Samsung Galaxy A52 Review: Unique Value Proposition

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Samsung is clearly putting in some effort to make its new mid-range A-series phones – the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 – feel premium and distinct. The Galaxy A52, which we will take a deep dive into, starts at INR 26,499 and has a lot to look forward to including a high refresh rate display, the latest software, slick body with IP rating, and a versatile camera system. (Samsung Galaxy A52 Review हिंदी में पढ़िए)

But, is it a phone that you should buy? Can the performance outmatch options like OnePlus Nord or Realme X7? We have been putting the phone through its paces and will summarize our thoughts in this Galaxy A52 review. Hopefully, that should clear all doubts and help you decide if it fits the bill.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy F62 Review

Navigate this review:


specifications |unboxing | Design | Display | Performance | Camera | Should you buy it? | Pros -Cons | FAQs


Samsung Galaxy A52 Price and Specifications

Phone Samsung Galaxy A52
Display 6.5-inch, Full HD+ (1080 x 2400), 90Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass 5
Dimensions and weight159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4 mm; 189 grams
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G octa-core
RAM and Storage6GB + 128GB/ 8GB + 128GB
Software Android 11-based OneUI 3.1
Rear camera 64 MP, f/1.8, OIS + 12MP ultra-wide + 5MP macro + 5MP depth
Front camera32 MP
Battery4500mAh, 15W adaptive fast charger (25W supported)
OthersSamsung Pay (NFC), Under display fingerprint sensor, Stereo sp-eakers
Price6 + 128GB – INR 26,499
8 + 128GB – INR 27,999

Samsung Galaxy A52 Unboxing 

A protective case and a pre-applied screen protector are conspicuous omissions and you’ll have to buy these separately. Here is what you do get within the Galaxy A52 box:

  • 15W Charging adaptor
  • USB Cable for charging and data transfer
  • SIM ejector tool and documentation 

Samsung Galaxy A52 Review: Design and Build

As reviewers, we cycle through numerous devices every year and are always excited when we run into something distinct – which isn’t very often. The Galaxy A52 is one such exciting phone. Its soft-touch feel and minimalist look are things that make it stand apart.

No gaudy gradients, no texture, no ostentatious tagline, no jagged edges – just curiously appealing solid colors and a feel-good soft finish back from which the camera array seamlessly elevates. This sensible redesign should appeal to all age groups, but we think it will be particularly hot amidst the young crowd.

On the front, you get an HDR compliant AMOLED display with a centrally-aligned circular punch-hole notch. The bezels around the screen are almost uniform. The optical fingerprint sensor lying underneath has white illuminating light and yields a more consistent unlocking experience than what we have had on previous mid-range Galaxies.

Samsung makes room for an audio jack and a (hybrid) SDcard slot. And there are also stereo speakers. 

This time there is an official IP67 rating for water and dust resistance. The material used for the outer shell and side frame is polycarbonate and that helps keep the weight in check. On the front, there is the assurance of Gorilla Glass 5.

To sum it up, the Galaxy A52 looks appealing, is quite comfortable to hold, and feels pretty solid. 

Also Read: Best Phones with Snapdragon 720G in India

Samsung Galaxy A52 Review: Display

Quality-wise, the 6.5-inch AMOLED display seems as good as the one on the Galaxy F62 or the Galaxy M51. However, there’s additional 90Hz high refresh rate support. This makes animations and OneUI transitions smoother.

The refresh rate is locked to 90Hz for most apps, which is to say this isn’t the smart variable mode switching refresh rate that Samsung offers with its high-end phones. For better performance while playing games, we had to manually switch to ‘Standard’ motion smoothness or 60Hz.

There are two color profiles that target sRGB and DCI-P3 space, and as always we prefer the softer-on-eyes and accurate Natural (sRGB) mode.

