Samsung’s latest Galaxy A phone embraces features we’re missing at a lower price

Samsung’s new mainstream phone range has arrived, with three models: the A52, A52 5G and A72. The new devices have some higher quality specs, but cost less than their Galaxy S siblings, something that is likely to make them attractive to a wide range of buyers.

Compared to the Galaxy S21 series, the new Galaxy A phones all feature features that have fallen short of the enterprise’s high quality devices that many consumers like: headphone jacks, MicroSD card slots to expand memory to 1 TB and chargers in the box. They also offer a two-day battery life, four rear camera lenses and Super AMOLED screens.

But the biggest selling point for the phones is the price. Internationally, the Galaxy A52 costs 349 euros (about $ 415, AU $ 540), the A52 5G sells for 429 euros ($ 510, AU $ 660) and the A72 is 449 euros ($ 534, $ 690). The devices are available in some markets on Wednesday, although Samsung has not set out, and US prices have not yet been announced. (In the UK, the Galaxy A52 5G is now available for £ 399 and the A72 for £ 419. The regular A52 is not for sale there.)

Last year’s Galaxy A51 sold for $ 400 for the 4G version in the US and $ 500 for the 5G model, while the A71 5G costs $ 650 for ultra-fast millimeter wave 5G at Verizon or $ 600 at other carriers. The Galaxy S21, launched in January, starts at $ 800.

“It’s a competitive price point considering the amount of technology they have,” said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies. And at the cost of this, consumers are getting the bells and whistles they really need. It is not an impediment to experience, she said.

Samsung unveils new A-family Wednesday during a virtual Unpacked launch, an event previously reserved for the best and most important devices. In mid-January, Samsung launches its new flagship phone line – Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra – during the first virtual Unpacked of the year. This time, Samsung calls its opportunity the Galaxy Awesome Unpacked to explain how it “brings Awesome for everyone” with its new Galaxy A devices.

Samsung’s greater pressure with the A-Series reflects the reality in which we all live. Phone designs do not change much from year to year, and consumers hold devices longer, about three years in the US versus two in the United States. past. At the same time, the pandemic has financially hurt millions of people. While the best specs and latest features are good for attention and buzz, people still like what they spend on phones – especially now.

Galaxy A devices have been sold internationally for years, but only came to the US in 2020. It turns out the real phones for the time being. Three out of every four Samsung phones shipped around the world last year were Galaxy A devices, according to Strategy Analytics. In the U.S., where there is often a larger market for expensive phones than in many other regions, A-family shipping exceeded that of the S-Series, 26% to 19%, Strategy Analytics said.

“The Galaxy A series is designed to make Samsung’s latest product more accessible to a wider audience than ever before,” TM Roh, head of Samsung’s mobile business, said in a series of frequently asked questions to reporters before the opportunity was given. “Price point should not be a limiting factor in the choice of technology.”

For this purpose, Samsung launched in January reduced start-up costs for its Galaxy S21 devices by $ 200 to $ 800 of the S20 family from last year, partly due to lower component costs and partly as a recognition of the fact that the world is struggling with a pandemic.

All the specifications of A

Last year’s Galaxy A series included four 4G LTE phones and two 5G models. They ranged from $ 110 for the Galaxy A10 to $ 650 for the Galaxy A71 5G on Verizon’s network (that’s $ 600 at other service providers without super-fast 5G millimeter wave connectivity). All have some excellent features, though they were not nearly as premium as the specs in the Galaxy S, Note and Foldable. And no one was close to the price for Samsung’s premium phones, which started at $ 1,000 for the Galaxy S20.

This year, Samsung introduced three new models, the 6.5-inch Galaxy A52 and A52 5G and the 6.7-inch Galaxy A72. Currently, only one model, the A52 5G, can be connected to 5G networks, and at least initially the device only works on the slower but more reliable sub-6 GHz. Samsung has two other A-family 5G models it has previously announced, the A32 5G and the A42 5G.

“While each market is at a different stage of its 5G journey, we are committed to expanding 5G-ready devices so that users today can have the technology of tomorrow and reap the benefits of 5G once it’s in their region. roll out, whether it’s next week, next month or next year, ‘said KJ Kim, head of Samsung’s mobile R & D office, in a frequently asked question before the event.

He added that providing software updates for longer periods of time will enable consumers to keep their devices longer than before. The new A family receives three generations of Android updates and at least four years of updates.

All three of the new phones have large batteries, with the A52 models having 4500 mAh batteries and the A72 in a 5000 mAh battery. By comparison, the Galaxy S21 has a 4000 mAh battery, while the S21 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh battery. The A52, A52 5G and A72 are quickly charged with 25 watts and have an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.

All three have a 32-megapixel front-facing camera and four rear-facing cameras, including 64-megapixel main lenses, 12-megapixel ultra-wide lenses and 5-megapixel macro lenses. The A52 models also have 5-megapixel depth cameras and have digital zoom up to 10x, while the A72 has an 8-megapixel telephoto lens that can up to 30x digital zoom and 3x optical zoom.

With 4K Video Snap, users can capture an 8-megapixel image of 4K videos, while Scene Optimizer recognizes 30 different scenes – such as landscapes, pets and food – and automatically adjusts the camera settings for the best shots. The phones are equipped with night mode to take better pictures in low light situations, and they include some professional video features. Users can set up their own photo filters with My Filter, customize their own AR Emoji and apply Snapchat AR lenses with Fund Mode from the native camera app.

The A52 and A52 5G have a 6.5-inch FHD Plus Super AMOLED Infinity-O screen, and the 5G version has a 120Hz refresh rate. The regular A52 and A72 screens have 90Hz refresh rates, and all three have Samsung’s Eye Comfort Shield that automatically adjusts the blue light emitted by the phones based on the time of day.

The three devices have new stereo speakers that can increase the volume up to 43% of older models. They are available in Awesome Violet, Awesome Blue, Awesome Black and Awesome White. And everyone comes with the boot in the box, something from which Samsung has moved away in its flagship phones.

“For many users, the Galaxy A series is their first Galaxy smartphone, and they may not have the full ecosystem of Galaxy accessories at their fingertips,” said Woncheol Chai, senior vice president and head of Samsung’s experience planning team. mobile communications company, said. in a set of frequently asked questions to reporters before the event. Samsung does not include a headset in its new A-phones, and Chai pointed out that future A-series phones may not be available with chargers.

“Samsung is working on the global transition of removing the charging plug and earphones from Galaxy smartphones,” he said.