Galaxy A52 in the test: probably the most important Samsung smartphone of the year

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The Galaxy A52 is the most important smartphone from Samsung's new A-series 2021. Waterproof, up to 120 Hertz, 5G - the technical data sound promising.

Will the Galaxy A52 end up being more than just a worthy successor to the Galaxy A51?

Only one test provides an answer: Both the normal Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A52 5G have “Computer-Bild” in the editorial office.

Here are the final results from the lab test!

Galaxy A52: size and design

The 6.5-inch display of the Galaxy A52 is the same size as that of the Galaxy A51.

The screen is big enough to comfortably enjoy videos and larger websites.

Unlike the Galaxy A72 (6.7 inches), it still fits quite well in most pockets.

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With the exception of an opening for the front camera, the screen fills almost the entire front, and the fingerprint sensor in the display is invisible.

In a direct comparison with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, however, it is noticeable how much thicker the display edges are.

The housing is made of plastic with a matt surface

Source: Computer Bild

Samsung no longer seems to be building really handy devices in 2021 anyway, because even the cheaper Galaxy A42 5G, whose predecessor was still extremely handy at 6.1 inches, has now outgrown the Galaxy A52 at 6.6 inches.

We have the Galaxy A52 in blue and the Galaxy A52 5G in the test.

The matte back of the plastic case feels pleasantly grippy on both.

With the blue variant, every crumb or lint is visible.

The A52 display stays sharp!

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Of course, the Galaxy A52 has a high-contrast OLED display (Super AMOLED) with crisp colors - and differs here from the Galaxy A32 5G of the same size with a conventional TFT display.

Important (good) news: The Galaxy A52 is the cheapest smartphone of the A-series 2021, which does not fall victim to Samsung's savings program in terms of display sharpness.

Because while the group shocked the fan base with the A32 and A42 with plenty of blurry displays, the Galaxy A52 comes back to a decent resolution of 2400x1080 pixels (Full HD +).

Fortunately, the sharpness is completely sufficient, a difference to the S21 Ultra is only visible when you look very closely.

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However, the actual display is not so seamlessly laminated with the glass, so that the surface is more reflective.

Colors and contrast do not look quite as high quality when viewed from an angle as when viewed directly.

Galaxy A52 with 90 Hertz, 120 Hertz only with 5G

Surprising: Samsung is giving the A-series an increased screen refresh rate in 2021, even setting it at the factory.

So far, this has only been available in the S series, for the first time in the Galaxy S20.

The full performance, i.e. a 120 Hertz display, is initially only available in the 5G version of the A52, i.e. the Galaxy A52 5G.

If you buy the cheaper LTE version of the Galaxy A52 instead of this model, you have to be content with 90 Hertz - interestingly, this also applies to the Galaxy A72, which was only presented as an LTE version at the Samsung event in March 2021.

In a direct comparison, scrolling on the 5G version looks a little quieter.

But if you don't place both devices next to each other, you won't notice the difference.

Even with 90 Hertz, the display is a little less jerky when scrolling than with the usual 60 Hertz.

A comparison of the black and blue model variants of the Galaxy A52.

The black one looks higher quality, but despite the matte surface, dust is more noticeable.

Source: Computer Bild

Samsung promises a brightness that is a third higher than its predecessor.

Even the predecessor managed to achieve an acceptable 747 candelas in the laboratory with strong backlighting (i.e. in direct sunlight).

But the laboratory actually had to take off its hat after the measurements were completed: For the first time, a mid-range smartphone achieved a brightness of more than 1000 candelas per square meter - the normal A52 reached 1066 candela, the 5G version even 1089!

That is not too far removed from the devices of the S-Class, in which the Galaxy S21 Ultra even breaks the limit of 1300 candelas.

For comparison: many mid-range smartphones are content with a good 500 to 600 candelas, even the display of the iPhone 12 is much darker at around 625 candelas.

In practice, the A52's display, which was reflective when viewed from an angle, was annoying compared to devices from the S series outside.

