Will the new Samsung A52 5G be the new king of mid-range phones?

With a nice feature set and good price, do you actually need a flagship phone?

by Justin Choo

When you can buy a decent laptop for smartphone money, that’s when you know that the mid-range category has plenty of room to grow.

And by Samsung’s estimations, they’re expecting the mid-range category to hit 63 per cent of total smartphones to be sold in 2021, and they’re certainly trying their best to fit in the A series in the top end of the mid-tier market.

But what does that mean for us? A new range of phones better placed to offer all the right features, of course – and in Singapore, we’ll be getting the Galaxy A32 5G and Galaxy A52 5G. Samsung’s new offerings are a good indication as any as to how this category is going to refine its market segmentation.

In Samsung’s case, their emphasis has always been on camera, battery and display and not to mention, price.

The camera is the biggest draw

Samsung has equipped its phones with rather tasty cameras – on paper, at least – and even the A32 5G, which is its cheapest 5G-enabled smartphone, has a 48MP main camera, 8MP Ultra-wide camera, 2MP Depth camera, and a 5MP Macro camera.

Things get better on the A52 5G, which sports a main camera featuring a 64MP sensor with OIS. In addition, it’s also equipped with a 12MP ultra-wide camera and a 5MP macro camera.

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G.

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. Image: Samsung

There is no shortage of features as well, and it’s now possible to grab 8MP pics off 4K video footage, while an AI-powered Scene Optimiser makes it easier to get the right settings for every photo you take. It can recognise 30 categories of images ranging from food to pets.

Samsung is also buffing up the camera’s low-light photography capabilities with a three-pronged approach. In addition to the OIS, the phone will carry out tetra binning (combining smaller pixels to capture more light) and Night Mode takes 12 frames of the same shot at different exposures to get the best possible image in the absence of light.

And if you don’t want Samsung’s treatment on your photos you can always switch to the new Pro mode and take control of more settings. Too much work? Maybe My Filter, AR Emoji, and Fun mode will be more up your alley to add a bit of pizazz to your pictures.

Multimedia Features

The Super AMOLED display now boats 800 nits brightness, which is pretty much in the category of flagship class. While the A32 has a 60Hz refresh rate, the A52 has a 120Hz refresh rate for really smooth visuals. The phones also come with Eye Comfort Shield which offers blue light protection and the phones will adjust the colour temperature to reduce eye fatigue.

The speakers are now Dolby Atmos-certified and Samsung says that they are 43 per cent louder than the previous generation. You are also able to share music more easily through Music Share, where you directly sync to a friend’s device or pair two sets of Galaxy Buds (via Buds Together) during workouts or other ‘buddy activities’. Both phones feature microSD support for a 1TB card, which expands your media library tremendously.

Practicalities

New Samsung phones are guaranteed four years minimum of security updates, greatly extending the lifespan of your smartphone. Samsung A52 also has Samsung Knox built-in for additional security. The A52 also has an IP67 rating for resistance against water and dust. If you’re asking me, the A52 is starting to look a little more fetching.

Samsung isn’t saying much about the processor though, so all we know is that both are receiving octa-core processors, presumably from the Exynos family. The A32 5G sports a 2×2.0GHz and 6×2.0GHz SoC while the A52 5G will be brandishing a 2×2.2 GHz + 6×1.8GHz SoC. As trends go, they should be more than sufficient for regular use.

The Samsung Galaxy A32 5G.

The Samsung Galaxy A32 5G. Image: Samsung

The new colours are par for the course for the current Samsung generation – pastel lilacs and the like, and in what Samsung calls a matte haze finish.

Availability

Lazada and Samsung will have a special collaboration to celebrate Lazada’s 8th birthday. The A52 5G will be available to order via Lazada starting at 10 pm on 17 March. On top of that, you will receive a complimentary pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds+ in Black while stocks last.

Otherwise, the Galaxy A52 5G will drop on 27 March while the A32 will be available from 2 April onwards at the following prices:

A32 5G – $348 (4GB RAM, 128GB storage) or $428 (8GB RAM, 128GB storage)

A52 5G – $548 (8GB RAM, 128GB storage) or $648 (8GB RAM, 256GB storage). From 27 March to 30 April, A52 5G buyers will receive a complimentary Smart View Cover (in white) while stocks last.

Both models will be available in Awesome Black, Awesome Blue, Awesome Violet and Awesome White. The Smart View cover (in black or white) will also be available for $68.

They will both be available at local telecommunication operators (M1, Singtel and StarHub), Samsung Online Store , Samsung Experience Stores, Samsung Official Store in Lazada and Shopee, Amazon, KrisShop, Zalora, Takashimaya Department Store, major consumer electronics & IT stores, and selected authorised mobile retailers.