Samsung A52 5G - anyone have it, and willing the share their experience with it?

[gray2018]

Does anyone have this device? I have to say, the fact that it is a Samsung device that has a headphone jack, super fast charging, 120hz refresh rate and 5G is very tempting for only 400 dollars right now.

But.. I wonder how performance and camera are? I am used to flagship level camera as I have been spoiled by the Note 9/Note 10+ this recent years.

 

[B. Diddy]

I have an A32 5G, which obviously is not the same device, but it might still give you some perspective. I got it free via trade-in of my ancient Nexus 5X through T-Mobile, and for a budget-to-midrange phone, it's quite good. Performance is surprisingly decent for a Dimensity 720 (Mediatek) CPU, build quality is impressive, and battery life is exceptional. The camera is mediocre though, even with a quad camera setup. I had to use the phone for a couple of weeks after my Pixel 3 XL died, and although it was totally fine for work and day-to-day use, the camera experience really made me miss the Pixel camera so much that I pretty much immediately ordered a refurbished Pixel 3a XL as a stopgap until the Pixel 6 comes along.

So I'd guess that the A52 5G's performance is excellent, considering how good it is on this phone. Not sure about the camera -- if it's pretty much the same setup and software as this one, it might disappoint.

 

[mustang7757]

If your use to high end phone then midrange wont cut it , although midrange devices have improved it wont give you what high end do because they have to cut features and specs.

 

[s_e_harris]

I have the A52 5G, and it works great. This is the first non-flagship I have owned. Since I ditched Blackberry years ago, I have always had the too Samsung phone. However, I really wanted the headphone jack, so my choices were limited. I have had my A52 5G for a couple of months now, and it performs great.

 

[mustang7757]

I have the A52 5G, and it works great. This is the first non-flagship I have owned. Since I ditched Blackberry years ago, I have always had the too Samsung phone. However, I really wanted the headphone jack, so my choices were limited. I have had my A52 5G for a couple of months now, and it performs great.

Hi, welcome to AC!
Thanks for you input on the device.

 

[MrBear16]

I am considering buy an A52 5G but am concerned about the camera. I am not after a top of the line phone as I use it for calls, texts, email, social media, websites, etc... I am currently using a Moto G7 Supra so I have no doubt this is an upgrade in every way. I would like to be able to lay something down on the floor and take one or two overhead shots and be set. I currently have to take 20+ at times and flash always washes out the color. I would like to be able to take pictures of the wild turkeys near my home, animals at the zoo, etc... I can get it cheaper than Google Pixel 5A so if this will meet my needs then it will save me money. The next phone I buy I would like to last several years so I want to be sure what I buy is good for what I want to do with it. This is all very anxiety provoking. Especially as I need to decide soon due to my current phone staying black screened 8 out of 10 times I push the button. I would appreciate any input.

 

[J Dubbs]

I am considering buy an A52 5G but am concerned about the camera. I am not after a top of the line phone as I use it for calls, texts, email, social media, websites, etc... I am currently using a Moto G7 Supra so I have no doubt this is an upgrade in every way. I would like to be able to lay something down on the floor and take one or two overhead shots and be set. I currently have to take 20+ at times and flash always washes out the color. I would like to be able to take pictures of the wild turkeys near my home, animals at the zoo, etc... I can get it cheaper than Google Pixel 5A so if this will meet my needs then it will save me money. The next phone I buy I would like to last several years so I want to be sure what I buy is good for what I want to do with it. This is all very anxiety provoking. Especially as I need to decide soon due to my current phone staying black screened 8 out of 10 times I push the button. I would appreciate any input.

It sounds like the camera is important to you.... I would go with a pixel, best camera around on their budget line, best updates around for the longest time period, long battery life, and they're well built phones that will last you as long as you want to keep them.

 

[MrBear16]

Thank you for the response. It has been hard trying to pick. Especially since the Samsung camera "sounds" better in certain ways. One website said about Galaxy A52 5G, "Around 424% more mega pixels (MP) than Google Pixel 5A. More resolution generally means better picture quality, though it's not always necessary." That makes the camera quality all the more confusing.

Maybe I should have made this a new post. My current phone is less responsive with displaying the screen than yesterday.

 

[gray2018]

I am still tempted to try out this device.. Having the headphone jack is a huge advantage personally for me as I listen to audio in my car every day.

 

[trido#AC]

I am still tempted to try out this device.. Having the headphone jack is a huge advantage personally for me as I listen to audio in my car every day.

I say try it,I have had one only 12 hours so far love it.great display phone is fast.give it a try.

 

[Jon Tessler]

I just bought the A52 5G a couple of days ago, and I love the phone. Be advised that since this phone was released about 9 months ago, you will spend your first day doing software updates. I wound up doing a out 5 security updates, and then 1 big OS update to Android 12. The phone is super fast, and has no lag at all. Having the 120 hz display means easy scrolling even with multiple apps open. I have only taken a few pictures, but the camera looks like a decent one, and Samsung didn't skimp on it.

I was using the A51 5G prior to this and noticed the difference in phones right away. I looked at the galaxy S21FE, but I need a micro SD card slot, because I save music and photos to it instead of the phone.

Highly recommend this phone, and Android 12 is really smooth on it.

 

[Hermes Hidayat]

i heard the A52s 5G is way faster than the A52 5G. i was planning to upgrade from my Poco M3 Pro 5G to the A52s 5G but see no reason to. Other than the fact that it costs twice the price of my M3 Pro 5G.

but from my experience with Mid Level Samsung devices.I would say its going to be a good device,unless youre a hardcore gamer than i wouldnt recommend it. Not saying it wouldnt do good but it just wont cut it.

