Samsung Galaxy A52 5G review

Introduction

The lovely Galaxy A52 also comes in 5G flavor, but unlike the cheaper Galaxy A32 duo, where LTE and 5G versions cost the same and comes with downgraded screen and camera, this A52 5G actually brings upgrades and a price hike. Samsung has chosen the Snapdragon 750 5G chip for the Galaxy A52 5G and it has also equipped it with a 120Hz refresh rate Super AMOLED screen, in addition to the headline 5G connectivity.

That's pretty much where the differences end with the rest of the specs sheet shared between the A52 duo. This means the Galaxy A52 5G offers waterproofed body and an attractive matte back. The Super AMOLED has HDR10+ support, while the camera setup is looking solid on paper. The 64MP primary camera has optical image stabilization and it can do 2x lossless zoom, while the 12MP ultrawide camera has a larger sensor than most in this price range.

Wrapping up the highlights are the stereo speakers, the large battery with relatively fast charging, the under-screen fingerprint scanner, the 3.5mm jack and the rich connectivity options. Not a bad package at all then.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G specs at a glance:

• Body: 159.9x75.1x8.4mm, 189g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic back; IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins).
• Display: 6.50" Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 800 nits (HBM), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 407ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM7225 Snapdragon 750G 5G (8 nm): Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 570 & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 570); Adreno 619.
• Memory: 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, 1/1.7", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 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@30/60fps; 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; Virtual proximity sensing.

The Galaxy A52 5G seems like a nice mid-ranger with some flagship goodies sprlingkled on top like the primary camera with OIS, the IP67-rated body and the 120Hz AMOLED. The chipset raises a question mark though - Snapdragon 750 5G is no slouch, but there are far speedier options in this price range and we are not sure it will handle the pressure of a 1080p 120Hz perfectly.

We'll find out by the time we finish this review. Now let's waste no more time and get it started!

Unboxing the Galaxy A52 5G

The Galaxy A52 5G ships in a regular paper box and the bundle is quite basic - a 15W charger and a USB cable. That's it - no case, no protector.

The box contents are the same as the vanilla Galaxy A52's and a bunch of other, lower-standing models. The A52 and A52 5G support 25W fast charging, but if you want speedier charging, you'd have to pay extra for it. Only the Galaxy A72 and gets a 25W adapter in the box. Then again the S21 series don't even get that, so it could be worse too.