Samsung’s new Galaxy A8 is just 5.9mm thick

We’re skimming limits of what’s possible and logical in smartphone design, but more than any other company around, Samsung braves the wall’s edge. It’s latest example is the Samsung Galaxy A8, and we’re starting to wonder when consumers will begin describing smartphones as “too thin”.

At 5.9mm, it’s easily the thinnest phone Samsung has ever made but doesn’t exactly feature the thinnest price tag — US$560. Nevertheless, it really is a gorgeous piece of engineering.

Samsung’s obsessed with its new all-metal unibody construction and it shows in the Galaxy A8. It boasts long, slick lines with classy touches of glass and metal in just the right places.

It might look premium but it’s not the most powerful phone on the market. But demanding horsepower in such a sleek frame seems to be missing the point entirely.

While it’s thin with tiny bezels, the Galaxy A8 is also rather large with its 5.7-inch 1080p screen. Processing power is provided by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 615 SoC, which also houses 2GB of RAM and a large 3050mAh battery, considering its meagre skeleton.

On the imaging front, there’s a 16MP snapper at the rear and a 5MP unit up front — the same cocktail found on the Samsung Galaxy S6. And just like it’s more expensive cousin, you’re going to want to flash this thing around fairly often in public.

It will be launched for the Chinese market this week but there’s no word from Samsung regarding international availability, which is a definite shame.