Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy A-series are going through a bit of an identity crisis with J-style metal replacing the glass in the lower end of the lineup. But we already knew that - we had the A6 (2018) in for review just last month. Now it's the plus's turn - the Galaxy A6+ (2018) brings more than just a bigger display.
Well, for one, it's also higher-res - 1080p vs. the non-plus's 720p, and it's one of those Samsung-style 1080p's with an 18.5:9 aspect. Super AMOLED, naturally, and notchelss too - yay!
There's also a secondary camera on the back - a 5MP depth-sensing module is there to assist the main 16MP shooter (shared between this year's As) in taking blurred background portraits. Meanwhile, a 50% bump in pixel count sees the A6+ sporting a 24MP front facing camera - all of a sudden the 16MP selfies of the A6 don't look that impressive.
With a larger display comes the need for a higher battery capacity and the plus delivers - 3,500mAh sounds plenty. Couple that with an efficient, if not too brawny, 14nm Snapdragon 450 chipset and we could be looking at some pretty great endurance.
The Galaxy A6+ (2018) ticks some other important checkboxes too - there's a dedicated microSD slot on top of the twin nano SIM bay, a fingerprint reader on the back ensures some security, and a 3.5mm jack means you can connect your choice of headphones. And use them as the antenna for the FM radio, because there's a receiver for that, too.
Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018) specs
- Body: Aluminum back; 160.2 x 75.7 x 7.9mm, 186g; Black, Gold, Blue and Lavender color schemes (market dependent);
- Display: 6.0" Super AMOLED, FullHD+ 2,220x1,080px resolution Infinity display (18.5:9 aspect ratio), 411ppi pixel density.
- Rear camera: Primary 16MP, f/1.7 aperture; phase detection autofocus. Secondary 5MP, f/1.9 aperture, fixed focus, depth detection only. LED flash. 1080p/30fps video recording.
- Front camera: 24MP, f/1.9 aperture; fixed focus; LED flash. 1080p/30fps video recording.
- OS/Software: Android 8.0 Oreo; Samsung Experience 9.0 custom overlay.
- Chipset: Snapdragon 450: octa-core 1.8GHz Cortex-A53 CPU, Adreno 506 GPU.
- Memory: 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage (our review unit) or 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage; dedicated microSD slot for expansion.
- Battery: 3,500 mAh Li-Po (sealed).
- Connectivity: Dual SIM; LTE Cat. 6 (300Mbps download); microUSB port; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n; GPS, GLONASS, Beidou; NFC; Bluetooth 4.2; FM radio.
- Misc: Rear-mounted fingerprint reader; single speaker on the side; 3.5mm jack.
A few niceties we were used to seeing in the A-series remain exclusive to the A8 (2018) and A8+ (2018) - the IP68 rating, for example. The higher-end models also come with two front-facing cameras, but then the A6+ (2018) beats each of them 2 to 1 in rear camera count. The A8s do feature more powerful Exynos 7885 chips, USB-C ports, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5 - but you'll be paying for those.
The thing is, though, the Galaxy A6+ (2018) isn't exactly super affordable itself, yet Samsung didn't feel the need to at least fit a USB-C port - not cool! Anyway, let's have a look at the J-series design of the Galaxy A6+ (2018) on the next page.
Design and 360-degree spin
The Galaxy A6+ (2018) is mostly a scaled up A6 (2018) with a dual camera and rounded display corners. Or a Galaxy A8+ (2018) with a dual camera and a metal unibody. In its essence, it's another melange of designs we're familiar with, which is hardly surprising.
It could very well be the same panel found on the A8+ (2018) - size and resolution check out, and the rounded corners point in that direction too. The A6 (2016)'s display corners are sharp and, superficial as it may be, rounded corners do have a more contemporary and premium look.
There's one thing missing in the Galaxy A6+ (2018)'s forehead that you'd find on the A8+ (2018) and that's a secondary front camera. But, seriously - how important is that? There is just the one selfie cam and it's a 24MP unit - effectively as many pixels as on the A8's two modules combined. Of course, that's not how it works, but still...
Unlike the eights, the sixes feature a front-facing flash instead of the extra camera - trade-offs everywhere. The earpiece isn't going anywhere and there's also the usual assembly of proximity and ambient light sensors. There's nothing below the screen - that is, nothing immediately usable on the surface.
