Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsWorks just as expected and like a charm.
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2018
I ordered this phone (the Galaxy A5 2017 version) because I needed the dual SIM card capability that was described in the literature that I had read on the internet. I also liked that it had the capability of memory expansion should the 32 Gigabytes that come with the phone be insufficient. The package arrived from the seller before the date that was promised (hence the 5 star rating for the seller, Integron Technologies). It arrived just as described and with instructions to return if it wasn't what I had ordered. The box was sealed and everything inside was brand new.
My previous phone was the Galaxy S3, so jumping from the S3 phone to the A5 was a significant (and very pleasant) leap for me. As I read the small "Quick Start" pamphlet that came with the phone, I was dismayed to discover that the second SIM card could not be used in conjunction with the micro SIM memory card that I had purchased for my Galaxy S3 years ago. However, after opening the slot for the second SIM card, there was a cutout for each - the second SIM card AND the memory card, which I thought was odd. Why would Samsung make the two slots available if they couldn't be used simultaneously? So, I decided to take a chance. What harm could possibly come if I inserted them both at the same time? By the way...there was no problem with the slot for SIM card number one, which is located in a different area of the phone.
After inserting the two SIM cards and AND the memory card, I charged the battery to 100%. When I turned on the phone, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was prompted to configure the phone (mostly apps) to my liking. It also recognized the dual SIM cards AND the memory card. So, the literature that comes with the phone is wrong. It does accept both SIM cards AND the memory card. I was prompted to accept the change to place all photos to be stored to the memory card rather than store them inside the phone's memory, which I accepted. After going through all the configuration steps, the phone was ready to use. And wow! What a difference between my S3 and the A5! Lightning fast, better organization of the apps and settings should something need to be changed later! You name it - night and day on improvements between these two phones.
As of today, Feb 22, 2018, I have no complaints, though I have only had the phone for about 3 days, which I admit, is way too early to give it a five star rating based on performance. But, nevertheless, I'm going to give it the 5 stars because thus far, it has exceeded my expectations in every way.
I read some comments when I did my research about the power adapter and the fact that it doesn't work with CDMA carriers like Sprint. All I can say is please read all the information that you can obtain about this product and compare it with other phones before purchasing, because both of these issues ARE mentioned in the literature. Be informed before buying - not only this product, but any product that you might buy on the Internet in the future. The power adapter is for Britain, but it came with a USA adapter.
I suppose if I am going to say anything negative about the phone at all, it's the fact that the plug hole to charge the phone is for a "C" type USB rather than the micro type. But that is okay because the phone also came with an adapter to go from "C" type to micro. I'm not sure if my previous comment is correct because I am not very tech savvy about the names of these different plugs. But it is a very minor issue, so no need to worry about it.
This particular Galaxy A5 that I bought is truly a factory unlocked phone. There are different unlocked versions of this phone - one for the Americas and the Caribbean and one for Europe. Make sure you know the differences between them. Of course, there is also the locked version for USA carriers.
About the SIM cards: The SIM card that I bought from Lycamobile (with my area code by the way) works like a charm. Also, I travel to Ukraine about twice a year, so the SIM card that I bought in Ukraine also works like a charm. Please be careful which company you use to buy your SIM card from. It's my understanding that some companies use VOIP phone numbers, which don't always work and which require frequent resetting by calling the company (from a different phone) and having them reset your SIM card. This happened to me with iRoam on more than one occasion. It finally got so bad that I just gave up and never used my iRoam SIM card here in the States or abroad. I discovered that the phone number that was given to me (a Pennsylvania area code - I live in a different state) was a VOIP phone when I tried to use it as a second line of defense with Yahoo in case I forgot my Yahoo password. Yahoo said it didn't accept VOIP phones. (I think it was Yahoo, but it could have been some other program).
I am extremely pleased with Lycamobile, which I found by chance while walking through the Miami Airport last summer. They even gave me a phone number with my area code. So, SIM card buyer beware!
I Hope this review helps you in your decision making about which phone to buy. Good luck!