Looking for differences between Samsung Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72: which one is better to buy?

The new Samsung Galaxy A72 was the first to be tested, and after it I received the Galaxy A52. We already had a review of the Galaxy A72 on the website, given that there is a lot in common between it and the Galaxy A52, I decided to make a comparison.

Let's say you didn't read the review and just got to the site through a search engine, trying to understand how the Galaxy A52 differs from the Galaxy A72. Now let's sort this out.

Samsung Galaxy A72 review: it turned out as expected

Alexander Pobyvanets

17 March 2021

Almost twins

Ironically, I received the Galaxy A52 and A72 in the same colors. More precisely, in the same color, because both smartphones are lilac. It is very difficult to find at least some difference between them; the sizes differ slightly. If you put the smartphones side by side, you will notice that the Galaxy A52 is slightly smaller, and the Galaxy A72 is slightly larger. But it is very easy to confuse them with each other, mistaking them for the same device.

The materials are identical: matte non-marking plastic on the back, shiny plastic frame on the body. Both smartphones received IP67 moisture protection.

In the last couple of years, manufacturers have begun to experiment more actively with the design of the camera unit. There are more and more cameras, so there is new scope for creativity. The platform of the A72 and A52 protrudes slightly from the body, but at the same time it looks finished and neat, and it doesn’t collect much dust.

Samsung Galaxy A52 and A72 - is the price difference justified and which smartphone is better to buy?

In the case of any smartphones, one of the main factors influencing the choice has always been the ratio between price and quality. Based on this criterion, many will most likely choose the Galaxy A52 with 4/128 GB, but is everything so clear? The smartphone really turned out to be well-balanced, but 4 GB of RAM is not enough today: such a volume will be enough. If you love gaming on your phone, this will definitely not be enough.

The design difference between the Galaxy A52 and A72 can only be noticed when you put both phones side by side. Photo: wylsa.com

The Galaxy A72 looks more interesting compared to the basic version of the A52, although it costs 9,000 rubles more. The fundamental difference between smartphones is the screen diagonal, but this is not particularly noticeable. As for the increased battery capacity, you won't notice it: due to the longer diagonal, the screen consumes more energy, so everything is compensated. Another key point is the 3x zoom telephoto camera. If its availability is important to you, buy the A72. If there are no strict requirements for screen size and optical zoom when using the camera, choose the Galaxy A52.

*All prices are current at the time of publication of the article

No difference except diagonal

The physical dimensions of the displays have not changed, the Galaxy A52 has a smaller diagonal, the Galaxy A72 has a larger one: 6.5 and 6.7 inches, respectively. Naturally, this is AMOLED with all its pros and cons. The advantages are chic black color, brightness and contrast.

The downside is that there are limited color settings: the picture is either downright oversaturated or completely faded. Of course, I would like something in between. But they added support for 90 Hz, it is available in both the older and younger models.

⇡#Display and sound

Samsung Galaxy A52 received approximately the same screen as both of its predecessors - Super AMOLED with a diagonal of 6.5 inches, resolution 2400 × 1080 (pixel density - 405 ppi). Normal characteristics for its class with one now mandatory sauce - an operating mode with increased frequency. Here it is 90 Hz. As usual with Samsung, this mode cannot be forced to be enabled for all applications - the smartphone itself decides when the increased frequency is useful, depending on the application.

Otherwise, this is a completely standard smartphone display for our time: a full-fledged “sandwich” with a polarizing layer and oleophobic coating, free viewing angles. The typical Samsung problem with PWM is also there - at low brightness the screen flickers noticeably, and there is no special mode that reduces this effect, like some competitors.

The maximum measured brightness level when manually setting the indicator to maximum was 470 cd/m2 - a good level for an OLED display. You can use your smartphone freely in the sun.

In the screen settings menu, in addition to the resolution and refresh rate, you can change the font size and style, adjust screen scaling, and select which applications are displayed on the entire screen (and thus “climb” into the front camera hole). There are two color modes: “saturated colors” (with the ability to change the white balance and manually adjust the three main colors) and “natural colors”. I measured the color rendering of the display in the “saturated colors” mode without additional settings and in the “natural colors” mode.