In the hand • Super AMOLED with rounded corners • Top-bezel stuff + flash
Over on the back, it's the unmistakeable J-series antenna bands from last year's J5 and J7 - making it to the A6 (2018) and A6+ (2018). It's also the J-series satin-finished aluminum unibody. A6+, you say?
Samsung adopted rear fingeprint sensors when the tall screen craze picked up speed, even if it did get off to a rocky start with the off-axis position on them S8s. The reader on the Galaxy A6+ (2018) is very much along the central axis in a common (from a design perspective) assembly with the two cameras. Why, oh, why, the primary cam is the bottom one, next to the sensor, where you can get the lens all smudged up, is beyond us.
Moving on, let's call Samsung out once again for not fitting a USB-C port on the A6+ (2018) - it's one of the more pointless manifestations of market segmentation and we can't imagine the licensing fees are exorbitant. On a positive note, there's a headphone jack. The pinhole next to it is the microphone.
Samsung came up with a seemingly odd, but ultimately reasonable right-side placement of the loudspeaker for its midrange models and the A6+ (2018) is precisely one of them. It ensures you'd be getting a more even output when using the phone in landscape. It's no stereo speakers, but it's something The power button is below it.
The two discrete volume buttons are high on the left side, while the lower half houses a couple of card slots. The two trays take a total of three cards - two nano SIMs and a microSD. Dedicated memory slots FTW!
microUSB spoils it for us • Loudspeaker on the right, next to the power button • All the card trays
The Galaxy A6+ (2018) measures 160.2x75.7x7.9mm - virtually identical to the A8+ (2018)'s 159.9 x 75.7 x 8.3mm. A Huawei P20 lite is more compact at 148.6x71.2x7.4mm, but its already nominally smaller display has some more of it eaten up by a notch. The Moto G6 Plus with its notchless 5.9-inch screen measures 160x75.5x8.0mm. Point is - the Galaxy A6+ (2018) is just as big as its display size would suggest.
The handset is a bit on the heavy side, though - our kitchen scale showed 186g. The glass-backed A8+ is even heavier (191g), but the Moto G6 Plus is noticeably lighter at 167g, while the P20 lite is lite indeed - only 145g.
There can be excellent displays in the midrange too
One area where the Galaxy A6+ (2018) is more A than J is the display - a gorgeous 6-inch Super AMOLED. It's in an 18.5:9 aspect, the way Samsung likes to do them, with a 2,220x1,080px resolution and a 411ppi density. Rounded corners - check, notch - no, thanks.
We measured a maximum brightness of 568nits on the A6+ (2018) when in auto mode and 387nits when adjusting it manually - both significantly better than what we saw on the A6 (2018), and more in line with the A8 (2018). In fact, save for the Moto G6 Plus, even phones with LCDs (typically brighter than AMOLEDs) can't match the A6+ (2018)'s peak brightness.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0 | 390 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 590 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 336 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 482 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 387 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 568 | ∞ | |
| 0.27 | 482 | 1785 | |
| 0.254 | 432 | 1701 | |
| 0.228 | 446 | 1956 | |
| 0.28 | 530 | 1893 | |
| 0.401 | 532 | 1327 | |
| 0.418 | 610 | 1459 | |
| 0.564 | 776 | 1376 | |
| 0 | 444 | ∞ | |
In our sunlight legibility test, the A6+ (2018) proved superior to the non-plus with a contrast reading similar to the one we got from the A8 (2018). It's a very good result, though the Moto G6 Plus matches it despite having an LCD - so a very good LCD it must be. The P20 lite isn't on the same level in this respect.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Apple iPhone X
5.013 - OnePlus 5T
4.789 - Samsung Galaxy S8
4.768 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
4.658 - Samsung Galaxy S9
4.63 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
4.537 - Motorola Moto Z2 Play
4.459 - Oppo R11
4.454 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - OnePlus 6
4.321 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Oppo R15 Pro
4.251 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Nokia 8
4.239 - Google Pixel 2 XL (pre-update)
4.234 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy Note8
4.148 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
4.147 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - Huawei Mate 10 Pro (normal)
4.096 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei P20 Pro
4.087 - Xiaomi Mi 8
4.086 - Meizu 15
4.082 - Nokia 6 (2018)
4.052 - Google Pixel 2 (pre-update)
4.023 - LG V30
4.022 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - vivo NEX S
4.012 - Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
3.998 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - LG G7 ThinQ (outdoor)
3.978 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Apple iPhone 8 (True Tone)
3.957 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - OnePlus 5
3.914 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
3.865 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
3.842 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
3.834 - Sony Xperia XZs
3.818 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)
3.812 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3.767 - Sony Xperia XZ1
3.765 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Nokia 8 Sirocco
3.745 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
3.729 - Apple iPhone 8 Plus (True Tone)
