After months of increasingly revealing leaks, the new linchpin of Samsung’s 2021 A Series smartphones – the Galaxy A52 (and its 5G-capable sibling) – is finally here, along with the marginally larger Galaxy A72. The A52 serves as the direct successor to one of 2020’s best-selling smartphones – the Galaxy A51. Like last year, Samsung has subdivided the hardware into both a 4G and a 5G variant, with a few notable differences between the two, while there was only talk of a 4G-capable Galaxy A72 at the event. In the UK, at least, consumers should only expect to see the A52 5G and A72, with the 4G A52 only available in other launch markets. All three device centre around four key pillars: display, camera, ecosystem and what Samsung is calling the “Galaxy Foundation.” The A52 and A72 both sport 90Hz AMOLED displays, while the 6.5in Full HD+ panel on the A52 5G boasts an even smoother 120Hz high refresh rate panel. Brightness is also improved over last year’s equivalent A Series phones, with a peak 800nit brightness. As for their camera setups, there are a diverse set of sensors across these phones, all of which are led by a 64Mp primary autofocus sensor, complete with OIS (optical image stabilisation) and come accompanied by a 12Mp fixed focus ultrawide and a 5Mp fixed focus macro snapper. In the case of the A52 and A52 5G, the fourth rear sensor is a 5Mp fixed focus depth-sensing unit, however, on the A72, that fourth position is instead occupied up an 8Mp autofocus telephoto sensor, granting 3x optical zoom and also benefitting from its own OIS system. One of the most interesting new camera features may be Fun Mode – co-developed with Snapchat – letting users add fun and unique AR filters into their shots from within the native camera app. All three models also boast a 32Mp front-facing hole-punch selfie snapper, sat into the top-centre of each device’s screen – a trait which Samsung brands as an “Infinity-O” display. Running on the company’s latest One UI version 3 atop Android 11, Samsung has dropped in a few features from its more premium devices, like 4K Video Snap and Music Share – letting you push tunes to a compatible device that’s already connected to a Bluetooth speaker, without any additional pairing required. AI-based battery optimisation is also in the mix, along with support for 25W fast charging across all three devices, with the A52/A52 5G toting a 4500mAh cell and the A72 benefiting from a 5000mAh battery. As for the Galaxy Foundation, that’s essentially Samsung’s promise of a set of fundamentals for those who choose to pick up a Galaxy-branded device, which in the case of these new A Series handsets includes its Knox security measures, IP67 dust and water resistance, and four years of Android security updates.
Samsung Galaxy A52, A52 5G & A72 price and availability
All three phones went on sale the same day they were unveiled (17 March) starting at €349, €429 and €449 for the A52, A52 5G and A72 in Europe. Meanwhile, UK pricing for the A52 5G and A72 coming in at £399 and £419, respectively. For reference, last year’s Galaxy A51 5G cost £429, making this year’s equivalent a more affordable successor, while the A71 cost the same as its successor at £419.