Samsung Galaxy A52, gamma in “saturated colors” color mode. Yellow line – Galaxy A52 performance, dotted line – reference gamma

Samsung Galaxy A52, color temperature in the “saturated colors” color mode. Blue line – Galaxy A52 performance, dotted line – reference temperature

Samsung Galaxy A52, color gamut in “saturated colors” color mode. Gray triangle – DCI-P3 coverage, white triangle – Galaxy A52 coverage

In the default “rich colors” color mode, the color space of the Samsung Galaxy A52 screen is close to the DCI-P3 standard, with a slight offset. The average gamma value is 2.05 - lower than the standard value of 2.2. The color temperature is increased, but only slightly (the median is around 7,300 K), the average deviation DeltaE for the extended Color Checker palette (shades of gray + a wide range of color shades) is 4.10 with a norm of 3 and a reference value of 2 - a good result for the extended gamut.

Samsung Galaxy A52, gamma in “natural colors” color mode. Yellow line – Galaxy A52 performance, dotted line – reference gamma

Samsung Galaxy A52, color temperature in “natural colors” color mode. Blue line – Galaxy A52 performance, dotted line – reference temperature

Samsung Galaxy A52, color gamut in “natural colors” color mode. Gray triangle – sRGB coverage, white triangle – Galaxy A52 coverage

In the “natural colors” color rendering mode, the color gamut is expectedly narrowed and approaches the sRGB standard. The average range of shades remains low (2.08), but the curves behave a little more stable. The color temperature is approaching the standard - it stays within the range from 6,500 to 7,000 K, the average deviation DeltaE on the Color Checker scale is also within the normal range - 2.48. The screen of the Samsung Galaxy A52 in natural color mode is perfectly tuned.

In terms of sound, there are no surprises, including unpleasant ones. The mini-jack has not disappeared, so retrogrades and analogue sound connoisseurs can rest easy - they won’t have to use adapters. At the same time, the channel itself is quite ordinary, the sound is normal, but nothing more. But there are many settings, support for Dolby Atmos, equalizer. Wireless data transfer is current: Bluetooth 5.0 with support for aptX and LDAC. The external speakers pleasantly surprise you with their stereophony: the conversational speaker works in tandem with the main speaker placed on the bottom edge. So Dolby Atmos also applies to a certain extent when playing audio through speakers.

Cameras

In terms of photography, the characteristics of the phones are very similar, but there are also differences. Let me start with the fact that the phones have five cameras: one front and four rear. Of the four modules, three are identical.

The main camera is now optically stabilized, and it is complemented by an ultra-wide angle and a macro module. The differences boil down to the fact that the Galaxy A52 has a separate sensor for determining the depth of field of the frame, while the Galaxy A72 instead has a shameless telephoto camera that gives a three-fold optical zoom.

Two mobile phones that change Samsung's mid-range

The latest additions to the Samsung Galaxy A line allow the user to carry terminals in their pocket that are more typical of the high-end than the mid-range. It is clear that in this way the brand is fulfilling its word made a few months ago when it stated that its intention was to bring great features to more affordable mobile devices. For this reason, it should not be surprising that both devices are among the brand’s “top” sales.

Both terminals use perforated screens that provide a unique viewing experience thanks to the use of high refresh rate AMOLED panels, a design more typical of a premium class, high-quality cameras with optical image stabilization and power guaranteed by Qualcomm. But in addition, Samsung has made sure that users can enjoy the most iconic features of the manufacturer, such as water resistance and a long-lasting battery with fast charging, although, as we will see below, we will not find what we need. the same cell on both devices.

Filling

Almost everything is identical: the smartphones have a Snapdragon 720G, but the amount of memory is different. The younger Galaxy A52 is sold in Russia in two versions: 4/128 and 8/256 GB. The older Galaxy A72 has more RAM in the basic version: 6/128 and 8/256 GB. Life is a little difficult with the initial 4 GB of memory, so I advise you not to waste money and take the version with 6 GB of RAM.

Smartphones are equipped with a 15 W charger; if you want to charge your phones faster, you can buy a more powerful 25 W adapter. The battery capacity of the Galaxy A72 is slightly higher, but in practice there is no significant difference in operating time - it turns out to be about a day and a half of battery life.

Samsung Galaxy A52 vs A72 - comparison of autonomy

Autonomy is a strong advantage of both gadgets. The new items received capacious batteries: 4500 mAh (for A52) and 5000 mAh (for A72). If you take into account the difference between the screen diagonals, the battery life of both gadgets is approximately the same.

