The new tall screen aspect ratio is the first bridge between the Galaxy A and S lineups. For better or worse this screen ratio has become the hottest trend of 2017 and it's not going away. Naturally, Samsung has to cater to the users' demands and the S8's 18.5:9 Infinity AMOLED is now premiering on the Galaxy A8 (2018).
The resolution has been lowered to fit the A-series profile - there are 1,080 by 2,220 pixels on the A8's screen making for a flagship-grade 441ppi density. The image is sharp, there is no visible pixelization whatsoever, and the Diamond PenTile pattern of the matrix is invisible to the naked eye.
We expected the Galaxy A8 to post similar numbers in the tests as the most recent Samsung we've tested - the J7 Pro, and indeed it did. Maximum brightness in manual mode is reasonable at 390nits. In Auto mode, just like the J7 Pro, the A8 gets a healthy boost up to 590nits.
Display test
100% brightness
Black, cd/m2
White, cd/m2
Contrast ratio
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
0
390
∞
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) (Max Auto)
0
590
∞
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
0
425
∞
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) Max auto
0
533
∞
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
0
413
∞
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) max auto
0
559
∞
OnePlus 5T
0
437
∞
Oppo R11s
0
441
∞
Apple iPhone X
0
679
∞
Samsung Galaxy S8
0
440
∞
Samsung Galaxy S8 Max auto
0
618
∞
Just like any recent Samsung AMOLED, the one on the A8 scored an excellent mark in our sunlight legibility test. This makes the A8 (2018) one of those phones to bring at the beach, especially now that there is ingress protection.
Sunlight contrast ratio
Apple iPhone X 5.013
OnePlus 5T 4.789
Samsung Galaxy S8 4.768
Samsung Galaxy S8+ 4.658
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ 4.615
Motorola Moto Z2 Play 4.459
Oppo R11 4.454
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge 4.439
OnePlus 3 4.424
Samsung Galaxy S7 4.376
HTC One A9 4.274
Samsung Galaxy Note7 4.247
Samsung Galaxy A3 4.241
Nokia 8 4.239
Google Pixel 2 XL (pre-update) 4.234
OnePlus 3T 4.232
Google Pixel XL 4.164
ZTE Axon 7 4.154
Samsung Galaxy Note8 4.148
Meizu Pro 7 Plus 4.147
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge 4.124
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) 4.124
Huawei Mate 10 Pro (normal) 4.096
Samsung Galaxy Note5 4.09
Google Pixel 2 (pre-update) 4.023
LG V30 4.022
Huawei Nexus 6P 4.019
Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro 3.998
Vivo Xplay5 Elite 3.983
OnePlus X 3.983
Apple iPhone 7 3.964
Oppo R7s 3.964
Apple iPhone 8 (True Tone) 3.957
Huawei P9 Plus 3.956
Meizu Pro 6 Plus 3.935
Lenovo Moto Z 3.931
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) 3.918
OnePlus 5 3.914
Samsung Galaxy C5 3.911
Samsung Galaxy C7 3.896
Samsung Galaxy A5 3.895
Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor 3.879
Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor 3.873
Samsung Galaxy A8 3.859
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) 3.842
Sony Xperia XZs 3.818
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016) 3.817
Motorola Moto X (2014) 3.816
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) 3.812
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) 3.804
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode 3.802
Xiaomi Redmi Pro 3.798
LG V20 Max auto 3.798
Sony Xperia XZ 3.795
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) 3.789
Apple iPhone 6s 3.783
Meizu Pro 5 3.781
Microsoft Lumia 650 3.772
Xiaomi Mi 6 3.767
Sony Xperia XZ1 3.765
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) 3.756
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact 3.729
Apple iPhone 8 Plus (True Tone) 3.725
Oppo F1 Plus 3.709
Vivo X5Pro 3.706
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) 3.688
Apple iPhone SE 3.681
Huawei Mate 9 3.68
Samsung Galaxy A7 3.679
Meizu PRO 6 3.659
BlackBerry Priv 3.645
Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra 3.597
Apple iPhone 7 Plus 3.588
LG G6 3.556
Apple iPhone 6s Plus 3.53
Motorola Moto Z Play 3.526
Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode 3.523
Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) 3.523
Acer Jade Primo 3.521
Microsoft Lumia 950 3.512
Oppo R7 Plus 3.499
nubia Z11 3.466
Huawei P10 Plus 3.456
HTC U Ultra 3.453
Samsung Galaxy J7 3.422
Meizu MX5 3.416
