Samsung will launch the Galaxy A8/A8+ in Malaysia next week

Samsung‘s off to a sexy start in 2018 with the launch of a pair of brand new premium mid-range handsets that have a lot of things in common with the company’s flagships, and even improves on some of their weaknesses. They’re called the Samsung Galaxy A8 and A8+ (so it’s more in line with their Galaxy S lineup) and we finally have a launch date for them here in Malaysia.

Hint: It’s next week.

Samsung will be launching their brand new dynamic duo in Malaysia on the 17th of January 2018 but beyond that, details regarding price and availability remain scarce. Considering this is the mid-range market that Samsung is tackling, price will likely be a big deciding factor for consumers.

If we’re looking at Vietnam, Samsung’s Galaxy A8 and A8+ launched there with prices that hover around the RM2,000 to RM2,400 mark which is a worrying trend. For that kind of money, you are entering the value flagship zone where heavyweights like Xiaomi’s Mi 6, Huawei’s Mate 10 and the OnePlus 5T reign.

Nevertheless, Samsung’s Galaxy A8 and A8+ do have their strengths. Ecosystem exclusives like Samsung Pay and Gear VR support, for example, are things you can’t get with other handsets. Pair that with stunning build quality, IP68 dust & water resistance, plus gorgeous Infinity Super AMOLED 18.5:9 Full HD+ displays (5.6″ on the A8 and 6″ on the A8+), and you have a pretty deadly combination.

While they both have a 16MP f/1.7 aperture camera at the back, the real interesting news is in front where a pair of selfie shooters live. There’s a 16MP f/1.9 aperture main camera and an 8MP f/1.9 aperture secondary shooter in front, both of which work in tandem to give you great selfies. It also enables Live Focus (Samsung’s Portrait Mode) so you can take unique looking selfies with simulated shallow depth of field.

The biggest difference between the two smartphones are in its specs. Although both have the same Exynos 7885 octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz, the A8 comes packing 4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of internal storage while the A8+ has 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The A8 also has a smaller 3,000 mAh battery compared to the A8+’s 3,500 mAh cell. That said, they are both fast-charging enabled and charge via a USB Type C port.

For more details, you can check out the reveal here. If you want to know what we think of the Galaxy A8, check out our detailed hands-on and first impressions too.

Stay tuned for the official price reveal next week. In the meantime, I’d like to hear your thoughts on what you think the price will be. Let me know in the comments below!