In everyday use (with a screen refresh rate of 90 Hz), the battery charge lasts for 8–9 hours of display operation. Most other smartphones of the brand do not have such autonomy, with the exception of flagship models. If you turn on the power saving mode, which will limit the operation of applications in the “background” and set the screen refresh rate to 60 Hz, autonomy will increase even more: the battery will last for several days.

Smartphones are sold bundled with 15W chargers, although they support fast charging up to 25W. Thus, if desired, you can purchase a new, more powerful unit. However, the models do not have wireless charging functions.

All sorts of useful things

The phones have two slots for SIM cards; eSIM support, as in the older S-series, has not yet been added. The memory card compartment is combined with one of the SIM trays - a strange step, considering that phones are not the cheapest and even simpler models have a separate hole for a memory card. Moreover, even in the previous generation models Galaxy A51/A71 there was a triple slot, but now they have simplified it to a double one.

Smartphones now have stereo speakers; they are loud, although not of ideal quality. Nevertheless, this is a breakthrough for phones; you will immediately feel the difference compared to phones of the old model year, even if you do not have any special musical talents.

We retained the usual 3.5 mm headphone jack, and a wired headset may still be useful in 2022. For example, if you want to listen to FM radio, and not some podcast in Yandex.Music.

Illustration: Svetlana Chuvileva / Wylsacom Media

Good phone not from China

Unfortunately, last year, even despite the insane popularity of the Samsung Galaxy A51 and the advice of our Ivan Kuznetsov , I never really tried that smartphone. My acquaintance with him was very conditional - I just held him in my hands for a short time. This year it was necessary to correct the error, and therefore I not only took the A52 for a test, but also decided to fully use it for several weeks.

Why Samsung is gaining more and more sympathy.

I have no doubt that the device will sell well , and gradually lowering the price and generous promotions will only promote shipments. Moreover, for this money it is difficult to find another smartphone not from China with such characteristics. I know for sure that for many, the country of origin of a smartphone is a fundamental point.

Plate for clarity

Just in case, I added the main characteristics of the phones in this format; it can be more convenient to compare in a table.

⇡#Design, ergonomics and software

When I mentioned “updated design” at the beginning, I meant exactly what you were thinking of: the distinctive cluster holes in the camera block on the rear panel. Thus, the A52 and A72 stand on a par with the flagships of the S- and Note-series, where the cameras are designed in a similar way. The lens glass is larger than the optics itself, and the block is painted in the color of the body rather than highlighted in black. It’s entirely possible to talk about a corporate style, which is not always typical for Samsung.

And in general, the Galaxy A52 looks quite fresh. From the front panel side, in any case, it is almost impossible to invent something interesting today (unless, of course, you are OPPO). Samsung doesn’t even try: the frames are minimal, albeit quite noticeable, the front camera is hidden in a hole in the center, and not in a cutout - and thank you for that.

Samsung Galaxy A52, front panel: at the top of the screen there is a front camera in the hole and an earpiece

The rear panel remains a space for some self-expression of designers - and in this case, very successful. Pleasant colors (blue, lavender, black, white; in our case, as you might guess, blue), neatly fitted four cameras - the unit, by the way, does not protrude too much above the body. The back is covered in plastic, but don't rush out to get the tomatoes and rotten eggs - that's good news. It may not look or feel very “premium”, but the smartphone does not slip, and it is not necessary to put it in a case. For a large gadget this is a significant plus.

Samsung Galaxy A52, rear panel: in the corner there is a block with four cameras and a single flash

It is large for a very clear reason - the screen diagonal is 6.5 inches, like the A50/A51. In addition, due to the larger battery, the A52 is slightly thicker (8.4 mm vs. 7.9 mm) and heavier (189 grams vs. 172 grams). The new product lacks grace, but little has changed in the interaction experience - previous generations were large “two-handed” smartphones in any case, and the A52 remains that way.

Samsung Galaxy A52, left side free of functional elements

Samsung Galaxy A52, right side: volume and power/lock keys

The edges are also made of plastic, disguised with metal paint, but they already look and feel “cheap” and are not very pleasant to the touch. On these sides, along with microphones and a speaker, we see a card slot, a USB Type-C port and a mini-jack. There are two keys, both classic, located on the right - it was decided to abandon the button for calling the Bixby assistant. Hopefully forever.

