Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) review

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) is not a successor to a particular A-series phone. It's more of a trimmed Galaxy S8 version for the masses with matching design, screen, and the current number 8. Or so Samsung would have us believe.

Indeed, Samsung is changing its naming convention once again. While before the number denoted the physical size of the phone in the midrange class, now it has come to show the generation it comes in and we're up to gen8 if the S and Note series serve as any guidance.
That's not to say that the Galaxy A8 (2018) doesn't have a predecessor - it's the Galaxy A5 (2017). And the new phone is an upgrade in almost all respects except perhaps for the main camera.

Visually, the A8 is indeed closer to the S8. The similarly shaped and sized curved glass-sandwich design, the tall AMOLED screen, and the fingerprint on the back are some of the features which show the close relation between the Galaxy A8 and the S8. There is even a notable selfie upgrade - the A8 now comes with a dual-camera at the front with a variety of effects, including portrait photos with defocused background.

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) specs:

• Body: Aluminum frame, glass front and back; IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
• Display: 5.6" Super AMOLED display, FullHD+ 2,220x1,080 resolution Infinity display (18.5:9 aspect ratio), 441ppi pixel density; Always On Display.
• Rear camera: 16MP, f/1.7 aperture. Phase detection autofocus. 1080p/30fps video recording.
• Front cameras: Primary: 16MP, f/1.9 aperture. Secondary: 8MP, f/1.9 aperture. Fixed focus. Selective focus (portrait mode). 1080p/30fps video recording.
• OS/Software: Android 7.1.1 Nougat; Samsung Experience 8.5 custom overlay.
• Chipset: Exynos 7885: octa-core CPU (2x2.2GHz Cortex-A73 + 6x1.6GHz Cortex-A53), Mali-G71 GPU.
• Memory: 4GB of RAM; 32/64GB storage; dedicated microSD slot for expansion.
• Battery: 3,000 mAh Li-Po (sealed); fast charging.
• Connectivity: Dual SIM; LTE Cat. 11 (600Mbps download); USB-C (v2.0); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; GPS, GLONASS, Beidou; NFC, MST; Bluetooth 5.
• Misc: Rear-mounted fingerprint reader (centered, hurrah!); single speaker on the side; 3.5mm jack; Samsung Pay support; Gear VR support.