Samsung released one of the best midrange devices of that moment last year, when the Samsung Galaxy A50 appeared on the scene. The expectations for its successor, the Samsung Galaxy A51, are therefore high. Does the smartphone live up to those expectations? Read it in our Samsung Galaxy A51 review.
Samsung Galaxy A51
Recommended retail price from € 269
OS OS Android 10, OneUI2
Colors white, pink, blue
Screen 6.5 inch super amoled (2400 x 1080)
Processor 2.3 Ghz octacore (Exynos 9611)
RAM 4GB
Storage 128GB
Battery 4,000 mAh
Camera 48, 32 and 12 and 5 megapixels (rear), 32 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi, GPS, NFC
Format 15.8 x 7.4 x 0.79 cm
Weight 172 grams
Other Fingerprint scanner behind screen, usb-c, dualsim
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Camera module
- More storage space than predecessor
- Design and software look fresh
- Nice and big amoled screen
- Negatives
- Shooting in the evening
- Fingerprint reader not fast
- No ip certificate
- Processor a bit slow
Look and feel
Samsung has brought the design of the Samsung Galaxy A51 to the 2020 level that was needed. We see a camera hole with a single front camera at the top of the large 6.5-inch amoled screen. The size of the chin is minimal and comparable to other Galaxy smartphones. The device has usb-c and a headphone connection, which we always welcome. On the back we find a rectangular module with no less than four cameras, so at first glance you do not notice that you are dealing with a midrange device.
However, when you grab the Samsung Galaxy A51, that illusion breaks: you can feel from the plastic cover that it is not a high-end smartphone. That is not bad at all: the advantage of plastic is that the device is fairly robust. It will not easily break if it slips out of your hands, unlike the glass that is present on smartphones nowadays. In addition, it is nice and light and it feels good in the hand. Our model has been given the blue color that looks very fresh, while the glossy finish does not make the appearance look cheap.
You have to pay attention, because the Samsung Galaxy A51 does not have an IP certificate. This means that it cannot stand water or dust. Those few raindrops will just survive; however, if you let it fall into a puddle or container of water, it can easily be the end of exercise. That is actually the biggest disadvantage of the case, one that you really have to keep in mind.
Relatively slow processor
The Samsung Galaxy A51 has at least 4 GB of memory and 128 GB of storage space. The amount of memory is more than sufficient for Android and the OneUI, Samsung’s own software shell. 128 GB may not seem like much, but you can still store more than enough photos and videos or install games and apps on it. If that is not enough, don’t worry: you can use a micro-sd card to expand the storage space.
The processor is only marginally better if we place it next to the other device. There are four cores present that are clocked at 2.3 GHz, while the other four are more energy efficient with a clock speed of 1.7 GHz. In practice, it means that you sometimes run into stuttering: it may be that browsing takes a little longer than you are used to, or that the system sometimes has difficulty with the command you give. Fortunately, you can (continue to) play many games in high resolution. They are minor annoyances, but no more than that.
Furthermore, there is a battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh, so you are assured of a long user life. If you don’t play too much on it, you can easily take it for a day and a half to get it emptied. Charging is happy, thanks to the USB-C port, so happens. Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging.
Display and fingerprint scanner
Compared to its predecessor, the screen of the Samsung Galaxy A51 is slightly larger (6.4-inch versus 6.5-inch), which means that the device is slightly higher and narrower. The resolution is 2400 by 1080 pixels. On this screen you arrive at a pixel density of 404 pixels per inch (ppi) and that is a pretty tight score (above 400 ppi is generally found to be good). The image is very sharp, the colors are vivid (you can set this yourself) and the viewing angle is good and that the device all owes to the fact that there is an amoled display.
The fingerprint scanner of the Samsung Galaxy A51 is integrated in the screen. This gives the device the allure of a high-end smartphone, since this technology was first introduced there. The scanner is similar to other Samsung fingerprint readers: they are generally reliable and accurate, but you will have to put your finger on the scanning area more than once. Your fingerprint is not always recognized immediately or very quickly.
