Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) review: a compelling package
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) release date and price
The Galaxy A5 price is around US$399, or 425 euros in Europe (as of January 20), so it sits in quite an affordable price bracket. In terms of its features and size, the Galaxy A5 (2016) is comparable to the likes of the Honor 7 (around US$369) and the Nexus 5X (about US$379). Its a little more expensive than those devices, but not overly expensive by any stretch.
The 32 GB Samsung Galaxy S6, however, now costs only around US$450. Its still Samsung’s main flagship, and superior to Galaxy A5 (2016) in many areas, but only costs minimally more, and it is precisely this minimal difference that could have a negative impact on the sales of the Galaxy A5.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) design and build quality
The design of the two new A models is very similar. Both the Galaxy A5 (2016) and the A3 (2016) have the same quality appearance and stylish metal frame as the Galaxy S6. If just look at only the front and rear of the A5, you might think you actually had an S6 in your hand.
But look closely, and you’ll notice that the glass on the A5 has a rounded 2.5D edge design, which merges the glass and metal frame almost seamlessly.
After several days of testing, the Galaxy A5 impressed me. The 155 g, 5.2-inch smartphone always felt secure in my hand and the metal frame hasnt started to show any scratches. The Galaxy A5 (2016) feels robust, with Gorilla Glass 4 on the front and back.
The aluminum standby and volume buttons on the side feel nice to the touch and are easy to reach. Its definitely possible to use it one-handed.
In short, the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) is easy to hold and use and just feels like a quality piece of hardware. The fact that the camera protrudes is a slight annoyance, but you could live with it. The Galaxy A5 (2016) is currently available in black, gold and white.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) display
The Galaxy A5 (2016) comes with a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display, which offers a Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution and rich, deep colors. Its contrast range is good too.
While the display’s richness benefits gaming, it also means that regular apps look impressive. Texts can also be read easily, thanks to the high contrast it offers.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) software
Samsung has finally started to heed the "less is more" motto. It has purified its software, and the A5 comes with significantly fewer pre-installed apps than some of its other devices. This is a good thing, and right from the start, youll find the apps that are there add real value to the software experience.
Included are the usual suspects Google, including Maps, YouTube and Google Drive, as well as a good selection of apps from Microsoft, including Excel, Word and Skype.
We were sent a German test model (SM-A510F) running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop (build LMY47X). Like the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016), TouchWiz is the software interface.
The Touchwiz interface is unquestionably a matter of taste. It has some advantages over stock Android, and can be individually adapted.
Theres nothing in the way of special features. The Galaxy A5 (2016) does not offer anything that you wont find on another current smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) performance
The processor of the Galaxy A5 (2016) is an old acquaintance, as found in the Galaxy View tablet and Galaxy Tab S2. Its a 1.6 GHz clocked octa-core Exynos 7580, receiving support from 2 GB RAM and 16 GB of internal memory, which can be expanded via microSD card. The Samsung Galaxy S6 famously does not have a microSD slot.
I performed a range of benchmark tests on the Galaxy A5 (2016), and it ended up mostly in the midfield. In the AnTuTu benchmark (v6.0.1) the Galaxy A5 (2016) scored 40,931, which is almost on par with the Nexus 5X and slightly behind the Honor 7 (around 45,000 points). It doesn’t stand out from the competition, and doesn’t come close to the current top smartphones.
But – and this is probably the deciding factor – no annoying delays or slowdowns were apparent when I was browsing and opening a succession of apps. Even graphically elaborate games ran smoothly across the screen.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) audio
The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) has a mono speaker on the bottom. It plays music well (especially classical) but not brilliantly. The sound is better when listening with headphones.
Also included is a headset that has a button for answer/end call, play/pause and a volume rocker. There’s a software equalizer for the music app that can be found in settings in the Audio options. Here you can improve the sound experience with headphones through the options SoundAlive and tube amplifiers.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) camera
The camera of the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) is nearly identical to that of the Galaxy A3. Thus, the main camera also has 13 MP in 4:9 format with a f/1.9 aperture. The front camera packs a 5 MP sensor with a f/1.9 aperture. In contrast to the A3, the A5 has an optical image stabilizer, which helps avoid blurry images.
In dark interiors, it’s hard to get good snapshots from the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016). Only in bright light will you get nice photos and selfies, so this isnt a suitable phone for photography enthusiasts.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) battery
At 2,900 mAh, the battery of the Galaxy A5 (2016) is 600 mAh larger than its predecessors. The battery can be fully juiced up in about an hour, thanks to the fast-charging feature.
