"The excellent Samsung Galaxy A52 5G has a clever trick: it looks good, does everything you need, takes good photos, and has a battery life of two days, but is reasonably priced."
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Colorful 120 Hz screen
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Two days of battery life
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The camera takes photos that can be shared
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IP67 water resistance
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Useless fingerprint sensor
Samsung made the best Android phone of 2021, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but at more than $ 1,000 It's a serious investment. The Galaxy A52 5G costs less than half the amount it would take to back up an S21 Ultra. However, does this mean that it is not worth thinking about? Samsung has made great strides in the attractiveness and overall performance of its mid-range A-series hardware, and while the A52 5G obviously doesn't compare to the S21 Ultra, it has a lot going for it.
While we expect smartphones to have decent cameras and good software, Samsung has thought about what features will improve the A52 5G in meaningful ways and has added them. It turns a good phone into a great one. I lived with the Galaxy A52 5G and so it is.
design
Don't think too long about what the Galaxy A52 5G is made of, but think about how it looks and feels. The matte back has a soft, glass-like surface that is warm to the touch and still offers a reasonable grip. The case has a shiny chrome finish. It's not metal and the back wall isn't glass, but from a distance you would never know. The camera module appears to be part of the back, which reinforces the illusion that it is made of a considerably more expensive material than it actually is.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The white paint on my review unit looks excellent and doesn't attract any nasty smudges or fingerprints, although the chrome finish on the sides did notice a few small scratches during my time with the phone. However, you will have to search hard to find them. Although it weighs 189 grams, it is perfectly weighted and does a very good job of disguising this larger than expected mass.
Another welcome surprise is that in addition to a USB-C charging port on the bottom of the phone, the phone also has room for a 3.5mm headphone jack and the SIM slot also has room for a MicroSD card. The phone is 8.4mm thick and the overall shape is quite "angular," which adds up to the one minor downside of the A52 5G in that it feels quite large, especially when trying to use it with one hand. It's not impossible, but when compared to a slimmer, more curved phone like the OnePlus 9 Pro, which is almost the same width as the A52 5G, the range of thumb movement is significantly less.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
This isn't an isolated case for the Galaxy A52 5G, however, and apart from the slight lumpiness, it's otherwise a good-looking, well-balanced smartphone with a premium feel without a high price tag.
screen
Yes, the screen has a noticeable bezel, but no, it doesn't matter. The chin is the largest area, and even then, the A52 5G still looks like a modern phone. The 6.5-inch Super AMOLED has a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz, eliminating any frame concerns. When I started using the Galaxy A52 5G, I had come straight from the cheaper $ 250 Nokia 5.4, which has one of the darkest smartphone screens I've ever used. The A52 5G has twice the brightness and is readable outdoors in most situations. In addition, the viewing angles are excellent.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
It's lovely to look at. We've always sung the praises of the screen on the Galaxy S20, the Galaxy S20 FE, and even the Galaxy S10 before that. The Galaxy A52 5G really gives you the same visual experience as these phones, but for a lot less money. When Carfection reviewed the Nomad R, the colors and vibrancy of the surroundings jumped off the screen. The car's Evo group test, the A52 5G's willingness to show lots of detail, and the superb contrast values are all on show.
A good-looking, well-balanced smartphone with a premium feel without a high price.
Add the 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling throughout the OS – it's adjustable to 60Hz if you want to prioritize battery life – and the tiny selfie camera in a hole in the top center and the Galaxy A52's screen 5G is much more like expensive phones. A real highlight of the phone until you get to safety.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The Galaxy A52 5G has a built-in fingerprint sensor. Unfortunately, it's not the updated versions of the Galaxy S21 range, but rather the older, much less reliable version that has frustrated us with the Galaxy S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra. Because of its unreliability, where it often refuses to recognize input, I turned it off out of frustration, and that makes it a serious security problem. There is face unlock that you can resort to, but even that isn't the fastest or most accurate system. I relied on a PIN to secure the A52 5G because of the phone's hardware defects. That’s not good enough.
camera
The decent five-camera module on the back of the Galaxy A52 5G has a 64-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization, phase detection autofocus and an aperture of f / 1.8. There is a 12MP wide angle camera and a pair of 5MP cameras for macro and depth. It can record videos at 4K and 30 frames per second (fps). There is also a night mode and Samsung's single-take mode.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Photos are generally good. On bright days, it's not oversaturated and shows a pleasing palette with enough pop to catch the images. However, there are situations where the camera will emphasize green colors too much, resulting in a slightly unnatural appearance. However, this is mostly the case when using the wide-angle camera. There's also very little consistency between the main and wide-angle cameras, and some may also find the HDR effect to be too clumsy.
