When is the Samsung Galaxy A7 coming out? After several leaks, Samsung has officially announced the biggest smartphone in its new A-series. The A7 has a 5.5in screen, a 64-bit octa-core processor and is just 6.3mm thick. From certain angles it looks like a bigger, thinner iPhone 5s.

Samsung Galaxy A7: main features

There will actually be two variants of the Galaxy A7: single- and dual-SIM. The single-SIM version, which is the most likely version we'll get in the UK, will support 4G LTE and have the 64-bit Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot for expanding that.

The dual-SIM model seems destined for developing countries and will feature an Exynos (32-bit) 5340 chip with the same RAM and data storage. Both processors are 'octa-core' which means two quad-core processors: a setup that enables the phones to be more power-efficient.

Otherwise, both models are identical and have 13Mp rear- and 5Mp front-facing cameras. Selfies can be taken with a voice command or a wave, and there's an ultra-wide mode for 'grouphies'.

The 5.5in display is the same size as the iPhone 6 Plus, but uses Super AMOLED technology rather than IPS, so it will have Samsung's usual eye-popping colour saturation.

However, this 'phablet' isn't the Galaxy S5's successor. It's a super-sized version of the Galaxy A3 and A5 smartphones, announced in October 2014. Effectively, these are metal-bodied variations on the Galaxy Alpha.

Samsung Galaxy A7 UK release date and price: When is the Samsung Galaxy A7 coming out; How much will the Samsung Galaxy A7 cost?

Samsung doesn't mention any prices or a release date yet, but SamMobile claims that it will be 509 Euros and be released at the end of Q1 2015. All that Samsung has made public is that the price will be "competitive" and that it will be available in Pearl White, Midnight Black, and Champagne Gold.

In terms of a UK price, it could translate to £399 which would make it mid-range, but pricier than the great-value LG G3.

Samsung Galaxy A7: specifications