 

[mikey1273]

Was looking at this too. Then I seen the new A53 was coming out so I pre ordered that. I had some mid range phone like the moto X4 and more recently the OnePlus 7 which is a value flagship. Good to see this A series is pretty good. Hopefully I will be happy with it. I just can't blow $1000 on a phone now. There seems to be a few differences between the A53 and A52. The 53 will get a slightly bigger battery, an exnyos 1280 cpu, but will loose the headphone jack. No headphone jack doesn't bother me. I have Bluetooth headphones and use android auto in my truck so it isn't needed.

 

[aixio]

If you live in the US then perhaps go up to the S21 FE. If you don't live in the US, then get the A52s. There are a few advantages to the A52s compared to the A53, which isn't apparent from reading reviews:

• Graphics Performance: A52s has a flagship level Adreno 642L, while Exynos 1280 comes with a 4 core GPU which has half the performance
• Update frequency: A52s is listed as an enterprise model and gets monthly updates for the next 3 years. The A53 gets quarterly updates for 3 then biannual for 2
• headphone jack - A52s has a headphone jack
• price - A52s is a little cheaper at $380 than the A53 at $450

 

[mikey1273]

If you live in the US then perhaps go up to the S21 FE. If you don't live in the US, then get the A52s. There are a few advantages to the A52s compared to the A53, which isn't apparent from reading reviews:

• Graphics Performance: A52s has a flagship level Adreno 642L, while Exynos 1280 comes with a 4 core GPU which has half the performance
• Update frequency: A52s is listed as an enterprise model and gets monthly updates for the next 3 years. The A53 gets quarterly updates for 3 then biannual for 2
• headphone jack - A52s has a headphone jack
• price - A52s is a little cheaper at $380 than the A53 at $450

I am in the US so A52S is not available. Importing one or buying an non US model on Amazon isn't really an option because I want to use it on Visible, a Verizon MNVO.

I have looked at the S21FE. I don't like that it doesn't have an SD card slot like Samsung Galaxy phones I had in the past. Plus it's $100 more for the 128gb model than the A53 and $620 for the 256gb model s21fe. I really don't care about the headphone jack

Still I might consider the S21 if I decide right away to return the A53.

What is the update policy for the S21FE?

 

[aixio]

I am in the US so A52S is not available.

That is intentional. Samsung has much more competition in the rest of the world.

I would not recommend importing either. The US carriers are cracking down on import models, so you wouldn't be able to use an import model on AT&T or TMobile either.

What is the update policy for the S21FE?

S21FE Security: Monthly for the first 3 years and at least quarterly for the last 2 years. 4 OS updates (Android 12 - Android 16)
A53 Security: Quarterly for the first 3 years and biannual for the last 2 years. 4 OS updates (Android 12 - Android 16)

 

[mikey1273]

And the S21FE is a 2022 model or 2021?

The thing is the A53 is here now for me to pick up at FedEx. At this point I may as well get it and try it out. There is a 15 day return policy if I don't like it or there is an issue with the carrier support.

 

[aixio]

The S21FE is a 2021 model that was released on 2022-01-04. It was supposed to be released in H2 2021 but got delayed by a few months. Review sites dissed it because it came out right before the S22 did, and used a last gen SoC. Using the latest SoC is super important for review people just because it is new (it is their job to cover new stuff). But IMO the new chip is faster because it uses more power, not because the technology got any better. S21 FE's lukewarm reception also meant better sale to be had as they need to get rid of the stock.

By all means try the A53 first. See if you like it. I'm personally ordering an A53 for a family member through Boost Mobile for $250 off. I think it could be a good phone.

One of the most common thing that worries me the most about the A53 is the virtual proximity sensor. Samsung cut it out for cost reasons in the S20 FE and there was a lot of complaints online. (If you didn't know, a proximity sensor is the one that detects your face is next to the phone and disables the screen, so it wouldn't register false touches) It is so much of an issue with interrupted calls that Samsung added it back in the S21FE. But Samsung stuck to their guns by removing it from all the A-series devices (including all Ax2 and Ax3 devices) This is a really common and cheap sensor that is present in SUB $200 phones of competing brands. The problem is they did a punch hole and either have to make the hole larger to fit it in, or they had to use a more expensive sensor that works under screen. The solution they went with is to cut it out.

 

[mikey1273]

Well so far I been using the A53 a few hours. Made a few calls and was really fine with it. The proximity thing seems to work fine so far. I was actually testing that by moving the phone up to and away from my face. The screen went black when it was at my face as it should. There was a little delay in it coming back on when you pull back away, however nothing annoyingly long. The setup part seemed to take a bit but not seeing any lag.

5g is working from the parking lot of FedEx where I powered it up. Of course no 5g at my house because it's on the edge of visible's 5g coverage. It connected up to the android auto in my truck with no issues. App seem to load fine. So far I'd say it's a decent phone. I don't play games. Just text, talk, social media, music and other media consumption.
I have to carry and use it for a day or two to get a better idea how well it preforms. So far I'm happy with it. I did get this nice case as part of my order and a set of galaxy buds were free with the pre order.

 

[aixio]

I got my A53 5G too. The proximity sensor was a bit quirky, and it is a bit slow when it worked.
I'm pleasantly surprised that A53 5G is now listed as an enterprise model and scheduled to receive monthly updates. Previously Samsung has designated only the A50 and A52 as enterprise models, with all other A series models receiving quarterly updates from the start. I had previously read between the lines and guessed that Samsung had only intended to designate A5x from every other year as enterprise, and believed the A53 5G would not be one.
I think I'll live with the phone despite the proximity sensor situation, considering how cheap it is (cricket even has a $50 port in deal) and how long it will be supported.