3.725 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Huawei P20
3.683 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
3.675 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
3.597 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Sony Xperia XZ2
3.58 - LG G6
3.556 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - Nokia 7 plus
3.479 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Huawei P10 Plus
3.456 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Motorola Moto G6
3.448 - Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra
3.445 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
3.419 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
3.397 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
3.393 - LG G7 ThinQ
3.39 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
3.378 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Honor 8 Pro
3.341 - Oppo F7
3.333 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Archos Diamond Omega
3.305 - Honor 9
3.289 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Nokia 5
3.261 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
3.244 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
3.238 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Oppo F3 Plus
3.218 - BlackBerry KEY2
3.212 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
3.19 - ZTE Nubia Z17
3.159 - Oppo R11s
3.153 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - HTC U11 Life
3.108 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - HTC U11
3.089 - HTC U12+
3.085 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
3.077 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Apple iPhone 6 Plus
3.023 - Asus Zenfone 4 ZE554KL
3.019 - Motorola Moto X4
3.012 - Sony Xperia XA1
3.012 - Sony Xperia L1
2.994 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - LG Q6
2.987 - Huawei P10 Lite
2.974 - Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97 - Huawei P20 Lite
2.952 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
2.951 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Sony Xperia XA2
2.938 - Oppo Realme 1
2.932 - Xiaomi Redmi 4
2.92 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
2.913 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - Huawei Honor View 10
2.896 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
2.877 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)
2.877 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Nokia 3
2.871 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Honor 10 (Vivid)
2.757 - Nokia 2
2.752 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Huawei Mate 10 (normal)
2.742 - Motorola Moto G5S Plus
2.737 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Huawei Honor 7X
2.734 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Xiaomi Mi A1
2.689 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - vivo V7+
2.671 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
2.654 - Oppo F5
2.653 - Doogee Mix
2.642 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Xiaomi Redmi 4a
2.635 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Standard)
2.616 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Meizu M5s
2.58 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Huawei P Smart
2.563 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Xiaomi Mi Max 2
2.561 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A (Y1)
2.556 - HTC U11+
2.556 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - BlackBerry Motion
2.494 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Huawei nova
2.467 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Meizu m3 max
2.447 - Xiaomi Mi 4
2.424 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Auto)
2.417 - HTC 10 evo
2.407 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - Vivo V7
2.404 - Sony Xperia E5
2.386 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - HTC 10
2.378 - Oppo F3
2.376 - vivo V5 Plus
2.371 - Meizu m1 note
2.362 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - Razer Phone
2.328 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Sony Xperia L2
2.266 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - HTC U11+ (EU)
2.253 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - LG Nexus 5
2.228 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Meizu M5 Note
2.189 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
2.145 - LG Aka
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Xiaomi Mi 4S
2.095 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - vivo V5
2.059 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual
2.026 - Xiaomi Mi 3
2.001 - Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996 - Sony Xperia E4g
1.972 - OnePlus One
1.961 - Sony Xperia Z2
1.944 - Meizu m3 note
1.923 - Meizu m2 note
1.892 - BlackBerry Leap
1.892 - HTC Butterfly
1.873 - ZTE Nubia Z9 mini
1.759 - Sony Xperia U
1.758 - Asus Zenfone Selfie
1.68 - Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)
1.675 - ZTE Nubia Z9
1.659 - Jolla Jolla
1.605 - Motorola Moto E
1.545 - Sony Xperia M
1.473 - Sony Xperia L
1.351 - Xiaomi Redmi 2
1.311 - HTC Desire C
1.3 - Nokia X
1.291 - Meizu MX
1.221 - Sony Xperia E
1.215
As usual, the Galaxy A6+ (2018) comes with the Adaptive display mode enabled out of the box. Compared against an sRGB target, we measured an average DeltaE of 5.8 and a maximum of 13.8 for 100% red. It's not the Adaptive mode you should be comparing to sRGB, but Basic mode instead - it yields an excellent average DeltaE of 1.7. AMOLED cinema and AMOLED photo are both super accurate to their respective P3 and AdobeRGB target color spaces, producing an average DeltaE of 1.8 and 1.9.
