At first glance, the Samsung Galaxy A72 can hardly be distinguished from the luxury Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphones. In terms of price, however, you are a lot cheaper. You can read why the Samsung Galaxy A72 is a good smartphone in this review.
Samsung Galaxy A72
MSRP From € 449,-
Colors Purple, Blue, Black, White
OS Android 11 (OneUI 3.0)
Screen 6.7″ amoled (2400 x 1080, 90 Hz)
Processor 2.3GHz octa-core (Snapdragon 720G)
RAM 6GB
Storage 128GB
Battery 5,000 mAh
Camera 64.8, 12.5 megapixels (rear), 32 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 4G, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC
Format 16.5 x 7.7 x 0.8 cm
Weight 203 grams
Other 3.5 mm jack, splash-proof
Website www.samsung.com/nl
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- All round good
- Camera
- Battery life
- Negatives
- No 5G
- Chipset a bit outdated
Since the disappearance of Huawei from the smartphone market, competition has been fierce to take the market share of the Chinese brand. After all, Huawei was number three and gasped Samsung and Apple in the neck in terms of sales figures in the Netherlands. Many Chinese smartphone manufacturers such as Motorola, Xiaomi, OnePlus, TCL, Realme and many others are trying to capture Huawei’s market share with elusive smartphones with an update policy right up to the proverbial front door. Without any real success. It is mainly Apple and Samsung that are increasing their market share, perhaps by simply offering decent, future-proof smartphones in different price ranges. This Samsung Galaxy A72 can be added to that list.
Confusing offer
Still, there are a few things that you should keep in mind if your eye falls on the Samsung Galaxy A72. The smartphone does not have 5G, and a 5G version of the device has not been released. Now you are not missing much from 5G at the moment, but if you are looking for a smartphone that you want to use for years ahead, then 5G can be something that you want to use later. The Galaxy A72 (with a suggested retail price of € 449) is simultaneously with the cheaper Samsung Galaxy A52. That device comes in two versions: the Galaxy A52 (€ 349,-) and Galaxy A52 5G (€ 429,-). If 5G plays a role in your consideration when choosing a smartphone, then the Galaxy A52 5G is certainly worth considering.
But when you compare the Galaxy A72 with the cheaper versions, there are more things peculiar. The Galaxy A72 is a bit bigger and has a somewhat larger screen (6.7 inches) compared to the Galaxy A52 (6.5 inches). The Galaxy A52 5G has a screen with a higher refresh rate (120 hertz), which ensures a smoother running image. The Galaxy A72 and Galaxy A52 again not. Finally, all three smartphones have the same cameras, with the only difference that the Galaxy A72 has a slightly better macro camera.
These are confusing choices that Samsung makes with the A72 and A52. Are they perhaps revealing that Samsung is uncertain about the popularity of 5G in the Netherlands?
Solid in every way
Apart from 5G, the Galaxy A72 lacks little. The smartphone is well designed and with the camera island on the back, the design is reminiscent of the more expensive Galaxy S21 series. The water-resistant device has a plastic back and edge around the smartphone. Maybe it feels a little less luxurious than glass and metal. You don’t notice it on the eye, and glass is always fragile. So it is certainly not a disadvantage.
There is also no question of Apple-like nonsense such as a missing audio port or adapter in the box with the Galaxy A72.
Screen
The AMOLED screen on the front has a hole (recognizable to Samsung) in the middle of the top for the front camera. The image quality is as you are used to from Samsung: colorful and sharp enough thanks to the Full HD resolution. The screen brightness could have been a little better, but is just enough to read the screen in full sun.
The fingerprint scanner is placed below the screen. This works quite accurately and smoothly for such a type of fingerprint scanner.
High refresh rate
The screen has a slightly higher refresh rate of 90 hertz, which makes image transitions run more smoothly. That looks nice, but it is certainly not indispensable. Also keep in mind that it does take its toll on the battery.