Android 10 and OneUI 2.0
Samsung has been a lot faster in recent months when it comes to software updates. And that is noticeable by the Samsung Galaxy A51, which is equipped with Android 10 and OneUI 2.0. That means that this midranger has earlier access to the latest software versions than, for example, the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, which shows that the South Korean company takes its role as software developer and the market for midrange smartphones seriously. You can also count on two Android upgrades.
OneUI 2.0 is very user-friendly software with the heart in the right place. The software does not hide functions and makes your telephone setup clearer than ever. In addition, you can (automatically) switch to a dark theme for your complete phone, which is very pleasant in the evening and handy for the battery. As far as we are concerned, Samsung has invested so much in OneUI in recent months that it is now one of the best Android software skins of the moment.
The biggest new change is the method of navigation. Previously you used the three buttons at the bottom of the screen for this, but now you can set everything to be based more on movements (as we saw earlier on Pixel and OnePlus phones, for example). By swiping from bottom to top you open the app drawer and again by swiping from bottom to top and holding your thumb briefly on the screen, you open the view for recent apps. If you swipe your thumb or finger from the side to the center, you go back one page within the app or interface.
Unfortunately, the two downsides of the Samsung software are also present here: you cannot disable voice assistant Bixby and the standard applications cannot be removed. As a result, you may end up with double applications. Fortunately, you can hide some apps in the drawer, but that only partially solves the problem.
Rectangular camera module with four cameras
The rectangular camera module is completely new. This colossus consists of a 5-megapixel depth sensor, a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens and another 5-megapixel macro lens. Not only do you now take pictures in higher resolution compared to last year’s model, you also get access to completely new lenses.
When taking pictures with the 48-megapixel main camera, it is striking how much detail and color is captured. For example, if you take a photo of an environment with a lot of grass, it may well be that you see many different colors of green passing by. Other details in the area, such as a fence, some trees or maybe animals, are also decent and with enough detail. However, if you switch to the wide-angle lens, you will miss a lot of fine details. Yes, you actually put more on one photo, but the quality is generally slightly less. The colors look a bit more pale and the difference in color reproduction is immediately apparent.
With the macro camera you can take beautiful photos with the simple push of a button. You can keep objects very close to the lens and let the phone do the work. The object in the foreground then looks nice, while the background is nicely blurred. Furthermore, we cannot recommend digital zooming, because the photos will rapidly deteriorate in quality. The selfie camera also works as you might expect: you look good on it yourself, while the background is less clearly shown. All cameras actually need sufficient light, because otherwise details will disappear quickly, images will appear a bit grainy and the colors will not come out well. That applies to the photographers, but also the video makers among us.
Furthermore, it is possible with the main camera to shoot 48-megapixel videos in 4K, at thirty frames per second. With the front camera you can make videos in 1080p. In both cases the quality looks clear and detailed and we see that colors are captured beautifully.
Samsung Galaxy A51 – conclusion
All in all, we can say that the Samsung Galaxy A51 has become a great successor to one of the nicest midrangers of last year. Not only do you get a slightly larger screen, more storage space and more cameras, you also get immediate access to the most recent version of Android and the Samsung OneUI.
However, there are also disadvantages to the smartphone. For example, it’s great that we now have more cameras that unlock more options, but without sufficient light, those photos don’t always come out very well. In addition, we notice that the processor sometimes leaves something to be desired (but you cannot have everything in this segment) and we regret that there is no official IP certificate. The latter is understandable, so that the costs and therefore the price can remain low.
At the bottom of the line there remains a smartphone that has good value for money if you look at the amoled screen and the headphone jack. Because although there are still some reservations, there is more than enough to love. If you want a nice, good smartphone for which you don’t have to hand in a vacation, then the Samsung Galaxy A51 is for you.
.