The Samsung Galaxy A3 has made an appearance at the FCC for certification under the model number SM-A300H/DS, which suggests that an official announcement is on the way.
After years of building its smartphones exclusively out of plastic, Samsung has finally received the memo that some consumers prefer a more premium build in their handsets, like the metal-clad offerings from Apple and HTC. Samsung hasn't taken the full-metal jacket approach like its rivals, instead it has decided to use a metal frame in addition to plastic on both the just-released Galaxy Note 4 and the AT&T-exclusive Galaxy Alpha.
The Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Alpha use a very similar design to Apple's previous flagship iPhone 5s, complete with chamfered edges on the smartphone's metal frame. While the Note 4 and Galaxy Alpha carry flagship smartphone pricing, Samsung is already planning to offer the same premium design on a new series of midrange handsets.
We first reported on the Samsung Galaxy A series in August, which will consist of three midrange smartphones with affordable pricing; Galaxy A3, Galaxy A5, and Galaxy A7. Press renders of the Galaxy A5 leaked in early October and we could be close to an official Galaxy A series announcement, as the Galaxy A3 has passed through the FCC for certification.
The Galaxy A3 is listed by its model number of SM-A300H/DS in the FCC documents and its lack of 4G LTE connectivity highlights that this is an entry-level smartphone. The Galaxy A3 is expected to feature a 4.8-inch qHD display with a resolution of 960 x 540 and will be powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor and have 1 GB of RAM. The handset will ship with Android 4.4.4 KitKat, Samsung TouchWiz UI, and include 8 GB of internal storage.
The Samsung Galaxy A3's camera capabilities will consist of an 8-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat and selfies. The FCC listing also indicates the smartphone will pack dual SIM slots.
As always, once we hear any new information regarding the Samsung Galaxy A series, we'll report back.
