Samsung Galaxy A52 review: Slaying it in style

Samsung has made its presence felt in every smartphone range, giving the brand its much-needed dominance in a highly competitive market. The South Korean tech titan is already off to a great start in 2021 and we are not just talking about the premium Galaxy S21 series. Not everyone can afford a flagship priced in the higher segment, which is why Samsung has an A-series, which caters to the masses who still want the best of features at a manageable price point.

Samsung Galaxy A52 was recently launched in India in two variants, 6GB+128GB and 8GB+128GB, both of which are priced under Rs 30,000. The base model costs Rs 26,499 and the higher-end variant doesn't fall too far at Rs 27,999. For the price, Samsung is trying to throw as much value as you can ask for.

The Galaxy A52 comes with a performance-grade chipset, improved refresh rate display, stereo speakers, faster charging with bigger batteries, 3 years of guaranteed software updates and more. Let's explore.

Design

Samsung Galaxy A52 comes in four "awesome" colours (Samsung's word) - Awesome Black, Awesome Blue, Awesome White and Awesome Violet. Our review unit is of the blue shade and we couldn't agree more with Samsung. Although, the decision to include black and white is wise decision as not all consumers prefer the bling in their phones.

Samsung has made some thoughtful cuts to make sure the consumers get what they need over what they desire. It starts with a polycarbonate back, but before you get upset, it is one of the honest designs we've seen. Samsung is not trying hard to convince consumers that there's a glass or even a metallic panel. It is plastic but looks neat with that whole matte vibe going on. More durable and fewer fingerprint smudges on the back.

The protruding camera on the back is seamless as it effortlessly lifts a notch to house the four sensors and LED flash without standing out. The phone is extremely light, courtesy of the non-glass, non-metal materials used in it, and the ergonomics are toned perfectly. To top it all off, the phone can withstand 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes (IP67).

The phone comes with all the standards, USB Type-C, 3.5mm jack and a speaker at the bottom and a hybrid SIM card slot on the top. Also, the speaker and the earpiece together offer a stereo setup.

Overall, the Galaxy A52 is what it is. A good-looking phone that isn't pretentious.

Display

The Galaxy A52 gets a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with FullHD+ resolution and then there's the goodness of 90Hz refresh rate. We always admire the displays that Samsung offers in its phones and most of them get it right. The Super AMOLED panel is a signature Samsung move - one that makes sure you get the perfect blacks and punchy colours.

The display does get really bright too and using it under sunlight isn't a hassle. Browsing social media or watching your favourite shows, the A52 makes sure you get the best viewing experience - not the flagship-grade, but good enough for the price range. We also tried some gaming on the phone and the 90Hz refresh rate is surely a welcoming upgrade to Samsung A-series - one that will come in handy on various occasions.

Camera

The cameras in the Galaxy A52 are 64MP f/1.8 primary lens paired with 12MP ultra-wide, 5MP macro and 5MP depth sensors. On the front, you get a 32MP snapper for selfies. Not bad a setup for a mid-range smartphone. But does it perform just as well? Let's find out.

We tested the different camera modes available in the A52 - the normal 64MP shooter for most shots, then the macro, the portrait and the utlrawide. The primary sensor produces pretty good results, detailed, rich in colours, balanced dynamic range and good contrast. The ultrawide shots try to retain most details, but still, the edges are distorted while trying to shoot a flat surface on the sides. Tall structures like high-rises and trees ultra-wide can bring in some dramatic shots. Portrait works well too, but the same mode on the portrait lacks edge detection accuracy. The depth effect, however, is on point, but you can always adjust it depending on how you like it. The macro does let you get close to the subject and shooting in broad daylight will deliver exceptional results. All in all, the A52 is a satisfactory camera phone that will fulfil your social media desires to capture and share beautiful pictures.

Check out some captures below:

Performance

Samsung Galaxy A52 packs a Snapdragon 720 chipset, which is paired with 6GB or 8GB RAM depending on which model you buy. The 720 SoC is quite a reliable chipset, which can handle its tasks well and throw in some high-graphics games too for the fun of it. Unlike the international variant, the Indian unit doesn't support 5G, which shouldn't really matter at this current point in time or even 3-4 years from now.

The Galaxy A52 can handle you daily tasks with ease, multi-tasking was a breeze, even on our 6GB RAM variant. It is nice that Samsung defaulted the 128GB storage, which is ample for most people. We tested the phone for some gaming performance, and it can handle it without noticeable frame drops or lags. The UI is clean, but what really matters here is the fact that Samsung committed to 3 years of software updates for this phone. If you're not being too aggressive with your phone when it comes to performance, the A52 should fit just right in.

Battery

Samsung Galaxy A52 comes with a. 4500mAh battery with 25W fast charging support. But we wish the adaptor in the box was a 25W instead of a 15W standard, which means consumers will have to spare a few more bucks on the faster adaptor or settle for more charging tie.

Samsung is claiming the phone can last 2 days, but it depends entirely on your usage. On some occasions when our usage was not extensive, the phone would touch the claimed battery life. But if you're a heavy user, it is best to keep one full day of battery in mind. We were even able to get a day and a half worth of battery when used considerably. But the two-day battery life claim is being optimistic.

Verdict

Samsung Galaxy A52 checks all the right boxes for it to be considered in the mid-range segment. For a smartphone under Rs 30,000, it is a promising candidate, especially when you consider its predecessor, the A51, in terms of upgrades. However, the A52 does face a lot of competition from rivals like OnePlus Nord, Oppo F19 Pro+, which are pretty much in the same price segment with pretty much equivalent features with their own strengths.

Samsung Galaxy A52's strengths are its funky design, reliable performance, brilliant display, great cameras and a battery that lasts a whole day. The lack of 5G shouldn't really be a deal-breaker here, but the lack of 25W charger is surely a bummer.