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Samsung has now officially peeled back the wraps on its Galaxy A52, Galaxy A52 5G, and Galaxy A72.
The new devices build on their top-ranked budget-friendly predecessors in nearly every way. That’s not just in terms of specs either. The company started by ensuring the new Galaxy-branded handsets fit in better with the Galaxy ecosystem. That’s across PCs, tablets, wearables, TVs, and more. And the company is bringing more flagship features over to the mid-rangers too.
For starters, these Galaxy A series devices are better integrated with SmartThings. That includes the ability to control a smart home ecosystem. But also the ability to use SmartThings Find to locate paired gadgets and the Galaxy SmartTab Bluetooth locater to find non-connected devices and other objects.
Other flagship additions to this lineup include Music Share, Quick Share, Private Share, Samsung Knox, and Samsung Care+. The latter is effectively a subscription coverage plan for phones that offers immediate support options and covers even theft or loss. And, of course, Samsung Knox is a defense-grade security system built right into the device.
But the other features are more user-facing. Music share, for example, allows syncing with a friend’s device to share music. It also allows two sets of Galaxy Buds to be paired — via Buds Together — for a more intimate sharing experience. Quick Share, conversely, lets users share pictures and videos to nearby Galaxy devices without size limitations. While Private share allows users to give or revoke photo and video sharing permissions on-demand.
Flagship features here are stacked atop better internals and hardware features
In terms of exactly what users are getting from these devices, that’s actually going to vary very little at the surface level. Both the Samsung Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A52 5G will, for example, come with the same display, battery, cameras, and more, with very few exceptions. Even the same processor appears to be in use. Moreover, some of those specs will stay the same for the Samsung Galaxy A72 — at least at first glance.
For example, the Samsung Galaxy A52, Galaxy A52 5G, and Galaxy A72 all come with an “octa-core processor” with two 2.3GHz cores. Those are coupled with six 1.8GHz cores. And, underneath, coupled with 6GB or 8GB RAM options. Although the LTE Galaxy A52 does have a 4GB option. More specifically, that’s the Snapdragon 720G for the Samsung Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72. The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G comes with a Snapdragon 750G SoC.
For each device, that’s placed under a better display than ever too. The Samsung Galaxy A72 and Galaxy A52 come with 90Hz screens compared to the Galaxy A52 5G’s 120Hz refresh rate, each has a brightness of up to 800nits. The biggest other difference, on a first read-through of the specs, is of course the 5G support for the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G.
Each of those is a Super AMOLED panel too, with Eye Care certification and an Eye Comfort Shield feature to adjust the color temperature based on usage patterns. That will, Samsung says, reduce eye fatigue. All stacking atop a “two-day” battery rated at 4,500mAh and 5,000mAh — depending on whether the Galaxy A52 or Galaxy A72 is purchased.
The design itself is a more refined look, with a minimal camera hump designed to blend seamlessly with the back panel. Samsung is still including stereo speakers, USB-C charging too, as well as expandable memory up to 1TB. While the software experience will be driven by Android 11, with One UI 3 laid out over top. As with other Samsung phones this generation, up to three generations of firmware updates and four for security have been promised for these Galaxy handsets.
The cameras are another highlight for Samsung Galaxy A52, A52 5G, and A72
Another area these phones will differ is in the cameras, although the differences aren’t taking away from flagship-like features. For instance, each of the new Galaxy A series handsets will come with stabilization for shots and videos, including in Night mode via multi-frame processing and OIS. And each brings along AR Emoji and My Filter too.
AR, in particular, extends well beyond standard camera captures with these handsets, with a new Fun Mode. That adds AR Lenses from Snapchat to the native camera app. So users can take advantage of the best filters and effects from the popular app directly in the Camera application.
Continuing in that same vein, each of the new devices is led by a 64-megapixel high-resolution primary snapper. That’s also capable of catching video in brilliant 4K, and distilling video into 8-megapixel photos via a feature dubbed 4K Video Snap. The AI-driven Scene Optimizer, conversely, holds no fewer than 30 categories to provide optimal settings for captures. Those range from food to landscapes and pets.
The differences between the phones on the camera front are minimal in other ways too. Each of the new phones utilizes secondary lenses, including a 12-megapixel fixed-focus Ultra-Wide snapper with an F/2.2 aperture and 1.12µm pixel size. A 5-megapixel Macro lens is included as well. That’s set with a fixed-focus and f/2.4 aperture with the same pixel size as the ultra-wide lens.
However, the Samsung Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A52 5G ship with a 5-megapixel depth sensor too. And can only shoot with up to 10-times digital zoom. The Samsung Galaxy A52, conversely, shoots at up to 30-times digital zoom with up to 3-times optical zoom. It also eschews the depth camera to accomplish that, using an 8-megapixel OIS auto-focus lens instead.
Both series ship with a selfie snapper rated at 32-megapixels. That’s a fixed-focus lens with an f/2.2 aperture and 0.8µm pixel size.