Samsung Galaxy A52, top edge: card slot and microphone

Samsung Galaxy A52, bottom edge: mini-jack, microphone, USB Type-C port and speaker

An important advantage of the Samsung Galaxy A52 over a number of competitors is the body, protected from dust and moisture according to the IP67 standard. You won't find such luxury in the middle price segment.

The fingerprint scanner is located in the surface of the screen, just like in the A51. And taking into account the widespread fashion among the creators of low- and mid-budget smartphones for side scanners, which suffer from random activation and are no more responsive than the criticized screen ones, this can be considered an advantage of the model. The sensor is the most common, optical one - it will not work well in wet weather. However, in general, there are minimal complaints about it - you will have to wait an extra few moments, but the scanner works quite stably. There is also the possibility of authentication using a facial recognition system.

Operating system - Android 11. Shell - One UI 3.0. I have already talked about this combination in detail in my review of the flagship Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Minus some of the elite features—S Pen support and PC (DeX) capabilities—and with the discount of other hardware power, the experience is similar. The system is fast, nicely designed, quite rich in functionality and without any annoying artifacts, as is the case with the Chinese. There is not a lot of imposed software. The stability of operation, despite the pre-production status of the device we received, is normal.

⇡#Hardware and performance

The Samsung Galaxy A52 is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G platform, which is quite familiar from last year’s mid-level smartphones. I wouldn’t say that this is very impressive, especially in comparison with the recent Snapdragon 750G, which is installed on the 5G version, but this system-on-chip has not become obsolete - it provides a sufficient level of performance for a mid-class smartphone.

The Snapdragon 720G is built on eight cores: two Kryo 465 Gold (modified ARM Cortex-A76) clocked at 2.33 GHz and six Kryo 465 Silver (ARM Cortex-A55) clocked at 1.8 GHz. The Adreno 618 subsystem with a higher frequency than the regular Snapdragon 720 is responsible for the graphics; a Hexagon 692 signal processor is provided, which is responsible, among other things, for neural network operations. The platform is produced using an 8nm process technology.

The comparative performance graphs show that the Galaxy A52 holds its own in the general group - for inexpensive Samsung smartphones this can already be considered a serious achievement. The level of performance is enough to easily run any games on the gadget, albeit with limitations in graphics settings/frame rate.

The smartphone also withstands more serious tests at an acceptable level. It is gratifying that the Galaxy A52 does not have problems with cooling - the 3D Mark Wild Life resource benchmark revealed virtually no decrease in performance over a 20-minute session, even though the average level of test performance was relatively low.

In the CPU Throttling Test benchmark, the smartphone performs a little worse - slight throttling is recorded, the frequency drops to 82%. True, this happened closer to the middle of the 15-minute test, and by the end the frequency returned almost to the maximum. So I wouldn’t call the problems serious. Average performance level: 137 GIPS.

Reliable information about all versions in which the Samsung Galaxy A52 will be presented on the Russian market was received literally a few minutes before the publication of the material. We got a smartphone for testing with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of flash memory - and not the fastest. There will also be a modification with 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB drive. Four gigabytes of RAM at the moment is quite a lot for a more or less serious smartphone, so I would advise you to look straight towards the 8/256 version. Another disadvantage is the slot for expansion with a memory card, combined with a tray for a second SIM card - this not only imposes limitations on the user experience, but is also blatantly unfashionable; today all manufacturers are trying to produce inexpensive smartphones with a triple tray.

⇡#Camera

Samsung Galaxy A52 received four cameras. Two of them are responsible for two different viewing angles, another is for macro photography, and the fourth is for the correct operation of the artificial background blur system (the so-called depth sensor).

The main module is built on the basis of a 64-megapixel sensor with phase detection autofocus, a lens with an equivalent focal length of 26 mm and an aperture of f/2.0... and an optical stabilizer. This is the second element, along with full moisture protection, lowered from flagship heights. Thanks to the combination of good aperture and stabilization, the main module is able to work well not only during the day, but also at night. The likelihood of getting smudged even in very dark conditions is not too high. Unfortunately, testing time limitations combined with bad weather prevented us from fully assessing the Galaxy A52's camera performance in good weather conditions - with bright colors and on a sunny day. But based on the material that we managed to collect, the main module confidently handles situations with different light and different plot content.

