Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) vs. Galaxy A7 (2017): Is It Worth the Upgrade?

With the launch of the Galaxy A (2017) series, Samsung hopes to appeal to those who purchased any of the previous series' smartphones. The Galaxy A (2016) series was a decent family of mid-range Android handsets, but the new devices offer even more features for the same price.

First of all, all three Galaxy A (2017) phones come with IP68 certification, which means they feature dust and water resistance. This should make them stand out from other devices in the same price range, as not many mid-range smartphones are IP68-certified.

Samsung Galaxy A3, A5 and A7 (2017) will be available for purchase from early January in Europe, but their availability will expand globally in the coming weeks.

The most expensive of the three, the Galaxy A7 (2017), comes with the largest display, biggest battery, and the best cameras (front and back). But how does it fare against last year's Galaxy A7, which was launched with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop on board?

As far as the specs go, the Galaxy A7 (2017) is definitely a consistent improvement over the previous model. Even though we believe that it's everyone's call whether or not to upgrade to the new Galaxy A7 (2017), we are inclined to think that it's worth the upgrade.

A worthy improvement over the previous Galaxy A7 model, specs-wise

First of all, the smartphone ships with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, but it's safe to assume that Samsung will provide an Android 7.0 Nougat update in the coming months.

The new Galaxy A7 sports a slightly larger display when compared to the last year's model, and a bigger battery. It also comes with USB Type-C port instead of the old microUSB. A more powerful processor is packed under the hood, along with more storage.

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) boasts a 16-megapixel camera on the back and another 16-megapixel camera in the front, which are great improvements over the last year model that comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera and a secondary 5-megapixel selfie shooter.

The overall design has changed as well, as the Galaxy A7 (2017) comes with premium metal frame and 3D glass on the back. We've put both Galaxy A smartphones side by side, so take a look and judge for yourself.

Specifications table