Samsung’s Galaxy A series is very popular for its competitive price-quality ratio. The A71 is the most expensive and largest model, but does that also make it the best buy? You read it in this Samsung Galaxy A71 review.
Samsung Galaxy A71
List price € 469, –
Colors Black, silver and blue
OS Android 10 (OneUI)
Screen 6.7 inch OLED (2400 x 1080) 60Hz
Processor 2.2 GHz octacore (Snapdragon 730)
RAM 6GB
Storage 128GB (expandable)
Battery 4,500 mAh
Camera 64, 12, 5 and 5 megapixel (rear), 32 megapixel (front)
Connectivity 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 5, NFC, GPS
Format 16.3 x 7.6 x 0.77 cm
Weight 179 grams
Website www.samsung.com 8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Big and beautiful screen
- Software (policy)
- Cameras
- Complete specifications
- Negatives
- Housing looks a bit cheap
- Simpler processor
The Samsung Galaxy A71 is the successor to the popular Galaxy A70 from 2019. The device is reminiscent of the Galaxy A51, but has a larger screen, better specifications and therefore a higher price. I tested the smartphone for two weeks. Interestingly, it has already dropped in price in a few months. At the time of publication you get the Galaxy A71 for about 380 euros, while the suggested retail price is 469 euros.
Design and screen
The Galaxy A series has a recognizable design that can appeal for the most part. The Galaxy A71 looks modern and premium due to the narrow edges around the screen and the hole for the selfie camera in the display. Behind the screen is a fingerprint scanner that works well in most cases. Nevertheless, in this price segment there are smartphones with a faster and more accurate scanner. The device has a USB-C port and a 3.5mm connection and is made of plastic. This has advantages and disadvantages. The housing can take a beating and is relatively light, making the large smartphone more comfortable to hold and less tangible in your trouser or jacket pocket. However, the plastic feels cheap and is quickly covered by fingerprints. A funny detail is that the back shows different colors when the light shines on it.
With a 6.7 inch screen, the Galaxy A71 is one of the largest smartphones of the moment. You notice that: the device cannot be operated with one hand. A one-handed mode in the software changes this, but is mainly intended if you want to do something quickly while holding a bag in your other hand. The screen looks sharp through the full HD resolution and looks beautiful through the AMOLED panel. That comes from Samsung itself, and a plus in this price segment. Some competitive smartphones have a less attractive LCD display.
Samsung Galaxy A71 specifications
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor runs under the hood of the Galaxy A71. That is striking, because we know this processor mainly from smartphones of about three hundred euros. The A71 is more expensive. In comparison with competing smartphones, it therefore feels a bit slower, something you especially notice when playing heavy games. It is not disturbing: the A71 feels fast enough and runs all popular apps and games fine. This is partly due to the 6GB RAM; standard for this type of device.
The storage memory is 128GB, also common in this price segment. For most users, it is enough and who needs more space can put a micro SD card in the smartphone. I am positive about the battery life. The (non-exchangeable) battery of 4500 mAh lasts a day and a half without any problems. Even with heavy use, I failed to drain the battery before bed. Also nice is that the battery charges quickly via the USB-C plug with a power of 25W. That is just as fast as the Galaxy S20, a much more expensive smartphone.
Cameras
There is a quadruple camera on the back of the Galaxy A71. Most photos are taken with the primary camera of 64 megapixel, which shoots standard 16 megapixel images for better results. During the day, the camera delivers sharp and colorful images. In the dark, the camera is sufficient, but the photos show more noise and less natural colors.
With the wide-angle camera (12 megapixel), you can shoot wide images of, for example, landscapes and buildings. This works properly and the photo quality is good. It is nice that you can also film with the wide-angle camera. The third lens is a 5 megapixel macro camera to take photos very close. This camera also works properly, but actually only works well with sufficient daylight. Due to the lower resolution, you cannot print the macro photos sharply on a large format. Finally, the Galaxy A71 has a depth sensor that blurs the background in portrait photos. Samsung calls this mode ‘Live Focus’. The function does what it should do, and helps your person or object to come forward better.
Software and updates
The Samsung Galaxy A71 runs on Android 10 with the OneUI shell from Samsung. It works properly and is user-friendly. The only thing that keeps bothering me is that the manufacturer imposes its own service. Fortunately, you do not have to use all those apps and services. The pre-installed apps OneDrive, Netflix and Facebook can unfortunately not be removed, only disabled. Samsung promises at least two years of updates for the Galaxy A71. This is common in this price segment and means that the phone receives Android 11 and probably Android 12.
Conclusion: Buying a Samsung Galaxy A71?
The Samsung Galaxy A71 is a no-frills smartphone that does what it says on the tin. The device has a beautiful screen, complete specifications and lasts longer than a day on a battery charge. The software is user-friendly and you can count on two years of updates. Points of attention are the cheap plastic case and the fingerprint scanner and overall performance, which cannot match some competitors. Also keep in mind that you cannot operate the Galaxy A71 with one hand. If you can live with the concerns and are looking for a large, ‘just good’ Android smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy A71 is definitely worth considering. Interesting alternatives are the Samsung Galaxy A51, Oppo Reno2 and Xiaomi Mi 9T.
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