Samsung Galaxy M52 5G review

Competition

Another in a long list of Galaxy 52s, the M52 5G needs to convince us that it's better than the A52s 5G, first and foremost. Or at least that it's a better deal. That's not entirely too easy and depends a lot on locale since the M52 5G can retail for A52s 5G money in some places, while in other regions, the A-series model can be 10-15% more expensive.

Comparing the two on the merits, the A52s 5G has a few notable advantages. Those include the IP67 rating and the stereo speakers, plus the more premium phone has a headphone jack, and the M-one doesn't. The M52 5G does win the endurance race, and is surprisingly thinner and lighter, considering it has a larger display and higher capacity battery. We'd easily pick the A52s 5G at the same price, but if you're in one of those places where it comes at a premium over the M52 5G, you should probably weigh the pros and cons for yourself.

Outside of the Galaxy, the first phone that comes to mind is the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE. This one is generally more affordable than the M52 5G in most places, but the two can be priced the same elsewhere. The Lite is, indeed, very much so, and at just 6.8mm it's properly svelte - outdoing the M52 in these areas is no easy task, yet the Xiaomi manages to. The battery is roughly comparable between the two - quite the feat on Xiaomi's part, in light of its Lite-ness. You also get IP53-certified splash protection, stereo speakers and an infrared emitter on the Xiaomi. The Galaxy scores points for its higher refresh rate display (120Hz vs. 90Hz), and despite generally similar camera specs, we'd prefer the M52 5G for photography.

Moving on, the Realme GT Master is a refreshing alternative to the Galaxy M52 5G's somewhat drab design. It's not a bad phone when it comes to the fundamentals either, offering a 120Hz display, competitive battery life and overall capable camera. The thing is, the Galaxy is at least a tiny bit better than the Realme in each of these areas, though admittedly, it has no answer to the GTM's 33-minute time from zero to full charge. The 3.5mm jack (Realme) vs. memory expansion slot (Galaxy) could settle this one for some folks. The Realme does come at a lower price point in most places.

The OnePlus Nord 2 might be a better cameraphone than the M52 5G in this selection here thanks to a flagship-grade main unit, though it's not delivering on that promise as much as expected. It does have a superior chipset, its Dimensity 1200 offering a tangible leap in GPU performance over the M52 5G. The Nord scores points for its stereo speakers, too, but the Galaxy counters with a microSD slot, plus the Samsung has the better display. The Nord's price varies wildly from region to region, and it only makes sense considering it where it's priced in the M52's ballpark.

Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G • Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE • Realme GT Master • OnePlus Nord 2 5G

Verdict

While the Galaxy M51 was a clearly positioned marathon runner, the M52 5G takes a more balanced approach. Replacing the 7,000mAh battery with a 5,000mAh one may have robbed the new model of record-breaking endurance numbers, but it's still one of the longest-lasting phones in its class, especially for this performance level. It's all the more impressive an achievement when you consider how light and thin the handset is, something you couldn't call its predecessor.

A most welcome upgrade in the display department sees the M52 5G packing a 120Hz screen, and aside from its somewhat battery-unfriendly stubbornness to maintain that high refresh rate in video playback, it's a properly good display. The M51 was a capable midrange cameraphone, and the new model improves on that, particularly in the stills department, be it day or night. It's not a good choice for a video recorder, though, with stabilization in 4K missing from its feature set.

Some generational developments may raise a few eyebrows, like the scrapping of the headphone jack (come on, even the A52s has one!), or the relegation of the microSD slot to a 'shared' status. The single speaker isn't helping its case either, and bundling a charger that can't max out the phone's capability for power input is a bit annoying.

All in all, however, we'd say that the Galaxy M52 is a well-rounded and competent handset with essentially no deal-breaking faults at a reasonable price. Regional differences in the numbers may make it a better deal in one place than another, so it wouldn't hurt if you make some price comparisons in your local market context. Either way, the Galaxy M52 is a solid device.

Pros

• Remarkably thin and light for the screen size and battery capacity.
• All-round great display (with a caveat).
• Class-leading battery life, if not quite as amazing as on the predecessor.
• High-quality stills and video, notable generational improvement and competitive against higher-tier models in the lineup.

Cons

• Mundane looks (on our black review unit in particular), no IP rating.
• Lack of any sort of adaptive behavior for the refresh rate handling.
• Relatively slow charging, bundled charger can't match phone's power handling capability.
• No video stabilization in 4K, less than ideal results in 1080p too.
• No stereo speakers, headphone jack is gone, microSD slot is now shared as opposed to dedicated.