We’ve been using the Samsung A52 for over 2 weeks now, and our initial thoughts about this device being a really great mid-ranger, haven't changed. The A52 has a very fresh and pleasant feel to it which we appreciated more and more while getting to know the device.
Build Quality & Design
The build quality and design are some of the aspects where we really grew to love this phone. It’s got a very fresh and clean feel to it.
As mentioned in the first impressions, in spite of the camera bump, it doesn’t look or feel too out there. In fact, the protrusion is minimal in a sleek and stylish manner. The design actually gives off the “hey why didn’t anyone else do this before” thought when you use it long term.
The IP67 certification really does go a long way when using the phone under light or even heavy rain. The peace of mind that comes from that protection really allows you to use your phone and not be worried about every little splash or drop.
Overall, we like how the Galaxy A52 feels in the hand. The matte finish is definitely greatly loved and we hope they continue to make more matte phones (fingers crossed!)
Sound & Headphones
In the first impressions, we briefly looked at the DOLBY sound that comes in strong thanks to the dual speakers (earpiece acts as the secondary speaker). After using it long term to consume content, watch movies, videos, listen to music, etc., the sound is clear in the mids and highs with a slightly lacking bass. Also, it is important to note that the highs can get a little tiny at higher volumes. Distortion control is fairly decent at a max volume so that’s worth noting.
Display
The 6.5-inch AMOLED 1080P display on this is by far one of the biggest selling factors on the A52. Even though it doesn't have crazy high refresh rates (the 4G variant), the AMOLED display more than makes up for it with sharp, crisp and vivid colours. The blacks are deep and the image overall always has great contrast levels and brightness.
If you’re interested, the 5G variant comes with a 120-hertz refresh rate panel for those who’d want to rely on the phone for a more immersive and smooth gaming experience. The fact that higher refresh rates are now available with a mid-range, Galaxy A Series phone is pretty awesome.
Battery
The battery on the Samsung Galaxy A52 is a 4,500 mAh battery which in this day and age is a little on the smaller side. However, considering the fact that this is a 90Hz display and the processor is optimized for performance, it can easily give a day’s worth of battery life on a single charge. Of course, this is completely dependent on your usage, but for most average everyday users, you’ll be left with about 15-20% of battery life and the end of the day.
Inside the box, however, comes with an adapter that's only a 15 watts charger. Still, the charger should charge your phone from 0% to 50% in just about 30 minutes which is pretty decent.
Camera
In terms of the image quality, honestly, there's not much difference between the A51 and A52 in terms of the processing. The images look very similar to the last-gen device with minor improvements in low light performance and sharpness.
However, the A52’s main sensor (64MP with f/1.8 aperture) does allow in more light which results in a better dynamic range and more details.
The 12MP ultra wide-angle camera and macro cameras are almost the same as the last iteration as well.
In terms of video resolution, the Samsung A52 supports 4K UHD videos at 30fps with both the front and back camera. Great to see that being incorporated into the camera which would work really well for people who like to vlog or record themselves a lot. This added support for 4K really does set it to have a little more future-proofing.
Processor & Gaming
As far as the processor and processing power is concerned, our 4G unit comes with Snapdragon 720G. This Qualcomm processor has reported pretty decent performance that delivers a very stable gaming experience as well as not sweating when it comes to multitasking.
We’re glad to see that the A52 comes with a Snapdragon processor rather than being restricted to Samsung’s very own Exynos processors which are generally not the most power-efficient.
Obviously, if you're playing games such as Call Of Duty, PUBG or Asphalt, you should be okay as this performs pretty well at medium resolution and even higher framerates.
After about 2 weeks of usage, it has felt smooth and consistent throughout with no lag or stuttering issues. Even in gaming, we faced no overheating issues or frame drops.
Security & Software/UI
In the department of security and biometrics, Samsung opted for the under-display fingerprint sensor on the A52. Its system is decent; not incredibly fast like the S21 Ultra but it gets the job done. You also have expandable storage up from the base storage.
The UI this phone’s running is the one UI 3.1 based on Android 11 which is what you find on all Samsung devices including the flagships.