Christian ColladoSamsung Galaxy AShare

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G has good reasons to become a bestseller. We review them all in our in-depth review.

The large percentage of buyers of the new Samsung Galaxy A52 can be divided into two groups. And I'm afraid none of them are reading this analysis: one is too busy rehearsing the latest viral TikTok dance. The other one probably doesn't know how to use TikTok yet.

By this, what we want to say is that the Samsung Galaxy A52 is not an aspirational mobile. Nor does it seek to be --after all, it is a 429-euro smartphone--. Basically, it is the device that the sellers of the electronics chains endorse to parents who are looking for a mobile for their children, and with which the operators swell their customer base based on permanence commitments. In short, we are talking about a striking, solid mobile that will satisfy the millions of users who will very possibly opt for it.

But none of that is bad, far from it. Quite the opposite: Samsung is aware of the importance that this type of device has in its catalogue, and how, thanks to them, it continues to be the brand that sells the most mobile phones in the world. For this reason, generation after generation, it continues to improve its Galaxy A series with more and more functions inherited from the most cutting-edge models in its catalog.

I have been using the new Samsung Galaxy A52 5G since the day it was introduced. And now it is much clearer to me that this mobile has everything to take over from the Galaxy A51 and become Samsung's new best seller for 2021.

The back of the Samsung Galaxy A52.

Samsung Galaxy A52 data sheet

The best of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

Its design

Those who still think that A mobile made of plastic is synonymous with a poorly designed mobile, they have not paid much attention to what companies like Google or Samsung itself have been doing in recent years.

The fact of not using the so-called "premium" materials does not imply that the Galaxy A52 5G is a poorly designed mobile. In fact, it is the most attractive model in the A50 series to date, thanks to more polished aesthetic lines that show off a rear with a pleasant soft matte finish, and straight lines that suit it especially well.

Cameras and back of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G.

With a body of less than 16 centimeters in height, and a weight of less than 190 grams, the A52 feels light, but robust, especially when compared to other models in the same range.

As for colors, we have several to choose from. In this case, we have had the opportunity to test the purple finish, but it is also possible to buy the terminal in blue, white and black. All of them maintain the same matte finish on the back, and the plastic construction.

The last time Samsung introduced water resistance to a Galaxy A was in 2018.

In addition, new for this year is the IP67 certification that guarantees resistance to water and dust, a feature that Samsung had not incorporated into its Galaxy A series since the iconic 2017 and 2018 models, such as the Galaxy A5 2017. This protection ensures that the terminal is capable of surviving immersions in fresh water up to a meter deep, for half an hour. In any case, water damage is not covered by the warranty.

Samsung Galaxy A52 ports.

Other interesting features of its design are the inclusion of a 3.5-millimeter headphone port, or the existence of a double stereo speaker with Dolby Atmos audio. Of the latter, it must be said that the sound quality is good, even at high volume levels, although the audio is not as clear or "round", nor does it sound as loud as those of the most expensive models on the market. own company.

Your screen

SuperAMOLED; Full HD + and 120 hertz. Those are the three pillars on which the excellent 6.5-inch screen of the Galaxy A52 5G is based, whose main virtue is undoubtedly the extra fluidity provided by 120 hertz.

The difference with respect to the 90 hertz of the A52 and A72 is not too perceptible, but things change when we compare it with the 60 hertz screen of the previous Galaxy A51, or of any other mid-range of the firm launched in years prior to 2021. Everything moves much more fluently, and without a doubt the experience benefits greatly.

Thanks to 120 hertz, everything moves much more fluidly, and the experience certainly benefits.

Beyond the value provided by the extra softness of 120 hertz, we are talking about a high-quality panel, with a maximum brightness level that is more than enough to allow viewing the screen outdoors without problems, good sharpness and some correct viewing angles. In none of these aspects does it reach the level of the best Samsung panels, but without a doubt this is a very good screen, better than what we can find in the vast majority of competing models for a similar price.

