Samsung Galaxy A30 review

The competition

We are delighted to see Samsung return with a bang in the budget and midrange markets and the Galaxy A series is a serious testament that the maker intends to stay and conquer. Indeed, the A phones we saw so far were equipped very well to win the market with a combination.

And so is the Galaxy A30 with that brilliant 6.4" Super AMOLED screen, dazzling looks, and nice dual-camera. It's just that Samsung already has enough A phones very much similar to the A30.

The Galaxy A40 is about €10-€20 cheaper than the A30 and it's basically the same phone but more compact due to its smaller 5.9" Super AMOLED screen. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A50 costs about €50 over the A30 and has the same screen but more adequate chipset, RAM, graphics prowess, and even camera megapixels. There is a catch though - the Galaxy A30 and A40 are not as widespread as the A50, so your choice could be limited depending on your local market.

Samsung Galaxy A40 • Samsung Galaxy A50

If the AMOLED screen isn't that of a must-have, the competition may offer you some nice deals. Take the Redmi Note 7 for example - it has an IPS LCD screen with the same size and notch, but offers a more powerful Snapdragon 660 chipset and a camera with a cool Night Mode. It's also €50 cheaper.

The Nokia 7.1 price has seen a significant drop lately and at €180 it costs €50 cheaper than the A30. The Nokia has a large enough LCD HDR screen, a chipset of similar power, and very capable dual-camera. The 7.1 is part of Android One program, so there is that, too.

Finally, the Xperia 10 costs as much as the A30, and impresses with a 6" cinematic 21:9 screen. It is as capable as the A30 in terms of power, but can't match the Galaxy in battery life and camera versatility. Sony's ecosystem is wide-reaching though, and if you have a PlayStation and a BRAVIA TV, this may tip the scales towards the Xperia.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 • Nokia 7.1 • Sony Xperia 10

The verdict

The Galaxy A30 is a balanced smartphone with good specs and it will serve you well no matter the occasion. It has one of the best screens in the class, some great software tricks, and dependable snappers and battery.

Having so many options is good, but at times the Galaxy A30 felt like the one too many in the series. But it seems some segmentation is at play as there are few markets where the A30, A40, and A50 are officially available all together - it's usually either A30 plus A50, or A40 plus A50. And this may as well be enough to single out the right Galaxy A for you.

Pros

• Excellent large Super AMOLED screen
• Eye-catchy design, Gorilla Glass 3 front
• Dependable battery life
• Samsung One UI is lovely
• Good shooter for daylight photos and videos, nice portraits

Cons

• User experience with this chipset is not quite stutter-free
• Poor speaker quality and loudness
• Below average low-light camera performance