Samsung Galaxy A52 (Black)
- 6.5 inches Super AMOLED 90Hz display
- 1080 x 2400 display resolution
- 64MP + 8MP + 5.MP + 5MP rear cameras
- 32 MP front camera
- 4K video recording at 30fps
- 4GB RAM, 128GB storage
- Android 11 OS, microSD card slot
- Fingerprint sensor (under display)
- 4500 mAh battery, 25W fast charging
- IP67 dust & water resistant
Samsung Galaxy A52 Video Review
Samsung Galaxy A52 Specifications
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G bands HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A |
| Body | 159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4 mm (6.30 x 2.96 x 0.33 in) 189 g (6.67 oz) in weight Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic back Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins) |
| Display | 6.5 inches Super AMOLED, 90Hz, 800 nits 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~407 ppi density) (~84.1% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Processing | Qualcomm SM7125 Snapdragon 720G (8 nm) chipset Octa-core (2x2.3 GHz Kryo 465 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 465 Silver) CPU Adreno 618 GPU |
| Memory | 128GB internal storage |
| Cameras | 64MP rear wide camera LED Flash, panorama, HDR |
| Communications | 3.5mm audio jack |
| Battery | Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable Fast charging 25W, 50% in 30 min |
Samsung Galaxy A52 Review
Camera
You'll find a quad-camera setup on the Samsung Galaxy A52, consisting of a 64MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro, and 5MP depth camera. The main camera now features OIS, which didn't exist on the previous model of this device. This feature helps produce clearer images even if there is movement.
The camera user-interface is what we've come to expect from Samsung devices. It is simple, intuitive and simply works the way you'd expect. Camera features are also plentiful on the Galaxy A52.
You get great dynamic range and photo quality, especially when it comes to daytime photos. The colours are vibrant and natural with enough detail. To optimize your images further, you can make use of the Scene Optimizer or Auto HDR features.
The A52 offers up to 10x zoom. And as you'd expect, photo quality suffers as you zoom further. You can also get high-quality results with the ultrawide camera on this device.
Low-light shots are perhaps the least impressive part of the Samsung A52 camera system. You can expect some loss of detail and slightly inaccurate colours.
Live Focus mode gives you the ability to add natural blur to your background. Close-up images are simply stunning on this device, thanks to the dedicated 5MP macro sensor.
When it comes to selfies, the 32MP Quad Bayer selfie camera produces solid stills. You have the option of choosing between narrow and wide mode for your selfie shots. The photos come out with plenty of detail, especially when you make use of Auto HDR.
Video Recording
The 64MP wide camera, 12MP ultrawide and the front-facing camera give you 4K video recording capabilities. We found the 4K footage on the Samsung A52 to have above-average detail with no noise. The colours are accurate and the dynamic range is impressive for a device in this price range.
On lower resolution (1080p), you can expect to find some camera noise when recording videos but the detail will still be decent. The video stabilization on this device is excellent. Perfect for those moments when you're capturing something on the move.
Design
Aesthetically, the Samsung Galaxy A52 has a minimal design and the overall look is stunning. The device takes a lot after the more affordable Samsung Galaxy A32 and the bigger and higher-end Samsung Galaxy A72 in terms of its design. The back of the phone has a soft finish that has a good rubbery silk feeling in the hand.
The build of this phone is solid and would remind you of the excellent build quality of the Nokia phones of the past. The screen is protected with Gorilla Glass 5 protection. It might still be worth it to put on a cover and a glass screen protector on this device.
You won't find a lot of phones in this price range with IP67 ingress protection rating. The Samsung Galaxy A52 comes with IP67 dust and water resistance. This makes the Galaxy A52 the first Galaxy A series phone to get this rating.
On the bottom of the phone you'll find the 3.5mm audio jack, a USB Type-C port and the phone's loudspeaker. The top of the phone has the SIM/microSD slot and a noise-cancelling microphone.
The side buttons — power button, volume rockers — are all concentrated on the right-hand-side. The left side of the phone is plain and empty. The physical buttons are well-positioned and responsive.
You'll find the fingerprint sensor on the Samsung A52 embedded under the display. In our tests, it unlocked the phone in a reliable and consistent manner.
The screen bezels are relatively small. So small that Samsung didn't feature a notification LED at the top of this phone.
We have the Samsung Galaxy A52 available in black or blue.
Display
Compared to the previous model Galaxy A51, the Samsung Galaxy A52 has a much better display. You can now enjoy a higher 90Hz refresh rate on this device's 6.5 inch display. This results in a faster, smoother, more responsive and brighter screen. The screen will continue to give you excellent visuals whether you're indoors or enjoying the sun outside.
You'll find two colour profiles to customize and choose from — Vivid Mode (default) and Natural mode. Between these two, you'll be able to achieve the colour perfection you desire.
The Samsung A52 offers a full high-definition display resolution, perfect for watching high-quality videos or playing games.
Battery Life
The 4,500 mAh battery should easily last an entire day or more, depending on your usage. We were impressed with the battery life on this phone.
With the 15W charger that comes with the phone, when charging from zero, you can expect to reach around 35% after only 30 minutes of charging. You can get even faster charging times if you use a 25W charger, which is supported by this phone.
It took close to 2 hours to charge to 100% from zero battery life. You can cut that time by 30 minutes if you have and use a 25W charger.
Operating System
The Samsung A52 is running the latest version of Android — Android 11 OS — along with Samsung's One UI 3.1.
One UI on this device gives you new features such as Google Discovery on the home screen, video call effects such as blurring the background, Eye Comfort Shield for limiting blue light exposure.
Some of the new Android 11 features that you can enjoy on the Samsung Galaxy A52 include a build-in screen recorder, the ability to recall cleared notifications, scheduled dark theme and the granting of temporary permissions to apps.
Speaker
The bottom-firing stereo speaker on the Samsung A52 is one of the best among mid-range smartphones. Sound features on this phone include Samsung Adapt sound system, Dolby Atmos and an advanced equalizer.
Alternatives
A great device to look at, if you're looking to compare the Samsung Galaxy A52 to other devices, is the Huawei P40 Lite 5G. The price of the P40 Lite 5G is comparable but slightly cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy A52 price in South Africa. In terms of features, the P40 Lite 5G has the advantage of having 5G, more RAM memory, 40W fast charging, reverse charging and a cheaper price. However, the Samsung A52 beats the Huawei P40 Lite 5G when it comes to build quality, display quality, latest software and camera. But the differences between these two devices are minor.
Another device that comes close to the Samsung Galaxy A52 is the OPPO A72. If you're looking to pay less than the Samsung A52 price in South Africa and get similar features, the OPPO A72 is a great device to consider.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy A52 is running its own race. It is really hard to find a 2021 phone with a price similar to the Samsung Galaxy A52 price in South Africa that has a high refresh rate, IP67 rating, dual speakers, and excellent battery life. There's a lot of value packed into the Samsung Galaxy A52. And at this price range, nothing really matches it spec-for-spec.
