Samsung’s latest Galaxy A includes features we miss at a lower cost

The new line of conventional phones from Samsung has arrived, with three models: the A52, A52 5G and A72. The new devices have some high-end specifications, but cost less than their Galaxy S brothers, something that is likely to make them attractive to a wide range of buyers.

Compared to the Galaxy S21 line, the new Galaxy A series phones come with features taken from the company’s latest generation devices that many consumers love: headphone connectors, MicroSD card slots to expand memory up to 1 TB and chargers in the box. They also disclose a two-day battery, four camera lenses on the rear and Super AMOLED screens.

But the biggest selling point of phones is the price. Internationally, the Galaxy A52 costs 349 euros (approximately $ 415, AU $ 540), the A52 5G sells for 429 euros ($ 510, AU $ 660) and the A72 has 449 euros ($ 534, AU $ 690). The devices are available in some markets on Wednesday, although Samsung has not detailed which ones and has not yet provided prices to the U.S. (In the UK, the Galaxy A52 5G is available now for £ 399 and the A72 for £ 419. The normal 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 5G millimeter waves at Verizon or $ 600 on other carriers. THE Galaxy S21, launched in January, starting at $ 800.

“This is a competitive price, considering the amount of technology they have,” said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies. And at the cost, consumers are getting the resources they really need. This “is not a compromised experience,” she said.

Samsung exhibited the new A family on Wednesday during an Unpacked virtual launch, an event previously reserved for your cutting-edge and most important devices. In mid-January, Samsung launched its new flagship phone line – Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra – during his first virtual unpacking of the year. This time, Samsung dubbed its event Awesome Galaxy Unpacked to explain how it is “bringing Awesome to everyone” with its new Galaxy A devices.

Samsung’s biggest boost with the A series this year reflects the reality in which we all live. Phone designs do not change much from year to year and consumers are holding the phones for longer, about three years in the United States versus two in the past. At the same time, the pandemic it has hurt millions of people financially. While cutting-edge specifications and cutting-edge features are good for attention and excitement, people still worry about what they are spending on phones – especially now.

Galaxy A devices have been sold internationally for years, but they didn’t arrive in the US as a complete line until 2020. They ended up being the phones right for the times. Three out of four Samsung phones sold around the world last year were Galaxy A devices, according to Strategy Analytics. In the United States, where there is generally a larger market for expensive phones than in many other regions, family A shipments have surpassed those for the S line, by 26% to 19%, Strategy Analytics said.

“The Galaxy A series was designed to make Samsung’s latest flagship product more accessible to a wider audience than ever before,” said TM Roh, head of Samsung’s mobile business, in a FAQ provided to reporters before the event. “Price should not be a limiting factor in choosing the technology.”

For that, Samsung in January reduced the initial cost of its Galaxy S21 devices from $ 200 to $ 800 from last year’s S20 family, partly because of lower component costs and partly as a recognition of the fact that the world is battling a pandemic.

All A specifications

Last year’s Galaxy A lineup 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 the Verizon network (it’s $ 600 on other operators without super-fast 5G millimeter wave connectivity). All came with some cutting edge features, although they were not as premium as the specs found on the Galaxy S, Note and foldable. And none came close to the price of 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. At the moment, only one model, the A52 5G, can connect to 5G networks and, at least initially, the device works only at the slowest, but most reliable sub-6GHz. Samsung has two other 5G models from the A family previously announced, the A32 5G and the A42 5G.

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

He added that providing software updates for longer periods will allow consumers to keep their devices longer than before. The new A family will receive three generations of Android operating system updates and at least four years of security updates.

All three new phones have large batteries, with the A52 models with 4,500 mAh batteries and the A72 with 5,000 mAh batteries. In comparison, the Galaxy S21 includes a 4,000 mAh battery, while the S21 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh battery. The A52, A52 5G and A72 come with a 25-watt fast charge and come with an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.

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

4K Video Snap allows users to capture an 8 megapixel image of 4K video, while Scene Optimizer recognizes 30 different scenes – such as outdoor landscapes, pets and food – and automatically adjusts camera settings for the best shots. The phones come with Night Mode to capture better photos in low light situations and feature some professional video features. Users can set up their own photo filters with My Filter, customize your own AR Emoji and apply Snapchat AR lenses with Background Mode straight from the native camera app.

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

The three devices have new stereo speakers that can increase the volume by up to 43% over older models. They are available in Incredible Violet, Incredible Blue, Incredible Black and Incredible White. And they all come with the charging pad in the box, something that Samsung has changed on its main phones.

“For many users, the Galaxy A series is their first Galaxy smartphone, and may not have the entire Galaxy accessory ecosystem at their fingertips,” said Wuckerol Chai, senior vice president and head of the experience planning team in the business. Samsung mobile communications. in a FAQ provided to reporters before the event. Samsung is not including headphones in the box with its new A-series phones, and Chai hinted that future A-series phones may not come with chargers.

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