Galaxy A52 with Snapdragon processor

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The predecessor A51 still ran with an Exynos processor (Exynos 9611), but Samsung is switching to Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips for the Galaxy A52.

The LTE model works with the Snapdragon 720G, which clocks at up to 2.3 gigahertz.

Since the processor also has to be adapted to 5G, the 5G model works with another processor of similar performance, the Snapdragon 750G (the analysis app AIDA 64 identified this - wrongly? - but as the Snapdragon 690).

An interesting result of the test: The 5G version of the A52 works around 20 percent faster in the Geekbench 5.1 benchmark than the LTE version (Geekbench 5.1 multicore 1895 vs. 1555 points)!

The predecessor A51, however, only got around 1190 points, so it is even behind the LTE model of the A52.

In comparison with top models such as the Galaxy S21 or the S21 Ultra (Geekbench up to around 3600 points), none of the A52 variants is a rocket.

Both are characterized by comfortable app launches and windows that open slowly.

The waterproof case could be a decisive selling point.

Samsung recently offered this in the A series with the Galaxy A5 (2017), and you won't find any waterproof smartphones even with competitors like Xiaomi.

In addition to the A72, the A52 (also the A52 5G) is the second A-model with a waterproof construction according to the IP67 standard.

In the test, the A52 survived the bath in the water column without damage.

The Galaxy A52 fails in the battery test

The A52 comes with a battery capacity of 4500 mAh that is 12.5 percent stronger than its predecessor - with the A51 it was still 4000 mAh.

In the battery test, there was a surprise when the runtime of both A52 variants was compared.

The normal Galaxy A52 with 90 Hertz lasted ten hours with one battery charge, the A52 5G with 120 Hertz only nine hours and 23 minutes.

The technology for flexible Hertz adjustment built into the S21 series is missing in the A series so far.

Another reason for the shorter runtime could be the processor.

A 25-watt power supply is missing in the box

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Like the S series, the Galaxy A52 now supports fast charging with 25 watts instead of the previous 15 watts.

But that's a sham, because the Galaxy A52 is delivered with a simple USB-A power supply with a maximum of 15 watts.

Charging took one hour and 52 minutes in the test (5G version: 1:57 hours).

The A52 falls behind, especially during short charging processes, and only achieves a capacity of 16 percent (5G version: 17 percent) - the S21 series already achieves charge levels between 27 and 29 percent despite larger batteries.

An advantage for owners of an old computer or car: the supplied “outdated” charging cable comes with the old, larger USB-A port, as does the power supply unit.

The frame is colored differently depending on the color of the housing.

The A52 still has a jack socket

Source: Computer Bild

A USB-C power supply and a USB-C to USB-C charging cable are required for fast charging.

In the test, "Super Fast Charging" worked with the 25-watt power pack Samsung EP-TA 800.

Furthermore, a jack socket and a memory card slot are installed, which can also be equipped with a second nano-SIM for dual SIM operation.

The internal memory is at least 128 gigabytes, alternatively there is a 256 gigabyte model.

The smaller version of the A52 5G comes with six gigabytes of memory (RAM), the 256 gigabyte version with eight gigabytes.

Quadruple camera with up to 64 megapixels

The main camera makes a leap in resolution, works with a 64 megapixel sensor (A51: 48 megapixels).

By default, four pixels are combined into one here in order to be able to evaluate more light and detailed information.

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But in good light, a 64-megapixel mode can be manually selected directly in the camera app.

This high resolution is helpful to enlarge individual details from the picture later on the mobile phone or in image processing.

Good for videos and night vision photos: the main camera works with optical image stabilization that has so far been found in more expensive smartphones.

In night mode, the camera evaluates up to twelve photos in series in order to capture more details and light.

Four cameras with different numbers of megapixels are installed.

The standard camera has 64 megapixels

Source: Computer Bild

The ultra-wide-angle camera works like the A51 with twelve megapixels.

In addition to the main and ultra-wide-angle cameras, there are two other five-megapixel cameras installed, one for macro and one for depth shots - in contrast to the Galaxy A72, there is no telephoto lens with optical magnification in the A52.