Loudspeaker
The Galaxy A6+ (2018), as a lot of recent mid-tier Galaxies, has a single side-mounted speaker. That position pretty much guarantees you won't be muffling it in any orientation, plus it means you'd be getting a top-firing speaker when holding it in landscape (or bottom, it's up to you) - arguably better that having sound play to one side only.
Additionally, the speaker pumps out a lot of decibels, enough to rank in the Excellent group in our test, just like its little non-plus brother. Both are louder than the more premium A8 (2018), so there's also that.
Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018) battery life
A plus in the name implies more than just a bigger display - we've come to expect some extra battery capacity too. Such is the case with the Galaxy A6+ (2018), which packs 500mAh more than the non-plus for a total of 3,500mAh. The Huawei P20 lite (no plus in the name) only comes with a 3,000mAh power pack, while the Moto G6 Plus is in between with 3,200mAh.
Well, not only does the Galaxy have one of the bigger batteries in its class, but it's also frugal in the way it uses it. In our testing, it managed to loop our test video for more than 17 hours and last twice that in 3G voice calls. Browsing the web over Wi-Fi is a less impressive, but still excellent 12 hours plus (A6+ and all). These numbers, along with the minimal standby draw, result in an overall Endurance rating of 106 hours - awesome!
Our endurance rating denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018) for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
It's worth mentioning that for all its endurance, the A6+ (2018) isn't particularly quick to charge. We didn't have the full retail package, so we couldn't test with the 5V/1.55A charger Samsung bundles with its midrangers. We did have a QC3.0 one to try out and a full charge from flat took a little over two-and-a-half hours, while 30 minutes into it, the battery indicator read 21%. You should expect slower charging with the adapter that comes in the box.
Audio quality
The Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018) delivered flawless clarity and above average loudness when it was hooked up to an active external amplifier, rounding up a very solid performance.
The headphones dropped the loudness to average and introduced a moderate amount of stereo crosstalk and intermodulation distortion. It’s not the most inspiring set of results we’ve seen, but it will work just fine for the majority of people.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.07, -0.03 | -89.7 | 89.9 | 0.0060 | 0.201 | -91.7 | |
| +0.22, -0.21 | -91.6 | 91.0 | 0.016 | 0.305 | -56.2 | |
| +0.01, -0.10 | -92.5 | 92.7 | 0.0019 | 0.0077 | -91.2 | |
| +0.50, -0.20 | -91.4 | 91.8 | 0.0079 | 0.402 | -51.5 | |
| +0.17, -0.03 | -92.0 | 92.1 | 0.0023 | 0.092 | -52.8 | |
| +0.02, -0.31 | -38.8 | 81.7 | 0.0013 | 4.690 | -95.9 | |
| +0.25, -0.23 | -93.3 | 90.4 | 0.0045 | 0.227 | -53.9 |
Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018) frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Software
The Galaxy A6+ (2018), much like the non-plus, boots Android 8.0 out of the box with Samsung's latest Experience 9.0 on top. It's the same launcher you'd find on the Galaxy S9+ flagship, with some of the features missing, of course.
AOD isn't one of them - the A6 (2018) omitted that, but the plus has it. You get a host of different layouts and clock options, plus the choice to keep it on all the time or only according to a schedule.
The fingerprint sensor is always on, no schedule needed, and it's reasonably quick to unlock. The setup is lengthier than most other devices, but that's how Samsung typically does it to ensure you'd be able to unlock at different angles and with a larger area of your finger - always a good thing.
Fingerprint enrollment • Lockscreen • Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer
Nothing has really changed on the lockscreen, homescreen, or the notification shade. The task switcher (now with optional list view) is the place where you can initiate multi-window or pop-up apps - Samsung's really unmatched in the versatility of its multi-tasking implementation. Even the App pair feature from the S9 is here.
Notifications • Quick toggles • Task switcher • List view • Multi-window
Just like other Galaxies, the A6+ (2018) supports themes, and there's a ton available in the store. Secure folder is also present on the A6, and it's where you can keep files, memos and apps away from prying eyes. Then there's Game launcher to keep your games in one place and in-play Game tools to disable notifications and the nav bar as well take screenshots or record gameplay.
