Samsung Galaxy A70 review

Introduction

The Samsung Galaxy A70 raises the bar within the new A series - a completely reimagined lineup to lead a full-scale war in the midrange kingdom. And the rule of the Chinese makers is very much threatened, having already seen what the A40 and A50 are capable of.

The Galaxy A series are not what they used to be, thank whoever is in charge. Now they are not only affordable AMOLED-bearers, they are also jam-packed with trendy features and come priced very competitively. In fact, it's been quite a while since we could recommend a Galaxy amidst midrangers, but now we can easily name a few.

The Galaxy A70 builds on the very balanced tri-eyed mid-ranger Galaxy A50 by enlarging its AMOLED screen and employing a higher-end chipset with a better processor. Then the camera setup on the back might be keeping its logic (wide/ultra-wide/depth) but the main snapper is now a 32MP one and it can capture 4K videos.

Finally, the Galaxy A70 has one beefy 4,500 mAh battery capable of up to 25W fast charging courtesy of USB-PD technology - a departure from the Samsung's Adaptive Charging that's been around since the Galaxy S5.

Indeed, there are a ton of interesting bits within the Galaxy A70, but here are the most important ones.

Samsung Galaxy A70 specs

• Body: 164.3 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm, 3D Glasstic back, plastic frame.
• Screen: 6.7" Super AMOLED, 1080x2400px resolution, 393 ppi.
• Chipset: Snapdragon 675 chipset: octa-core (2x2.0 GHz Kryo 460 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 460 Silver); Adreno 612 GPU.
• Memory: 6/8GB RAM, 128GB built-in storage; microSD slot
• OS: Android 9 Pie; Samsung One UI
• Main camera: Primary: 32MP, f/1.7, PDAF; Secondary: 8MP, f/2.2, 12mm ultra-wide, fixed focus; Depth camera: 5MP f/2.2; LED flash; 1080p@30 video recording.
• Selfie camera: 32MP f/2.0, 1080p video
• Battery: 4,500mAh; 25W fast charging
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM; LTE Cat.12 (600Mbps) download / Cat.6 upload (50Mbps), Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, GPS; Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, USB-C 2.0.
• Misc: Under-display fingerprint reader, down-firing loudspeaker, 3.5mm audio port

The most prominent omission is the ingress protection that was present on all older Galaxy A phones. The new A series has neither dust nor water protection. This is the price for all those cool specs, including the high-end OLEDs. And we will gladly pay it.

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy A70

The retail box contains everything your new Galaxy A70 may need but a case. Inside, you will find a 25W-rated USB-PD charger and a USB-C to C cable - this is the first time Samsung uses this combo, but we get the feeling we will continue seeing it onwards.

Finally, Samsung is also bundling an in-ear headset ending on a 3.5mm plug.