Samsung starts official sales of Galaxy A8 in S. Korea

SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it released the mid-end Galaxy A8 smartphones in South Korea, which will gradually expand to other countries down the road, in a bid to diversify its handset portfolio.

The South Korean tech giant said the 5.6-inch Galaxy A8 is available through the country's three mobile carriers. The 6-inch Galaxy A8 Plus, on the other hand, will not be released in South Korea but will be introduced in several overseas markets, including Russia and Southeast Asia.

Samsung said the smartphone especially targets younger users, with improved selfie features.

The Galaxy A8 is the first Galaxy device to adopt a dual-lens camera on the front. The products will come with 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel cameras for selfies, along with a 16-megapixel camera on the back. The battery and data capacity stand at 3,000mAh and 32 gigabytes.

As with the latest mobile devices by the company, the Galaxy A8 will come with the mobile payment system Samsung Pay, along with its voice-recognition platform Bixby.

The devices are IP68 certified for resistance to both water and dust. It also connects to Samsung's virtual-reality headset. The smartphone will be released in black, gold, and blue with a price tag of 599,500 won (US$563), significantly lower than 935,000 won set for the 64GB Galaxy S8.

colin@yna.co.kr
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