Comparing the s10 to an a51

[fthis f]

The s10 is now currently under 500usd in my part of the world, it was something I was considering as a replacement for my old mid range c5 pro. Today I tried the A51 which is 340usd, significantly cheaper and seems to have a good enough feature set for my needs as a casual user with minimal gaming. I haven't had a chance to thoroughly read the reviews of the a51 just yet but the images taken from the camera seem close enough in quality. Also, I would prefer the plastic over the glass rear since I'm always just tossing my phone around or dropping it. Also, I find the positioning of the selfie camera on the a51 much nicer as it keeps the whole thing symmetrical, but that's really a minor thing.

The camera was one of the main things I was looking at but it seems they are close enough in quality. Also, I think the a51 wide mode has autofocus while the s10 does not. I'm not sure about the sensors and all that. I'm sure the s10 will do better in low light and also video.

As far as I'm concerned, the smaller and lighter size, a slightly better camera, the water resistance (I hike occasionally and the reason I'm looking for a new phone is I got caught in a rainstorm and my phone died), and wireless charging are the features that stand out and make the s10 more attractive. I know the s10 has a better processor but in my part of the world we get 6gb ram as opposed to the 4gb on the A51 that I'm told the us and euro versions get, so that should help speed it up. I don't know if those things are enough to justify the 160usd or so price difference between the phones. Any input or pointing out things I may have overlooked would be appreciated. Thanks.

Here is a link of the comparisons:
https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=9963&idPhone2=8437&idPhone3=9536

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

The A51 has had good reviews. I use an S10+ and i love it. Super fast and feature rich, but in the end you have to weigh things up. If water resistance is important then i think the S10 would work out better value as if the A51 died from water damage then it will cost more than $160 to replace. But that is just my opinion.

 

[Adam Frix]

From a pure performance standpoint, I think you'll be amazingly surprised with the A51. Midrange phones today--even lower midrange--are amazing pieces. The free phone Visible sent to me to try their service was very surprisingly snappy. I can only imagine, we've reached peak phone with respect to performance. How much better is the Galaxy S compared to the Galaxy A? You can look at the specs on paper all you want, but I imagine the real world difference is a lot smaller than Samsung wants you to think.

So it comes down to things like size, headphone jack, water resistance...tangible, yes/no items.

 

[fthis f]

Thanks guys. I think that the a51 will be more than capable. Probably less of an upgrade compared to my old mid range than the s10 would be but more than enough for my casual needs. I also was able to have a look at one and it felt solid and well built. The only thing I really don't like about it are the size and weight as well as the plastic bezel. My last samsung with a shiny plastic bezel started to peel after about a month of use. It did not age well and I remember lots of the earlier s models lost their "premium" feel because of it.

I'm going to have another look at both later. I think in the long term the s10 would be better despite it not holding much of a performance edge, at least not from my standpoint as a casual user.

 

[BergerKing]

When you go to where the ursine mammal defcated in the proverbial buckwheat, one need only realize that midrange devices today often have better specs than flagships did only 6-7 years ago. They're not bad at all.

I ended my contract recently because I just spent 4 months in the hospital and major medical care, so I had to get a device just to be able to make calls and moderate internet work, but I also kept my Note 9 for more serious work over Wi-Fi. The second device is a Galaxy J2 Core and believe me, there's times I can press the button to load a page, switch to the Note, and load three or four pages in the time that one takes to load one.

A big difference is almost purely in the RAM, having the room to run and multi-task at high speeds. 2 gig of RAM vs 6 is a major speed boost. Note 5 had 4 gig of RAM, as did my S8+, so you're still operating with some pretty sweet space, especially with the usage you described. If money is a big factor, go with with the better option. If A51 will be supported a while, that sounds pretty tasty.

 

[Adam Frix]

The A51 just came out, right? So it has a year advantage on the S10 family, which came out in March 2019. With respect to updates, that might be meaningful.

 

[fthis f]

Thanks for all the input. I had another look and decided the size on the a51 and the plastic bezel were dealbreakers for me. I bought the s10, seems good and I'm liking it so far.

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

The A51 just came out, right? So it has a year advantage on the S10 family, which came out in March 2019. With respect to updates, that might be meaningful.

That ain't how it works.

I'd put money on the S10 line getting updated beyond the A51.

 

[Adam Frix]

I doubt it.

Anyway, OP: do you put a case on it? Me, I'd trade off $150 for a simple, cheap, non-sexy plastic back that I'm simply going to cover up anyway with a thin case.

I don't understand all the fawning over what the back looks and feels like, only for everyone here to hide it away in a bulletproof safe on his belt.

 

[the_boon]

I don't understand all the fawning over what the back looks and feels like, only for everyone here to hide it away in a bulletproof safe on his belt.

Exactly. Phone reviews also tend to keep talking about how a device "feels" in the hand, but they're handed review units for free (most of the time).

The consumers who spends their hard earned cash on a brand new $400 - $1200 device are definitely gonna be throwing a $5-15 case on the thing.

I'm all for plastic backs (especially rubber, even better!)

 

[BergerKing]

That ain't how it works.

I'd put money on the S10 line getting updated beyond the A51.

That's a very valid point, over the lifetime of the phone. Like the J2 my daughter got me to bridge my recuperation after I gave up my own account, which was updated twice, right after I got it, and once more, nada since.

Meanwhile, my Note 9 gets updates every month since I got it for the online launch. It still performs excellently, and I still love it as much as Day 1. Sadly, I can't use it on AT&T, it being a Sprint device. But I still use it on Hotspot all the time. It's much faster than my laptop.

 

[Laura Knotek]

That's a very valid point, over the lifetime of the phone. Like the J2 my daughter got me to bridge my recuperation after I gave up my own account, which was updated twice, right after I got it, and once more, nada since.

Meanwhile, my Note 9 gets updates every month since I got it for the online launch. It still performs excellently, and I still love it as much as Day 1. Sadly, I can't use it on AT&T, it being a Sprint device. But I still use it on Hotspot all the time. It's much faster than my laptop.

Sadly, it does not seem that Samsung offers many updates to their midrange phones.

 

[Adam Frix]

And to date, it does not seem that Samsung offers more than 2 updates to their gawdawful expensive phones.

 

[fthis f]

I'm still getting used to it and familiarizing myself with the settings. Honestly I don't see a huge difference between this and my old C5 pro from 2017. I think my last update on that phone was android 7 possibly later, I remember the last one was late 2018. The new phone with the installed software and not the latest updates is snappier and more responsive for sure but for my casual use, not much of a bump up that I can see over my old phone. Not that I'm not happy with my purchase, it's got a great camera and I've already got compliments on the looks (prism white) and I like the modern look and the edge notifications. Most of my time on the phone so far has been spent trying to remember my old account passwords for things and trying to re-download the same apps I had on my old phone before it died. Some of my apps haven't been backed up since late 2017 so I lost a lot of data.

I'm currently using the clear case that came with the phone, it's good enough and does the job but I'll be getting an AUG case for it for more sercurity and peace of mind. I'm not a big fan all glass front and rear phones, I toss mine around and frequently drop them, usually off my bed or off the coffee table. My last one had an aluminum back cover, I didn't have to worry about it so much and it looked great with bumps, scrapes and nicks all over the back.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Sadly, it does not seem that Samsung offers many updates to their midrange phones.

That's an old post and I think Samsung had a change of heart. The As from 51 up are getting 3 years same as the Galaxies. It matters to me because my wife is thinking about getting one.

https://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-a51-a71-three-os-updates-huge-android