Review - Samsung Galaxy A6+

[#1]

First thing you will notice when you take the phone out of the box is… Wow, it is kinda heavy. Yup, about 191g according to Samsung (https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-a6plus-sm-a605/SM-A605GZKGXME/).

Next thing you will notice is… Wow, it is slippery. I hope you did not drop the phone while taking it out. Yes, it is very slippery, and I highly recommend at least a rubbery bumper if you do not plan to get a full case. The back is metal, making it heavy. But the thing is, I have used many metal-backed phone, and they don’t feel this slippery. Still, a metal phone means it is more durable.

Those two things aside, setting up the phone was a breeze. Just need to agree and go through the usual agreement, etc. Which brings to the third thing you will notice. The screen is BIG and really gorgeous. Yes, it is an AMOLED screen. No matter what people say about IPS/ LCD screens (my daily phone comes with non-AMOLED screen with 2K screen), somehow, the AMOLED screen can still captivate and please the eyes…

So, how is the phone?

Over two weeks, I used to phone for social network, gaming, browsing the internet and even to watch movies. Yes, doing all the regular things we do with our phone. Even taking photos too!

Movies played well. I tested with a few movies, including an 8GB movie and they all played fine. The sound was particularly impressive! I liked that Samsung put the speaker next to the power button. When you hold the phone in landscape mode, the speaker would be facing upwards. This speaker placement also means that your hands (usually holding the sides during landscape mode) will not cover the speaker. The speaker is loud too!

Browsing… Well, this is kinda basic function and unlikely any phone maker can mess up on this. Browsing on wifi and 4G is good.

Gaming. I think this is kind of important since many people do gaming on their phones these days. Also, it’s a growing industry with more game developers organising tournaments promising attractive prizes. Installing and loading games can take a bit longer (compared to my honor 8 Pro). However, once the game is loaded, it played fine. Really fine. I tested with games like PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends, Arena of Valor and even Pokemon Go. They were all smooth. I could not max the settings in the games but at the default settings, the games were good enough.

I was even able to record the games with Samsung's built-in Game Tool (recorder) while playing the games. I'll try to upload some videos later and share the links,

Battery life on this phone is good (to great). It really depends on one’s usage and what you have. For me, the phone was able to get me through the day with social network turned on, some gaming (more than an hour), some browsing as well as some movie time. Add to the fact that it’s got a dedicated microSD slot means you can have two SIM cards *and* a microSD card on the phone all at ones. Most flagship phones only provide hybrid SIM slots, which meant that if you want to use two SIM cards, you cannot use microSD. So, this is good…

Camera wise. It does not fail. The dual-lens at the back is good. Daytime photos are good. Usually, we worry about low-lights. So, best to just share the results here.

The above photo was taken like how we normally would: Quickly take phone out of pocket, launch camera apps, snap. I did not take like 100 photos and select the best. I think I only took one photo at that time. You can compare the photo with the one below, which was taken with my honor 8 Pro. I have to say, the Samsung A6+ seems to have the better camera -- Look at the Texas Chicken signboard.

The phone comes with fingerprint sensor (located at the back, which I personally like) as well as the ability to unlock the phone with your face. Like the other Samsung phones, the fingerprint sensor works. But it is not as fast or as accurate as others such as the ones on Huawei phones. At times, I need to swipe my finger at least 2-3 times to unlock the phone.

I have to share something I noticed though… It is the antenna design. When you are holding the phone in landscape to play some games (like Mobile Legends), your hands may end up covering part of the antenna. While I was upstairs (my wifi router downstairs), I noticed it could totally disconnect me from my wifi.  But, if the router is next to me (like 2m away), no issue. It could be due to frequency used or something, so, this can be an issue for some. I know I could not use wifi to play games on this phone while I was upstairs.

Got a Q? Ask and I can try to answer. Do note that I’ve returned the phone to my friend… So, any answers I have would be based on my experience and memory… 😊

Extra note: Phone RRP is rm1299 but you can get it for as low as RM1 with selected Digi plans. 

[#2]

Yeah, regarding that antenna design. It's probably a flaw for all phones with an all-metal back. 

Nowadays as more and more flagship phones sport wireless-charging, glass-backed phones are making a comeback. With a glass back, the antenna can be spread out in the entire back area and would not face signal interference issues like what you mentioned you were getting with that phone.

Just my 2 cents.