Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 vs A8+ Specs Comparison, Prices in the Philippines

On January 18, 2018, Korean tech giant Samsung will be announcing two new high-end Android smartphones with a cool selfie-centric feature.

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 and Samsung Galaxy A8+ are - almost needless to say - part of the company's A-Series Galaxy line, which is positioned in between the budget-friendly J-Series and the flagship-level S-Series.

As such, the new A8 2018 and A8+ give us a hint of what the could enjoy on the more expensive Galaxy S8 and S8+ but - at the same time - they have more affordable price tags, perfect for mid-level consumers.

Although these two don't have a Curved Quad HD display and a powerhouse Exynos 8895 Octa chipset that are found on the S-Series, they are nonetheless IP68 Certified Dust and Water Resistant just like their more expensive siblings.

But, for me, what's really interesting about the Galaxy A8 2018 and A8+ is they're the first handsets from Samsung to have a Dual Front-Facing Camera module.

The 16 MegaPixel f/1.9 + 8 MegaPixel f/1.9 combo not only lets the user take better selfies and wefies even in low-light but also makes Live Focus possible when snapping self-portraits, delivering a beautifully blurred background to make you - the subject - pop out more in every shot.

Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 and A8+ share largely the same design language and set of technical specifications. What makes them different, though, is that A8+ has a larger display and battery pack, and also has more RAM and onboard storage.

Here's a side-by-side specs comparison table that I made for you to see their similarities and differences easier and more clearly:

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specifications Table
Specs	Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)	Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus
Dimensions	149.2 x 70.6 x 8.4 mm	159.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm
Weight	172 grams	191 grams
Display	5.6-inch FullHD+ 1080 x 2220 pixels, 441 ppi density, 18.5:9 Aspect Ratio, SuperAMOLED	6-inch FullHD+ 1080 x 2220 pixels, 411 ppi density, 18.5:9 Aspect Ratio, SuperAMOLED
Screen to Body Ratio	75.6%	75.5%
Screen Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass (To Be Specified)	Corning Gorilla Glass (To Be Specified)
Front Selfie Camera	Dual Front Camera: (16 MP Fixed Focus, f/1.9 + 8 MP Fixed Focus, f/1.9)	Dual Front Camera: (16 MP Fixed Focus, f/1.9 + 8 MP Fixed Focus, f/1.9)
Rear Camera	16 MegaPixels, f/1.7 Aperture, Phase Detection AutoFocus, LED Flash	16 MegaPixels, f/1.7 Aperture, Phase Detection AutoFocus, LED Flash
Video Recorder	Full HD 30fps Front and Back	Full HD 30fps Front and Back
User Interface	Samsung Experience	Samsung Experience
Operating System	Android 7.1.1 Nougat	Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Chipset	Exynos 7885 Octa = (2 x 2.2 GHz ARM Cortex A73) + (6 x 1.6 GHz ARM Cortex-A53)	Exynos 7885 Octa = (2 x 2.2 GHz ARM Cortex A73) + (6 x 1.6 GHz ARM Cortex-A53)
GPU	Mali-G71	Mali-G71
RAM	4GB	6GB
ROM	32GB	64GB
microSD Card Slot	Yes, Hybrid Secondary nanoSIM Slot	Yes, Hybrid Secondary nanoSIM Slot
Battery	Non-Removable 3,000 mAh Li-Ion with Fast Charging Support	Non-Removable 3,500 mAh Li-Ion with Fast Charging Support
WiFi	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
4G LTE	LTE-A (3CA) Cat11	LTE-A (3CA) Cat11
Dual SIM Capability	Yes, 2X nanoSIM Slots	Yes, 2X nanoSIM Slots
Gyroscope	Yes	Yes
Fingerprint Scanner	Yes, Back	Yes, Back
Facial Recognition	Yes	Yes
Protection Against The Elements	IP68 Certified Dust and Water Resistant	IP68 Certified Dust and Water Resistant
Unique Selling Point	Dual Front-Facing Camera for Bokeh Effect on Selfies	Dual Front-Facing Camera for Bokeh Effect on Selfies Larger Display vs A8 2018, More RAM and ROM
Colors	Blue, Gold, Black, Orchid Gray	Blue, Gold, Black, Orchid Gray
Build	Glass-Metal-Glass	Glass-Metal-Glass
Availability	January 18, 2018 - Announcement in the Philippines	January 18, 2018 - Announcement in the Philippines
Price	Official SRP in the Philippines: Php 26,990 500 Euros in Other Territories	Official SRP in the Philippines: Php 32,990 600 Euros in Other Territories

Donning an SRP of Php 26,990 and Php 32,990 respectively, the Galaxy S8 2018 and Galaxy S8+ are frankly nearly as expensive as the current S-Series models. And or me, this puts them in a rather challenging position -- especially with the imminent announcement of the company's 2018 flagship smartphone, which many are already calling the 'Samsung Galaxy S9'.

That said, I'd still like to see how Samsung Philippines will meet this challenge to make these models more enticing to Filipinos; Should be a good case study for marketing students and enthusiasts.