LG V20 3.402
Huawei P10 3.379
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016) 3.378
Oppo R9s 3.352
Honor 8 Pro 3.341
Oppo R7 3.32
Lenovo P2 3.316
Archos Diamond Omega 3.305
Honor 9 3.289
Xiaomi Mi 5s 3.276
Nokia 5 3.261
Nokia 6 (Chinese version) 3.244
Nokia 6 (Global version) 3.238
Samsung Galaxy J2 3.235
Sony Xperia X Performance 3.234
Xiaomi Mi Note 2 3.228
Motorola Moto X Play 3.222
Oppo F3 Plus 3.218
Huawei Mate 9 Pro 3.206
Huawei P9 3.195
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 3.19
ZTE Nubia Z17 3.159
Oppo R11s 3.153
Lenovo Vibe Shot 3.113
HTC U11 Life 3.108
Motorola Moto X Force 3.105
LG Nexus 5X 3.092
HTC U11 3.089
Huawei Mate S 3.073
Microsoft Lumia 640 XL 3.065
Sony Xperia XA1 3.012
Sony Xperia L1 2.994
Sony Xperia X 2.989
LG Q6 2.987
Huawei P10 Lite 2.974
Samsung Galaxy Note 2.97
Sony Xperia Z1 2.95
Huawei Mate 8 2.949
Xiaomi Redmi 4 2.92
Xiaomi Redmi 3S 2.913
Sony Xperia XA Ultra 2.906
LG G5 2.905
HTC One S 2.901
Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime 2.893
Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus 2.884
Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB) 2.877
Sony Xperia XZ Premium 2.877
Sony Xperia Z5 2.876
Nokia 3 2.871
Microsoft Lumia 550 2.851
Lenovo Moto M 2.813
Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro 2.803
Sony Xperia Z5 compact 2.784
Nokia 2 2.752
Meizu MX6 2.751
LG V10 2.744
Huawei Mate 10 (normal) 2.742
Xiaomi Redmi 3 2.735
Huawei Honor 7X 2.734
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625) 2.714
Meizu M5 2.71
Sony Xperia M5 2.69
Xiaomi Mi A1 2.689
Huawei P9 Lite 2.679
Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime 2.679
vivo V7+ 2.671
Vivo V3Max 2.659
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2.658
Huawei Mate 10 Lite 2.654
Oppo F5 2.653
Doogee Mix 2.642
Xiaomi Mi 4i 2.641
Xiaomi Redmi 4a 2.635
Xiaomi Mi 5X (Standard) 2.616
Sony Xperia XA 2.609
Motorola Moto G4 Plus 2.582
Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto) 2.582
Meizu M5s 2.58
Xiaomi Mi 4c 2.574
LeEco Le Max 2 2.567
Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL 2.563
Microsoft Lumia 640 2.563
Xiaomi Mi Max 2 2.561
HTC U11+ 2.556
Lenovo Moto G4 2.544
Lenovo K6 Note 2.544
Oppo F1 2.528
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium 2.525
Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c 2.506
Sony Xperia M4 Aqua 2.503
Oppo F1s 2.481
Motorola Moto G 2.477
Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus 2.473
Huawei G8 2.471
Huawei nova 2.467
Sony Xperia Z 2.462
Lenovo Vibe K5 2.459
Meizu m3 max 2.447
Xiaomi Mi 5X (Auto) 2.417
HTC 10 evo 2.407
Huawei Honor 7 2.406
Vivo V7 2.404
Sony Xperia E5 2.386
ZUK Z1 by Lenovo 2.382
HTC 10 2.378
Oppo F3 2.376
vivo V5 Plus 2.371
Meizu m1 note 2.362
Huawei nova plus 2.329
Razer Phone 2.328
HTC One E9+ 2.305
Alcatel One Touch Hero 2.272
Apple iPhone 4S 2.269
Lenovo Vibe K4 Note 2.254
Sony Xperia C5 Ultra 2.253
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek) 2.249
Sony Xperia C4 Dual 2.235
Xiaomi Mi Note 2.234
Motorola Moto G (2014) 2.233
LG Nexus 5 2.228
Huawei P8 2.196
Meizu M5 Note 2.189
Huawei Honor 6 2.169
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 2.166
OnePlus Two 2.165
HTC One X 2.158
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20) 2.145
LG Aka 2.145
Archos 50 Diamond 2.134
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2.119
Xiaomi Mi 4S 2.095
Acer Liquid X2 2.084
Huawei P8lite 2.078
vivo V5 2.059
Moto G 3rd gen max manual 2.026
Xiaomi Mi 3 2.001
Xiaomi Mi Max 1.996
Sony Xperia E4g 1.972
OnePlus One 1.961
Meizu m3 note 1.923
BlackBerry Leap 1.892
Meizu m2 note 1.892
HTC Butterfly 1.873
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact 1.772
ZTE Nubia Z9 mini 1.759
Sony Xperia U 1.758
Asus Zenfone Selfie 1.68
Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen) 1.675
ZTE Nubia Z9 1.659
Jolla Jolla 1.605
Motorola Moto E 1.545
Sony Xperia M 1.473
Sony Xperia L 1.351
HTC Desire C 1.3
Meizu MX 1.221
Sony Xperia E 1.215
Finally, there is one more display test to be aced. Samsung has been a master in color accuracy for quite some time, offering three different and very accurate color profiles (avg deltaE < 2, max deltaE < 4) - sRGB (AMOLED Basic), Adobe RGB (AMOLED Photo), DCI-P3 (AMOLED Cinema). There is also the default Adaptive mode, which has the widest color gamut, and it is calibrated for popping (vivid) colors (avg deltaE of 6.1).
