Samsung Galaxy M52 5G review

Introduction

There are no less than four Samsung Galaxy *52 models, and we've already covered the three ones in the A series. On our quest to exhaust that list, we'll now be showing you the Galaxy M52 5G - a slightly more budget-friendly alternative that misses out on some A-level goodies but still comes with a 5G-capable chipset, a large 120Hz AMOLED display, spec-heavy cameras, and a big battery.

The M52 5G is equipped with the Snapdragon 778G 5G SoC (same as the A52s 5G), so you'll be getting great performance for the class, latest-gen connectivity, and potentially great battery life, an area where the 5,000mAh power pack certainly helps (4,500mAh on the A models). The M series can have 120Hz screens, too, and the M52 5G's 6.7-inch AMOLED is also slightly larger than the 6.5-inch ones of the A trio - bigger is better, some say.

In the imaging department, Samsung has scrapped the 5MP depth camera, much to nobody's objection. Fret not - the 5MP 'macro' unit is still here. More importantly, there's a 64MP primary camera and a 12MP ultrawide, as well as a 32MP one for selfies.

Some concessions had to be made to fit the budget, naturally. The lack of an IP rating is a bummer indeed (the As are IP67-certified), and a single loudspeaker is undoubtedly one fewer than the stereo setups of the higher-priced phones. Whether you'd call the M52's side-mounted fingerprint sensor a pro or a con compared to the under-display ones on the As, is entirely up to you.

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G specs at a glance:

• Body: 164.2x76.4x7.4mm, 173g; Gorilla Glass 5 front, plastic frame, plastic back.
• Display: 6.70" Super AMOLED Plus, 120Hz, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 393ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM7325 Snapdragon 778G 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (4x2.4 GHz Kryo 670 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 670); Adreno 642L.
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 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, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.2, (wide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 2160p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 25W.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC.

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G unboxing

The presentation of the Galaxy M52 5G is in line with other mid-tier Samsungs. The two-piece white cardboard box has a likeness of the phone printed on the lid, and the phone's name is above it.

Inside the box, a somewhat unpleasant surprise awaits - the charger is only rated for 15W output while the M52 5G can take up to 25W. There is a USB-A-to-C cable included in the box, and that's about it.