Test of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G: pretty progress in several fields

Until then, we have praised the Galaxy A52 5G. Unfortunately for Samsung, we will now be a little more severe. It must be said that, too often, the Korean gives us the impression of not wanting to make an effort.

Test of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G: a great screen, the rest is a bit lazy

Marketed at a rate of 449 euros, the Galaxy A52 5G is supposed to be Samsung’s response to Chinese brands. Unfortunately, some choices of the Korean brand prevent him from competing with the best smartphones of Xiaomi and Oppo.

01net’s opinion.com

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

• + 120 Hz OLED screen
• + Successful design

• – Means Autonomy and Recharge Time
• – Disappointing performance
• – Too many intrusive advertisements ..

Technical sheet

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

System	Android 11
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 750
Size (diagonal)	6.5 “
Screen resolution	405 ppi

See the full file

On paper, the Galaxy A52 5G has everything of a great smartphone. Equipped with an OLED screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate, a 5G compatible Snapdragon processor, a 4,500 mAh high capacity battery and IP67 waterproof certified, the latest Samsung mid -range smartphone has something to convince on the paper. At 449 euros, it is aimed at a very wide target and, like its predecessors, should easily be one of the best sales of 2021.

For a week, we did the Galaxy A52 5G our main smartphone. There are very good surprises … and less good.

An exceptional OLED screen

Let’s not chew our words, Samsung is the king of the screen. In our opinion, the Galaxy A52 5G has the best screen on the market for a mid -range smartphone. AMOLED technology, 120 Hz refresh rate, Full HD+definition, brightness of 823 cd/m 2 according to the measurements of our laboratory… The 6.5 inch slab used by Samsung is close to perfection. It is only in terms of color loyalty that could be done better (delta e = 5.8 by default, 2.96 in natural mode) but this parameter is not likely to disturb anyone.
Thanks to its know-how, the Korean manufacturer offers for 449 euros a screen in the level of most devices at 900 euros and more. It’s impressive and it allows you to really appreciate the smartphone. Whether to read an article, watch a video or play, the screen is perfect.

And a frankly successful design

Another good surprise, Samsung was not satisfied with the minimum design level, as he has been able to do in the past. The brand has accustomed us to reserve the most beautiful looks for the most expensive devices, it makes efforts this year. Indeed, the plastic back of the Galaxy A52 takes its own style with a particularly discreet camera module, reproducing the color of the rest of the smartphone.
The borders of the device, in aluminum imitation plastic, also gives the impression of holding a more luxurious device. It would not be like to handle a mid -range smartphone at all. It’s a great surprise.

Another positive point, the Galaxy A52 5G is one of the rare mid -range smartphones capable of resisting water. IP67 certified, it should reassure people who plan to use it by the pool this summer.

Disappointing performance … and pubs

Until then, we have praised the Galaxy A52 5G. Unfortunately for Samsung, we will now be a little more severe. It must be said that, too often, the Korean gives us the impression of not wanting to make an effort.

Thus, we find the Snapdragon 750g processor of Qualcomm inside this device. Powerful in theory, this chip proved to be rather disappointing during our tests. Like its predecessor, the Galaxy A52 5G tends to row when it has to do too much at the same time, which is not the case for certain competing mobiles yet sold half cheaper.
In our opinion, it is not the chip that is responsible for these inconveniences but Samsung himself. Software optimization is not at the rendezvous of this Galaxy A52 5G. The proof, the One UI launcher (the home screen) “crashed” three times during our tests. Such an event is normally very rare. All this is all the more surprising that with 6 GB of RAM, the Galaxy A52 5G should not be overflowed as easily.

Another problem, this much more serious, Samsung fell into the dark side of the advertisement. Like other so -called low cost manufacturers (Xiaomi, Wiko, etc.), the Korean is advertising to make his smartphone profitable.
At the first start, we invite you to install third -party applications. Until then, nothing serious. Later, without us having not asked for anything, we received a notification of a mysterious application called “AppCloud”. The latter asked us for our gender and our age to suggest applications. As if it were not limited enough, it was impossible for us to refuse all these applications. We had to uncheck them one by one by targeting the small round precisely. If we are mistaken by a millimeter, Appcloud pretends not to understand. It’s abusive and shameful.