So, the Galaxy A8 (2018) not only comes with an immersive and high-res AMOLED screen, but its panel is nothing short of class-leading.
Battery life
There's a 3,000mAh battery inside the Galaxy A8 (2018), which should be enough for some good power autonomy enhanced by the efficient AMOLED and the 14nm chipset. There is fast charging supported which should fill about 40% of a depleted battery in half an hour.
In our testing, the Galaxy A8 (2018) clocked in 17 hours looping videos and around eleven and a half hours when browsing the web over Wi-Fi. In voice calls, it is close to a full day. Frugal standby consumption helped achieve an overall Endurance rating of 92 hours. The Always-On Display was turned off by default and we kept it this way for our standby test. Keeping it on will noticeably diminish the endurance rating.
Our endurance rating denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Audio output is nicely clean
The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) performed nicely in the first part of our audio quality test. When working with an active external amplifier it produced perfectly clean output and matched that with nicely high volume.
Headphones introduced very little stereo crosstalk so the Galaxy A8 (2018) is much better in that aspect than most of the phones out there. They did bring some intermodulation distortion (which you don't hear easily anyway) and dropped the loudness to just above average, but the rest of the output was unaffected. Overall this is some of the cleanest headphones output we’ve seen on any phone lately.
Test
Frequency response
Noise level
Dynamic range
THD
IMD + Noise
Stereo crosstalk
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
+0.01, -0.03
-92.1
92.2
0.0038
0.0085
-90.0
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) (headphones)
+0.30, -0.07
-91.7
91.8
0.022
0.206
-72.4
Samsung Galaxy S8+
+0.01, -0.03
-92.1
92.1
0.0020
0.0086
-92.5
Samsung Galaxy S8+ (headphones)
+0.03, -0.03
-92.5
92.5
0.0024
0.046
-77.3
Oppo R11s
+0.02, -0.02
-93.4
93.2
0.0025
0.012
-90.8
Oppo R11s (headphones)
+0.20, -0.37
-93.4
93.0
0.015
0.320
-55.7
OnePlus 5T
+0.01, -0.03
-94.0
94.0
0.0018
0.011
-93.7
OnePlus 5T (headphones)
+0.15, -0.09
-94.3
94.3
0.0071
0.135
-60.1
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
+0.02, -0.02
-94.3
94.3
0.0038
0.0072
-93.5
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 (headphones)
+0.31, -0.01
-93.3
93.3
0.016
0.243
-63.8
LG V30
+0.02, -0.01
-93.2
93.1
0.0008
0.0069
-94.2
LG V30 (headphones)
+0.03, -0.02
-92.9
92.9
0.0057
0.051
-68.1
HTC U11
+0.05, -0.11
-94.1
94.1
0.0017
0.0067
-94.5
HTC U11 (headphones)
+0.05, -0.02
-93.7
93.8
0.0018
0.105
-53.7
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Loudspeaker
The Galaxy A8 (2018) has a single speaker at its disposal. It is positioned on the right frame above the power button, which, while a little unorthodox, should protect it from accidental muffling in most situations. It is also quite loud, scored a "Very Good" mark in our test, and subjectively - it has a rich and deep sound output.
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