Jan 03, 2017 08:00 AM EST By Aldous Calubad, UniversityHerald Reporter

For the first time in the A series, the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 is IP68 water and dust resistant which means it can last submerged in 1.5 meters of water up to half an hour. It may not be their flagship model since the Samsung Galaxy S8 is scheduled to come out later this year but Samsung has opted to start 2017 with the launch of the Galaxy A series. 

The Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 supports an external microSD card that contains up to 256GB which is good for saving a lot of content without worrying about running out of space, according to Mirror. It can be bought in four colors: Black Sky, Blue Mist, Peach Cloud and Gold Sand. It also runs on a 1.6GHz octa core processor.

According to Wired, the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 has a 13MP back camera and an 8 MP front camera. It also promotes security with its handsets sporting fingerprint scanners, USB Type-C charging and NFC (near field communication). It also has an improved battery life with a 2350mAh battery with a 4.7-inch screen.

The Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 is perfect for selfie lovers because users can capture photos using the front camera by tapping anywhere on the screen. If you are in low-light conditions, the display can be used as a front facing flash.

The Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 will be available for pre-order starting January 20 in the UK with a schedule of an early February release date. Anybody who decided to pre-order this smartphone will also get a complimentary pair of Samsung LEVEL Active Wireless Headphones. The exact price of the mobile phone has not been released yet but it is not expected to be much since it is deemed as their budget phone.

Check out this video featuring a sneak peek of the budget smartphone Samsung Galaxy A3 2017:

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