Skip to main content

Samsung’s cheap and colorful Galaxy A52, A52 5G, and A72 phones are here

Samsung’s not satisfied with only launching the new Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and S21 Ultra during the first half of the year, and has announced the new Galaxy A52, Galaxy A52 5G, and Galaxy A72 to join them. However, unlike the expensive flagship S-series, the A-series phones are much cheaper but according to the company, they’re still awesome.

Samsung Galaxy A72 Image used with permission by copyright holder

You’re going to hear the word “awesome” a lot when the new A-series is being talked about, as it’s everywhere in Samsung’s promo material. So are they right? Well, there are some subtle differences in specification between them, but for the prices, they’re looking very good indeed. Before we get into that, take a look at the design, which we think looks excellent with its S21 Ultra-style camera lens layout and integrated camera module. All three phones are available in four different colors — Awesome White, Awesome Black, Awesome Violet, and Awesome Blue.

Sadly, the rest of the specifications are not quite so simple to explain, so there’s a lot to take in. The Galaxy A72 is the most expensive of the three at 450 euros or about $550, and it has a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, a 64-megapixel main camera, a 12MP wide-angle camera, an 8MP telephoto camera with a 3x optical zoom, plus a 5MP camera for macro duties. It’s a 4G LTE phone with an unnamed octa-core processor (which we assume is a Samsung Exynos chip), up to 8GB of RAM, and either 128GB or 256GB of storage space. It also has a 5,000mAh battery, a MicroSD card slot, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and IP67 water resistance.

The Galaxy A52 is the cheapest at just 350 euros or around $415, and looks to be excellent value. It also has a screen with a 90Hz refresh rate but here it’s 6.5-inches, plus it has the same processor, RAM, and internal storage options as the A72. The same 64MP main and 12MP wide-angle cameras are onboard, but this time with a pair of 5MP cameras for macro and depth photography. It’s also a 4G LTE phone, and has a 4,500mAh battery inside, along with the same IP67 water resistance rating, MicroSD card slot, and in-display fingerprint sensor.

Samsung Galaxy A52 Image used with permission by copyright holder

Finally, the Galaxy A52 5G costs 430 euros, or about $510, and adds 5G connectivity, obviously, plus it increases the screen refresh rate to 120Hz on the same 6.5-inch Super AMOLED panel as the regular Galaxy A52, but is otherwise identical. All three share many features. It’s great to see optical image stabilization (OIS) on all three main cameras, the OneUI 3 user interface over Android 11, Dolby Atmos support and more powerful speakers, and some clever software to deliver an emergency 30 minutes of battery life when you really need it. Samsung says to expect two days’ use out of all the phones before needing a recharge.

There are plenty of fun software features in the Galaxy A52 5G and Galaxy A72’s cameras too, including 4K Video Snap to take an 8MP still during a 4K video recording, 30 different scenes recognized by artificial intelligence, an enhanced set of emoji for video, and Fun Mode which has been developed with Snapchat to add augmented reality (AR) filters to videos and photos.

Samsung hasn’t confirmed the release dates for the three new Galaxy A-series phones, or whether the U.S. will get all three models, or how much they will cost. We’ll update here as soon as the details come through.

Editors' Recommendations

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Does the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 have a headphone jack?
Timer running on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 cover screen.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is here, and it's flippin' marvelous. It's largely just Samsung that has defined the nascent flip smartphone market, and while flipping and folding phones haven't quite broken into the mainstream yet, the Z Flip 5 is sure to tempt more and more people into buying into the future of smartphone design. The biggest new addition to the Z Flip 5 is the larger outer screen, which is a big upgrade over the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4's much smaller display and worthy of rivaling the Motorola Razr Plus's impressively large outer display.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a fantastic piece of tech, packed with the latest and most powerful hardware Samsung can get its hands on. But what about a piece of very old tech? What about the humble 3.5mm headphone jack? Does Samsung's latest flip phone have room for a headphone jack, or does the Z Flip 5 follow the same trend of the last few years in omitting the venerable port?

Read more
5 ways the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 beats the Motorola Razr Plus
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 next to the Motorola Razr Plus.

The Motorola Razr Plus instantly became the best flip phone when it launched a few weeks ago because it was competing with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. Its biggest advantage was the big cover display compared to the tiny widgets-only screen on Samsung’s clamshell foldable phone. The cover screen software remains superior to that of the new Galaxy Z Flip 5, but the Razr Plus starts falling behind when you unfold it.

I’ve been using the Motorola Razr Plus on and off for the past month and got the Galaxy Z Flip 5 a couple of days after its launch. I’ve spent a lot of time with both phones to have a good idea of which one is better, and it seems like the Z Flip 5 is winning this battle.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a nicer design and hinge

Read more
12 things you have to do with your Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 on a flat surface with the purple Galaxy Buds 2 Pro TWS Bluetooth earbuds on the side.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the most underrated update in Samsung's flagship lineup this year. Its unchanged aesthetics from the Galaxy Z Fold 4 might mislead you into believing there are hardly any changes. But Samsung has brought a fair bit of improvement to the design in the form of a smoother hinge mechanism, a smaller gap along the pivot, and thinner and lighter overall device compared to the Fold 4. As a result of an optimized design, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 gets better overall usability.

With a design that essentially offers two phones in one — and an overall user experience that's difficult to match — the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is an outstanding device. To best utilize what the gadget offers, though, there are some features you should explore and master. Here are 12 things you must do when you buy the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
Change the navigation bar layout

Read more