Samsung Galaxy A52 – Low price, smart choice


Samsung Galaxy A52 – Low price, smart choice

The Samsung Galaxy A52 is a smartphone that can be estimated as a low middle class in terms of price. The price is slightly under 350 euros, but for that money you get a lot in return. You can read more about it in this Samsung Galaxy A52 review.

Samsung Galaxy A52

Recommended retail price From € 349,-
Colors Purple, Blue, Black, White
OS Android 11 (OneUI 3.0)
Screen 6.5″ AMOLED (2400 x 1080, 60 Hz)
Processor 2.3GHz octa-core (Snapdragon 720G)
RAM 6GB
Storage 128GB
Battery 4,500 mAh
Camera 64. 12.5 megapixels (rear), 32 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 4G, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC
Format 15.9 x 7.5 x 0.8 cm
Weight 189 grams
Other 3.5 mm jack, splash-proof
Website www.samsung.com 8 Score 80 Rating: 80

  • Pros
  • Price quality
  • Battery life
  • Main camera
  • Negatives
  • No 5G
  • Some cameras a bit redundant
  • Chipset a bit outdated

Simultaneously with the Samsung Galaxy A52, two other smartphones were introduced. The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G and the Samsung Galaxy A72. The offer is a bit confusing. In addition to a more modern mobile data connection, the 5G version also has a screen with a higher refresh rate. The Samsung Galaxy A72 has a somewhat larger screen, including the higher refresh rate and better cameras… But again no 5G. Between the lines, you may notice that Samsung is not yet convinced of 5G in the Netherlands. Which is right, because it will take some time before 5G really adds value and not optimized 4G.

This Galaxy A52 does not have 5G, which keeps the price a bit lower, but seems to make the smartphone a little less future-proof. Despite this, Samsung has a better update policy than the (mostly) Chinese smartphones with which it competes with the Galaxy A52. You can expect three major Android version updates and four years of security updates. Smartphone makers that offer devices in the same price range, such as Xiaomi, OnePlus and Motorola, can learn from this.

Samsung Galaxy A52
Samsung Galaxy A52
Samsung Galaxy A52

Little luxury

The Samsung Galaxy A52 offers a slightly less luxurious look than most other smartphones due to its plastic edge and back. Especially in combination with the light blue color of our test device, you have the feeling of holding a toy device in your hands. However, plastic is less vulnerable than glass, which is mainly used for more expensive smartphones, and it attracts fewer fingerprints, so that a case is less necessary from a practical point of view.

The screen looks slightly less bright and a bit duller than, for example, the Galaxy A72. The image quality is good enough for what you want to do with it, but keep in mind that colors won’t splash off your screen and the screen is difficult to read in sunlight.

Samsung has also placed techniques behind the screen, such as a fingerprint scanner and the front camera behind a hole in the middle at the top of the screen.

Specs

Also in terms of computing power, the Galaxy A52 (the same as the Galaxy A72) offers a bit of what you can expect. Although the Snapdragon 720G does not support 5G, it offers enough computing power for the basic tasks for which you buy a smartphone. In practice, I did notice a hiccup here and there, for example when you go through the settings when you configure the smartphone for the first time. The smartphone has 8GB of RAM, which should be sufficient. It seems that the hiccups are mainly in the processing power.

With 256GB (of which you are left with about 224GB) of storage memory, you have more than enough for all your apps, photos, videos and more. If desired, you can expand this with a memory card. A variant of the Galaxy A52 with 128GB storage is also available.

The battery of the Galaxy A52 has a capacity of 4,500 mAh. Since the smartphone does not have energy guzzlers such as a higher screen refresh rate, 5G or an ultra-high image resolution, the consumption is not too high. Assume that one and a half or two days on a full battery is possible, depending on your use of course.

Android 11 with OneUI

Samsung has of course equipped the Galaxy A52 with android 11 with Samsung’s own OneUI shell. Samsung pulls out all the stops to give the system its own appearance and its own apps and services a place. Keep in mind, though, that OneUI also comes with a lot of redundant services, from bloatware to Samsung’s own Bixby and application store. Samsung also tries to saddle you with ‘recommended apps’ with extra unnecessary apps.

The advantage is that Samsung takes its update responsibility more seriously than many Android competitors. Your smartphone will stay safe and up to date for years to come, thanks to the three promised Android updates and four years of security updates.

Samsung Galaxy A52

Camera

At the rear is a parade of different sensors, to make the smartphone versatile when it comes to smartphone photography. In addition to the regular camera lens, a macro lens, wide-angle lens and depth sensor have been placed. The problem with many budget smartphones is that many of the extra sensors simply fall short of quality to add anything in practice. That is also somewhat the case with the Galaxy A52.

Take the macro lens for example. The fact that Samsung has hidden this photography option in the settings says it all: in practice you will not want to use it so quickly. For macro photography, you need more detail, less noise and better dynamic range to make the photos worth sharing.

The wide-angle lens is also much less capable of taking a good photo than the regular camera. In practice, you will probably appeal to this more often than the macro camera, not only because switching between regular and wide-angle lenses is done with a tap.

You will most likely use the regular lens in practice, and it shoots excellent photos for smartphones in this price range. The photos are sharper, more colorful and can handle difficult lighting conditions better, such as backlighting and shadow. However, don’t expect high-quality photos. If desired, the depth sensor, the last lens in the rear series, can help you take better portrait photos that blur the background.

Photo with Samsung Galaxy A52
Photo with Samsung Galaxy A52
Photo with Samsung Galaxy A52
Photo with Samsung Galaxy A52

From left to right: wide angle, regular camera, zoom, macro.

Alternatives to the Samsung Galaxy A52

While announcing the Galaxy A52, Samsung also announced the Galaxy A72 and Galaxy A52 5G. These are immediately good (slightly more expensive) alternatives to this smartphone. The former is a bit more luxurious in terms of construction, has a slightly larger screen with a high refresh rate and slightly better cameras. The Galaxy A52 5G, you guessed it, has 5G and, confusingly, also has a screen with a higher refresh rate.

Other brands such as Xiaomi and OnePlus also offer alternatives in the same price range. Think of the OnePlus Nord, Poco F3 and Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G. In terms of computing power and design, these smartphones are a bit better and 5G is available. Only these brands cannot keep up with the A52 in terms of camera quality and let the brands lose the update support.

Conclusion: Buy Samsung Galaxy A52?

The Samsung Galaxy A52 is a safe choice if you are looking for an affordable new smartphone. The smartphone does nothing wrong, but could have used 5G support or some more computing power. Don’t expect too much from the multiple cameras either. Nevertheless, the smartphone competitors in the same price range surpassed by better update support.

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