Samsung’s greatest affordable phone with flagship features is the Galaxy A52 5G.
Samsung’s new 5G smartphone strikes a balance between smart concessions and high-end capabilities to keep its $500 price tag.
Samsung struck an enticing mix between affordability, features, and sensible compromises with the Galaxy A52 5G. It joins the almost half-dozen phones from Motorola, OnePlus, and TCL as the newest good sub-$500 5G phone. The Galaxy A52 5G costs $500 (or £399 in the UK), which equates to AU$740 in Australia. That’s on the higher end of the inexpensive phone spectrum. The A52 5G also walks the line between being a solid 5G phone at a reasonable price and being a terrific one. The iPhone SE, which doesn’t have 5G, and the Google Pixel 4A 5G, which is almost a year old, are the only other sub-$500 phones that can do that.
The A52 5G boasts a fast-refreshing display, years of OS and security support, a good main camera, and a long battery life. It includes features that the more expensive Galaxy S21 and S21 Ultra do not, such as a headphone port, expandable storage, and a wall charger.
Not everything is roses and sunshine with any phone, even a decent one. The in-screen fingerprint reader is so inconvenient to use that I prefer to unlock the phone using my PIN. The subpar macro camera appears to be a gimmick designed to increase the phone’s total number of cameras. More is not always better. In addition to the Google apps, there are several duplicates, such as Samsung’s version of an internet browser and a photo gallery app.
However, after two months, I’ve concluded that the Galaxy A52 5G is an all-around good phone with some great features and a few minor but bothersome problems. For $500, it’s a great deal, but right now on Samsung’s website, you can purchase a Galaxy A52 5G unlocked for $425, making it even more difficult to pass up.
Galaxy A52 5G :display
A 6.5-inch full-HD display with a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera is on the front. The display has a high refresh rate of 120Hz or 60Hz and can be tuned to either. Animations are smoother, gaming is more engaging, and even boring tasks like scrolling through a feed are crisper at 120Hz. Without a question, the phone’s best feature is its display.
Brightness is beneficial. The majority of inexpensive phones’ displays are quite dim, especially when used outside. A slab of Gorilla Glass 5 tops it all off. If you leave your phone screen on a table unattended, be cautious. It will slide off a seemingly flat surface on its own thanks to the covering.
Galaxy A52 5G: Camera
On the A52 5G, there are four rear cameras, one of which is a depth sensor that works with the primary camera to provide some hilarious AR effects and decent portrait mode images.
A macro camera is available. We’ve witnessed similar behavior from other phone companies (sigh). It’s not that most people won’t utilize a macro camera on a phone; it’s just that the macro camera on the A52 5G isn’t as good as the primary camera. It allows you to concentrate more closely, but you must remain stable. You’re only a handshake or a breath away from losing your concentration. I wish the macro camera had focus peaking to help you see when your subject is in focus and when it isn’t. Focus peaking is available in Pro Mode, but only for the main camera.
Galaxy A52 5G: Performance
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G CPU in the A52 5G includes 6GB of RAM. It runs Android 11 and, as of this writing, has the July 2021 software update installed. The performance is excellent. It’s not lightning fast, as evidenced by the slight lag when I open the camera from the lock screen or spin the phone between portrait and landscape orientations.
It outperformed the Google Pixel 4A 5G and came in second to the Motorola One Ace 5G in benchmark tests.
Galaxy A52 5G: Battery
This is a 5G phone that works on sub-6 5G networks in the United States, as the name suggests. On T-Mobile in Greenville, South Carolina, I tested it and found the speeds to be adequate. Despite the presence of a 5G sign on the screen, the phone was frequently linked to 4G LTE. This is entirely due to T-coverage, Mobile’s as I experienced the same issue when testing other T-Mobile phones.
The battery on the A52 5G is 4,500 mAh. When fully charged, Samsung claims two days of use. With the display set to 120Hz, I was able to get one day consistently. It easily lasted a day and a half on days with less use or when the display was set to 60Hz.