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G.

The screen also integrates the optical fingerprint reader, whose operation is not very different from the previous generation in terms of speed and precision.

Surrounding the screen we see some margins with a size not much smaller than that of the previous generation, and a hole in the upper central part, which houses the phone's front camera.

Performance and autonomy

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G that mounts this model is a whole life insurance. It is one of the most powerful chips launched by Qualcomm in recent months, with technical specifications that have little to envy to those of the Snapdragon 800 series models.

On a day-to-day basis, the performance of the device is good. I have not encountered any lag or slowdown problems, even when running heavy applications or resource-hungry games. This is also helped by the 8 GB of RAM memory, the amount that, in recent years, has proven more than optimal to offer a pleasant user experience.

The entire repertoire of specifications is supported by One UI in its version 3.1, the same installment of the brand's software that debuted alongside the Samsung Galaxy S21, based on Android 11.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, screen on.

The level of optimization achieved by Samsung with its customization layer is within the reach of very few, and despite its problems --which there are, and I'll talk about them later--, One UI is still one of the layers more stable, faster and with the most coherent design, in addition to having an endless number of functions and tools, many of them useful, and others that are not so useful, but at least they do not completely dirty the experience as it happens in other cases.

To this must be added a guaranteed support of three years in terms of Android updates, and four years in terms of security updates. Few competing manufacturers can commit to such extended support over time for their mid-range mobiles.

Backing up the device's software and hardware is a 4,500 mAh capacity battery, 500 mAh than in the case of last year's Galaxy A51.

This increase does not translate into a substantially higher autonomy, mainly due to the use of a screen that consumes more battery, and a more powerful processor. Even so, the autonomy of the Galaxy A52 5G is still good, providing a whole day of use without too many problems.

In addition, there is no lack of fast charging, which in this case remains at 25W of maximum power. Unlike what happens with the S21 series models, the charger is included in the box, although it is a 15W charger that does not allow you to take full advantage of the smartphone's fast charging technology.

The back of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G.

The worst of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

If even mobiles of more than 1,000 euros are not perfect, even less would a model of less than 450 euros be. Despite its many strengths, the Galaxy A52 5G still has room for improvement in one area in particular.

One UI

I said earlier that One UI is one of the most stable, consistent, and fastest Android customization layers. And I keep it. However, this section that I praised before is the same one that I must now criticize, due to the questionable decisions that, even today, Samsung continues to make.

This is the case of advertising. That a mobile for which you have already paid shows ads in some of its pre-installed applications still seems incomprehensible to me, whether it is on a 1,000-euro mobile, or one of 400, as is the case with the Galaxy A52 5G.

That a mobile for which you have already paid shows ads in some of its pre-installed applications still seems incomprehensible to me.

And although it is true that it is possible to disable --in part-- the ads, we must not forget that we are talking about a phone aimed at the less expert segment of the market, in which the ease of use and the lack of access points Friction should be two of the top priorities.

It's a real shame that Samsung continues to be determined to dirty the experience with software that, in other circumstances, would have an immense superiority over the vast majority of customization layers available on the market.

Apps on a Samsung Galaxy A52 5G.

These are the cameras of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

The photographic system of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G consists of five different sensors: four on the back, and one on the front. Each of the cameras fulfills a different task:

The cameras of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G.

The great novelty present in the camera system is the inclusion of an optical image stabilizer that accompanies the main sensor, and that helps you capture sharper and movement-free images, even in scenes with low light. The video section also benefits from this addition, being able to reduce movements and, therefore, generate more stable clips. In addition, it is possible to capture 4K video.

Using the cameras of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G translates into a good experience, especially when using the main camera and, in certain circumstances, the camera with an ultra-wide angle lens.

With the main sensor, it is possible to obtain very good quality captures and portraits with a high level of detail, although we do see the odd problem as soon as the scene to be captured has some movement --for example, when taking photos of our pets or capture images of children--.