Specs
For those who are looking for more detailed specifications for the Galaxy A52, Galaxy A52 5G, and Galaxy A72, those are included below as provided by Samsung.
| Samsung Galaxy A52/Galaxy A52 5G | Samsung Galaxy A72 | |
| Screen size | 6.5” FHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display (1080 x 2400), 407 ppi 90 Hz refresh rate/120Hz refresh rate |
6.7” FHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display (1080 x 2400), 394 ppi 90 Hz refresh rate |
| Dimensions & Weight | 75.1 x 159.9 x 8.4mm 189g |
77.4 x 165.0 x 8.4mm 203g |
| Cameras | Main: 64MP OIS AF (F1.8, 0.8µm) Ultra-Wide: 12MP FF (F2.2, 1.12µm) Macro: 5MP FF (F2.4, 1.12µm) Depth: 5MP FF (F2.4, 1.12µm) Digital Zoom up to 10XSelfie: 32MP FF (F2.2, 0.8µm) |
Main: 64MP OIS AF (F1.8, 0.8µm) Ultra-Wide: 12MP FF (F2.2, 1.12µm) Macro: 5MP FF (F2.4, 1.12µm) Tele(3x): 8MP OIS AF (F2.4, 1.0µm) Digital Zoom up to 30X Optical Zoom at 3XSelfie: 32MP FF (F2.2, 0.8µm) |
| Processor | Octa-Core (2 x 2.3GHz + 6 x 1.8GHz) | Octa-Core (2 x 2.3GHz + 6 x 1.8GHz) |
| RAM & Storage | Galaxy A52 RAM: 4/6/8GB A52 ROM: 128/256GBGalaxy A52 5G RAM: 6/8GB A52 5G Storage: 128/256GB |
RAM: 6/8GB ROM: 128/256GB |
| Expandable Memory & SIM | 2 slots (SIM 1 + Hybrid) Micro SD: Up to 1TB |
2 slots (SIM 1 + Hybrid) Micro SD: Up to 1TB |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Charging | 25W Fast Charging | 25W Fast Charging |
| OS | Android 11 | Android 11 |
| Charging | Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 with DisplayPort out | Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 with DisplayPort out |
| Network | LTE / 5G Sub6 FDD, 5G Sub6 TDD | LTE |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4G+5GHz) Bluetooth v 5.0 USB Type 2.0-C Location (GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, Galileo) |
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4G+5GHz) Bluetooth v 5.0 USB Type 2.0-C Location (GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, Galileo) |
| Payment | NFC MST (A52 5G KOR Only) |
NFC MST (A52 5G KOR Only) |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Fingerprint sensor, Gyro sensor, Geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, Light sensor, Virtual Proximity sensor |
Accelerometer, Fingerprint sensor, Gyro sensor, Geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, Light sensor, Virtual Proximity sensor |
| Authentication | Lock Type: Pattern, PIN, password Biometric lock type: Face Recognition, Fingerprint sensor |
Lock Type: Pattern, PIN, password Biometric lock type: Face Recognition, Fingerprint sensor |
| Audio | [Stereo speakers sound by AKG] Surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology[Ultra high-quality audio playback] UHQ 24-bit PCM: Up to 24 bits[Audio playback format] MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA [Bluetooth] Dual Audio: Connect two Bluetooth devices to play audio through the two devices simultaneously. Scalable Codec: Enhanced Bluetooth connection under ambient radio frequency interference. |
[Stereo speakers sound by AKG] Surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology[Ultra high-quality audio playback] UHQ 24-bit PCM: Up to 24 bits[Audio playback format] MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA [Bluetooth] Dual Audio: Connect two Bluetooth devices to play audio through the two devices simultaneously. Scalable Codec: Enhanced Bluetooth connection under ambient radio frequency interference. |
| Video playback | [Video playback format] MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM[TV connection] Wireless: Smart View (screen mirroring 1080p at 30fps) |
[Video playback format] MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM[TV connection] Wireless: Smart View (screen mirroring 1080p at 30fps) |
| Water Resistance | IP67 | IP67 |
Pricing and availability for Samsung Galaxy A52, A52 5G, and A72 are still unknown
Now, Samsung hasn’t provided details about pricing or availability for its Galaxy A52, Galaxy A52 5G, or Galaxy A72 just yet. Those details will undoubtedly be forthcoming in the coming weeks. And they’ll vary significantly by region. But the company did, at the very least, detail what colors they’ll be available in and the options are wider than ever.
The standard colors will be available, of course, starting with “Awesome” White and Black. But it’ll also make the handsets available in Awesome Violet and Awesome Blue. Each of which appears to be a matte coloration, which should mean great protection against fingerprints and smudges. And the company is utilizing pulp mold and paper to minimize space and material for the packaging, promoting greater sustainability on that front.