At 200 euros, we could have understood why Samsung played with the limits of the respectable. At almost 500 euros, it is not worthy of the world’s leading seller of smartphones. Samsung must seriously reconsider its practices.

A too small fingerprint sensor

Another negative point, the fingerprint sensor of the Galaxy A52 5G is frankly not convincing. Housed under the screen, it rarely works the first time and, above all, is far too small. It’s a two -year -old back, brands have been doing much better since … including Samsung on the top of the range.

A just average autonomy

Another defect, undoubtedly linked to poor software optimization, autonomy. Yet equipped with a very high capacity battery of 4,500 mAh, the Galaxy A52 5G only resisted 1:05 p.m. in our versatile and 11:49 am video stream test. It’s correct, but really not exceptional. We imagine that the 120 Hz screen also has a share of responsibility in this disappointment. In use, we had to recharge it every evening to really go more serenely the next day.

On the recharge side too, the choices of Samsung are strange. Compatible with 25 W chargers, the Galaxy A52 5G comes with an AC adapter 15 W. With the latter, it took us 2h41 to recharge it. By way of comparison, be aware that an Xiaomi at 200 euros now takes less than 1h20. Once again, the Korean abuses his strength position. He knows that, whatever happens, people will buy his products. Why try to outdo yourself ?

A very slow camera module, but rather good

Finally, let’s talk about cameras of the Galaxy A52 5G. Here, our expectations were not very large. It must be said that Samsung has always been excellent on the high end and … much less good elsewhere. The A52 has a false quadruple camera module with a main 64 Mpix sensor (module opening at f/1.8) and an ultra-angle of 12 Mpix (f/2.2). The other two modules, a macro sensor and a depth sensor, are there to make it pretty.

The main weakness of the camera of the Galaxy A52 5G is its slowness. There is no HDR preview, taking two photos in a row at night does not work all the time and, as soon as it lacks light, the result is disappointing (bad focus, poor management of light). Fortunately, most of the time, the Galaxy A52 5G succeeds in taking pretty photos. Thanks to good algorithmic treatment, Samsung creates little detailed but pleasant shots to look at.

Technical sheet

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

System	Android 11
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 750
Size (diagonal)	6.5 “
Screen resolution	405 ppi

See the full file

• + 120 Hz OLED screen
• + Successful design

• – Means Autonomy and Recharge Time
• – Disappointing performance
• – Too many intrusive advertisements ..

The verdict of the test

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

What to say about the Galaxy A52 5G ? On paper, Samsung has designed the ultimate mid -range smartphone. 5G compatible, with an OLED screen at 120 Hz refreshment rate, waterproof and equipped with a large battery, the Korean smartphone has everything to please. Unfortunately, largely because of poor software choices, the Galaxy A52 5G fails to convince us.
Its performance is not there, its autonomy is just average, its camera does not convince and presence of intrusive advertisements spoils everything ..
Fortunately for him, the Galaxy A52 5G has the advantage of its incredible screen which, for once, is much higher than that of the competition. Non -demanding users should manage to appreciate it, even if it is not the device that we would recommend at 450 euros. Instead, for the Google Pixel 4A 5G or the North OnePlus.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G.

Motorola Razr 40

Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

Test of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G: pretty progress in several fields

Like his predecessors successful, The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (449 €) arrives with the same promises: make us live the galaxy s experience at a lower cost. As its name suggests, it supports 5G. It also has two other particularities compared to the Galaxy A52 4G (379 €): a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750g SOC and a 120 Hz screen. Faced with him, many direct competitors of course but also 5G terminals sold at much more attractive prices (for a few concessions). Should we fall for the Samsung smartphone ?

An S21 with a double chin

The design of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is reminiscent of that of S21 with his matte finishes without frills, Its 6.5 inch shoddy screen and its rectangular photo block well integrated into the chassis. The shell, in plastic, is pleasant to watch and handle even with one hand Despite the 189 grams of the whole. We regret that the borders framing the smartphone display are so little discreet. The size/screen ratio remains suitable and allows you to enjoy a beautiful surface to look at all kinds of content.

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G pleases us to align a USB-C port on its lower edge, a first loudspeaker and a mini-jack port. A second audio output is positioned just above the front camera. On the right side of the device, Samsung places the volume controls and the standby button. We had no difficulty reaching them during our test.

