Can't afford an S5? Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 are on sale in the UK from February

Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 to go on sale in the UK from February
The Galaxy A5 in all its glory

Samsung tends to focus on its gangbuster high-end phones, but the somewhat-affordable Samsung Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A3 Androids will go on sale in the UK in a matter of weeks.

Having been announced back in October 2014, the Galaxy A5 and A3 will finally be available in the UK from 12 February.

Samsung says the phones will be widely available from retailers including O2, EE and Carphone Warehouse.

While the pricing details for these particular outlets haven't yet been published we already know roughly how much you'll have to spend for a Galaxy A3 or Galaxy A5.

Both phones can currently be pre-ordered from Expansys, with the Galaxy A3 listed at £240 SIM-free, while the 5-inch Galaxy A5 costs £310. That should mean they'll be free on mid-level contracts around the £20-25 a month mark.

A-game

These are lower-end and mid-range phones given a hint of high-end flavour thanks to Samsung design tweaks.

Both phones use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410, similar in power to the Snapdragon 400 used by the Motorola Moto G.

The band of metal around the outside of these phones is designed to somewhat justify the extra cost, which should give them a more expensive feel than other mid-range mobiles.

Samsung's Mobile Marketing Director Ines van Gennip says the A series is intended to offer "premium looking, great quality smartphones with useful features at an achievable price point."

The primary difference between the two phones is that while the Galaxy A3 has a 960 x 540 pixel 4.5-inch Super AMOLED screen, the Galaxy A5 has a larger, sharper 720p 5-inch one.

Andrew Williams

Andrew is a freelance journalist and has been writing and editing for some of the UK's top tech and lifestyle publications including TrustedReviews, Stuff, T3, TechRadar, Lifehacker and others.

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