Samsung Electronics on Friday unveiled two mid-tier Galaxy A series handsets with a premium design as it tries to compete with low-priced Chinese rivals and reclaim its title as the top brand in the world's biggest smartphone market. The 5-inch Galaxy A5 and 4.5-inch Galaxy A3 are equipped with a 5.0 megapixel 5MP front-facing camera and have a metallic exterior that comes in six different colors, including pink, blue and gold. Photo-taking features, such as Wide Selfie, Palm Selfie, Animated GIF, Beauty Face Features, and Rear-cam Selfie, let users capture selfies in high resolution by automatically detecting and focusing on a person?s face. Users are also able to share photos or videos on social media channels with the device?s LTE Category 4 connectivity.

The Galaxy A5 and A3 are Samsung?s slimmest smartphones to date, featuring full metal unibody designs that are 6.7mm and 6.9mm thin, respectively.

Both devices are equipped with a Super AMOLED display and Adaptive Display technology and a Quad Core 1.2 GHz processor. In addition, the Galaxy A5 and A3 include popular features exclusive to Galaxy devices, such as Ultra-Power Saving Mode, Private Mode and Multiscreen, as well as adjustable audio which intelligently adapts and enhances sound output based on the user?s surrounding environment.

The Galaxy A5 and A3 will be available in select markets including China starting in November 2014.

Samsung was dethroned in China by local upstart Xiaomi as the top smartphone maker in the second quarter. The reason is the high price of Samsung's devices so far, compared to those touted by Xiaomi and Lenovo Group Ltd.

In comparison to the A5, for example, Xiaomi's Mi4 device is thicker but sports a faster processor and a higher quality display.