The A52 5G presents a fingerprint reader under its screen. This is an optical model that detects fast enough Our fingerprints but does not arrive at the ankle of the ultrasonic fingerprint reader integrated by the high -end models of Samsung. Finally, the terminal is certified IP67. This means that it is waterproof and that it can withstand immersion in water up to a meter deep for 30 minutes.

Amoled and 120 Hz

One of the peculiarities of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is to have a 120 Hz screen. Admittedly, it is not the only one in this price range but it is always pleasant to enjoy such a high cooling rate in this segment. For the rest, the smartphone has a slab Super Amoled With a definition of 1080 x 2400 pixels for 407 ppi. Samsung controls its display from start to finish. However, we recommend that you select the “natural” mode in order to obtain the most faithful calibration on this model.

Son stereo

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G enjoys very good audio equipment. The two stereo speakers are not lacking in power and offer clear sound. The mini-jack take it is also illustrated by a satisfactory sound quality.

5G and new processor

While the Samsung Galaxy A52 4G has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720g SOC from entry -level, its 5G variant is propelled by a Snapdragon 750g. A slightly more efficient chip which also allows him to be compatible with the fifth generation of mobile communications. The Galaxy A52 5G is not a war lightning but it has met all of our expectations when we asked for multitasking.

From left to right: Antutu, Geekbench, 3D Mark and PC Mark

For gaming, however, we make some reservations. Despite the nomenclature of its processor marked with a G for “Gaming”, the Samsung smartphone is struggling to run in good conditions the most popular 3D games like League of Legends: Wild Rift and Call of Duty Mobile.

One UI 3.1 and Android 11 like the big ones

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G comes with One UI 3.1 and Android 11. There is therefore no difference between the visual experience offered by this smartphone and the Galaxy S21. The manufacturer’s overlay is traveled without any difficulty.

We appreciate gesture navigation, transitions and the many personalization options But once again we deplore the few preinstalled applications which can nevertheless be uninstalled.

Samsung does not abandon Bixby, his virtual assistant, but he is more discreet in particular by withdrawing himself in favor of Google Discover. You can always activate it from the side key and program “routines”. We also note the presence of the Game Launcher which allows you to manage all your games.

Many sensors but still not a night bird

The photo configuration of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is quite classic. In details, we have on the back:

• A 64 megapixel sensor with a wide angle lens open to f/1.8
• A 12 megapixel sensor with ultra-wide-angle lens open to f/2.2
• A 5 megapixel sensor with macro lens open to f/2.4
• A 5 -megapixel depth sensor with an opening at f/2.4

And at the front, a 32 megapixel front camera associated with a wide-angle lens open to f/2.2.

The main module of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G can take photos in 64 megapixels but also in 16 megapixels thanks to the pixel binning. It results brighter shots, always as sparkling when taken in good light conditions.

The transition to the ultra grand angle is not done without breakage. There is a difference in color treatment with a penchant to cold shades. Nothing very shocking, The renderings are not lacking in punch.

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is devoid of optical zoom. It is therefore necessary to be satisfied with a digital magnification which can reach 10x. And very quickly, the smartphone of the South Korean manufacturer unscrews.

With its 5 megapixels, the macro sensor impresses and allows you to capture everything and anything with a certain finesse.

Finally, the A52 5G enjoys a depth sensor supposed to improve the precision of the portrait mode. This one turns out to be very effective.

Photophone always so good indoors, The A52 5G disappoints when the sun sets and the light sources are rare. To cover digital noise, it applies a fairly strong smoothing. Night mode saves him by discovering the darkest areas without falling into excess.

Night mode deactivated on the left, activated on the right

The front camera records a lot of details and manages the surrounding brightness rather well. Portrait mode often forgets some hair.

Portrait mode deactivated on the left, activated on the right

Beautiful endurance

So far, the Galaxy A52 5G is a good student but can we give him an additional image for his autonomy ? With a 4,500 mAh battery and regularly asked in 120 Hz for streaming, gaming and photo capture, Samsung’s smartphone has made the soul (temporarily) after 5 p.m. We earn an hour of autonomy when the frequency of updating the screen is blocked at 60 Hz. It therefore displays endurance which will fill the phobic mobiles of the chargers. Especially since the Galaxy A52 5G does not benefit from a load technology as fast as competition. It is indeed necessary to deal with a block of 15w while the terminal is compatible load 25W. Count 1h45 For a full load. Note that he cannot bear the wireless load.