The phone has DRM L1 certification and Full HD streaming works on Netflix, Prime Videos, and other relevant apps. HDR streaming worked only on YouTube. A good thing about Samsung phones is that the display locks brightness and pushes it to maximum whenever it gets an HDR signal and this allows for the best possible HDR experience.

Samsung claims 800 Nits of maximum brightness, and the display was easily legible under direct sunlight.

Samsung Galaxy A52 Review: Performance and Software

In India, the Galaxy A52 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G octa-core chipset which feels a little long in the tooth, especially at the given price point. This is still a powerful chipset capable of driving a smooth experience with OneUI 3.1.  

As for gaming and demanding usage, the Galaxy A52 surely won’t knock your socks off.

With the display set to 90Hz, Call of Duty mobile defaulted to High-High, but the performance wasn’t really smooth beyond medium graphics and low frame rate. With the display dialed down to 60Hz (Standard smoothness), the performance substantially improved and the game was playable at default High-High settings.

In comparison, Samsung Galaxy M51 and Galaxy F62 should be better choices for gaming-oriented consumers. For everyone else, the Snapdragon 720G on the Galaxy A52 should suffice.

Our review unit has 6GB RAM and 128GB storage and benchmark performance was marginally lower than that of the Snapdragon 720G-powered Realme 8 Pro that we recently reviewed.

Samsung Galaxy A52 Benchmark scores

  • PC Mark Work 2.0 – 8282
  • PC Mark Work Writing 2.0 – 7306
  • Geekbench single core – 524
  • Geekbench multi-core – 1602
  • 3D Mark Wild Life – 1031
  • 3D Mark Sling Shot Extreme OpenGL ES 3.1 – 2581
  • Androbench Random Read – 126.21MB/s
  • Androbench Random Write – 110.9 MB/s

Connectivity is pretty solid. Call quality was excellent during our review period and options like Dual 4G VoLTE and VoWiFi are supported.

Coming to the software, The OneUI 3.1 is, as always, in good taste and very intuitive. Samsung is among the rare few brands that retain auto call recording support and there are other extras like Samsung Pay (NFC) and Knox security to look forward to. Third-party apps can be uninstalled, the (-1) home screen is Google Feed, and the Samsung assures three years of Android version upgrades! 

Samsung Galaxy A52 Review: Battery and Audio

The 4500mAh battery can comfortably cross the 1-day threshold with the display set to 90Hz. On particular heavy usage days, it’s likely that you’ll drain the battery by late evening or will have to resort to mid-day charging.

You can get fast charging speed with a 25W USB PD adaptor, but unfortunately, Samsung doesn’t bundle one in the box. The 15W adaptive fast charger is only modestly fast. 

We had a 25W USB PD charger lying around and it took approximately 1 hour 30 minutes for a full charge. The bundled 15W charger clocked a little less than 2 hours 15 minutes.

This one has stereo speakers and even though the two channels aren’t well balanced, it makes a difference when watching multimedia content- that matters. There is also Dolby Atmos with different presets that make a nominal difference. We didn’t face any issues while wirelessly streaming audio.

Samsung Galaxy A52 Review: Camera Quality

The primary 64MP resolution sensor now has OIS support and this helps with notable improvements in lowlight photography. Other elements in the quartet remain similar to other mid-range Samsung phones like Galaxy F62. There’s a 12MP wide-angle shooter, 5MP portrait camera, and a 5MP macro shooter. There is also a 32MP selfie camera on the front. 

In proper daylight, the camera performs really well. Colors are pleasently punchy, texture is faithfully reproduced, and details are quite decent. HDR and scene optimizer are better left enabled. When compared side by side, we noticed that details were better on 108MP camera phones, but that was to be expected.

Dedicated telephoto camera is reserved for Galaxy A72 but the 2X digital zoom shots are still very usable.

The 12MP wide-angle camera certainly performs better than most other wide-angle snappers we run into on mid-range phones. Of course, Samsung doesn’t go the extra mile to maintain consistency with the primary snapper.