Theme store • Secure folder • Game launcher
Samsung is using its own Gallery app where the Pictures pane is a timeline of photos and screenshots, while Albums has them sorted by origin instead. Stories is Samsung's take on shareable collaborative albums, which we'd be surprised if anyone uses. There's a powerful editor on board for when you're away from a PC.
Google Play Music is the default player for you tunes, not Samsung's own Music. The sound settings are proprietary though, with either a simple two dial adjustment or a proper 9-band equalizer at your disposal. Especially useful is the Adapt Sound feature which tunes the EQÂ to your hearing and your particular pair of ears and headphones by playing multiple frequencies and asking how well you hear them. An FM radio receiver is also available.
Gallery • Photo Editor Pro • Google Play Music • Sound settings • FM radio
Synthetic benchmarks
Unlike the Galaxy A6 (2018) and its Exynos 7870, the A6+ (2018) is powered by a Qualcomm chipset - the Snapdragon 450. It's made on a 14nm process too, and has an octa-core CPU, but the Cortex-A53s are ticking at 1.8GHz as opposed to 1.6GHz on the A6. The GPU is also different Adreno 506 vs. the rather modest Mali-T830 MP1. There are two versions of the A6+ (2018) when it comes to RAM - we have the 3GB one, but there's also a 4GB trim level.
There's not much to split the two in CPU performance as indicated by the similar numbers in both single-core and multi-core GeekBench - 0.2GHz isn't all that much between essentially the same cores. The P20 lite has half its cores at 2.36GHz and pumps out better single-core results, but takes a step back in multi-core. The Moto G6 Play is here to show how much inferior the Snapdragon 430 is. Meanwhile, the assorted Snapdragon 600-series devices all show a significant advantage over the S450 Galaxy A6+ (2018).
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Honor 10
1894 - Nokia 7 plus
1634 - Meizu 15
1620 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
1532 - Oppo F7
1531 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
1327 - Huawei P20 Lite
938 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
882 - Nokia 6 (2018)
882 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
874 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
848 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
766 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
755 - Motorola Moto G6
754 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
733 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
639
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Honor 10
6591 - Oppo F7
5901 - Nokia 7 plus
5893 - Meizu 15
5877 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
4696 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
4418 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
4313 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
4309 - Nokia 6 (2018)
4225 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
4160 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
4018 - Motorola Moto G6
3972 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
3905 - Huawei P20 Lite
3756 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
3718 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
2328
In the graphics benchmarks, the A6+ (2018)'s GPU does prove more powerful than the A6's - in a way. In the offscreen test which is done at 1080p on all devices, the plus delivers almost twice the frame rate. The thing is though, its 1080p display means it's still an fps behind its little 720p brother in the onscreen test. Again, the Galaxy A6+ (2018) is towards the bottom of the chart, with higher-grade Snapdragons packing more powerful GPUs.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Honor 10
37 - Nokia 7 plus
15 - Meizu 15
15 - Oppo F7
12 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
9.9 - Nokia 6 (2018)
9.9 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
9.8 - Motorola Moto G6
9.3 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
6.5 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
6.4 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
6.1 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
6 - Huawei P20 Lite
5.1 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
4.6 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
3.2
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Honor 10
37 - Meizu 15
15 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
14 - Nokia 7 plus
14 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
13 - Oppo F7
11 - Nokia 6 (2018)
10 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
10 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
9.3 - Motorola Moto G6
8.8 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
8.7 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
6.7 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
6.2 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
5.6 - Huawei P20 Lite
4.9
The results in Antutu aren't overly exciting either. The A6+ (2018) does pull ahead of the A6 (2016) and the Moto G6 Play and closely matches the Moto G6 (Snapdragon 450 in it too), but the rest of the bunch are way out of reach.
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Honor 10
200440 - Nokia 7 plus
140820 - Oppo F7
139414 - Meizu 15
125444 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
107737 - Nokia 6 (2018)
90918 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
90263 - Huawei P20 Lite
87431 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
77488 - Motorola Moto G6
70845 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
69899 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
63632 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
58757
Overall, the Galaxy A6+ (2018)'s performance isn't spectacular and that was to be expected from the Snapdragon 450 chip - it's more about efficiency than oomph. You can get better performance from pretty much any device in the Galaxy's price range, though we didn't find it to be particularly underpowered in actual use.
