Samsung unveils Galaxy A8, its slimmest phone

Samsung has launched the new Galaxy A8, the slimmest phone in the South Korean giant's impressive lineup.

The Galaxy A8 is only 5.9 mm thick, beating the Apple iPhone 6's 6.99 mm and Samsung's own Galaxy S6, which comes in at 7.1mm.

Samsung's latest release is currently available for purchase only in China. It is not known if the handset will be available in other countries. At 3,199 Yuan (£330), it is priced on the higher side, given its modest specs.

The ultra-slim Galaxy A8 offers style but falls in the "pure mid-range" category with respect to technical specs. It features a 5.7in OLED display, runs Google's more recent Android 5.1 (Lollipop) operating system and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Soc that incorporates two quad-core Cortex-A53 CPUs clocked at 1.5 GHz and 1.0 GHz.

The phone has a 16 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front camera. With 2 GB RAM onboard, the Galaxy A8 comes in 16 GB and 32 GB variants. Users can also use an external MicroSD card to expand internal storage. It has two SIM-card slots.

In terms of connectivity, the Galaxy A8 is LTE-compatible along with HSPA, GSM, Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi and microUSB. The phone has a fixed 3,050 mAh Lithium-Ion battery.

With these technical specs built into an extremely-thin metal body, it remains to be seen if the Galaxy A8 can avoid so-called "bendgate" issues.

In April, tests carried out by a US-based extended warranty service provider revealed that Samsung's Galaxy S6 bent at the same pressure point as that in Apple's iPhone 6 Plus, raising concerns about carrying the phone in trouser pockets.

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