Samsung Galaxy A8 release date: Smartphone rolls out in China

Samsung Galaxy A8Samsung website

Samsung has quietly launched a new smartphone in China this week. 

The Korea-based company has been known to come out with premiere, top-of-the-line flagship products, most recently in its Galaxy S series. Early this year saw Samsung fans lining up to check out and get Samsung's finest smartphones to date, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. In addition, fans are also already speculating on future Samsung flagships, particularly the upcoming Galaxy Note 5, which is speculated to come out much sooner than expected. 

However, there are other products in Samsung's lineups that are also targeted for those who are looking into a combination of premium looks and mid-range specs, such as the Galaxy A series. 

Just this week, Samsung has quietly launched the newest product in the Galaxy A lineup, the A8. The newest Samsung smartphone is touted as the company's thinnest phone to date, measuring only 5.9 mm thick, at least 85 percent thinner than Samsung's own Galaxy S6. Although the slim, all-metal phone is currently not the slimmest phone, it still contends with other, pricier flagships such as the iPhone 6. 

Under the hood, the new Galaxy A8 is a mid-ranged smartphone that offers good performance. It is powered by a Snapdragon 615 processor with 2 GB RAM, and has a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display. It has both 16-GB and 32-GB expandable storage versions. Being a recent addition, the smartphone runs on Android 5.1 right out of the box. 

Two of the most notable among the features of the A8 are its power and camera. According to its specs sheet, the Galaxy A8 runs on a 3050 mAh battery, and sports a 16 MP main shooter and 5 MP front camera.

No details are available yet on the price of the Galaxy A8. However, BBC reports that the Galaxy A8 will first come out in China and Singapore, and will not be available in the U.K.