Samsung Galaxy A52s review: Upgrade brings 5G, performance boost, and more

Priced Rs 35,999 onwards, the Galaxy A52s is an incremental but meaningful upgrade over predecessor Galaxy A52

Samsung has been upgrading its budget and midrange smartphones to make them ready for the upcoming 5G network. Fresh in the South Korean electronics maker’s 5G smartphone portfolio, the Galaxy A52s is based on the Galaxy A52. The upgraded model is powered by a newly launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G system-on-chip, which brings with it 5G network support and a boost in performance over the predecessor’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC.

Starting with 5G, Samsung says the Galaxy A52s has support for up to 12 network bands. What it means to the phone’s network capability, however, cannot be judged until the 5G network becomes available in India. Therefore, though the 5G network support makes the Galaxy A52s future ready, it is a novelty with little actual benefit for now.

Coming to performance gains, the phone handles everyday operations with ease and does a decent job with regard to heavy-duty tasks. Gaming performance is good too, but some graphic-intensive gaming titles are best played in medium graphics settings. The phone warms up at times, but not so much as to become uncomfortable to use.

Besides 5G and performance, Samsung has also made some changes to the display but the upgrade here is incremental. Though exactly of the same size (6.5-inch) and type (sAMOLED fullHD+) as the predecessor’s, the Galaxy A52s’ screen boosts 120Hz refresh rate. It is hard to notice the difference between screens of 90Hz and 120Hz, but a higher refresh rate is considered better.

Apart from these changes, the Galaxy A52s is exactly the same as the outgoing model. It has a plastic construction with a Gorilla Glass protection on the screen. The smartphone is IP67-rated for water and dust damages protection. It has dual stereo speakers, supported by Dolby Atmos. The audio output through speakers is top-notch, especially while playing games and streaming music and videos. There is also a 3.5mm audio jack for wired audio output.

Imaging is covered by a quad-camera array on the back and a camera in the punch-hole slot on the front. The Galaxy A52s is powered by a 4,500 mAh battery, supported by a 25W fast charger. You can read in detail about the camera and battery performance here (review) in the Galaxy A52 review.

One thing that I wished would change – but has not – is the user experience. It is a familiar one that Samsung offers in its budget and midrange smartphones. There is a lot of preloaded bloatware, including some that cannot be uninstalled from the phone. On top of that, there are ads in the user interface and the Galaxy A52s gets constant notification from the ‘AppCloud’ service to complete the device set-up. Once you click on the notification, it redirects to the ‘IronSource’ app store, which asks for your permission to install and make recommendations on new apps of interest. Surprisingly, you cannot bypass this part of set-up as the notification keeps popping up until you approve the permission. Moreover, the set-up compels you to download and install more junk in the smartphone in the name of recommended apps. There is a way to not do so but it is not direct and can only be done if you have time and patience.

Verdict

Priced Rs 35,999 onwards, the Galaxy A52s brings incremental but meaningful upgrades over the predecessor. The smartphone is geared for 5G experience, but it is only as good as the ongoing model till 5G becomes available in India. For now, the phone’s performance and display are the only upgrades differentiating the user experience. That said, consider the Galaxy A52s if you plan to jump on to the 5G bandwagon before the availability of the network. Otherwise, the Galaxy A52 still makes a better choice, simply because it is inexpensive and has more or less the same features.