The battery itself can run for quite some time, even under intensive use. In tests, I surfed the internet quite heavily and called up several apps, viewed more than an hour of video and played eight video games.
The integrated energy-saving mode also ensures that you can determine which apps are running in standby. This can save a significant amount of battery.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) technical specifications
Best Android apps of 2016 27 apps you must try
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Best Android apps of 2016: 27 apps you must try
Best weather app for Android
There are plenty of weather apps available that are more accurate and better looking than the ones that come pre-installed on your Android device.
MORECAST is our current favorite weather app here at AndroidPIT because it has one of the best-looking interfaces, with a clear and sensible layout. Its also one of the most advanced apps of its kind, featuring such options as side-by-side weather comparisons for two cities, and accurate weather information for a particular route or journey. MORECAST is the right way to make a smartphone weather app, and best of all, its free.
- Best Weather apps for Android
- Best offline GPS apps for Android
Best launcher app for Android
Launchers offer a simple way to customize the look and feel of your Android phone. They often combine new icons, a new app drawer layout, a new homescreen and new wallpaper to make your device fit a certain style or theme.
You have to try them out to appreciate how fun they can be and the one we recommend right now is Action Launcher 3. This is an excellent introduction to launchers because it provides clear and intuitive interface changes without adding so many that it becomes off-putting.
With Action Launcher 3 you can perform simple tweaks such as changing the app drawer layout, changing app icons, and even altering the way you use your homescreen folders. It offers genuinely useful interface improvements and its free; download it from the link below.
- Best apps for rooting Android
Best fitness and lifestyle app for Android
Whether you want to lose a few extra pounds or just improve your energy levels, the 7 Minute Workout app is a great entry point into Android-assisted health and fitness.
The 7 Minute Workout focuses on a short, high-intensity routine, which is scientifically proven to aid weight loss and improve cardiovascular function. For people who find the idea of picking up a gym membership or going cross-country running intimidating, this app provides the perfect jumping off point, thanks to the brevity of its workouts.
Unlike many Android fitness apps, the 7 Minute workout doesnt ask for your height and weight or track your overall progress, but what it lacks in features, it makes up for in simplicity. You just look over the exercises, hit the start button and away you go. Begin your healthier lifestyle today with the free 7 Minute Workout app.
- Best Android health and fitness apps
Best security/antivirus app
Android security is a contentious subject and arguments about the safety of the system crop up frequently. If you are in the market for an antivirus app, our current favorite is Mobile Security & Antivirus from Avast.
Mobile Security & Antivirus keeps you safe from malware threats with its excellent virus detection software, which can search through your browser history, microSD card, and internal storage space. Whats more, it employs anti-theft features such as location tracking and remote data wipe, which work even if your device is not currently in your possession.
As far as free mobile security is concerned, Avasts app is about as comprehensive as it gets.
- Best apps for monitoring system performance on your Android device
- Best Antivirus and mobile security apps
Best Android browser app
As a Google product, Chrome is the perfect browser for Android and, since it comes pre-installed on most phones, it’s something that most people are familiar with. Chrome Beta is our current best Android browser app because it’s just the, ahem, better version of the browser we already love.
Chrome beta is Chrome of the future, it’s what the standard Chrome app will become once Google applies the latest changes, fixes and improvements it is working on. Chrome beta users get to experience these things before the masses.
The price paid for quicker access to new features is that, of course, sometimes there are bugs or issues that need to be ironed out. None of these will cause any damage to your phone or its software however, and these browser crashes and stutters very rare.
- Best Android browsers
Best Android podcast app
Podcast Addict is a beautiful app because it piles an excellent free service on top of free service — that is, listening to awesome podcasts. Podcast Addict itself is a free download and it lets you search for, download and listen to podcasts (with its integrated audio player), as well as create playlists of the upcoming shows you want to tune in to.
Whats more, it houses a neat "trending" search feature so you can see what else is currently popular in the podcast world, providing a simple entry point for newcomers. While its not always the easiest to navigate, it does everything a good Podcast app should do and it does it well.
Best Android keyboard app
This keyboard is one of the best for fast, accurate typing and it’s our new company favorite. Many of us have adopted Fleksy because it’s big, it’s clever and once you use it for a couple of hours, you realize how useful some of the smaller details are.
For example, most keyboards use a "press and hold delete key" gesture to delete words, Fleksy uses a super-quick backward swipe. Be sure check out some of the extensions like invisible keyboard too — it works surprisingly well. Download it from the Play Store for free now.
