Samsung Galaxy A52 review

Introduction

The best way to describe the Galaxy A series in recent years is sprawling. Its lineup is so diverse, spanning all the way from budget to nearly flagship-grade offers that Samsung could have easily spun it off into a sub-brand of its own. Not that we are suggesting they should.

The Korean giant is clearly banking hard on the Galaxy A family. In fact, it now represents the largest portion of the company's sales. There is only one way to pull off that level of success - and it's by offering competitive features under high-profile branding for a reasonable amount. A daunting task that Samsung has been tackling like a true smartphone champ in nifty incremental steps throughout the last few Galaxy A generations.

This year the Galaxy A32, as well as the recently-announced A72 and A52 duo all deliver strong on the value scale. But it's arguably the vanilla Galaxy A52 model that shines the brightest and goes above and beyond this year.

The device we are looking into in this review is the LTE version of the Galaxy A52. It is the one that starts at €349 (MSRP) for a 4GB/128GB unit, while the 5G variant retails from €430.

Samsung Galaxy A52 • Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

The 5G version gets a faster Snapdragon 750G chipset and a faster 120Hz panel and bumps the minimum RAM size to 6GB.

Samsung Galaxy A52 specs at a glance:

• Body: 159.9x75.1x8.4mm, 189g; plastic frame, plastic back, Gorilla Glass 5 front; IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins).
• Display: 6.50" Super AMOLED, 90Hz, 800 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 405ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM7125 Snapdragon 720G (8 nm): Octa-core (2x2.3 GHz Kryo 465 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 465 Silver); Adreno 618.
• Memory: 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 11, One UI 3.1.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.7X", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 123-degree, 1.12µm; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 5 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/120fps; gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 4500mAh; Fast charging 25W, 50% in 30 min (advertised).
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); 3.5mm jack.

This review covers the LTE model of the Galaxy A52. The 5G version has a higher-grade chipset and a 120Hz screen refresh rate. Here is how they compare in specs.

Things get a lot more impressive in the value department when we compare the A52 with last year's Galaxy A51, though. Sure, the price has gone up a bit, but, in no particular order, you now get a 90Hz refresh rate, IP67 rating, stereo speakers, a bigger 4,500 mAh battery, with 25W charging and a higher-res 64MP main camera, with OIS.

That inches the Galaxy A52 pretty close to a flagship feature set in our mind, for lack of a better term. The value proposition is great, and there is very little not to like here. At least on paper, that is. Join us as we dive into the review for the ins and outs.

Unboxing

The Galaxy A52 comes in a simple two-piece package. Nothing too fancy, no plastic, just paper. Thick and rigid, it gets the job done. As far as accessories, you only get a charger, of the regular Type-A variety and a matching Type-A to Type-C cable. A few leaflets and that's about it.

It is worth noting that the Galaxy A52 supports up to 25W charging. However, it does not ship with one. Instead, you get a basic 15W unit in the box. This might still vary from market to market, though, so it is worth checking with your retailer of choice. Plus, it's not that big of a deal to get one separately if you need faster charging, but still, it's enough to raise a few eyebrows.