries of smartphone photography is evident in the Galaxy A80's camera system, making it a noteworthy choice for photography enthusiasts.
Utilizing the primary camera dedicated to selfies provides users with a plethora of higher quality choices. In today's market, very few products offer both excellent and diverse selfie capabilities, such as the Galaxy A80.
As an alternative conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy A80 stands out as a rare gem in the high-end segment of smartphones in 2019. The line between mid-range and high-end is increasingly blurred, and in the price range of the Galaxy A80, Samsung already boasts another impressive product - the Galaxy S10e, featuring top-notch specifications. However, this doesn't diminish the Galaxy A80's standing. It truly distinguishes itself with its innovative approach to the rear camera cluster designed for selfies, thanks to its unique rotating mechanism. Coupled with a bezel-less display and ample performance, the Galaxy A80 offers an aesthetically pleasing design and a delightful user experience.