The usual 16MP A-series camera, plus an extra 5MP one
The Galaxy A6+ (2018) comes with the same 16MP camera as the A6 (2018) and the A8 (2018), but adds an extra 5MP module for depth sensing. The primary cam's lens has an f/1.7 aperture and a 26mm equivalent focal length, and relies on phase detection for autofocus. There's no OIS. The lens on the secondary cam has a fixed focus and an f/1.9 aperture.
Just because the Samsung Experience version on the A6+ (2018) matches the one on the flagship S9, doesn't mean the camera app does - in fact, the A6 (2018) didn't have the latest version app, either. No worries, it's still functional and intuitive. Up/down swipes switch between front and rear cameras, swiping in from the left brings out the available modes, settings are accessed from the cog wheel icon up top.
Bixby vision (who even uses it) and stickers aside, there's also a Live focus mode on the Galaxy A6+ (2018) - or portrait mode, as others like to call it. After all, that's the only reason the 5MP module exists on the phone's back.
There's also a Pro mode, but there's hardly anything pro about it - you can only choose ISO (in the 100-800 range), exposure compensation (-2/+2EV in 0.1EV steps), and white balance (presets, but no light temperature).
Camera interface
Image quality
The Galaxy A6+ (2018)'s photos in good light are very nice with good levels of detail and well handled noise reduction. We're liking the laid-back processing that leaves colors lively enough without turning saturation up to 11. We're less thrilled about the limited dynamic range - the snail's shell is almost entirely clipped to white.
Camera samples, HDR Off
There's an HDR mode (or 'Rich tone' in Samsung speak) that can help you squeeze out more detail in the tonal extremities. It's a menu option and not a shooting mode (the way it is on the non-plus) and there's Auto HDR, though it's missing the live preview you'd find on the higher end Galaxies.
We found that keeping it in Auto didn't necessarily engage the HDR processing in all situations we would have liked. So you should keep an eye out for the 'HDR On' popup that shows up when it does decide to go HDR, and engage it manually if it doesn't.
With HDR on and looking back at the snail, we can see the shell has been developed much better, so it's a shame the A6+ would engage HDR in Auto. The highlight recovery hasn't proven detrimental to shadow detail and it's an overall better image in our book, despite the minor loss of sharpness. Pretty much the same holds true about the iPhone mural, only here the Galaxy was on our side of the 'to HDR, or not to HDR' argument. You can't just leave it On all the time though, because less contrasty scenes like the third one will up washed out.
HDR (Rich tone): Off • Auto • On
By all means do check out the Galaxy's rendition of our test posters. We've pitted it against the Huawei P20 lite and the Oppo F7, but you can explore our vast database of tested phones.
Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018) against the Huawei P20 Lite and the Oppo F7 in our Photo compare tool
Live focus (portrait mode)
The A6+ (2018) can also take faux-bokeh portraits in what Samsung calls Live focus mode. Depth sensing for Live focus is, in fact, the sole purpose of the secondary 2MP camera even though portrait modes have been done with a single cam (Samsung's own Selfie focus, for one).
Anyway, the portraits from the Galaxy A6+ (2018) come out pretty nice with competent separation between subject and background and a natural looking blur. A minor issue is that because the camera's focal length is pretty short, you'd need to be uncomfortably close to your subject to get a headshot style framing.
Live focus (portrait mode) samples
It works on non-human subjects too, in a hit-or-miss fashion depending on the combination of subject and background.
Live focus on non-human subjects
Selfies
The A6+ (2018) ups the pixel count of the selfie camera, compared to the non-plus - it's a whopping 24MP as opposed to 'only' 16MP. The lens has an f/1.9 aperture again and focal length is a 27mm equivalent.
In abundance of light, the camera captures stunning detail and colors are great too.
Selfie samples
The caveat is that the tiny high-res sensor has very limited dynamic range, and the A6+ (2018) is quick to go into HDR (Auto is enabled by default) and that leads to softer images - still pretty fine ones.
Selfie samples: HDR Off • HDR On • HDR On
As we mentioned, just because it's a single camera on the front doesn't mean there's no portrait mode. Alright, it's 'Selfie focus', technically. Again, Samsung's nailed subject separation and the blur looks good. There's some skin smoothing and lightening going on, which you can't control, but it's not too heavy and helps hide blemishes and wrinkles.
