Samsung Galaxy A08 4G Is Finally Here, and It’s Mostly Familiar
Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy A08, and if you were expecting a major upgrade over the A07, there isn't one. The display, processor, and cameras remain largely unchanged, but Samsung has made three notable changes: a 6,000mAh battery, IP64 protection, and longer software support.
The Core Changes at a Glance
The display of the A08 is exactly the same as that on the A07; we get the same 6.7 inches, 90Hz IPS LCD panel with 720p resolution; also, the performance is still the same. Samsung still uses the MediaTek Helio G99 (6nm); it seems Samsung has a lot of stock of this chip because it is the same chip that was in the Galaxy A16, A17, A07, and now the A08.
The camera is also exactly the same, with a 50MP main and an 8MP ultrawide, and records 1080p videos.
The A08, however, comes with Android 17 out of the box, with One UI 9 skinned on top of it, and Samsung is giving the A08 six years of software support, so one more year than the A07, which, in my opinion, is not a major breaking factor.
However, I noticed that the storage has been trimmed down this time around, and especially the RAM, compared to last year on the A07, where we had RAM configs up to 8GB. This time around, the RAM on the A08 is only up to 4GB, which is out of this world, but we can blame this on the RAM apocalypse that is hitting every device manufacturer right now.
What worries me the most is whether the hardware will be able to keep up with six years of software updates, especially the RAM, but I think that, along the way, the bigger question is whether 4GB of RAM will remain comfortable several years from now as Android and One UI become more demanding.
Daily Practicality: What the 6,000 mAh Battery and IP64 Rating Mean
Perhaps the biggest upgrade on the A08 is its huge 6,000 mAh battery, up from the 5,000 mAh on the A07. This huge battery will be particularly helpful for Kenyans who use smartphones for the whole day, especially boda boda riders, cab-hailing drivers, and field workers, and it should last them the whole day, depending on usage, given the lower-resolution display and the efficient chipset.
The bigger battery bumps up the weight from 184g on the A07 to now 197g on the A08, and the thickness also slightly increased from 7.6mm thick to 8 mm thick.
The battery is paired with a 25W fast charger, with no charger inside the box; however, given that this time we have a bigger battery, the phone should take slightly longer to fully juice it up. I noticed something very strange: the A08 doesn’t come with a cable inside the box.
I was watching an unboxing video of the A08 by a YouTuber called izzieboye, and while unboxing, he was surprised that there was no cable inside the box. I hope this was a review unit and that the actual phones will have a cable inside the box. Have a look:
The A08 has an IP 64 rating, up from an IP54 rating against dust tightness and water splashes, which again will come in handy in Kenya because the rainy season is already upon us.
Software Longevity: One UI 9 and Extended Updates
As usual, we get six major OS upgrades, which no other manufacturer offers for their budget, which is good for those who keep their phones around for a long time. However, there isn’t a huge difference from the A07, which has 5 years left, which is quite a lot.
Pricing Context: What Should You Pay in Kenya?
The phone hasn’t been launched in Kenya as of publishing this article, but we expect the Samsung Galaxy A08 to start at around KES 15,000 - KES 19,000, depending on the storage configuration
The A07 is currently selling at KES 16,500 for the 4GB RAM, 64GB; 4GB RAM 128GB goes for KES 20,000, and the 6GB RAM 128GB goes for KES 21,500.
Since there is no 8GB RAM config, the A07 with 8GB of RAM would be the better bet if you plan to multitask, and the only thing that would justify paying for the A08 would be the battery only; it's quite a huge bump.
Given how phones are getting expensive globally and especially here in Kenya, if battery isn't a big concern, I would go for the A07 with the highest RAM config, and also you should look out for offers from third-party retailers who are doing a clearance sale of the A07.
The Final Verdict: Upgrade, Buy New, or Wait?
If you have the A07 in Kenya, I don’t see the need to upgrade to the A08 because the differences are just very minimal, apart from the bigger battery, which, if you use your phone a lot, you should definitely pick the A08.
If you are coming from the Galaxy A04, A05, or worn-out budget phones, then you can consider the A08 for its modern durability and longer software support.
On the other hand, if you are strict on budget, check out the Galaxy A07, especially the 6GB and 8GB RAM versions, because the A08 might miss out on both of these RAM configurations.