A point on competition

Xiaomi and Oppo have declined their latest flagships in Lite 5G version. Respectively marketed at € 399 and € 449.90, The Mi 11 Lite 5G (there is also a 4G variant) and Find X3 Lite are very aggressive. The first has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 780g SOC which surpasses the 750g in all areas. The second takes advantage of Supervooc 65W technology.

For 100 € less, other models allow you to browse the web in 5G at the price of certain concessions, and not least. The Redmi Note 9T 5G, for example, is excellent for its price of € 249.90 But his technical sheet is logically more modest: LCD slab, Mediatek Dimensity 800U chip and less precise photo equipment.

Conclusion

We expected it at the turn and the new Samsung formula does not disappoint us by making pretty progress in key areas. The Galaxy A52 5G has a sublime Oled 120 Hz screen, incorporates a more swift processor and delivers a more successful photo service. All these pretty little people cohabited in a chassis with quality finishes.

However, some faults continue to stick to her skin. We think of its very slow charge, the lack of efficiency of its photo equipment at night and its difficulty in turning in good conditions the most gourmet games on the market.

It is nonetheless a very good smartphone which is particularly well in the catalog of its manufacturer.

Read the full test

• Writing note

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G test: an attractive mid -range, despite a failed photo pane

After the great success of the Galaxy A51 smartphone, Samsung offers an ambitious replacement. 5g, waterproof, 120 Hz screen… Enough to offer a convincing mid -range on paper.

Presentation

Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A51 smartphones are extremely popular among the Samsung Galaxy A range. The Galaxy A51 is also the best -selling Android smartphone in 2020, according to a study by the Omdia analysis firm. The Galaxy A52 5G is therefore expected at the turn. Carried by an attractive technical sheet, he has all the weapons to prove to be essential in the middle of the range.

Launched at a price of € 449, it faces the Google Pixel 4A 5G, in the Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G or Realme X3 Superzoom.

Ergonomics and design

With this Galaxy A52 5G, Samsung offers a very well finished smartphone, in line with its high -end models. We therefore find a plastic shell with matt finish, very pleasant to the eye. The photo island is more classically integrated than on the flagship of the Korean, but remains well positioned. Good surprise, the phone offers IP67 waterproofing certification. Less drastic than the IP68 of the more expensive models, this certification allows the phone to be immersed 30 minutes at 1 m 50 in depth. What to withstand a fall in a puddle or a bathtub therefore.

In addition, the telephone is compatible with 5G, benefits from a repairability index at 8.2/10 and a mini-jack connectors. Finally, he only misses the wireless charge and ESIM to be perfect. In hand, the mobile is also convincing. Despite 189 g on the scale and an imposing format (159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4 mm), this Galaxy A52 5G is comfortable to use. The pimples fall under the finger while the fingerprint sensor turns out to be efficient.

Capable of accommodating two nanosim, the Galaxy A52 5G also offers a microSD port in order to extend the 128 or 256 GB of internal memory.

Audio

On its lower edge, the Galaxy A52 5G hosts mini-jack connectors 3.5 mm completely correct. If its diaphony is not very contained, it offers suitable power, controlled distortion and wide dynamics.

Values	Average
Output level	110 mvrms	116.3 mvrms
Distortion+noise	0.001 %	0.081 %
Dynamic	108 dB	91 DB
Diaphony	-45 dB	-54.7 dB

The Galaxy A52 5G offers two well-made speakers. Powerful, they manage not to saturate and remain clear in all circumstances.

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Screen

At Samsung, screens are very often controlled. This Galaxy A52 5G is no exception to the rule. Whether for navigation or streaming, this screen is positioned among the best. With 6.5 inch diagonal, the 120 Hz Oled slab of this model displays in 1080 x 2400 px for a resolution of 407 pp. Note that the refresh rate is not adaptive, it will therefore be necessary to decide between the 60 Hz and the 120 Hz.

The default colorimetry selected by Samsung is unconvincing, with a color temperature of 7114 k and an average delta e of 5. We therefore advise you to opt for the “natural” colorimetric profile to make the most of the screen. That done, you will enjoy a color temperature of 6707 k and an average delta e of 1.8. Two values ​​witnessing an excellent chromatic fidelity, perfect for viewing video content in good conditions. Only green colors will be affected by chromatic drifts.