In lowlight, the Galaxy A52 benefits from OIS and Samsung’s deft image processing algorithms. Dark scenes still have substantial noise, but that somehow makes the scene more natural. The Night mode does a fine job, but falters in challenging scenes.

The macro camera performance was better than the competition. The same can not be said for the portrait mode. That’s not to say that portrait shots are lacking, but it’s just that we have seen better edge detection on phones like Redmi Note 10 and Realme 8 Pro.

The front camera captures nice selfies without going overboard with beautification. There is also a fun mode that lets you play with some Snapchat filters, and gentlt prompts you to download the Snapchat app to try more.

Samsung Galaxy A52 Review: Should you buy it?

The Samsung Galaxy A52 looks amazing, has an HRR AMOLED display, and wonderful software with an assurance of 3 years of updates – all of which makes it a great value proposition for the starting price of INR 26,490, in both online and offline markets.

You can score better chips than Snpdaragon 720G at this price poing. Having said that, the performance can hold up well for basic and moderate users and also for gaming provided the display set to 60Hz. The camera performance is in league with the best available options in the budget.

So, overall, we’d say that the Galaxy A52 is a phone that manages to stands apart from the crowd and justifies its price. There’s unique value that should appeal to different categories of users.

Pros

  • Elegant design with IP rating
  • Good quality 90Hz AMOLED display
  • Decent camera performance and OIS
  • Latest software with assurance of three version updates
  • Stereo speakers
  • Audio jack and card slot

Cons

  • Only 15W charger bundled in the box
  • Chipset could have been better

Samsung Galaxy A52 FAQs

Does Samsung Galaxy A52 support 5G in India?

In India, only the 4G variant of Galaxy A52 is available for purchase. 

Does Samsung Galaxy A52 support AR Core?

No, it does not. 

What is the SAR value of the Samsung Galaxy A52?

Head SAR is 0.460 W/kg?

Does Samsung Galaxy A52 support Dual 4G VoLTE and Carrier aggregation?

Yes, it does.

Does Samsung Galaxy A52 support HD and HDR streaming?

HD streaming is supported on all popular apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Prime videos. HDR streaming works for YouTube but not on Netflix.

Deepak SinghDeepak Singh
Deepak has more than 8 years of experience in covering technology for several eminent publications in India. He currently leads an enthusiastic team of young writers at Smartprix and tries to uphold the highest quality standards.

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7 Comments
Edgar de la Cruz
Edgar de la Cruz
@edgar_royerahi
1 year ago

Very BAD PHONE Advetise as WATERPROOF after one year used the PLASTIKY COVER fell off!

Reply
User
MANNY SINGH
Anonymous
2 years ago

Great 👍 phone All in 1 I can say…

Reply
User
Bob sievers
Anonymous
2 years ago

I am trying to eject my sim but there is a hole for the ejector pin but no where for a card to eject.

Reply
User
Edward Svoboda
Anonymous
2 years ago

I have had one for almost a year. I would never get another. I do not like it at all. It turns my ringtone and notification volume down on its own. I’ve missed calls and gotten texts late due to this. Today it locked into a screen in my settings and it took about 30 min. to get it free. It would not even let me shut it down to try a reboot. It does these quirky things all the time. I’ve had a lot of Samsung phones in the past with no problems, I wish I could say the same for this one. Pure junk as far as I’m concerned.

Reply
User
Ray F Wood
Anonymous
3 years ago

Samsung msrp price new A52 in USD please. How do the refurbished A52 perform beside the factory new one? Were is the best place / price to buy in the USA? Thank You !

Reply
User
Jenni
Anonymous
3 years ago

Big con for me is the hybrid dual SIM- Can’t use 2 SIMs and SD card at once. Would have been a deal breaker had I realised before purchase.

Reply
User
Jahswill ẞby
Anonymous
3 years ago

Cool would love to have it🥰🤦🏻🥺

Reply