Samsung announces its slimmest smartphones yet

Samsung vowed to introduce more desirable phones when it revealed its disappointing Q3 2014 earnings yesterday, and it has wasted no time doing so after announcing the Galaxy A5 and the Galaxy A3 — two metallic devices that it calls its “slimmest smartphones to date.” The Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A3 both dispense with the Korean company’s tradition of using plastic bodies. They are 6.7mm and 6.9mm thin respectively, and both come with a five-megapixel front-facing camera. 

A unibody metal body, 5-inch AMOLED display, 13-megapixel camera, a claim as Samsung’s “thinnest smartphone to date” and yet, this isn’t a flagship smartphone. Especially for Halloween – or not related at all – the Galaxy A5 and A3 yet more smartphones from Samsung, measuring at 6.7mm and 6.9mm thickness. (So, er, just as thin as the Galaxy Alpha?) They may not be close to the thinnest smartphone but with a metallic body, it’s still quite an interesting proposition. They’re both apparently geared at the youth, with Samsung’s own press release praising its social network skills (extending to a GIF maker and 4G connectivity…) and the five-megapixel front-facing camera, because selfies, but given the notion of a metal-framed Galaxy phone, other crankier demographics might also be tempted.