Samsung Galaxy A52 5G: Can the “good” be good enough?

In the end, none of this would matter if the A52 was running like a dog, but Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G The chipset does a respectable job of keeping everything running at a solid clip. That said, I suspect the 6GB RAM Samsung used here is holding things back a bit. Sometimes jumping between apps and minimizing YouTube videos is interrupted by a noticeable lag. Overall, however, the A52 was more than good at keeping up with my frenzied slacking and extended play times. Light lance poorly.

With that in mind, Samsung’s software continues to be a source of confusion. I don’t mean to say that One UI is hard to figure out – it isn’t. Really, it’s the little things that continue to be nasty and weird. No one wants ads in their stock weather app, for example, but Samsung puts them there anyway. And while using the A52’s large screen to its fullest, but requires gesture navigation, it’s not enabled by default – you’ll have to jump into the phone’s settings to exit the classic three-button navigation scheme (and probably dated) from Samsung. .

Normally, this is where I would complain about Samsung’s lackluster long-term software support, but at least that’s about to change. The company confirmed earlier this month that like its portfolio of premium phones, the A52 5G will get three years of full Android updates, which means this Android 11 phone is expected to benefit. of the update to Android 14. Well, finally anyway. (Compared to other smartphone makers, Samsung is still quite slow to produce these updates and have them certified and distributed.)

Now, because I’ve only had the A52 for a few days, there are some things that I haven’t been able to test as thoroughly as I would like. For one thing, the phone’s 4,500mAh battery was more than enough to get through full working days – even with the screen refresh rate set at 120Hz – but I’m waiting to get a better idea. how far I can push the phone. before he escapes. And if I’m being honest testing 5G in the Bay Area hasn’t been great either. This is a purely less than 6 5G device which is not unusual for phones in this price range, but more than a few times I have struggled to find a 5G signal outside of San Francisco proper.

In the end, how impressive the A52 5G really is depends on what you compare it to. Apple’s response to these types of high power, low cost Android phones is IPhone SE 2020, which combines a design straight out of 2016 with one of the company’s most powerful mobile chipsets, the A13 Bionic. What the iPhone SE lacks in style, it makes up for with near-flagship performance that the A52 5G simply can’t match. Then again, it’s hard to argue with Samsung’s great and excellent display and the multitude of cameras on the back. It’s a very flexible package for the price, and worthy of serious consideration if you’re of the Android persuasion.

And of course there’s our favorite cheap Android phone right now, Google’s $ 350 Pixel 4a. It’s also a bit smaller than the A52 5G, but its pair of rear cameras still shine thanks to Google’s well-honed computer photography chops. If that was me, I’d personally stick with a Pixel because of its remarkably clean software, but there’s still a lot to like about Samsung’s maximum approach to its One UI interface.

So based on these first impressions, would I actually buy an A52 5G? Honestly, probably not – and it’s all because of Samsung. I really enjoyed last year Fan Edition S20, with its high-powered Snapdragon 865 chipset and a camera setup copied almost directly from the rest of the S20 lineup. The A52 would be a lot more enticing if it were difficult to find deals on this more capable device, but it isn’t. As of this writing, the comparable unlocked S20 FE sells for just $ 100 more than the A52 on Amazon, and you could see even bigger savings if you had an old phone that you don’t mind trading in. It’s worth buying the best phone you can easily afford, and in this case, the extra performance of the S20 FE is definitely worth it.

All in all, the A52 is one of Samsung’s most powerful mid-range options to date, and certainly deserves your attention if you’re still shuddering at the thought of dropping four digits on a phone. If you’re pretty sure this phone will be your next purchase, just remember that time is your friend – the A52 is a solid value buy now, but this deal will only get better over time.