The ultra-wide angle camera offers a good result, as long as the light is on our side and we do not face the sensor to complex scenes. As the light drops, so does the level of detail captured, and while the software is able to keep noise at bay, the loss of sharpness is noticeable. Therefore, my recommendation would be to use this camera only when there is sufficient light.

Both the main and secondary cameras tend to process colors in such a way that they appear less "vivid" than they really are, which is curious given that Samsung has always opted to do just the opposite. In any case, any mobile photo editor will allow us to recover natural colors without too much difficulty.

The camera app of the Galaxy A52 5G.

When the light disappears from the scene, we can resort to the night mode included by Samsung in its camera app. However, it must be said that in most cases the automatic mode is capable of capturing enough light thanks to the AI ​​algorithms integrated into the software, and the truth is that the differences between taking a photo with night mode and without it they are not as obvious as they might be on earlier models.

The macro sensor, without autofocus system, does not offer a satisfactory experience as it is difficult to obtain detailed and movement-free shots.

The other two sensors, unfortunately, do not add much value to the experience, since the existence of the depth sensor does not translate into better portraits than those of other mobile phones that do not have this camera, and the macro sensor, without autofocus, does not offer a satisfactory experience as it is difficult to obtain detailed and movement-free captures.

Undoubtedly, I would have preferred a telephoto sensor like the one found in the Galsxy A72, instead of the two complementary cameras that Samsung equips both this model and the "normal" Galaxy A52.

The 32-megapixel selfie camera delivers bright, highly detailed images, and color rendering is natural despite Samsung's tendency to overexpose scenes and soften facial features.

In terms of video, we're happy to hear that Samsung has brought some of the improvements from the Galaxy S and Note to its A-series. This is the case of the possibility of recording video at 4K resolution, and of using the "Pro mode" of video that gives users the option of more precise control over video capture by modifying the recording parameters.

In general, we are talking about a very good photographic system that stands out for the good performance of its main sensor --the one that most users will use for most of the time-- in terms of detail capture, even in complex scenes. The front camera is also up to expectations, and allows you to both capture detail-packed selfies and hold video calls with a good quality image.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, opinion and final thoughts from Andro4all

The line between the mid-range and the high-end range is blurring more and more. The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is a smartphone that inherits many of the features that, until just one or two years ago, were exclusive to the company's top-of-the-range, such as the 120-hertz screen, the processor with built-in 5G, the resistance to the water or the camera with optical stabilizer.

All these functions are added to the essential features that we have been seeing in the Galaxy A in recent years, and that have led some of the models in this family to be among the best-selling mobiles in the world.

Thus, Samsung has managed to create one of the most complete and balanced phones in the mid-range so far in 2021, at a more than understandable price taking into account all the news it puts on the table.

The Samsung Galaxy A52 in purple.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G price and where to buy

The Samsung Galaxy A52 is already on sale in Spain, at an official price of 429 euros. It is a somewhat higher price than usual, which leads it to compete directly with models that could be considered high-end, such as the Xiaomi POCO F3, one of its most direct rivals.

However, the Samsung model plays with the trick of having infinitely superior support in terms of software than Xiaomi's, and with the added value that One UI provides compared to MIUI. We also talked about the fact that the Galaxy has a better main camera.

Among the available versions, we have 6 and 128 GB, or 8 and 256 GB RAM and storage configurations. The first model is the cheapest, with a price of 429 euros, while the second increases the figure to 489 euros.

It is possible to buy the Galaxy A52 5G in stores like Amazon, although it is also available in Samsung's official online store, where the company offers the possibility of delivering an old mobile to obtain a discount of up to 134 euros, all depending the make, model, and condition of the device.

Related topics: Mobile Analytics, Mobile, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Galaxy A

This device has been independently analyzed thanks to a grant from the brand. The article contains purchase links for which Andro4all could receive a commission