Portrait mode is decent and likes its subject, although edge detection doesn't challenge more expensive Galaxy models. The Galaxy A52 5G's camera is not as powerful as the Google Pixel 4a and suffers from the same problems as older Samsung cameras – inconsistency and oversaturation – but I never chose not to take a photo with it. Photos were taken every day, which I found perfectly acceptable.
Software and performance
It's Android 11 with OneUI 3.1 on my Galaxy A52 test device, which is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor and 6 GB of RAM. The software is almost the same as that installed on the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 +, and Galaxy S21 Ultra. So take a closer look at these reviews. It is crucial that I have no concerns about the speed, smoothness or functionality of the software on the A52 5G.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The OneUI 3.1 from Samsung is easy to use and offers clear menus and settings. The notifications are reliable and most can be interacted with. I also like the constantly active screen with its helpful icons and large time display. Samsung removed (or hidden) its Samsung Daily screen and replaced it with Google News when you swipe right on the home screen, which I personally find more useful. I've used OneUI a lot this year and haven't found it frustrating (other than the power button) or bad, and that trend continues with the A52 5G.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Instead of using its own Exynos processor, Samsung built the Galaxy A52 5G with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G octa-core chip, whether you are in the US or the UK. With both Asphalt 9: Legends it is great for games and Genshin Impact play very well without generating a lot of heat. It doesn't have the instant response you get with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but I use it for normal tasks every day and it hasn't missed a beat. Top specs are always nice, but the Snapdragon 750G does everything you need.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The battery life of the 4,500 mAh cell was very good. With normal use, two days can be achieved without any problems. If you get crazy about gaming this will change, but with general usage, some photos and videos, and the 120hz screen active, I ended most days with over 50% remaining time. It only charges at Samsung's fastest 25W speeds, which is around 80 minutes to fully charge. Wireless charging would have been a welcome addition, but it's rare at this price point.
Price and availability
The 6GB / 128GB Galaxy A52 5G is priced at $ 499 in the US and £ 399 in the UK. It's available through Samsung's own online store and retailers, including Amazon. You can buy it in the white color shown here, or in black, blue, or purple.
Our opinion
What a great phone the Galaxy A52 5G is. It's not overpriced, looks really good, is very well built, takes highly shareable photos, and is powerful enough to do whatever you need to do every day. The battery even lasts two days on one charge. We really expect that from every phone these days, and where the A52 5G really wins are all the extras Samsung has packed.
The Galaxy A52 5G has a number of useful extra features – water resistance, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack – that you don't always see on more expensive phones, plus 5G for the future if you so choose. These are not gadgets, but rather features that you will actually benefit from, and that is really welcome. It's also what turns the phone from simply good to great.
While there are still plenty of reasons to buy a Galaxy S-series flagship phone, the A52 5G ticks all the boxes for half the price or less if you're not that into top-notch photography or hardcore gaming. That's a good value, and while we're inundated with great flagship phones, the less you want to spend, the fewer the choices. So it's great to have a strong recommendation here.
Is there a better alternative?
The Galaxy A52 5G's biggest competitor is the Google Pixel 4a 5G, which also costs $ 499. If the camera is the most important part of your new phone it might be a better buy, but the design and materials can't be the same as the A52 5G. Since Samsung has strong software support for the future, it manages to regain some attraction in this area.
The battery even lasts two days on one charge.
It also takes on the OnePlus 8 in the US, which is available for $ 500, but it's considerably older than the brand new A52 5G. Some might also check out the Apple iPhone SE for $ 399, which is a whole different deal. It's slim and beautifully done, but much smaller and with a less versatile camera.
In the UK, the price of the A52 5G is even more competitive as it undercuts the Pixel 4a 5G and is closer to the Pixel 4a which means it is excellent value for money. There's a lot of competition, however, from the £ 280 / $ 385 Realme 8 Pro and the £ 469 / $ 645 Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G to the £ 380 / $ 520 Oppo X3 Lite.
How long it will take?
There is some good news here. The phone is IP67 water and dust resistant (yes, even with the 3.5mm headphone jack) and Samsung says the phone will get three Android version and security updates over the next four years. The 5G connection means you're ready to connect to the fastest network, if it's available where you live.
In addition, the MicroSD card slot expands the standard internal storage of 128 GB as well as NFC (in my UK version) for Google Pay and offers everything you need from a smartphone. The Galaxy A52 5G should last two to three years, assuming you're not a hardcore gamer.
Should you buy one?
Yes, the capabilities, style, and performance of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G exceed expectations.
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