Samsung Galaxy A8 Review

Although you could well argue that the Galaxy A8 is a slight step down from the S9, this is a marginally more affordable handset that provides outstanding value for your hard-earned cash. The phone also delivers in its own right too, without comparing it to alternative Samsung handsets. The incredibly vivid OLED display definitely catches the eye, for example, while the high quality build and outstanding levels of water resistance combines both form and function with ease.

You may think that Samsung will have found it hard to market its A8 handset, as even at the time of its release it paled in comparison to the S8 (and subsequently the S9). However, this handset still boasts a number of core features that make Samsung smartphones so sought after in the marketplace, while a refurbished Samsung A8's competitive price provides an entry level option for younger or less fortunate customers.

Bask in the glow of a Super AMOLED display

Samsung's display technology has broken new ground in the smartphone market, and while the A8 may not boast the Korean brand's most advanced specification in this respect it's undoubtedly bright and incredibly eye-catching. Make no mistake; this handset's vivid, Super AMOLED display produces a wall of colour and vividness that's beyond traditional LCD screens, while a resolution of 1080x2220 also creates significant clarity.

A better than average battery performance

The A8 features a modest 3,000mAh power pack, which is considerably smaller than the batteries featured in the S8 and S9. However, it still packs a better than expected punch, particularly when undertaking relatively mundane tasks such as answering emails.During such everyday use, the power pack will definitely last for a full day on a single charge, although you may need to provide an injection of power early in the evening when streaming content in optimal brightness settings.

A unique dual-lens front-facing camera

While the A8 only features a single 16MP camera lens on the rear, the front is home to dual 16MP and 8MP lenses that allow for incredibly dramatic portrait shots and selfies. The camera app also features the coveted 'Live Focus' mode, which enables you to blur the background in any shot and create far clearer images. This is ideal for selfie-lovers. Both front and rear cameras also work relatively well in variable light settings, while video recording also tops out at 1080p. While this may be a little less visually impressive than 4K, the footage produced is at least stabilised likely to be far less bumpy.

An avid streamer or gamer? The A8 has you Covered

If you're anything like us, you're just as likely to stream games and content through your smartphone as you are to call you mam. This has certainly influenced the design of the A8, which is great for both games and movies and provides a genuinely immersive visual experience. It certainly has impressive enough power and battery life, while the capacity for integrating up to 32GB of storage allows for a reasonable amount of game installs. While the speakers on the A8 are best described as passable rather than exceptional, we should note that the handset features a traditional headphone jack. This means that you can use your best earphones while streaming and gaming, creating an instantly superior audio experience!

Enough cores to power your smartphone experience?

The short answer to this question is 'yes', as in addition to 4GB of RAM (and the external storage mentioned above), the A8 is also powered by a mid-range Exynos 7885 octa-core chipset. This represents Samsung's best take on a value CPU, and one that offers relatively impressive performance at a competitive price. To this end, it features six standard, low-power 1.6GHz cores, which sit alongside two 2.2GHz Cortex-A73 alternatives that allow you to comfortably undertake heavier-duty tasks.

For those of you who care, the Exynos chipset also provides more power than comparative models like the Moto G6 Plus, and in this respect our refurbished handsets offer exceptional value for money.

Ultimately, Samsung's A8 is best described as an iconic, mid-range smartphone, and one that offers a surprisingly impressive array of features at a competitive price point.There's now doubt that this smartphone also represents the jewel in Samsung's A range, while it has set a new standard in the mid-range market and arguably reinvented the traditional feature phone industry. To see what a Samsung A8 can do for you, check out our refurbished deals today.

5 real-life highlights

1. The A8 is the jewel in Samsung's A series, which runs alongside the Galaxy S and provides similar functionality at more affordable prices
2. The A8 also harks back to Samsung's cutting-edge designs of old, with a colour-packed, Super AMOLED display great for streaming films
3. The impressive 3,000mAh power pack enables the handset to survive a day's moderate use on a single charge, while it also supports fast charging to minimise battery loss
4. Use a dual-lens front-facing camera to take excellent selfies, while leveraging the 16MP rear lens to snap crisp portrait shots in daylight
5. The A8 was also one of the very first devices to include the Game Launcher feature, enabling you to play without disturbance