All you need to know about Samsung Galaxy A52

At this point in time, we can subdivide Samsung’s mobile offerings into four main line-ups, priciest first: The Z (Folds), Note, S and A series. Now our friends from South Korea are giving some more focus on the budget category — with a generous serving of premium features — through the launch of new Galaxy A52.

The A52 — launched alongside its 5G version and the A72 — has a 6.5-inch FHD+ screen, has 800 nits of brightness and isn’t much of an eye-strainer. It also boasts some really smooth scrolling, thanks to its 90Hz refresh rate. It has a garden-variety rounded frame with rather thick bezels, noticeable especially if you’re used to higher-end, real end-to-end screen devices.

Turn the phone around and here’s where opinions will diverge: The A52 has a plastic case that has a matte-ish finish, and rubbing your fingers on it or giving it some gentle taps will give you a sense of its texture. This means that you’d better take good care of it because one accidental drop could mean some serious dents.

Inside the A52’s hood is a Snapdragon 720G chip, the same you’d find in a number of its contemporaries. It’s a processor built for mid-range devices and good enough for gaming, which means the A52 has some value propositions to offer.

Bundled with the A52 is a quad-lens setup, headed by a 64MP snapper. We also appreciate that the camera block isn’t thick. Samsung has stacked its shooter with the usual features, with a promise of crisp shots.

We’ll give it a thumbs-up for capturing all the colours in their most natural state, unlike other devices that overexpose the subjects. You get a maximum of 10x digital zoom, and understandably, the farther you go, the mushier things get. You’re still assured of decent quality in the 4x-5x range.

In dark conditions, however — and whether you’re using default or night mode — things get a bit too exposed from our vantage point. Now this metric is tricky since, yes, you do need some more light in dark situations. So the judgment will, as always, be completely up to the user and the situation.

Battery in the A52 is right up there among the better ones. In our standard one-hour YouTube-at-full-brightness test, the device lost a very decent nine per cent. It has the ability to last until late-afternoon the following day, and little adjustments to your use will allow you to drag it until the evening. Charging, on the other hand, won’t get you even three-fourths of the way in an hour; we got to 96 per cent in an hour-and-a-half using the in-the-box 15W charger. It does, however, support 25W.

AND SO…

The Samsung Galaxy A52 is exactly what you’d want in an affordable

smartphone, packed with features. If you think about it, considering its holistic offerings, placing it alongside other

devices in its category will make it stand out. But make no mistake,

it’s not just because

of the brand — it’s because of the product itself.

alvin@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai