Samsung has just announced three new impressive-looking mid-range phones: the A52, A52 5G, and the A72.
These new phones come with strong spec sheets and affordable price tags. What’s more, they also include something you won’t get even with the new S21 flagship series of phones — a charging brick in the box.
Here’s a quick look at all of Samsung’s new mid-range efforts.
Samsung Galaxy A52 & A52 5G
The A52 will cost €349 while the A52 5G will set you back €429 — that’s around $415 and $510 respectively. Samsung hasn’t announced US pricing or availability yet, but we’d be surprised if we don’t see at least one of these phones make it to America.
Both phones feature a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with 1080×2400 resolutions. The A52 gets a 90Hz refresh rate screen while the 5G version gets a 120Hz screen.
They both get 32Mp centrally mounted punch-hole selfie cameras and four rear lenses. There’s a 64Mp main rear camera, a 12Mp ultrawide lens, a 5Mp macro lens for close-up shots, and a 5Mp depth-sensing lens to give a better sense of distance in your photos.
However, this is where the phones start to diverge. The A52 gets a Snapdragon 720G processor and a choice for 4GB, 6GB, or 8GB of RAM. The A52 5G, on the other hand, gets a Snapdragon 750G processor and 6GB or 8GB of RAM. The 750G will give you better gaming performance, being able to run PUBG Mobile at 58 fps rather than 43 fps, for example, as that 5G connectivity.
However, both phones have the same 4,500 mAh battery. This means that the A52 will likely get better battery life than its more expensive 5G-enabled brother. 5G processors and connectivity are more power-hungry than their 4G rivals. What’s more, the A52 5G has a higher refresh rate screen which will also impact battery life.
With that being said, we would still choose the 5G version.
Given that both phones come with a 25W fast charger in the box, you shouldn’t have to wait around too long for the battery to charge. And, as 5G becomes more prevalent, you’ll start to notice the benefits of the faster, more reliable connection.
Samsung Galaxy A72
The A72, meanwhile, costs €449, or around $534. It’s larger than the A52 phones and comes with a bigger screen and a larger battery.
The A72’s screen is 6.7-inches tall, but retains the same resolution as the smaller A52 models (1080×2400). This gives it a slightly lower pixel density which might make the screen look a little less impressive. It also makes do with a 90Hz refresh rate.
Similarly, it uses the Snapdragon 720G processor found on the cheaper A52 model but has 6GB of RAM as standard. There’s also an 8GB RAM version available.
However, the A72 does up the game in the camera department. You still get a 32Mp selfie snapper, as well as the rear-mounted 64Mp main sensor, 12Mp ultrawide lens, and the 5Mp macro lens. But you get an 8Mp telephoto lens instead of the 5Mp depth sensor.
We generally prefer telephoto lenses here at Tech.co, as you’ll often find yourself zooming in to get a great picture rather than utilising a portrait mode effect.
The battery is a 5,000 mAh unit — not significantly larger than the 4,500 mAh unit on the A52s, but it will be enough to make a difference.
All told, the A72 looks like a decent phone but nothing spectacular. We’re more impressed by the A52 5G and its relatively low price tag.
The phones should be available to buy in Europe on March 26 but US customers will have to wait a bit longer as Samsung hasn’t announced pricing yet.
Should You Buy the New Samsung Phones?
The new Pixel phones have two principle rivals: the iPhone SE and the Pixel 4a 5G.
The Pixel 4a 5G costs $499 — just $10 less than the A52 5G. However, the Pixel does lose out in a number of areas. Its screen is smaller, only has a 60Hz refresh rate, and it has to make do with a single rear camera. Google’s photography chops are good, but the single-lens approach is starting to hold the Pixel mid-range phones back. Samsung’s phone, on the other hand, looks every bit the sub-flagship device, with its smart hole punch camera, high refresh rate, and multiple rear cameras.
The iPhone SE, on the other hand, costs $399 — slightly less than the base A52 model. However, in this match up, we’d choose the iPhone. The Apple device has a significantly faster processor and will likely receive updates way into the future past the A52. For phones at this price, bang-for-buck is everything and the iPhone represents better value in our opinion.