Nevertheless, you don’t have to worry much about the battery life. The battery capacity of the Galaxy A72 is substantial with 5,000 mAh. In addition, the smartphone has a modest processor, no ultra-high resolution screen or 5G. Things that put a lot of pressure on the battery. So even with a refresh rate of 90 hertz, a day and a half on a battery charge is fine. If you reduce this to 60 hertz you will get the two days, although of course it depends on your usage.
computing power
Internally, the Samsung Galaxy A72 has a Snapdragon 720G processor and 6GB of RAM. In the previous paragraph I mentioned these modest, speed records are not broken in benchmarks. That is not surprising, the chipset dates from 2020 and is actually a bit older. In practice, however, you notice little delay. It may be a bit sparse for games and heavy AR apps, but the things you buy a smartphone for are carried out without delay.
You get 128GB of storage, of which about 100 is still available for you. Although a large part is already used by the system, that is not a bad thing. If desired, you can expand the storage with a memory card.
Camera
As you would expect from Samsung, the smartphone is equipped with good cameras, where the cameras are worthwhile both functionally and qualitatively. Of course, they can’t compete with the most expensive Samsung smartphones and iPhones, but compared to its price competitors, Samsung has more to offer. Functionally, a lot is made possible by the four lenses on the back. In addition to the regular lens, the smartphone has a wide-angle, zoom and macro lens.
With the vast majority of smartphones, the differences between the regular lens and the other lenses are large. A macro camera in particular often disappoints in terms of sharpness and brightness to such an extent that you wonder why it was placed in the first place. That is less the case with these four lenses, but the difference between the regular and other cameras is noticeable. The regular lens knows how to take a good photo or video in all circumstances. When light is low, even the night mode helps you. Although in such cases you cannot escape some noise and motion blur.
All four cameras of the Galaxy A72 in practice, from left to right: regular camera, zoom, wide-angle, macro.
The other cameras are less bright and capture less detail. Still, you don’t have to fret if the photo opportunity calls for a zoom or wide-angle lens, because these cameras also capture everything well beyond expectations. However, you have to take into account that these lenses are a bit less bright and the wide-angle lens gives a bit of fisheye effect, where everything seems to run a bit rounder than you see it yourself.
The macro camera captures quite a bit of detail. It cannot be called a superfluous lens. But it doesn’t shoot really good pictures. I think Samsung knows that too, because to use the macro camera you first have to dig into the camera modes.
Android 11
Samsung has pretty much rebuilt Android 11 with its OneUI 3.0 shell. It is recognizable and Samsung is adding more and more freedom of choice. For example in the additional Samsung apps. They are no longer all installed by default. Digital assistant Bixby is still present without a choice, but seems to be slowly disappearing into the background. What is positive, Bixby still does not convince.
Although you get a lot of choices, settings and a recognizable design from Samsung, there is still bloatware from Microsoft and Facebook. Something that has unfortunately been going on for years. However, there is a small trend reversal. The McAfee bloatware, which put an unnecessary virus scanner in the phone settings, seems to have disappeared completely. Hoera!
As far as support is concerned, when it comes to Android smartphones, you’re best off with Samsung. Samsung promises at least three Android version updates and a year longer security updates. Although that can still be improved, it is good that Samsung is taking its update responsibility more and more seriously, at a time when many manufacturers seem to be more and more lax about it. It makes the Galaxy A72 a more durable option than many other smartphones in the same price range.
As far as support is concerned, when it comes to Android smartphones, you’re best off with Samsung.
Alternatives to the Samsung Galaxy A72
The best alternatives to the Galaxy A72 come from Samsung itself. The Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A52 5G. Both smartphones are a bit cheaper and smaller. The differences in the camera area are mainly in the extra lenses. In addition, the 5G version may be slightly more future-proof because of 5G.
Many Chinese brands are also active in this price range: Motorola with the Moto G100, Xiaomi with the Mi 11 Lite and Poco F3 and OnePlus with the OnePlus Nord. These devices often seem better on paper, but can’t keep up with the software – especially support. The camera of the Samsung A72 is also worth recommending more qualitatively.
Conclusion: Buy Samsung Galaxy A72?
Like the other smartphones from Samsung, the Galaxy A72 is a smartphone that you can’t beat. The support is better than other Android manufacturers, the battery life is excellent, as is the camera. The only thing you have to take into account is that the smartphone does not support 5G. Alternatives like the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A52 5G may be slightly more interesting.
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