Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) vs Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018): Does more sensors mean more power?

Samsung is best known for introducing new features to their smartphones before most other smartphone manufacturers. Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) and the Galaxy A9 (2018) are known for their triple and quadruple camera setups on the back. However, are the camera sensors the only thing that differentiates them? Let's find out.

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) vs Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018): Design

Samsung Galaxy A7 sports a 6-inch display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, while the bigger Galaxy A9 sports a 6.3-inch, 18.5:9 aspect ratio display. Both the devices look quite similar from the front, while the rear of the smartphone is differentiated by the addition of an extra rear camera sensor along with the fingerprint sensor at the back of the Galaxy A9 and on the side on the Galaxy A7. The back of Galaxy A9 is made out of glass, instead, of polycarbonate like on the Galaxy A7. Also, Samsung's Galaxy A9 sports a dedicated Bixby button, which is not present on the Galaxy A7.

Overall, design-wise both smartphones are almost similar. The major design differences are the position of the fingerprint sensor and the number of camera sensors. The Galaxy A9 feels a little heavy, but that's due to the bigger screen size and a glass back.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) vs OnePlus 6T: Which one of these should you buy?

Galaxy A7 (2018) vs Galaxy A9 (2018): Software

Both the Samsung Galaxy A9 and the Galaxy A7 run the same software. Android 8.0 Oreo with the company's Experience UI 9.0 skin on top. However, both the devices will be getting the One UI update in April, bringing in Android 9.0 Pie and Samsung's new design language.

Due to the smartphones sporting exactly the same software, there is nothing left to compare on this aspect. You can read more about the software in our reviews.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) Review: Great cameras, good performance and average battery

Samsung Galaxy A7 vs Samsung Galaxy A9: Performance

Performance is one of the major concerns for any smartphone. Samsung Galaxy A7 is powered by an Exynos 7885 processor coupled with a Mali G71 GPU and 4/6GB of RAM. Our unit came with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The Galaxy A9 is powered by a Snapdragon 660 coupled with an Adreno 512 and 6/8GB of RAM. Our unit came with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage.

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While the Exynos processor is made by Samsung themselves, the Snapdragon processor on the Galaxy A9 is made by Qualcomm. We ran out usual AnTuTu 7 benchmark and GeekBench 4 and here are the results.

The results show us that the Galaxy A9 pulls ahead, but by just a small margin. That margin will not be easily noticeable in everyday usage. If raw performance is your only concern, the Galaxy A7 will do just fine.

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) vs Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018): Camera

Camera performance is something that people care a lot about these days. Samsung was clearly aiming at making great camera phones with these by including the three and four rear sensors respectively.

The Galaxy A7 sports a 24-megapixel, f/1.7 aperture main sensor with PDAF along with an 8-megapixel, f/2.2 aperture depth sensor and a 5-megapixel third sensor. For selfies, it packs a 24-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. The Galaxy A9 packs the same sensors, with the inclusion of a 10-megapixel, 2x zoom lens at the rear.

While comparing the rear sensors, the Galaxy A9 has more detail, however, under low light conditions, the Galaxy A7 takes the lead. The 2x zoom of the Galaxy A9 is very good, while the wide-angle performs exactly the same in both the smartphones.

The front camera is exactly the same on both the devices and produces indistinguishable images.

Overall, except for the inclusion of the 2x Zoom lens in the Galaxy A9, the camera on both the smartphones are almost identical in performance. This is due to them sporting the same sensors. The better detail of the Galaxy A9 is due to an extra sensor at work, however, it is not that easily noticeable. So considering only the camera perspective, if you don't really want the 2x Zoom lens, the Galaxy A7 will be a better option due to it having a much lower price.

Galaxy A7 vs Galaxy A9: Battery

Samsung Galaxy A7 sports a 3,300mAh battery while the Galaxy A9 sports a much bigger 3,800mAh battery. In our daily usage, the bigger battery of the A9 showed its effect and the inclusion of the USB-C port in the A9 along with Samsung's Adaptive Fast Charging was a cherry on the top. Charging speed of the A7 is way less than its bigger brother. That surely gives Galaxy A9 a big margin over Galaxy A7.

Also Read: How to install One UI Beta on Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) vs Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018): Conclusion

Samsung Galaxy A7 starts at Rs 18,990 for the 4GB RAM variant while the Galaxy A9 starts at Rs 33,990 for the 6GB RAM variant. For the raw system performance and the camera performance of the smartphones, the Galaxy A9 doesn't deserve the Rs 15,000 price bump. Sure the 2x Zoom lens, USB-Type C, bigger battery with faster charging, NFC and glass back are great additions but I personally don't feel that all these things demand such a high price bump. So unless you have to have those additions, you should go for the Samsung Galaxy A7.