The new A-series can also record 4K video, with up to 30 frames per second (FPS).

Practical: Still images can be quickly saved as eight-megapixel photos with corresponding symbols in the camera app, both while a film is being recorded and afterwards.

In addition, the camera app offers many new options, such as a professional mode for manual settings for photos and videos, lots of fun effects and object recognition with automatic settings or even document scanning with text recognition.

For younger users there is a fun mode with Snapchat effects.

Photo quality in the test

The main camera with a high-resolution 64-megapixel sensor impressed in the test with decent photos on par with its predecessor, the A51.

Compared to the S models, photos look pale, show fewer details and sometimes falsified colors.

Photos in low light were amazingly good.

Camera comparison: Galaxy A52 vs. S21 Ultra without zoom.

The differences are not huge

Source: Computer Bild

Flash photos, on the other hand, were useless.

And the zoom only makes sense at twice the magnification, and offers too few details at higher magnification levels.

But one thing is also certain: Compared to the Galaxy A51, nothing really has changed in terms of photo quality.

Galaxy A52 with Android 11 - without an update trap

The Galaxy A52 comes from the factory with Android 11, so, via OneUI 3.1, it offers many of the Android 11 functions for Samsung phones that are already known from the Galaxy S21.

Here, too, the group offers its recently announced guarantee of four years of security updates - after all, it already applies to the A-series models from 2019. In addition, Samsung guarantees three major upgrades, so an upcoming Android 14 is still available as an update expect.

The LTE version of the Galaxy A52 with 128 gigabytes is already available at an RRP from 349 euros, i.e. 20 euros cheaper than the A51 when it was first launched (RRP: 369 euros).

With 256 gigabytes of memory and eight gigabytes of RAM, the A52 costs 409 euros.

The 5G variant costs at least 429 euros, with 256 gigabytes 489 euros.

All models come in four colors: black, white, purple and light blue.

The release, i.e. the start of sales, was on the day of publication, March 17, 2021.

Samsung Galaxy A52 buy

If you want to buy the Galaxy A52, you can get started right away.

If you order in the Samsung online store, the Galaxy Buds Plus in white will be available free of charge until April 8th at no extra charge (they will automatically end up in the shopping cart shortly before the purchase is completed, but are sometimes shipped separately later), and on Amazon one for 30 months extended warranty.

An extra article provides all information about the campaign as well as cheap tariff bundles.

At the start, the Samsung store only offers the model with 128 gigabytes of memory and six gigabytes of RAM.

Conclusion:

With the Galaxy A52, Samsung has an ace up its sleeve: the display, design and camera cover all normal everyday demands well.

The display is brighter than the competition in the price range.

Those who do not have any special requirements, for example in terms of zoom or high work speed, will be satisfied with it.

The camera is more than just suitable for snapshots, it takes passable photos even in low light.

The processor is still noticeably slower than in devices of the upper class despite the increase compared to its predecessor.

The selling point for many, however, is likely to be the waterproof case.

The more expensive 5G version is at a disadvantage because of the clearly weaker battery life, unless you value future-proof 5G technology or a 120 Hertz display.

One thing is clear: With the Galaxy A52, Samsung wants to keep China's competition, which has so far been more attractive, especially in terms of price-performance, small - Xiaomi in particular is increasingly bothering the Koreans.

Seen in this way, the Galaxy A52 could even become the most important Samsung smartphone of 2021, and the cheaper LTE version is likely to dominate sales.

Strengths:

very bright and high-contrast OLED, 90 Hz display, very long battery life, waterproof, decent camera

Weaknesses:

Camera with a long shutter release, no 5G, moderate work pace

Test grade:

good (2.3)

Test results in detail

Source: Computer Bild

Galaxy A51: the alternative

If you don't need 5G, a waterproof case or even a 120 Hertz display, you can just as easily use the predecessor.

The Galaxy A51 offers similar performance in most respects, especially a great and sufficiently sharp OLED display and a camera that is also decent in favorable lighting conditions.

In addition, the Android 11 update for the Galaxy A51 was recently released.