Samsung Galaxy A41 review

Wrap-up

The Galaxy A41 is one of the most compact smartphones you can buy this year. It is a rather budget phone, which should make it an attractive offer to a larger group of users. And if we were to describe it with just one word - that would have to be consistency.

Indeed, the Galaxy A41 is unyieldingly consistent in everything it does - the AMOLED screen is lovely, the camera snaps good stills and videos no matter the conditions, the battery life is superb whatever you are doing with the phone, and the software won't disappoint you one bit.

Then there is the fact that the Galaxy A41 is also consistently slow when it comes to fingerprint scanning, as well as a mediocre performer in games and heavy-duty tasks.

And yet, the Galaxy A41 is a pleasure to handle for its size and thinness, it has a lively AMOLED screen and comes rather cheap. You can understand why we feel we can forgive its uninspiring speed.

Alternatives

The Galaxy A41 is currently selling at about €250. It is one of the smallest AMOLED-packing Samsungs you can get today. But if you need a larger screen and faster performance, you may want to try the Galaxy A51. It costs about €40 on top of the A41, and in addition to the speed and the bigger screen, you will also get a fourth macro camera on the back.

Note that in some markets Galaxy A31 is available instead of the A51. It is an enlarged version of the A41 with the same hardware, and that's probably the reason why those two are priced very closely.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro costs the same as the A41, and while it comes with an LCD screen instead, it impresses with overall performance and all-round camera quality complete with 4K video and Night Mode. It also excels in battery life and offers speedy charging.

The recently launched Motorola One Fusion+ is another great alternative. It has a 6.5" HDR10 LCD screen, and for some extra €50 it will give you much faster performance and quite impressive camera skills. It also has splash-resistant body and a chart-topping battery life.

Finally, the Huawei P40 Lite is already cheaper than the A41 and it's not a lot bigger either. If you can live without Google, then you will enjoy the fastest phone in this price range, with an excellent camera and commendable battery life. But is the great performance worth the sacrifice of the OLED panel and Google Mobile Services? That's up to you to figiure out.

Samsung Galaxy A51 • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro • Motorola One Fusion+ • Huawei P40 lite

The verdict

If you want a small smartphone and you are on the budget - look no further than the Galaxy A41. A compact device with a flagship screen is an exceedingly rare combination, let alone cheap.

Sure, the Galaxy A41 is not a gaming champ, but you can manage by lowering the in-game resolution if possible. And if the poor graphic punch is an issue, well, there are faster phones on the same price, just not this small or with an AMOLED.

Pros

• Very compact and lightweight
• Great Super AMOLED screen, small notch
• Outstanding battery life
• Consistently good camera even if it lacks a Night Mode
• Great portraits, good selfies
• Android 10 and One UI - a combo we like
• USB-C, 3.5mm jack, microSD, FM radio
• Cheap

Cons

• No 4K video
• Uninspiring graphic performance