Ever since we saw the leaks about the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro, there has been no official information about the device despite the noticeable interest from the company’s fans. Now, finally, Samsung have decided to lift the veil from the device, announcing its release – however, there is a small catch. The phone will only be available in China for now, and it’s not clear what the company is planning with regards to its availability in the rest of the world.
The phone goes somewhat against the grain of recent times, breathing some new life into the “phablet” style. Nowadays, manufacturers are more focused on making their devices smaller and more compact, with large screens enjoying less overall popularity. Even Apple decided to go with smaller dimensions in their recent iPhone SE, which to many was a hint that this will be the general direction of the industry for the next few months.
Samsung, on the other hand, are bringing a 6-inch device to the market, and it comes with various features that should make it the perfect choice for Android power users who want to be more productive on the go. Other than the large screen, Galaxy A9 Pro also offers a hefty 5,000 mAh battery and a Snapdragon 652 CPU running at 1.8 GHz on its main cores, and 4 GB of RAM. Software-wise, it will ship with Android 6.0.1, something which most people would already expect from its specifications.
Other than that, users can expect a full range of connectivity features, including Bluetooth 4.1, a relatively good camera, and a slot for a microSD card. All of that will be offered for just under $550, which according to most users is more than an adequate price point for a device with those capabilities.
The main issue right now is the availability of the phone worldwide. It’s not unusual for manufacturers to target specific markets in a limited fashion, and China specifically often gets to enjoy various devices that are unavailable to the rest of the world. The motivations for this move can vary – sometimes, a manufacturer wants to do a “soft launch” to test the potential of a device in just one region before investing in its manufacturing further. On the other hand, some devices are designed to better match the specific needs of the local market and may not be that suitable for users from other regions.
Samsung haven’t given any official word on their future plans for the Galaxy A9 Pro, but if they are following online discussions, the idea should most certainly at least be on their table right now. There is significant interest in the device from some circles, and many people outside of China seem interested in giving it a try. Hopefully Samsung at least have something similar planned for non-Chinese markets if they are planning to keep the A9 Pro exclusive to that region. After all, it wouldn’t be hard to repackage the phone under a new model name with some minor adjustments and release it to the rest of the world.
Asian markets have generally been seen as more interested in large-screen devices, with users in South Korea being particularly fond of phablets. On the other hand, as we pointed out above, the Western world has been shifting towards the idea of small-sized devices recently, which could be the main motivator behind Samsung’s decision for the availability of the phone.