- Best Android keyboard apps
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5 Best and Widely Used Internet browsers 2016
| 0 comments |Labels: 2016, 5, and, best, Best Android Apps, browsers, internet, used, widely
To begin with, whats a web browser?
An Internet browser is a computer software application, programmed to interact with the webspace for the purpose of presenting and retrieving data.
The first web browser was designed in 1990 by W3 CEO Sir Tim Berners Lee. Since then there have been tons of web browser invented across several platforms and operating systems.
However, there are a couple of things you should watch out for as you choose your favorite web browser;
* Navigable and simple user-interface
* Security
* Speed
* Fluidness
* Enhanced flexible features
Most times your choice of web browser boils down to the hardware specification of your device, If you install a high-performance web browser like Mozilla or Chrome on a low RAM device, it can make your device go haywire.
Devices with modern processors and RAMS performs better with these top browsers.
However, here is a list of the top 10 web browsers widely used by internet users across multiple types of devices.
1. Google Chrome
Developer: Google
Active Installs: 39% of internet users (800 million)
Global Acceptability: 80%
Performance Ratings: 95%
Cost: free
Extra Features: Extension, chrome apps
2. Mozilla
Developer: Mozilla foundation corporation
Framework: Gecko layout engine
Active Installs: 30% Internet Users (680 million)
Global Acceptability:
Performance Ratings:
Cost:
Extra features: Robust Add-ons and Extension apps
3. Internet Explorer
Developer: Microsoft Corporation
Active Installs: 65% Internet Users (1.7 Billion)
Global Acceptability: 97%
Performance Ratings: 70%
Cost: free
Extra features: Tool bars
4. Safari
Developer: Apple
Active Installs: 12%
Global Acceptability: 40%
Performance Ratings: 80%
Cost: Free
Extra features:------
5. Opera
Developer: Opera software corporations
Active Installs: 80% (50 million)
Global Acceptability:70%
Performance Ratings: 65%
Cost: Free
Extra features:-----
Another internet web browser worth mentioning is the new browser from Microsoft- Edge. Microsoft as an hardware manufacturer of PCs and computer devices usually preinstall internet browsers on all of their Windows operating system.
The company now shift to using Edge as the new official internet browsers pre-installed on newly manufactured PCs.
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11 Laptops with the longest battery life per charge cycle 2016
| 0 comments |Labels: 11, 2016, battery, Best Android Apps, charge, cycle, laptops, life, longest, per, the, with
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| 11 Laptops with the longest battery life per charge cycle |
Were now in a 24/7 society where our scope of work and functions mare expanding everyday and most of this functions and activities are computer-inclined, there are times we go to meetings, debriefings, events and we forget our power cable as we hurriedly catch up to time.
In such scenario we need a laptop with reliable power backup independent of any alternative power source.
Amazingly, weve hand-picked 10 specification-rich laptops with the longest battery life per charge cycle. We were able to come up with these 10 by using the Laptop mag battery test. Each of these laptops was discovered to last longer than 10 hours on a single battery charge cycle.
Laptops with the longest battery life per charge cycle.
1. Lenovo ThinkPad X250
Uptime: 15 hours 20 minutes
Price range: $700 to 800
2. Lenovo Thinkpad T450S
Uptime: 15 hours 26 minutes
Price range: $800 to 900
3. Acer Aspire One Cloudbook
Uptime:14 hours 43 minutes
Price range: $200 to 300
4. Toshiba Portege Z20t
Uptime:14 hours 39 minutes
Price range: $1000 to 1150
5. Apple MacBook Air 13 inch
Uptime: 14 hours
Price range: $ $900 to 1000
6. Dell ChromeBook 13 inches
Uptime: 13 hours 25 minutes
Price range: $450 to 600
7. Microsoft Surface Book
Uptime: 12 hours 30 minutes
Price range: $1500 to 1700
8. ASUS X205
Uptime: 12 hours 5 minutes
Price:$230 to 260
9. Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch with Retina Display
Uptime: 12 hours 4 minutes
Peice range: $1300 to 1500
10. Dell XPS 13
Uptime: 11 hours and 54 minutes
Price range: $800 to 900
11. Lenovo 100s ChromeBook
Uptime: 11hours 19 minutes
Price range: $200 to $250
source: Laptop Mag
source: Laptop Mag
We hope you find this post on 11 laptops with the most durable battery life useful as you prepare to buy your next gadget.
Tell us about the battery up-time of your laptop using the comment section.
10 simple steps to Hard Reset iPhone 5 without password 2016
| 0 comments |Labels: 10, 2016, 5, Best Android Apps, hard, iphone, password, reset, simple, steps, to, without
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