By default, shooting is carried out at a resolution of 16 megapixels, but if you wish, you can activate the receipt of visual information from each subpixel - that is, count on frames with a resolution of 64 megapixels (enabled through the submenu with shooting formats on the main screen of the application). In fact, there is no serious meaning in this - physically the resolution increases, but the optics are not ready to resolve such detail, and the sensor itself does not pull it out. However, in ideal light conditions you can use this for subsequent cropping.

The second camera is responsible for an expanded viewing angle: it uses a module with a 12-megapixel sensor and optics with an f/2.2 aperture, providing a viewing angle of 123 degrees. It does not have autofocus, so you can only count on a wide angle when shooting landscapes. Image quality is quite good - sharpness is good both in the center and at the edges, dynamic range is acceptable, there are no noticeable artifacts or color distortions - the image looks uniform at different focal lengths. A 2x zoom is also available - a feature of the Quad Bayer pixel structure is used for cropping with minimal loss (the picture is taken with a resolution of 64 megapixels and then cropped to a standard resolution of 16 megapixels). During the day, the loss in detail is minimal; at night, blurriness becomes noticeable.

Software zoom up to ten times is also available - an example of work is above. Standard software scaling with significant loss of quality - but a picture with a fourfold zoom can, in principle, be taken for Instagram.

Considering that the main camera can more or less safely shoot at night by default, night mode does not seem critically necessary for the A52 - but it is still there. It is solved in a standard way - the smartphone itself chooses how long the “shutter speed” should be (in fact, multiple exposure) and then stitches the resulting frames together. The result allows you to expect more detailed color information and less deep shadows and equalized noise. Based on a combination of factors, the Samsung Galaxy A52 looks like the best smartphone in its class in terms of night photography to date - when talking about the main camera. With a wide viewing angle and zoom, night mode is also available, but it has little effect on the shooting quality.

In portrait mode, there is software blurring of the background - it works fine, it doesn’t blur half of the face even with the maximum “open aperture” (and the “aperture” is adjusted with a slider called “saturation” - errors in the localization of the shell are strange for an A-brand). Unfortunately, the blur effects that disappeared in the S21 Ultra have not returned here - this is a property of One UI 3.0, not a specific smartphone. There is only one focal length available, it is best suited for half-length or full-length portraits.

The fourth camera is responsible for macro photography - it is a five-megapixel module with an f/2.4 lens without autofocus. To get a good result in not the brightest light, you have to try hard - the sensitivity of the sensor is low, and it’s not easy to remove without smearing.

The camera app is nice and functional. There is a very convenient scale with a choice of numerous options for quick access to the zoom, the “Multi-shot” mode familiar from flagships (Single Take), in which the smartphone shoots video for about 10 seconds and then cuts it into pieces (some remain mini-rollers, some - photographs with different filters). What’s new is the “Fun” mode, which only works when connected to the Internet, downloading filters from Snapchat from there. In fact, these are well-known AR masks, which Samsung itself previously offered in approximately the same form. Now Samsung's own masks are gone, leaving only the Animoji section, where your face is not embellished, as is the case with Snapchat masks, but replaced entirely. A little strange, but why not attract Snapchat lovers to your side (by the way, are they still there?). The rest of the functions are more or less standard: the ability to manually configure a set of quick access modes, a professional mode with manual settings, panorama, hyperlapse, a special mode for photographing food, slow and fast motion.

Pictures

Samsung Galaxy A52 can shoot video in 4K at up to 30 frames per second or Full HD at up to 60 frames per second. Very effective enhanced stabilization is available, which works in Full HD resolution at up to 30 frames per second. The features are quite ordinary, but the video quality is very good.

The front camera in the Samsung Galaxy A52 has a resolution of 32 megapixels - this is Quad Bayer, the output will be pictures with a resolution of 8 megapixels. Moreover, there is both the expected portrait mode with background blur, and - unexpectedly - two viewing angles without changing the resolution; Samsung again plays with the presence of a Quad Bayer sensor, as in the case of the main camera. It is in the selfie format that the “Fun” mode with Snapchat filters is especially appropriate - we give an example of its work here. Despite its good characteristics, I can’t speak positively about the front-facing camera - it overdoes the contour sharpness and does not process colors very accurately.