Selfie focus samples (portrait mode)
The Galaxy A6+ (2018) has a front-facing flash too. It's been a while since we were amazed by the quality of the results achieved with a front-facing flash (have we ever been?), and in this case too the images are just okay. It's good to have the option, we admit.
Selfie samples, flash: On • Off
Video recording
Much like the vanilla A6, this A6+ (2018) comes with a rather barebones feature set for video recording. This one is more expensive, naturally, so it's hard to turn a blind eye to that fact. Resolution is capped at 1080p, there's no 1080p/60fps mode, and there's no electronic stabilization.
The video bit rate is 17Mbps, very much the standard number, while audio is recorded in stereo with a 256Kbps bit rate.
Oddly enough, the A6+ (2018) videos differ from the ones from A6 (2018). They're slightly less sharp (still okay, but the A6's were truly excellent in this regard) and have a more processed look compared to the A6's more genuine rendition. Colors are more saturated coming out of the plus too, though we can see how some people could prefer it that way.
We've uploaded an unedited short 1080p/30fps sample on our server for you to download and examine on your own.
As a final step, you can head over to our Video compare tool to see how the Galaxy A6+ (2018) handles the test posters in the controlled environment of our studio.
Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018) against the Huawei P20 Lite and the Oppo F7 in our Video compare tool
The Competition
Plus everything - the Galaxy A6+ (2018) comes with meaningful upgrades in many areas over the A6 (2016). There's a bigger (and better) display, larger battery with even longer battery life, rear camera that shoots portraits, and a selfie cam with extra resolution.
Some (or all) of these can be had elsewhere, though. The Huawei P20 lite, for example, has a similar dual camera setup with some creative effects, though it does lag behind a bit in image quality. It's not quite up there in battery life either, and its display isn't quite as good as the Galaxy's, but it does have a notch, which may regard as a feature. It is generally a bit cheaper and the 64GB storage version is more widely available.
The Moto G6 Plus is in the same ballpark pricewise and comes with 64GB of storage as standard, with a 128GB version also in existence. The Snapdragon 630 chip inside it is a lot more powerful than the Galaxy's 450, and the Moto can record 4K video. It can't match the A6+'s battery life, and its 8MP selfie cam is nowhere near the Galaxy's 24MP one - not by the numbers, and not in practice.
The Oppo F7 is another option in this price segment (slightly cheaper), and it's the one to have if you're after peak performance - the Helio P60 chip is a true powerhouse compared to the A6+'s modes Snapdragon 450. Battery life isn't half bad either, but the cameras aren't in the same leagues as the Galaxy's.
Alternatively, you could opt for another Samsung - the Galaxy A8+ (2018). Sitting higher in the A-series, this one will bring you IP68-rated dust and water protection, dual front cameras (but a single one on the back), an SoC with more oomph, a USB-C port (like all of the above phones, actually), and fast charging. It is some 20% more expensive, however, and that's if it's available in your market at all.
Huawei P20 lite • Motorola Moto G6 Plus • Oppo F7 • Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
Verdict
The Galaxy A6 (2018) we recently had over was a little too expensive for our tastes, at least for what it had to offer. Its price went down in the meantime, making it a better deal, and the Galaxy A6+ (2018) has had a similar fate. Not only that, but the plus impresses where the non-plus was okay to very good - display and battery life.
The flip side to the excellent endurance (a lot of which we attribute to the choice of chipset) is that the A6+ isn't a top choice for gaming. The phone's processor also lacks the muscle for 4K recording and image stabilization - we see the barebones video recording as the only potential dealbreaker with the Galaxy A6+ (2018).
Pros
- Class-leading battery life
- Excellent display all around
- Good image quality, superb selfie camera
Cons
- Very limited video recording feature set - no 4K and no stabilization, 1080p was better on the non-plus
- A more powerful chipset would have been appreciated
- Slow charger in the box, overall not very fast charging even with a better adapter
Who doesn't like a phone with an awesome display, battery life to spare and a couple of neat cams? Make it a reasonably affordable one too. The Galaxy A6+ (2018) fits that description nicely. Look elsewhere for comprehensive video capabilities and graphics performance. It's pretty simple.
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